Kurt Cobain’s Veleno Standard Aluminum Guitar

According to Steve Albini, Kurt Cobain used a Veleno aluminum guitar to record some parts of the In Utero album. The guitar was Steve’s, but he had it re-strung for left-hand use so Kurt could play it, since he allegedly liked how it sounded.

However, apart from the studio sessions, Kurt never used the guitar again.

Kurt used his Mustang, his Jaguar, a Univox Hi-Flyer (Mosrite copy), a custom Jaguar/Mustang hybrid and a Veleno guitar of mine I re-strung for lefty.

Steve Albini Reddit AMA

As far as exact songs he used the Veleno on, no one knows for sure. The two that come up most often are “Heart–Shaped Box” and “Very Ape.”

Specs, History

Veleno guitars were the brainchild of John Veleno, a machinist and innovator from Florida. Based on the information available online, he made the first prototype in 1967, while the main production period was between 1972 and 1977.

It’s believed that only around 200-220 Veleno guitars were ever produced, making them extremely rare, and they are quite expensive nowadays. At the time of writing this, there is only one for sale on Reverb for €26,381.19

The model that Kurt himself used was most likely one of Veleno’s standard solid-body models, often simply referred to as the “Original Aluminum Guitar.” Veleno didn’t have a vast range of named models like larger manufacturers.

The guitar’s neck and body were built from aircraft-grade Aluminum (usually 6061-T6 aluminum alloy), often milled from a single block or multiple pieces seamlessly joined. Generally, the neck had a Fender-esque 25.5 inches.

Pickups are where there could be some variation. Early models might have featured custom-wound humbuckers designed by Veleno, while others used off-the-shelf pickups like DiMarzio Super Distortions, especially in later production. Steven’s Veleno likely had Dimarzios.

Apart from the original models made in the 1970s, John Veleno, the original creator of Veleno, and his son, Chris Veleno, attempted a brand reintroduction around 2002.

They planned to reintroduce the distinctive Ankh-shaped guitar, a design created for Todd Rundgren. They aimed to produce six of these unique instruments for the 2003 Winter NAMM show. However, due to John Veleno’s deteriorating health, only one Ankh guitar was actually completed during that period.

Following John Veleno’s passing in 2020, his son Chris Veleno discovered the five remaining Ankh guitar bodies. He decided to complete them as a limited-edition tribute.

After this, the company was successfully revived with the introduction of the “Next Generation Legacy Model.” This new guitar is based on the same model that Kurt Cobain used for recording. It is currently available for purchase on Veleno’s website for $8,599.00.