Everything the late Nirvana singer touched is turning to gold it seems.
Now, it also includes what he has stepped on.
One of Kurt Cobain’s guitar pedals sold at a staggering $75,000 at an auction recently.
Julien’s Auction’s recently sold said guitar effect—a Boss DS1 Distortion pedal—just this weekend.
The battered looking DS-1 pedal, with its easily recognizable orange color paint peeling, had the words “Nirwahna” and “Kurdz was here” written in sharpie at the top and side respectively and a ‘The Frogs’ sticker the singer affixed at the bottom.
The DS-1 pedal was what the Nirvana singer and guitarist used extensively throughout the band’s career in the 90’s.
Said pedal was said to have been used notably during Nirvana's September 3, 1991 “Peel Session.”
Another of Cobain’s DS-1 pedals sold for a much lower price back in 2020 at $9,000.
Still, Cobain’s $75,000 price tag for his battered DS-1 makes it the most expensive guitar effects pedal sold at an auction, beating out Jimi Hendrix’s Octavia pedal that went for $70,400.
Another Hendrix artifact, a Fuzz Face pedal, fetched for $40,625 and the guitarist’s wah-wah pedal sold for $33,000 back in 2017.
Besides the DS-1 distortion pedal, Cobain also claims the top spot for most expensive guitars ever sold at an auction.
His famed Martin D-18E acoustic guitar, made famous in “MTV Unplugged,” is at number one with its $6.01 price tag.
His Mustang electric guitar which he used for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is at second with $4.55 million.
Cobain edged out previous record holder David Gilmour, whose Black Stratocaster went for $3.975 million.
The record-breaking DS-1 pedal was sold along with Cobain’s destroyed Mustang guitars which the singer-guitarist signed after smashing it on stage.
Those smashed guitars sold for $486,400.