This was Kurt’s second electric guitar- the one he bought after taking lessons with Warren Mason, his first guitar teacher, sometime in 1982. As the story goes, Warren saw Kurt’s first electric guitar, deemed it hard to play, and recommended that Kurt should buy an Ibanez instead.
The first thing Warren had to deal with was Kurt’s guitar—it was more suited for showing off at school than playing. Warren found Kurt an Ibanez, for $125.
Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain
Model
Most sources online seem to think that this guitar was a 1976 Ibanez Destroyer. This hypothesis aligns well with what Warren apparently said, but based on the guitar’s finish, it seems to be unlikely. The 1970s Ibanez Destroyer models were based on the Gibson Korina Explorer, and featured a natural, yellow finish, without the sunburst effect seen on Kurt’s guitar.
So it could be that Warren simply remember incorrectly, or that he was misquoted somehow.
The more likely candidate is the guitar is a Teisco FB-29M, which is another Gibson Explorer copy, similar to Ibanez Destroyer.
However, since none of this can be confirmed just based on this one photo, both options are deemed possible at this point, Teisco being the more likely one.
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I always thought this was a 1976 Ibanez Destroyer that Kurt painted it cherry sunburst (as his aunt Mari remembers Kurt coloring black squares on the white Pickguard to make it checkers) and the theory of Kurt painting his guitar is not that far fetched as he was known to have done it before first in June 1989 when he spray painted the front and headstock of his natural Univox Hi-Flier and left the back all natural and three years later Kurt did it again with his Sunburst Japan Fender telecaster painting the front Blue with latex house paint and then scratched Courtney and a heart into it and added some stickers on the front and the back was left untoched and was still the original sunburst. So that is what I thought he may have done, but now looking at them side by side you can tell it’s def a Teisco FB-29M.
Kurt’s first three guitars he owned were all Made In Japan (Lindell, 1981), (Teisco FB-29M, 1982-1984), (Univox Hi-Flier Phase III, 1985-Oct 30, 1988). And Kurt’s last used guitars were Made In Japan (1993 Sonic Blue Mustang “Sky-Stang I”), (1993 Sonic Blue Jag-Stang), (1969-1974 Univox Hi-Flier Phase II), (1993 Fender Sunburst Telecaster).
This guitar seems like something Kurt would never play. It’s almost cursed seeing him using that