[Slowhand] Gibson Replica Of Clapton’s Bluesbreakers Era Guitar

[DeltaNick]

>> Can someone explain to me how they can make a “replica” of a guitar that was stolen and therefore unavailable to be copied???? <<


There’s actually quite a bit of information available regarding Clapton’s Bluesbreakers era guitar. In fact, I wrote an article about the guitar in 1999.


Clapton has given a number of interviews in which he discussed his stolen Bluesbreakers era Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar. As any amateur Clapton historian knows, when his Bluesbreakers era guitar was stolen, Clapton played Les Paul after Les Paul for about 6 months, searching for one that was just like it, and he couldn’t find one. He settled, in early 1967, on a Gibson SG painted psychedelically by a group of Dutch artists called The Fool. Every once in a while, during Cream and Blind Faith, Clapton was photographed playing another Gibson Les Paul guitar, but we’d seldom see any of these guitars again: none was close to his Bluesbreakers era guitar. He seemed to settle on a single-pickup Gibson Firebird for a while.


Around 1969 or 1970, Clapton began playing his Strat, Brownie, and a black Les Paul Custom, as his primary guitars. But he never completely settled on a single guitar. After his 1974 return to performing, following his heroin addiction, Clapton used a Gibson Explorer for two or three years, in addition to a Strat (by this time, Blackie). But he kept searching for a Les Paul just like his Bluesbreakers era guitar.


Finally, during the early 1980s, Clapton found a near-mint 1960 model Les Paul nearly identical to his Bluesbreakers era guitar: “a very, very good one that’s almost identical to the one that was stolen” (“A Tribute To Slowhand: Clapton, [1985]  Interview By Dan Forte,” “Guitar World,” December 1989 [Volume 10, Number 12], pp. 32-61, 79-80). After nearly 20 years’ search, give or take, Clapton finally found a Les Paul guitar virtually the same as his Bluesbreakers era guitar. By this time, however, he'd pretty much settled on his Strat Blackie as his primary guitar. Over the years, Clapton occasionally performed with this 1960 Les Paul Standard guitar, which is identified by a signature oblong “stain,” 2 or 3 inches long and about a quarter- to a half-inch wide below the stop tailpiece on the treble side. The “stain” is between the stop tailpiece and the bottom/back guitar-strap button. Over a number of decades, Clapton acquired a number of Les Paul guitars, but he later sold them all except for one: the vintage 1960 model Les Paul Standard.


There are 1) a number of photographs of Clapton’s old, Bluesbreakers era guitar; 2) the vintage 1960 Les Paul Standard that he owns; and 3) Clapton’s memories. Additionally, there’s 4) Peter Green’s memories of Clapton’s Bluesbreakers era guitar. Green, who knew Clapton, replaced him in the Bluesbreakers. In fact, Peter Green was at Decca’s Studio #2 for at least one “Blues Breakers” -- a Saturday -- recording session. And even Mick Taylor, who replaced Green in Mayall’s band, himself a Les Paul player since the 1960s, 5) once played Clapton’s famous guitar: Clapton failed to show for a John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers engagement around May or June 1966; Taylor asked Mayall if he could “sit-in” and did so, using Clapton's guitar. Clapton normally kept his equipment with the band’s, which was usually on Mayall’s transportation. And even 6) Clapton’s former guitar tech, Lee Dickson, has provided useful information.


Below is a link to an article that I wrote in 1999, when it appeared that most believed that Clapton's Bluesbreakers era guitar was a 1959 model. I gathered all the information I could find and upon connecting the dots it became obvious that the Clapton’s Bluesbreakers era guitar was a 1960 model Les Paul Standard guitar. There are a couple of minor mistakes in the article that I’ve been meaning to correct (the “nickel-silver” metal parts were not chrome plated, words on truss rod cover), but they don’t affect my conclusions in any way.
http://gpatt.customer.netspace.net.au/cream/LesPaul.htm


DeltaNick