Extravagant Gifts For Musicians
The most expensive musical gifts for that special musician on Christmas morning.
Dec 1, 2006
In a previous article I wrote about a number of inexpensive stocking stuffer style gifts for .young musicians and instrumentalists. In this article I am taking the opposite approach. The gifts researched in this article are definitely reserved for those for who money is no object!
In the world of musical instruments older is not necessarily better except in the case of strange little carved pieces of wood called violins. Of all the violins in existence those made by the legendary Stradivarius consistently claim the highest price tags for their beautiful sound and aristocratic lineage. Stradivarius violins do not come up for sale often, but when they do they consistently fetch the highest prices of any other musical instrument in existence. At recent auctions several Stradivari violins have sold for millions of dollars each. The most expensive of this lot being a violin named "The Christian Hammer," built in 1701 and selling to a team of sixteen investors for $3,544,000!
Looking for something a little less expensive but still harboring lots of prestige? Recently Eric Clapton's "Blackie" guitar sold for a record breaking $959,500. Reportedly this guitar was built by Clapton using parts that he obtained for a few hundred dollars. What does this tell us? Pull out those two old trombones in your closet, borrow your neighbors blow torch, and make yourself your own piece of history!
For a musician that performs a lot you might consider buying him or her their own portable stage system from Wenger Corporation. This giant trailer sized rig is towed to your performance venue where it pops up to provide a large stage area complete with lighting and sound amplification equipment. Your cost fully loaded? Around $20,000.
If the traveling stage seems a bit tacky for your musician's tastes then you can still find a way to create a performance that your musician will remember for the rest of their lives. Also for around $20,000 you can rent out Carnegie Hall in New York City for a one night performance and give him his own chance to shine on one of the world's most famous stages. If Carnegie isn't personal enough for you, you can always jump across the big pond and rent out Mozart's Birthplace in Salzburg, Germany for a more intimate setting.
But for the ultimate in elegance, style, and prestige however, you should have a look at the most expensive piano ever sold. John Lennon's Model Z Steinway piano sold in the year 2000 for a whopping $2.08 million dollars at auction. This piano was the piano on which Lennon composed the immortal ballad, "Imagine." Imagine for yourself the smile on your musicians face when you presented this marvelous gift to him on Christmas morning. Don't forget to tie on a nice silk bow!
