The rig Eric Clapton played during Cream’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is up for auction
With Johnny Marr recently auctioning off over 100 if his instruments, it auctioneers have been inspired. A piece of Eric Clapton history is currently being flogged, meaning anyone could get their paws on one of the most pivotal rigs of his career – specifically his exact 1988 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster and Soldano SLO-100 stack that he played with during Cream’s 1993 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Hosted by ANALOGr, Clapton’s stack and guitar is estimated to sell for up to $3,000,000 at auction. It’s a pretty penny, but it’ll get you a grand piece of Slowhands history; the rig was Clapton’s preferred set up between 1989 and 1939, and it bears plenty of character from its time on the road.
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The Strat served as Clapton’s very first signature Strat, and it was certainly well loved. From a burn mark capturing Clapton’s nicotine-addled era, a time when the rocker secured cigarettes beneath the strings on his headstock, to worn paint on the back of its body, the Strat has its fair share of battle scars. “I think this is the last smoking guitar,” Lee Dixon, Clapton’s personal Guitar Tech, tells ANALOGr, alluding to the fact Clapton gave up smoking in 1993.
Regardless of its imperfections, it should still sound the part; designed by Fender Custom Shop’s founder and Master Builder Mike Stevens, the axe has trio of Lace Sensor single-coil pickups, and an onboard boost. “This to me is one of the killer guitars,” Dixon explains. “It was played an awful lot through the early ’90s. It has no serial number on it because it’s the first [black] one, almost like a prototype. It was Eric’s suggestion at the time; he said we should really have a black one in the range. So this is the first officially sanctioned black [EC Signature] Strat.”
Credit: ANALOGr
As for the sights this Strat has seen, the list is seemingly endless. It’s performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Cream, a 1991 Japanese tour supporting The Beatles’ George Harrison, and it even graced the stage at Madison Square Garden during Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert in 1992.
Back in 2004, this exact Strat sold for $231,500 – but this auction listing also comes with Clapton’s Soldano SLO-100 stack (including a slanted Soldano 4×12, and a straight 4×12) which could explain the higher estimated price. It also comes with a few extra goodies, like an Eric Clapton pick, and a vinyl, and a signed booklet from the 2004 Christie’s auction.
For more information, head to ANALOGr.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
