Kurt Cobain’s Teisco FB-29M/Ibanez Destroyer

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.