# General Mandolin Topics > Vintage Instruments >  What costs more than a Loar... world's most expensive instrument

## Amandalyn

From an article in MMR:



'Worlds Most Expensive Musical Instrument' for Sale
One of the last violins to be created by Italian master craftsman, Guarneri del Gesù, has been put up for sale by violin dealer and restorer, Bein & Fushi of Chicago, Ill., at an asking price of $18 million. Dubbed the "Mona Lisa of violins," the Vieuxtemps was made in 1741 by Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744), said to be the finest violin maker of the Amati line.

If the Vieuxtemps Guarneri achieves its reserve, it will become the most expensive musical instrument in the world, with the previous record price being just over half the instruments asking price. Only about 140 of Guarneri del Gesù's violins survive today, compared to 640 made by Antonio Stradivari. The violin is being sold by retired British financier and music philanthropist, Ian Stoutzker, who bought it from Sir Isaac Wolfson, founder of Wolfson College, Oxford, England.

For more information, visit www.beinfushi.com

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## Mandolin Mick

At first I thought this thread was a question and I was essentially going to give the same answer!

Also, instruments like Paul McCartney's bass would go for more.

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## NickAlberty

Bit steep for a fiddle huh?

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## LoneStarMandolin

> Bit steep for a fiddle huh?


well played, sir!

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## Amandalyn

[QUOTE=Also, instruments like Paul McCartney's bass would go for more.[/QUOTE]

really? Does Paul still own his original Hofner?

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## Mandolin Mick

Amandalyn-

What a great handle!!! Very clever ...

No, I have it now ... see below :Wink:

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## Dimonback

> really? Does Paul still own his original Hofner?


Cool... your handle is what I named my daughter. Now if I could just get her to pick up an instrument...

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## mrmando

> Also, instruments like Paul McCartney's bass would go for more.


More than $18 million? Think so?

Eric Clapton sold Brownie for $450K and Blackie for $959K ... you really think Paul's Hofner is worth 20 times as much as Blackie?

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## Mandolin Mick

I never said McCartney's bass would sell for more than $18 million. My answer was re: what instrument costs more than a Loar. 

The answer is ... yes. McCartney's bass would sell for more than a Loar, but it isn't the world's most expensive instrument. 

But, you never know. We'll see after he dies.

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## Fretbear

It was interesting to hear Tony Rice's own evaluation of his famous '35 D-28, "The Antique", in his recent autobiography. He says (in his opinion) it is worth more than what Monroe's Loar commanded, and more than what Earl Scruggs' Mastertone will eventually command. 
We are speaking of factory instruments here. He also carries a gun, and let it be known in no uncertain terms whatsoever that "it is not for sale, and I am not going to just give it to you......"

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## Amandalyn

[QUOTE=Mandolin Mick No, I have it now ... see below :Wink: [/QUOTE]

Oh... So you're the one who stole it  :Laughing: .... Does it have the mojo filter?

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## Patrick Gunning

Hear 18 million dollars at work.

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## F-2 Dave

> Hear 18 million dollars at work.


I kept waiting for him to say, "that's how you do it, son" and then hand the fiddle back to the musician at the fancy restaurant.

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## Links

> It was interesting to hear Tony Rice's own evaluation of his famous '35 D-28, "The Antique", in his recent autobiography. He says (in his opinion) it is worth more than what Monroe's Loar commanded, and more than what Earl Scruggs' Mastertone will eventually command. 
> We are speaking of factory instruments here. He also carries a gun, and let it be known in no uncertain terms whatsoever that "it is not for sale, and I am not going to just give it to you......"


I'm glad that was his opinion, because I doubt that it is anyone else's.  I'm pretty sure that Earl's Granada would be worth more.  Sonny Osborne claims he has been offered a huge sum for his Granada (450K, I heard), but when someone offers that, or asks will you take that for it, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will buy it for that.  Meybe they just want to know if you will sell it for that!

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## Mandolin Mick

Amandlyn-

The serious answer to your question is ... yes, Paul still plays the Hofner bass that he played on the Ed Sullivan show with the Beatles in February of 1964. That bass was given to him by Hofner in late 1963 to replace his 1961 Hofner because the pickups were being held in place by tape. The difference is that he took off the pickguard during the Beatles final tour in 1966.

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## f5loar

yeah and he wore a bare spot in it too without that pickguard.  He is suppose to be playing it when I go see him this Weds. in Charlotte, NC.   Promises to play at least 20 Beatle songs on it and at least one mandolin song.

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## Earl Gamage

The video brings up interesting questions to me.  First is, I'd like to hear that fiddle in a bg jam, it sounds like it's probably a cannon but you can't tell out of context (orchestra or band).  And, I bet the bow is about the price of a Loar.

And please don't remind me of the Charlie Daniels commercial anymore.  Rich and successful and a great showman yes, but yuk on the fiddling.

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## Mandolin Mick

F5loar-

I last saw Paul here in Milwaukee in 2005. He played about 85% Beatles in a 2 hour show. He only plays the `64 Hofner bass live ... but he pulled out the `61 for 1 song!!! You can tell right away because both pickups are set close to the neck. He played that on Revolution, the single. That's the Hofner bass that I play as well.

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## Tim2723

There are lots of instruments that routinely cost more than a Loar mandolin, but as far as this violin being the world's most expensive, I have my doubts.  It isn't uncommon for pipe organs to run into the millions.  I don't know what the most expensive one is, but if there's an instrument that is worth more than 18 million, it's probably a pipe organ.

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## Tim2723

double click.

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## Rex Hart

I just saw Paul last saturday ast Kansas City. He did play the Hofner on every song he played bass on. It still sounds great. 3 hour concert by a 68 year old. Incredible!! Best concert I have ever seen. The Hofner is really light and he holds it up with one hand and balances it after he finishes a song. I have no doubt that it will eventually be the most sought after instrument ever and I don't think 18 million would be out of line at some point.

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## 300win

> Hear 18 million dollars at work.


 Well that sure ain't Sally Gooden or The Gold Rush, wonder if it's a reel, jig, hornpipe or breakdown ? What's the name of that tune he's playing ? Good sounding fiddle though, but $18 million ?

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## Tim2723

Franz Schubert's _der Erlkönig_.

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## trevor

I know little about violins but I understand that is is usual to pay about half the value of the instrument for a bow. 

This of course begs a question, is there a bow for $9m somewhere?

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## buckles

Bows can be relatively expensive.  They break more easily and certain damages, unlike with violins, can't be repaired.  I don't know as I've yet heard of a bow selling for a million dollars but it's possible a Tourte bow did, I guess.

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## Bernie Daniel

> At first I thought this thread was a question and I was essentially going to give the same answer!
> 
> Also, instruments like Paul McCartney's bass would go for more.


How are you coming up with that estimate?

I doubt it.  I guess that even on a great day McCartney's bass would be lucky to bring a much more than a couple million --if that.

Consider that Eric Clapton's '64 Gibson ES-335 sold for less than $1 million a few years ago and that was a record at the time.  

How you can equate the worth of a compare modern electric instrument --(thousands available?) -- with a 270 year old hand made insturment of which less than 200 exist!   :Smile: 

Opps sorry -- I missed your follow-up  clarification on that point.

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## tin ben dur

I wonder if that guy can play Orange Blossum Special.  :Laughing:

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## Bill Snyder

> I wonder if that guy can play Orange Blossum Special.


Probably can if he wants.

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## barney 59

When does an instrument quit being an instrument and become memorabilia? It seems to me that when you talk about celebrity owned instruments that it's not about the instrument but about the person that owned it. I can see a day when Willie Nelson's guitar comes on the market and a couple of Texas oil billionaires square off at an auction over it and it ends up the most valuable instrument of all time. An instrument that you would probably give a pass to if you ran into it at a yard sale. Michael Jordan's shorts, Marilyn Monroe's bra, Tiger Wood's dog house would all bring big bucks but if somehow the provenance was lost they would become worthless items. A 1930  martin OM is always going to be a rare guitar and be valuable in it's own right as would a Strad or a Loar regardless of who owned it. BM's Loar is probably the most valuable Loar of all and maybe the worst one of all from a collectors point of view after being beat to powder and put back together.

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## re simmers

Pipe organs have to be in the mix of valuable instruments, such as the one in the Naval Academy Chapel and many other places that would never be sold.

Today, many of the 'stringed' instruments mentioned would exceed the Loar value.   But as far as collectability and future value............that's a roll of the dice.    If Rice's Martin were to go to auction and it goes for $3 million, that will increase the value of every stringed instrument, especially Martins.    All it takes is 2 people who have a lot of money, both determined to have it at the same auction.   If Rice's Martin were to go for $10,000 that would decrease values.    

Tiger's doghouse would have to include the 9 iron to really be collectable!

Bob

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## Jim Garber

Well.. not an instrument, but an expensive comic book:




> *Superman Saves the House*
> August 2010
> 
> Another very valuable comic book has been found. It's a copy of Action Comics No. 1, the 1938 issue that introduced Superman. That comic book has been attracting super prices since 2009, when a record $317,200 was paid for a copy at a ComicConnect auction. In February 2010, another copy sold for $1 million; then a month later, still another brought $1.5 million. Seven copies have surfaced in the last 18 months, probably because of the publicized high prices. A couple from somewhere in the South (they want to remain anonymous) were packing to move out of their foreclosed house when they found a box of comic books in the basement. They went online, read about the record-breaking sales, and sent a cell-phone photo to ComicConnect. The comic book was graded 5.0 (very good/fine) and its value estimated at $250,000. The other comics in the box were worth less than $30 each. Vincent Zurzolo of ComicConnect explained to the family's bank that the couple would soon have the money to pay for the house. The foreclosure is off until the results of the August 27-September 17 sale are final. The family is nervously waiting for Superman to save the day and their house.

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## Mandolin Mick

With all due respect ... Clapton, as wonderful as he is ... is not in the same league as McCartney on any level; musicianship, singing, songwriting, fame or whatever.

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## barney 59

> With all due respect ... Clapton, as wonderful as he is ... is not in the same league as McCartney on any level; musicianship, singing, songwriting, fame or whatever.


I guess when I think of it, your right, Clapton is better! 
 Grammer, guitars once a favored guitar with Nashville players in the late 60's and early 70's seem to be worth around $1500 today --rarely ever sell for more than 2k even for the brazillian ones. When Johnny Cash's Grammer sold for $120,000 it didn't seem to effect the values of the other ones.

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## barney 59

A good friend of mine's father was a cartoonist for DC Comics and she has locked in a vault archived artist proof copies of every Superman from #1 up into the 1950's. So she's like a gazillionaire?

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## Tom Wright

I heard Josh Bell play that violin here in Chicago. (I get the best seats.) Loud it is, fine rich tone, but it's also the pedigree, as if it was the guitar played by Segovia, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, and Jimi Hendrix. Remember it's been in professional use for something like 250 years.

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## Ed Goist

Based on its provenance alone, I wonder how much Neil Young's 1941 Martin D-28 is worth?...The one that had been owned by Hank Williams, and has also been played by (on loan from Young) both Bob Dylan and Stephen Stills...Kinda hard to top that for the history of an instrument!

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## Andrew B. Carlson

This thread got me into researching violins for a few weeks and listening to a lot of Paganini.....my violin (fiddle for the bumpkins) shows up in a couple days.  :Grin:

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## Hallmark498

Word is TR was offered over 1 mill for "the bone" from someone in Japan

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## re simmers

TR's Martin has so much "Lore" to it, and so many people would like it in a glass case in their living room.   It is a famous guitar in every genre of music.    It's not the most expensive instrument in the world, but I don't think $1 million would buy it, even in this economy.    I'd guess $3 million at auction.    

And like WSM's 73987, it has had so much 'happen' to it.....the antiques road show would appraise it at about $800.

Bob

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