Cobain's Guitar Story Revealed

Right after a recent publication of "Cobain's Guitar Controversy" story we got a response from Steve Drueck, a close friend of Earnest Bailey, who is
involved in a legal dispute over a left-handed Fender Stratocaster guitar falsely represented as Cobain's to Phil Gross. Earnest Bailey was Kurt Cobain's guitar tech and wizard, modifying, upgrading and keeping Kurt's gear operating through the stage destruction, also for years with David and the Foo Fighters after Kurt's passing.

This guitar was actually acquired by Phil Gross from Danny's Music of Everett WA, who represented the guitar as Kurt Cobain's. Earnie Bailey is the one who contacted Cooper Owen to stop the auction. This was because Danny only gave Phil Gross some parts of Kurt's guitar acquired from Earnie, the rest of the guitar was not Kurt's. However, even though the guitar was only partially owned by Cobain, it still brought a whopping bid of over $14,000 USD which is over 10 times the value of the guitar he purported to have traded for it. Quite a tidy profit, however Mr. Gross was apparently not satisfied.

As we found out Danny's Music has been cited numerous times for trying to sell items misrepresented as Kurt Cobain's or Nirvana's. Earnest Bailey is one of the few people owning legitimate items acquired from Kurt while working for him while he was recording and touring.

And finally, we got an official response from Earnest Bailey through his friend Steve Drueck:

"While I am choosing to fight these false and misleading allegations in the courts rather than in the press, there are many people in the NW and the Nirvana community who know the details behind why I contacted a UK auction house last year to notify them about a guitar I felt was being inaccurately represented as being used by Kurt Cobain. At no time did I ever sell or trade a guitar to a "business man" named Philip Gross, nor have I ever had any meeting with him outside a single phone conversation prior to the auction listing in which I told him I did not believe him to be in possession of a guitar owned by Cobain. Mr. Gross informed me that he had obtained the guitar from Danny Mangold. I informed Mr. Gross that I had never sold, traded, or consigned to Mr. Mangold such a guitar as Mr. Gross described.

While Mr. Gross did not inform me in our conversation, I have since learned that Mr. Gross and Mr. Mangold have been in a legal battle filed in Snohomish County Superior court and Federal Bankruptcy court wherein Mr. Gross alleges fraudulent equipment trades and other misrepresentations by Mr. Mangold. Accordingly, I am somewhat surprised that Mr. Gross would have initiated the auction in question based upon authentication provided by Mr. Mangold.

I have in the past actively spoken out against individuals attempting to falsely market instruments allegedly owned by Kurt, and have offered my support to those in possession of instruments I believe to be legitimate based on my firsthand experience of maintaining and modifying Mr. Cobain's guitars.

Thank you,

Earnie Bailey"

Comments

[faqu]

Do you think he will play that guitar for that price???

[punkstar109]

Is it not possible that someone besides his old guitar tech owns one of his guitars? Like common really cobain had more than one or two guitars. So I think it is possible that the guitr is legit.

[simonparry]

faqu:
Do you think he will play that guitar for that price???


i know i woudnt, id be too afraid to damage it in any way

[Oswald]

i dont care.

[Mr.Coke]

not entirely kurts, but worth 14 grand. Lucky

[n_punx]

even if it was entirely kurt's guitar, its still a guitar. it was when the player(cobain) played that made it special. i wouldnt pay 14 grand for that, even if its jesus' guitar.

[Xx_banx]

^lmao

[OpeN WidE]

laughing just as hard

"i wouldnt pay 14 grand for that, even if its jesus' guitar."

ha

punkstar109, you should read the whole story! Danny Mangold of Danny's Music shop asked Earnest Baily (Cobain's tech) to review a guitar which he thought Cobain's. Earnie said it's not a Cobain's guitar. Neverthelss, Mangold sold this guitar to Phil Gross claiming *it is* Cobain's guitar which he got stright from Earnest Baily - Cobain's tech.

[smidy]

meh!

[pill2comawhite]

wow, this is the main news article for today? UG must really be hurting for some news

[Phoenixblade]

Mangold's a dickmunch who needs to get whacked.

[TheMuse]

Completely agree with "n_punx". People search for self worth in outer-personal experiences or things. That is just plain stupid.

[Bilzzard_of_Ozz]

DESACRATION!

[Geldof the Grey]

yeah, this is the best you can do news people? What happened to Jack Black in the end, everyone? He didn't go to prison, I suppose...

[Badreligionrock]

was the guitar even play that well?

[beers]

i'd smash the guitar.
thats what kurt would have done,and if i was rich enough to buy it...i would be rich enough to smash it for sure hahaha

[jamjarohrah]

I wud play it! I cudnt just hav it for sentimnetel value, that's not what guitars are for. For 14 grand i wud hav to play it and feel like Kurt Cobain, how kewl wud that B?! being able to play his guitar, i wudnt leave it to colect dust in the corner! MOO!

[the sweenz]

kurt cobain sux and he is probably the most overglorified musician i've ever heard of. the only reason that the guitar is worth anything is because of the so called "revolution" nirvana led. basically all kurt cobain did was make people hate themselves

[stuartmcwilliam]

its a rip off

[f117_nighthawk]

shut up the sweenz

Ok Gendolf, show me how to do news... 6-10 articles everyday... I suppose it's a little harder than a couple articles per months, huh.

Something let me think that I wouldnt' see six news articles from your tomorrow. F*ck off then.

[futurelegend546]

Hold on Jesus played guitar????????? FUCK me maybe i should start going to church, I always wondered why so many people liked Jesus now i no.
o yeah i should say sommit about this article ....... Kurt rocks i would love one of his guitars. But u cant use it so i guess its kinda a waster money

[SkaterD2002]

I dont believe a damn word of this

[whitest_tiger]

Kurt is a cool name, and with cobain on the end it gives it a nice ring, they should start a series of guitars with his name on it, they would make a killing off of teenagers for sure.

[GUMY]

I would buy one ^^. If I ever did buy a guitar for 14k I would play it . Im not going to let it sit there , gota put it to good use . Other wise it is a waste of money . Oh and NIRVANA RULZ !

[thm_05]

We all appreciate for Kurt Cobain!

[ratiug567]

WHOOO CAAAARES...

[ratiug567]

i hate niggers

[emokid182]

Hey ratuig567 cobain would hate you for saying the "n word", but he can't. so i'll hate you for him.

[paranoid_munky]

yea you dickhead

[sturdy13]

I might pay 14,000 for a guitar but only if I got to see Jesus play it first hand I wonder if Jesus would be the hottest thing on 6 strings. Holes in the hands may cause adverse affects on guitar playing

[liquidmetall]

i bet jesus would be the best gutarist ...those holes probubly would give it a mello sound......yes i do believe

[utsapp89]

the sweenz:
kurt cobain sux and he is probably the most overglorified musician i've ever heard of. the only reason that the guitar is worth anything is because of the so called "revolution" nirvana led. basically all kurt cobain did was make people hate themselves
[POSTED: 05 February 2004 - 14:25]

i know many a people who would kidnap you for saying that

[Altpunkhead]

than...burn down your house and tell your grandmother you like boys

[§ound_of_§hade]

damn, cobain would laugh his ass off, he used to destroy guitars like that all the time, and then some guy paying 14 grand, it's absurd.

[UG Gangsta]

yall dont even know him yall are like kurt wouldve hated you for this and o curt wouldve laughed at that shut tha hell up hes not your friend

[UG Gangsta]

hes mine

[*MillenmaN*2453]

he shouldnt have sold it as a completely cobain guitar he should have been honest and siad it was made from mainly cobain parts

[*MillenmaN*2453]

utsapp89:
i agree i know i would

[bryon]

the sweenze has a point kurt cobain was glorified, i mean don't get me wrong and don't hate me i love nirvana, but i agree he wasn't as good as a guitarist as everyone thought or gace him credit for, again don't hate me i still love nirvana,

[assualtonguitar]

nirvana rules

[assualtonguitar]

jesus would be a sweet guitar player he'd rock hard core and he'd smash the stage and light his guitar on fire and play it with his teeth while it was burning

[Mrlol]

lol

[UseYourBrain]

LOL. Sure Jesus played guitar like he caught fish... I think.

Yeah I would have bid say 700 no wait 350 dollars canadien beacause its lefty.

I Still like cobain though, he brought alot to music. Wasn't the most talented guitarist. But he had the kinda talent you can't teach.

[ashton_heebz]

Utsapp89: I have one for you... Fuck you... Kurt was ***in Awesome.... He is Dead But still Making A *** load of Money so he couldn't of been that bad Dumbass... Give him some respect he ***in Deserves it

[assualtonguitar]

ashton_heebz:it's true sad but true the fact that most artist's make more money when their dead, record sales always go up when an artist dies

[chris1415]

kurt hardly ever played strats. he stuck to mustangs and jaguars.

[Gossseb]

Maybe we should just leave Kurt be for now instead of squabbling over whether it is his guitar or not. Get over it and just enjoy his music.

[cannonball_900]

The 14k shit?well,paying 14k for a strat isnt really sense...but who cares...he's dead, and remembering him only makes us hurt...UG!Dont post ne of this shit ne more

[deadkenedy]

cake

[deadkenedy]

who cares

[lithium]

dave navvaro has 1 of kurts guitars i say it on mtvcribs

[ashton_heebz]

That is Crazy too sell a guitar for that much.... I wouldn't buy it ... But Anyways "NIRVANA" Frickin Rules

[scizor4]

fukin hard job being nirvana's stage techie, wot wit olda destruction
nirvana still
roooool