No matter what your passion is in life, there is always likely to be an expensive option for indulging in it. For those with a love of music, the cost of high-end instruments can often run into the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars for a professional-level instruments.
But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg as instruments that are incredibly rare can run into the hundreds of thousands and even multi-million dollar price tag.
In this post, we’ve put together a list of some of the most expensive instruments in the world and see some of the factors that made them so pricey!
1. MacDonald Stradivarius Viola – $45,000,000
In the number one spot for the most high-priced instrument of all time is the MacDonald Stradivarius.
But surprisingly, it’s not a violin, but a Viola and part of the reason it’s so expensive is that there are reported to be only ten Stradivarius violas in existence today.
The rarity of this instrument puts a $45 million price tag on it, but in 2014, it was put on auction but failed to sell.
However, the MacDonald Stradivarius is still for sale for $45 million if anyone wants to buy it, making it potentially the most expensive instrument in the entire world.
2. Duport Stradivarius Cello – $20,000,000
Next on the list, we have the Duport Stradivarius, but again, this one is also unique because it is not a violin or a viola but a cello.
That’s right, one of the most expensive Stradivarius instruments of all time is, in fact, a cello.
It was built in 1711 by master luthier Antonio Stradivari and was probably commissioned to be made by François Chicoyneau, who was the doctor to King Louis XIV.
Over the next hundred years, it exchanged hands a number of times until 2008, when the cello was purchased by the Nippon Music Foundation for a staggering $20 million.
The cello itself is not in the greatest condition as it has a visible dent in the wood that was thought to have been made by Napoleon when he tried it in 1812.
However, the fact that the cello was made by Stradivarius, and it is only one of a handful left in the world, makes this instrument one of the most expensive ever to be sold.
3.Guiseppe Guarneri Vieuxtemps Violin – $16,000,000
Coming in at number three, we have one of the most expensive violins in the world, The Vieuxtemps Violin, which sold for $16 million in 2012 to an anonymous buyer.
This violin was created by Italian craftsman Guiseppe Guarneri in 1741 and since then has been played by world-famous violinists at different points in time but has always been kept in pristine condition.
It is said that the Vieuctemps Violin has never had a crack, been repaired, or even patched. This is a testament to Guarneri’s exquisite work in creating such a beautiful and versatile instrument.
Currently, it is on “permanent loan” to Anne Akiko Meyers, who you can see playing it in the YouTube video above.
4. The ‘Lady Blunt’ Stradivari (1712) – $15,900,000
Perhaps the best-known string instruments of all time were created by Antonio Stradivari.
As you’ll see from this list, Stradivarius instruments are some of the most sought-after of all time.
He did not make a vast number of instruments, but those that he did were considered to be perfect by many musicians.
One such instrument is The ‘Lady Blunt’ Stradivari Violin from 1712, which was sold and raised $15.9 million at auction for charity to aid in relief efforts after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Aside from raising money for charity, this violin sold for so much money because it is claimed to be the best-preserved Stradivari violin still in existence today.
5. The Hammer Stradivarius Violin
Yet another Stradivarius, we have the Hammer Stradivarius.
This violin was named after its first owner, Christian Hammer, who purchased the violin after Stradivarius finished making it in 1707.
It is due to the year that it was built that this violin became so expensive. It was during this time in Stradivarius’ life that it is believed he created the best of the best.
The violins that Stradivarius was making, including the Hammer, are claimed to be the perfect violins by some. The Hammer sold for $3.54 million in a 2006 auction.
6. Steinway Z Piano
The Steinway Z Piano is an upright piano that is valuable not because of what it is but because of who played it.
The most expensive Steinway Z was played by John Lennon and is the piano that he composed and recorded the song “Imagine” on in 1971.
It is ironic because when the piano was sold in 2000 for $2.1 million, it wasn’t in the greatest condition. It is said to have cigarette burn marks, chips taken out of the wood, and strings that needed to be replaced.
Regardless, the fact that it was played by such an iconic songwriter made this piano worth millions of dollars.
7. Lady of Tennant-Lafont Stradivarius Violin
Next on our list is The Lady of Tennant-Lafont Stradivarius violin, which was made in 1699.
This was just as Stradivari was considered to be entering his golden era of instrument making.
Up until 2005, when it sold at auction for $2.03 million, it was still loaned out to musicians to play in concerts and on recordings because of the incredibly beautiful sound the violin created.
8. The Lausanne Cathedral Pipe Organ
Shifting gears from the string instruments, we’ve looked at so far, next we have The Lausanne Cathedral Pipe Organ.
As you can imagine, if you’ve ever seen one in a large church or cathedral, pipe organs are very, very large, use a lot of materials, and are very expensive to build.
There is rarely anything special about the manufacturer or who played the organ that makes them so expensive.
Instead, it is the sheer cost of materials and time that goes into creating such an intricate instrument that causes them to be so expensive.
Depending on how large the pipe organ needs to be, it can cost millions of dollars to construct.
However, most organs that are made to fit inside medium-sized churches cost somewhere in the $200,000 to $850,000 range.
That being said, in the massive cathedrals of Europe, pipe organs can cost well over a million dollars to build, and this one in Lausanne cost over $4.5 million to build!
9. The Fender Stratocaster: Blackie
Guitars are typically more affordable than most instruments. Not as much goes into them as an organ for example.
But this Fender guitar is different not because of how much it cost to make but, more importantly, by who it belonged to.
The guitar affectionately known as “Blackie” was made and modified by Eric Clapton, one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
It was made using a 1956 Stratocaster body connected to a 1957 Stratocaster neck. Clapton also swapped out the pickups from another guitar, making “Blackie” one of a kind.
Blackie was Eric Clapton’s go-to instrument and was played both on stage and in the studio.
In 2004, Clapton put his guitar up for auction to raise money for his Crossroads rehab center. The guitar sold for $959,500.
10. Louis XV Special Harp
If you’ve ever seen a concert harp, you’ll know how big they can get! On top of their size, they’re also very difficult and costly to make. This is why harps can be so expensive.
For example, the Louis XV Special Harp – which is known as the “Rolls Royce of Harps,” costs around $190,000.
The name of the harp is not what made it expensive but the amount of labor and materials that were needed to build the instrument.
The manual labor that goes into creating the perfect harp is astonishing with the whole process taking months.
And since most harps are made to order, it is rare that any two will be identical.
It also doesn’t help with the cost that harps tend to be works of art with intricate designs. Some are even covered in gold leaf!
11. Torres Classical Guitar
The value of a guitar is often connected to the musician that played it rather than the manufacturer.
But this is not the case for guitars made by Antonio de Torres Jurado during the 1800s. The guitars made by this master craftsman are simply called Torres.
He is credited with inventing the modern-day classical guitar using his unique design.
It was the sound that Torres guitars made that caught peoples’ attention and made musicians fall in love with the instrument.
In 2017, a Torres guitar sold for $157,000 at auction.
Summary of Most Expensive Instruments
Many of the instruments on this list are expensive because of the person who made them or played them.
However, some instruments are just very costly to make.
Either way, the average person will never be able to afford any of the insanely expensive instruments listed above.
