A guitar destroyed on stage by Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, was sold for nearly $600,000, surpassing its original estimate of $60,000, according to an announcement by an auction house on Saturday.

The damaged black Fender Stratocaster has been repaired, although it is no longer playable, according to Kody Frederick from Julien's Auctions, as mentioned earlier this month. As the Seattle grunge band skyrocketed to worldwide fame, all three members of Nirvana signed the instrument.

Julien's Auctions initially anticipated the guitar to be sold for $60,000 during the live event held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. However, it exceeded expectations and reached a final price of $595,000, as stated in a press release by Julien's, which described the outcome as "astounding."

"You can see here the break that took place as he slammed down the guitar, where the neck here kind of connects, as well as down here on the bottom where he slammed the guitar down," Frederick had told AFP earlier in May.

"Kurt Cobain, when he was on stage, when he played, he was a machine. The man was angry, and you could feel that on stage. And you would feel that by the way he would treat his instruments.

"This broken element, in a strange way, from this broken musician, that really defined this rough and tumble era of music."

The busted black Fender Stratocaster was signed by all three members of the Seattle grunge outfit as they rocketed to global fame.

Nirvana's hits, many of which were penned by Cobain, included "Come As You Are," "Lithium" and the breakout "Smells Like Teen Spirit" -- a track that became anthemic for a generation of alienated teenagers.

Cobain struggled with substance addiction and depression, and had a tumultuous relationship with his wife, Courtney Love.

He took his own life in April 1994.

The auction, which rolls out in New York from May 19 to 21, also includes a set list hand-written in pink marker by Cobain for an April 1991 gig in Seattle, expected to go for up to $6,000.

The gig included an early public performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and came months before the release of "Nevermind," the multi million-record selling seminal grunge album.

The auction also includes memorabilia from the careers of Eddie Van Halen, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury and Bill Wyman.