[Slowhand] EC's Bluesbreakers Les Paul

[Nicholas Aleshin]

The notion that Eric Clapton used a Dallas RangeMaster on "Beano" is,  
I believe, myth, an urban legend. It is simply conjecture.

I've been researching the recording of "Blues Breakers" since I first  
heard tracks from it in late 1966. It was released in the US in  
February 1967. I first heard of the Dallas RangeMaster online around  
1999 or 2000. I have dozens of copies of the album in various formats  
(LP, cassette, CD).

1. No one has ever produced a picture of EC using a Dallas RangeMaster.

2. None of EC's band mates, former band mates, fellow musicians,  
producers, recording engineers, or his guitar tech, Lee Dickson, have  
ever mentioned EC's use of a Dallas RangeMaster.

3. Eric Clapton himself has never mentioned this in the dozens of  
interviews he has given over the years. Many of those interviews have  
been with guitar magazines, such as "Guitar Player." He has discussed  
that particular Les Paul and how much he missed it. He has discussed  
the fact that, during the early 1980s, he obtained a Les Paul that was  
very close to his Bluesbreakers Les Paul (it's a 1960 model). He has  
discussed the Marshall amplifiers that he used while with John Mayall.  
I think he's even discussed the use of non-standard tubes in his  
Marshall amplifiers. However, he has never, ever discussed using a  
Dallas RangeMaster.

In view of the above, and the lack of evidence of Clapton's supposed  
use of the device, I think it's safe to conclude that Clapton did not  
use a Dallas RangeMaster when he recorded the "Blues Breakers" (aka  
"Beano") album in March 1966, while a member of John Mayall And The  
Bluesbreakers.

Furthermore, the Gibson article, written by Dave Hunter (apparently  
not a Gibson employee), is also wrong in that it claims that Clapton's  
Bluesbreakers Les Paul was a 1959 model.

It wasn't. It was a 1960 model. Check out this article:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~slowhand/ecfaq/Le%20Paul.htm

				DeltaNick