Eric Clapton

"I feel that that guitar has become part of me. I get offered guitars and endorsements come along every now and then. [A guitar maker] tried to get me interested in a fairly revolutionary guitar. I tried it, and liked it, and played it on stage - liked it a lot. But while I was doing that, I was thinking "Well, Blackie is back there. If I get into this guitar too deeply, it's tricky, because then I won't be able to go back to Blackie. And what will happen to that?" This all happens in my head while I'm actually playing [laughs]. I can be miles away thinking about this stuff, and suddenly I shut down and say, "This is enough. No more. Nice new guitar. Sorry. You're very nice, but..." That's when I drag the old one back on, and suddenly it's just like jumping into a warm pool of water".

Clapton first played Blackie on stage at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London on the 13th January 1973 at the concert organised by Pete Townshend and others to encourage Clapton's recovery from addiction. Clapton was to play two shows that night, he played Blackie (with a tremolo arm) in the first show, and used George Harrison's cherry red Les Paul for the second.

When Clapton fully resumed his recording and touring activity in 1974 after overcoming heroin addiction, he and Blackie were seemingly inseparable. Starting with a short tour of Scandinavia in June, Clapton extensively toured the US, Japan and Europe in 1974 with Blackie. Years of intensive world tours with Blackie followed throughout the rest of the 1970s, which were only broken up by recording sessions. Blackie shared stage with among others Carlos Santana on the 1975 tour, Freddy King at the Crystal Palace Garden Party and at the Dallas Convention Center in 1976, The Band at the Last Waltz concert in 1976, Bob Dylan at Blackbushe Aerodrome in 1978 and Muddy Waters in 1979. The jubilant "comeback" album 461 Ocean Boulevard, the phenomenally successful album Slowhand , the critically acclaimed No Reason To Cry and the historic live album Just One Night from the 1970s, were all recorded with Blackie.

In the early 1980s Blackie was by Clapton's side as he fought his way back from ill health and alcoholism and shared the stage with Muddy Waters in one of his last performances in 1982. In 1983, newly recovered Clapton, with Blackie in his hand, acted as the musical director for the star studded ARMS benefit tour for Ronnie Lane, featuring members of the Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Stevie Winwood and Joe Cocker. This was followed by recording and touring with Roger Waters on his Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking project. The Behind The Sun album and the subsequent triumphant 1985 world tour, which included the landmark appearance at Live Aid at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia in the summer of 1985, marked Eric Clapton's renewed vigour for making music. It also marked the end of an era for Blackie, as the famous guitar was retired to give way to its offspring, the Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, the idea for which was conceived after the first night of the 1985 tour. Blackie's last stand at the 1985 tour concert in Hartford on the 1st of May, was filmed and released on video. Blackie also made it to the first promo video by Eric Clapton for the song Forever Man from the Behind The Sun album.

The last known occasion when Blackie was seen by the public was for the 1990 television commercial for Honda Japan when, at the specific request of the company, Clapton used Blackie to record a new guitar solo on the song Bad Love in a New York studio and was filmed for the commercial doing so. Blackie was also brought out on stage for one number during the 1991 Royal Albert Hall shows.

'Brownie' is one of Eric Clapton's favourite guitars. Clapton said that he used 'Brownie' on the whole of the Layla album including the title track - the song which is generally regarded as being his most famous love song of all. According to the receipt from Sound City pictured here, Clapton bought this guitar on May 7th, 1967 while he was still with Cream. Clapton used 'Brownie' extensively for recordings and concerts over a number of years. Notably, on his first solo album Eric Clapton, 1970, where it shares the front cover photograph with him; and more significantly in the same year, on the whole of the Layla album where 'Brownie' is again pictured on the album cover, this time on the back, photographed on the floor of Criteria Studios. Brownie was auctioned by Christies for $497,500

Eric Clapton commented that this guitar has "..a great sound.." and that he kept it as "...a dressing room guitar...". Lee Dickson recalled that Clapton had this guitar for a long time and that he took it to the dressing room at The Royal Albert Hall for Clapton during one of his seasons there in the 1990s.

Eric Clapton describes this guitar as a 'Home Guitar'.

Eric Clapton kept this guitar at his country home for private use for a number of years, and has played this guitar frequently in the last five or six years.

This guitar was bought for collecting purposes, and has also been used for playing at home.

Eric Clapton thinks this guitar is "..Beautiful..." he remarked that "..it's tough parting with this one.." and added that he used this guitar like many of his Martins as .."Home Guitars - for writing and playing at home..."

One of Clapton's blues heroes, singer and guitarist, Robert Johnson (1911-1938) was photographed with a similar Gibson L-1 model.

Eric Clapton bought this guitar for collecting purposes.

This guitar was given to Clapton by a mutual Mississipi Blues fan and he kept it at home for some time.

This guitar was bought for collecting purposes and kept as a 'home guitar'.

This guitar was bought for collecting purposes.

Eric Clapton remarked that this Gibson is "Important" and "very personal" to him. He has owned this guitar for a long time - at least twenty years. He said that he particularly loves it's sound and the look of it - its cello shape and round soundhole. Clapton kept this guitar for writing and playing on at home, rather than as a studio or road guitar.

This Dobro was used by Eric Clapton at the Concert of the Century at the White House, 23rd October 1999 for the opening number, his rendition of Robert Johnson's Rambling On My Mind; and for the same Johnson song during the last leg of the Pilgrim Tour in Japan, November/December 1999. It has also been used on various recording sessions in the last three to five years, although no specific recordings have been identified.

Eric Clapton commented that this guitar is the first D'Angelico he "got his hands on". He loves these guitars but prefers Gibson archtops to play - he said "...I can't get my head around the idea of custom-made guitars - ie. guitars made by one man..."

Eric Clapton described this guitar as a "Hotel Room Guitar". He purchased it in Memphis and played it for quite a long time.

Eric Clapton recalls that he has owned this guitar for a long time - at least twenty years. He commented that he used this National for playing slide both at home and in recording sessions.

Eric Clapton acquired this guitar in circa 1990s and had it set up for slide with a high action. The guitar has been mostly used tuned to open G.

This guitar was bought for collecting purposes.

Andy Fairweather Low played this guitar alongside Eric Clapton on stage between circa 1993 and until 1998.

This guitar was the main instrument for Eric Clapton's MTV Unplugged appearance, one of the pivotal moments in his career. The picture of Clapton playing this guitar which appeared on the c.d. cover for the multi-million seller Unplugged album, has became one of the most enduring images of recent music history. Clapton used it to play the acoustic version of: Layla, Before You Accuse Me and Old Love, as well as early versions of My Father's Eyes and Lonely Stranger.

The guitar first appeared on stage at the first of the Blues only seasons at the Royal Albert Hall in February/March 1993, used in the opening acoustic segments of the show for pre-war Blues covers such as Alabama Women, How Long Blues and Four Until Late. It went on to serve as Clapton's main stage acoustic guitar between 1993 and 1995, mostly used in the opening acoustic segments of the Blues concerts for numbers such as Malted Milk.

When Martin was developing its first Eric Clapton signature model 000-42EC, Eric Clapton requested that the construction of that guitar should be based on the structure of this pre-war 000-42. A Martin publicity photograph at the time shows Clapton holding this guitar in one hand, and the new signature model in the other.

Although Clapton Signature Martin guitars with built-in pickups began to be used for larger concert venues from 1996 onwards, this guitar remained as the main stage acoustic guitar through the 1997 Far Eastern Tour and the first leg of the Pilgrim US Tour in 1998.

Eric Clapton describes this guitar as a 'front room guitar'. It has been played at home extensively, and also used on recordings.

Eric Clapton acquired this guitar for collecting rather than playing purposes.

Eric Clapton bought this guitar for collecting rather than playing purposes although he did play it occasionally.

Eric Clapton purchased this guitar as a tribute to one of his heroes Snooks Eaglin, who was pictured playing one of these models on an album cover. Clapton said that he bought this guitar because "... he wanted to sound like him..". He also remarked that he has played this guitar a great deal.

Eric Clapton bought this guitar for collecting rather than playing purposes.

Eric Clapton bought this guitar to include in his collection of small bodied Martin O-series guitars.