Kurt Cobain’s Memphis (Matsumoku) Stratocaster
This guitar was seen only on one occasion, at the “No More Wars” benefit concert in Olympia, WA on January 18, 1991. Kurt played most of the concert on the white Stratocaster with a black humbucker in the lead position but switched to this guitar prior to the last song.
At the end of the show, Cobain picked up a hammer and completely smashed the Memphis Strat – which explains the broken pickguard seen on some of the photos online.
Although the majority of the footage from this gig appears to be black and white, there is at least one color film (thanks Beany), which shows the guitar finished in a darker shade of red. Nothing on this guitar seems customized or special, so it is most likely that Kurt picked it up for the sole purpose of destroying it.
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Colour footage of the gig including the hammering of the guitar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKfpMqSYkY
It also appears from this footage that it is not the white ‘K’ Strat. This one has what looks like a single coil black pickup on the bridge
It’s a full-size humbucker, but you’re right – there’s no K sticker on the guitar. I think this is a completely separate guitar that I have not seen yet. I will add it to the list. Cheers.
Actually there is a “K” sticker
Sometimes I’m just completely blind I guess. Cheers.
Also had a red candy strat he used at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1993 identical to this one but it had a rosewood fret board instead of maple heres a photo