Eric Clapton’s 1913 Gibson Style-0 archtop, nicknamed “Pattie” after George Harrison’s wife and Clapton’s love interest, Pattie Boyd, is up for auction on May 8 as part of Heritage’s Vintage Guitar Auction.
It's the same guitar that was used to write some of the most iconic tracks of Clapton's Cream era, as well as George Harrison’s post-Beatles career
Last May, the historically significant guitar went up for sale on Reverb for $949,999. Now, Beatles and Clapton music fans have another opportunity to lay their hands on a guitar on which tracks like Here Comes the Sun, Something, and I Me Mine were written.
“Few instruments capture a personal and artistic story as vividly as ‘Pattie’ – a guitar that sits at the intersection of love, collaboration and some of the most influential songwriting of the late 1960s,” says Aaron Piscopo, Heritage’s Director of Vintage Guitars & Musical Instruments.
While not much is known about the acoustic’s early years, the guitar – serial number 14106 – met its fate when it was acquired by Eric Clapton in 1968. Prior to that, it seems to have been well taken care of – retaining its original finish and the quintessential Gibson scroll design on the upper boat.
While he was in town for Cream’s October 19 concert at the Forum in Los Angeles, Clapton brought the guitar to the home of Alan Pariser, the manager of husband-and-wife act Delaney & Bonnie, where he ended up meeting Harrison.
As legend has it, the pair shared some of the most fruitful workshopping and songwriting sessions, sowing the seeds for tracks such as Here Comes the Sun, Something, I Me Mine, All Things Must Pass, Let It Rain, and Presence of the Lord, and also believed to have helped inspire Clapton’s Layla.
Fast forward two years, and Clapton would pass the guitar on to Delaney Bramlett, during his collaboration with Bramlett’s band, Delaney & Bonnie. It remained in Bramlett’s possession for decades till his death in 2008. In 2013, it was sold in the Bramlett estate auction, and is now up for sale again via Heritage.
The all-star auction lineup also features Ace Frehley’s 1972 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which the Kiss guitarist used on tour during the band’s mid-to-late ’70s era, with photographic evidence and documentation cementing Frehley’s link to the instrument.
“Ace Frehley’s identity is inextricably bound to the Les Paul,” Piscopo adds. “Its sound and visual presence became inseparable from the rise of KISS and the larger-than-life persona of rock in that era.”
The live auction will be taking place at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, starting at 12:00 PM CT, while the online session will be kicking off at 4:00 PM CT.
For more information, visit Heritage Auctions.
In more recent news, the seventh edition of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival was announced, featuring a packed lineup including the likes of Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, and John Mayer.
