David Gilmour says guitars are ultimately just “the tools of my trade,” but these are the ones he’d never auction off

David Gilmour says he has little aversion to selling his guitars, shirking any sense of sentimentality they may have been simply deeming them “tools of my trade.” But there are three guitars he says he won’t sell.

The Pink Floyd guitarist has sold many guitars over the years, most notably his legendary Black Strat, which is now in the hands of Jim Isray. Its sale at $3.98 million made it, at the time, the most valuable guitar ever sold at auction, and it seems he'd be fine with more of his six strings meeting the same fate.

Having just released his first solo album in nine years – a record he believes is his greatest since The Dark Side of the Moon – he adorns the cover of the latest issue of Guitar Player.

During his tell-all chat, which charters the making of the record, gear, and guitar solos, he was asked what guitars he has that he’d never sell. His answer was short and telling.

“Well, you know, I have my old beat-up Tele that I’m very fond of,” he says. “I have a Gretsch Duo Jet that I love and wouldn’t sell. I have a Martin D-18 from 1945 I wouldn’t sell. But most things, you know, they’re the tools of my trade. You can change them if you need to.”

It may seem a cold answer to some, but it explains why he wasn’t precious about holding onto his Black Strat, despite it being by his side throughout his Pink Floyd career and beyond.

While those first two guitars hint at the prog legend not being entirely bereft of nostalgia, his preference for his 1945 Martin D-18 echoes a claim he made earlier this year that vintage guitars will always sound better than their modern counterparts.

David Gilmour - Between Two Points (with Romany Gilmour) [Tour Rehearsal] - YouTube

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He reasoned that time helps evoke their greatest magic, saying “All these pieces of wood gradually become in harmony with each other over years of playing.”

The relationship with his Martin has led to him getting a signature D-35, which he recently took with him for a surprise duet of Wish You Were Here with his daughter, Romany, in a British pub.

Head to Magazines Direct to grab a copy of the latest Guitar Player issue, which includes conversations with Adrian Belew and Steve Vai as they embark on the BEAT tour, Doug Gillard, and Luther Dickinson.