The Most Expensive Music Instruments Used So Far

What’s the first that comes to your mind when talking about Music? Well, I don’t know about you, but musical instruments like guitars and violins are the first thing that comes into my mind while thinking about Music. Music has revolutionized with time so did the musical instruments. This is an important reason why classic music instruments were made by famous artists and why many instruments are sold for a large amount of money.
You need to note that the prices of the mentioned below music instruments won’t be even near the price of the standard version. Most of the musical instruments mentioned below have a low availability due to their being very old, which inflates their price. Some of the most expensive musical instruments used so far are listed below-

1. MacDonald Stradivarius Viola
   The MacDonald Stradivarius Viola was named after its owner during the 19th century. Along with that, this is a masterpiece that is one of the 10 Stradivarius violas in the entire world. You should note that 10 is not the total number; rather, it is the number of Stradivarius violas that are in good condition and intact. This instrument was played by the co-founder of the eminent Amadeus Quartet, also known as Peter Schidlof, until he died in 1987. This instrument was in an auction and had a minimum bidding price of $45 million in 2014.

2. Duport Stradivarius Cello
   It was named after its first owner Jean-Louis Duport, a cellist in the 19th century. After the death of its owner, it was sold off to the Nippon Music Foundation. The Nippon Music Foundation was an inexhaustible Strad collector. It was sold for a humongous price of $20 million, even with visible dents. It is rumored that the shoes of Napoleon Bonaparte caused the dents. This happened when Duport allowed Bonaparte to handle his precious Cello.

3. Vieuxtemps Violin
   The famous Vieuxtemps Violin was taken care of very nicely as even after its 275 years, it does not have a single scratch. One thing to note is that its maintenance in those 275 years was so good that it was not necessary to repair or patch it. Guiseppe Guarneri crafted this famous instrument in 1741. He was a renowned Italian artisan used by Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman. The name of the current owner of this instrument is kept anonymous, but we know that it was purchased in 2012 for a total of $16 million.

4. Lady Blunt Stradivarius Violin
   There are only two best-preserved Stradivarius Violins, out of which the Lady Blunt Stradivarius Violin is also a part. It was auctioned in 2011, after the tsunami and earthquake at Tohoku. This auction was planned to gather a relief fund for the people who suffered from these natural calamities. It was sold in the online auction for a total of $15.9 million (5 times the value the last owner paid). The Lady Blunt Stradivarius Violin is believed to be the best-preserved Strad, which went into an auction in the last century.

5. Hammer Stradivarius Violin
   The well-known Hammer Stradivarius Violin was named after the first owner (Christian Hammer), a 19th-century Swedish collector. It is believed that the Hammer Stradivarius Violin was made during the golden era of 1907. This instrument was put on an auction in which it was sold within 5 minutes of bidding with a final price of $3.54 million. One thing to note is that just like the Vieuxtemps Violin, the owner’s name of the Hammer Stradivarius Violin was kept anonymous due to security reasons.