If you close your eyes and picture Nirvana during the Nevermind era, you probably see a frantic, blond-haired guy in a thrift-store cardigan swinging a black Fender Stratocaster like a battle axe. Specifically, the one with that white-on-black sticker that says something about rocks and cops. That’s the Kurt Cobain Vandalism Strat, and honestly, it’s one of the most misunderstood pieces of gear in rock history.
People think of it as just another "disposable" guitar Kurt smashed because he was bored. It wasn't. For a brief, chaotic window in 1991, that guitar was his workhorse. It was the bridge between the grit of Bleach and the absolute global explosion of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It’s also a total Frankenstein’s monster that barely survived the year.
The Feederz Sticker and the "Vandalism" Mantra
The most iconic thing about this guitar is, obviously, the sticker. It’s a white bumper sticker with black text that reads: "Vandalism: As beautiful as a rock in a cop's face. Courtesy of Feederz: Office of Anti-Public Relations."
Kurt didn't just find this in a bin. He was a genuine fan of The Feederz, an Arizona punk band led by Frank Discussion. The sticker actually came from the 1986 LP Teachers in Space. If you bought the vinyl back then, you got one of these stickers. Kurt slapped his on the black Strat sometime in the summer of 1991, right as the band was gearing up for the tour that would change everything.
It wasn't just a decoration. It was a statement. In 1991, Nirvana was still a "punk" band in their own heads, even if they were about to become the biggest thing on MTV. That sticker was a tether to the underground.
What was the Kurt Cobain Vandalism Strat, actually?
Gear nerds spend hours arguing about this. Was it American? Japanese? A fake?
Basically, it started life as a Made in Japan (MIJ) Fender Stratocaster. Specifically, it’s widely believed to be an ST-362 model from around 1989 or 1990. Kurt loved Japanese Fenders because the necks were thinner and felt more like the 60s Mustangs he was obsessed with. Also, they were easier to find in left-handed versions back then.
But the "stock" specs didn't last long. By the time it became the Vandalism Strat, it had been heavily modded:
- The Bridge Pickup: Kurt or his tech, Earnie Bailey, swapped the bridge single-coil for a humbucker. For the longest time, people thought it was a Seymour Duncan JB, but evidence (and Earnie himself) suggests it was often a Seymour Duncan '59 (SH-1n) in the bridge position.
- The Knobs: It had black "witch hat" style knobs, though he often played it with one or two missing.
- The Pickguard: A standard black-white-black 3-ply guard.
It sounded thick. It sounded angry. You can hear it most clearly on "Drain You"—that huge, wall-of-sound rhythm tone is pure Vandalism Strat.
The 1991 Tour: A Cycle of Destruction
This guitar was a survivor. Sort of.
It famously appeared at the Reading Festival in August '91 and at the legendary Paramount Theatre show in Seattle on Halloween. If you watch the Live at the Paramount footage, you’ll see it getting absolutely hammered.
The neck was the weak point. Kurt broke it. A lot.
At one point, he replaced the original Fender neck with a Fernandes neck (you can see the different headstock shape in some photos from late '91). Later, it got a different replacement neck with no logo at all. It was a tool, not a precious heirloom. He’d snap the headstock, Earnie would bolt on a new one, and they’d keep moving.
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The end finally came in December 1991. During a show in Rennes, France, Kurt finally did enough damage to the body that it couldn't just be patched up with wood glue and duct tape anymore. He retired it, and the 1965 Fender Jaguar—the one everyone knows from the In Utero tour—officially took over as the "Number One."
Where is it now?
For years, the Vandalism Strat was just a pile of splinters in a box. After Kurt passed away in 1994, Earnie Bailey eventually took the original body and what was left of the parts and painstakingly rebuilt it.
He used a Fender-branded neck to bring it back to its "iconic" look. For a long time, it sat behind glass at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle. Seeing it in person is weird. It looks small. It looks scarred. You can see where the wood was gouged and where the sticker has started to peel and yellow at the edges.
Recent reports suggest it might have been pulled from display for rotation or private ownership, but for decades, it was the "holy grail" for fans visiting Seattle.
Actionable Tips for Building Your Own Replica
If you want to build your own version of the Kurt Cobain Vandalism Strat, don't just buy a standard black Strat and call it a day.
- Get the right base: Look for a 90s Made in Japan Fender Strat or a Squier Classic Vibe 60s. The thinner neck profile is key.
- The Pickup is the secret: Use a Seymour Duncan '59 in the bridge. It’s a lower-output humbucker than the JB, which gives it that "woody" grunge growl instead of a high-gain metal chug.
- The Sticker: Don't buy a cheap vinyl one. Look for the paper-style replicas that age and "relic" naturally.
- The Wiring: Kurt’s was simple. Bridge humbucker for the heavy stuff, neck single-coil for the clean intros like "Lithium."
Ultimately, this guitar represents the exact moment rock music shifted. It wasn't a polished, custom-shop masterpiece. It was a cheap, broken, taped-together mess that helped destroy hair metal.
If you're looking to capture that specific Nirvana tone, your next step should be looking into the Boss DS-1 or DS-2 pedals, which provided the "crunch" that defined the Vandalism Strat's live sound.