Eric built his reputation as a guitarist playing Gibson guitars. He played them almost exclusively between June 1965 up until about 1970.
Eric purchased his first Gibson Guitar in 1964. It was a 1964 Cherry Red Gibson ES-335 which he would use for the next forty years. He sold it at auction in June 2004.
In June 1965, Eric bought a second-hand, Cherry Sunburst 1960 Gibson Les Paul. No one could predict that with it he would change the history and sound of the electric guitar.
While with John Mayall?s Bluesbreakers, Eric used overdriven Marshall amplifiers to provide distortion, feedback and sustain. Although not the first to use electrical by-products to his advantage, Eric did refine their use. Partnered with his virtuoso abilities and most importantly, his angst-driven passion they combined to create his signature sound.
Eric purchased several more Les Pauls, but his first Cherry Sunburst remained his favorite. The guitar was stolen during early Cream rehearsals in the summer of 1966 and was never recovered.
However, the 1960 Les Paul that he purchased was a discontinued model. The original Les Paul model was manufactured between 1952 and early 1960. Cherry Sunbursts were not introduced until 1958. Eric’s popularizing of the Les Paul model affected the electric guitar world in such a manner that Gibson put the model back into production in 1968. Today, vintage Cherry Sunburts from the 1958-1960 period are valuable collector’s items.
While with Cream, Eric also played a 1964 Gibson Les Paul SG. He had this guitar painted by the artist duo, The Fool. It became known as the “Fool Guitar” or the “Psychedelic SG”
As the 1970s began, he abandoned the Gibson Les Paul in favor of the Fender Stratocaster. However, he never completely abandoned the brand. Today, Eric employs a Gibson L5 and a Gibson Chet Atkins acoustic in concert. He also uses various other Gibson models in his studio work.
For two dates in 2001 during the Reptile Tour, Eric abandoned his beloved Stratocasters in favor of Gibson guitars. Lee Dickson, Eric’s guitar tech recalled, “When we were on tour in America in 2001, [Eric] walked off stage on a Friday or Saturday night and called me in and said, ‘I want to play Gibsons at the next gig.’ and I thought ‘What am I going to be able to get at the weekend?’ I phoned lots of dealers to try and get a 60s one and Jimmy Archie in New York managed to somehow get us a 335 and a historic re-issue Les Paul and [he] played these for the whole next night and the Les Paul the following night on the encore then [he] went back to Strats,” in an interview with Christie’s prior to Eric’s 2004 guitar auction. The two dates were 7 August at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon and 10 August at the Arlo Arena in Sacramento, California. Note that the Christie’s catalog description indicates the Les Paul was only used for three songs on 7 August: Layla, Will It Go ‘Round In Circles, and Sunshine of Your Love.
In the same interview with Christies, Eric spoke about his brief flirtation with Gibson guitars. He said, ?A lot of it is in my head ? I?ll get a nostalgic yearning for something?or maybe the amps are giving me trouble. It?s never the guitars…it?s often the amp. The combination of the Fender and this amp is not working or…it?s not warm enough or something. The thing with Gibsons has always been their warmth. I?d go to them for the bottom end, the mid range and so on. Perhaps it was just my ears were tired…or I was tired…or I wanted a change.?
The 2001 Cherry Sunburst Les Paul Historic Re-issue used for the two concerts was sold by Eric at auction on 24 June 2004.
For more information about Eric?s use of Gibson products in the 1960s, visit the History of EC?s Cream Guitars. A history of vintage Les Pauls may be viewed here.
