Gibson’s Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom is a perfect replica of Slowhand’s iconic Cream-era guitar – and it costs $20,000
Gibson has unveiled the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom, a tribute to Slowhand’s legendary triple-humbucker Les Paul from his Cream era.
During Cream’s first American tour, Clapton purchased a three-pickup 1958 Les Paul Custom (serial number 8 6320) which he used on Disraeli Gears and during multiple tours, including with Delaney & Bonnie. He continued to use the guitar throughout the 1960s and 70s, and in 1979, gifted the instrument to fellow guitarist Albert Lee, who continues to use it till this day.
Now, Gibson Custom has revived this iconic instrument in a highly-limited run, using its renowned Murphy Lab aging techniques to replicate the look, feel, and sound of the source material.
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The Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom features an ultra-lightweight, one-piece mahogany body and a mahogany neck paired with an ebony fretboard. It includes custom mother-of-pearl block inlays, 22 historic medium jumbo frets, and the same neck profile as the original.
Image: Gibson
Equipped with three unpotted Custombucker pickups, the guitar mirrors Clapton’s setup, with the middle pickup mounted with the screws oriented towards the neck, just as they are on the original.
Aged gold hardware, including Grover tuners, an ABR-1 bridge, a Stop Bar tailpiece, and pickup covers, gives the guitar its distinct appearance. The guitar’s volume and tone controls, meanwhile, use CTS 500k audio taper potentiometers that are hand-wired to paper-in-oil capacitors, while the Murphy Lab aging simulates the exact aging and wear patterns that Clapton and Lee created over the years.
Only 150 of these guitars will be produced, each accompanied by a custom Duck Brothers-inspired case and a second pickguard signed by both guitarists. The package also includes a Certificate of Authenticity booklet with a photo by Chuck Stewart, a black leather Archive Series strap, and a Gibson Custom switch plate medallion.
Learn more at Gibson.
This is the latest in a line of signature guitars produced by Gibson, the most recent being an $8k 12-string acoustic for Queen legend Brian May.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
