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Clapton with Les Paul Custom, 1969

Redhod

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With regard to Leon Russell, by that time Russell was a very well established studio musician. He had been in L.A. for. Long time and played on a wide range of various artist’s recording….including Frank Sinatra. Russell knew every musician in the industry by the time he put the Mad Dogs And Englishmen troupe together for Cocker. That album was recorded two weeks after the band was assembled. I could be wrong, but I a have never thought of Leon Russel as anybody’s keyboardist.
Good points. Also, Delaney and Bonnie were themselves no hayseeds just off the turnip truck. Delaney had been an LA musician for years and was one of the "Shindogs" on the show Shindig. Sometimes when I watch an old clip from there I tried to spot him.
The legend about Bonnie was that she was briefly an Ikette in the Ike and Tina Turner review. That seems so.... unlikely. But I think she claimed it.
 

Redhod

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I'd have given my teeth to see Eric on that Les Paul. Even in those early days I knew what that instrument could do -- I'd seen Mike Bloomfield up close. But I did see Eric with his other beloved Gibson, that '64 Firebird he used so much. The one time I saw him with it, however, was at that wretched Madison Sq. Garden appearance of Blind Faith. The bands were placed on a revolving stage in the middle of the arena, so it just went round like a phonograph record and you'd get passing glimpses. Sound was wretched in those days, too. Besides the horrible staging, he had to fight the massive expectations that this band would be Cream II and really blast us. He was no longer interested in blasting anymore.
A year later I'd see early Derek & Dominos and it was also somewhat sad. It was in Croydon, England, just south of London, not far from his stomping grounds, but it was September 1970, only days after Jimi Hendrix had died in London and, man, you could feel the pall.
For what it's worth he had moved on to his Strat by then. I wish I'd seen that band later at some other venue.

firebird.jpg
 

Slim Taper

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Sorry to join this party late...

I had the thrill of seeing Derek and the Dominoes on their one and only US tour back in late 1970, I think. He had this black Custom sitting on a stand behind him the whole concert, and I was praying he'd break a string on his Strat and pick up the Paul, but it never happened.
Incidently, I also saw Blind Faith the previous year. Eric played his Firebird, and Winwood, when he wasn't on keyboards, played a matching one. Being a hardcore Cream fan, I wasn't totally blown away with his new band. Eric was trying hard not to be a Guitar God, and their closing encore was a kind of lame countrified version of "Crossroads" that left me cold.
But... their opening act...a band I'd never heard of called Delaney and Bonnie and Friends...absolutely killed!! They were tight, rocking, professional, funny, soulful - so different from what we were hearing in rock music back them. I totally fell in love with them. It's no wonder Eric jumped ship by the end of the tour and hooked up with them. And it's no wonder that , when they got to England, that their band was picked apart by the big stars - everybody wanted their magic!
 

Redhod

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The assertions about Albert Lee got me thinking: What does Albert have to say about this?
Didn't take too long to find out. Go to 3:30 on this video:



eric clapton les paul custom.png
 

Wally

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The assertions about Albert Lee got me thinking: What does Albert have to say about this?
Didn't take too long to find out. Go to 3:30 on this video:



View attachment 18354
I was at Reunion Arena in Dallas for the ‘money and cigarettes’ tour date in 1983. Ry Cooder opened the show….and joined Clapton’s band for the encore….Clapton, Lee and Cooder on one stage….killer show.
 

fernieite

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I was at Reunion Arena in Dallas for the ‘money and cigarettes’ tour date in 1983. Ry Cooder opened the show….and joined Clapton’s band for the encore….Clapton, Lee and Cooder on one stage….killer show.
I was at the only Canadian show for that tour, (Kingswood Music Theater at Canada's Wonderland outdoor venue, June the 25th ) but for the life of me, I can't remember what guitars were played by Mr. Clapton, Lee, or Cooder. Any recollections @Wally ?

My 20 year old self was undoubtedly under the influence of certain chemicals at the time!
 

Wally

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I was at the only Canadian show for that tour, (Kingswood Music Theater at Canada's Wonderland outdoor venue, June the 25th ) but for the life of me, I can't remember what guitars were played by Mr. Clapton, Lee, or Cooder. Any recollections @Wally ?

My 20 year old self was undoubtedly under the influence of certain chemicals at the time!


apologies….lot of water under the bridge. Clapton was playing Strats. I should have taken binoculars.
 

TM1

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He used his Custom on Disreali Gears also.
When I was a kid I saw those '69 pics of him with the Custom and thought that that was the be all and end all of guitars..........little did I know as a 15 year old what else there was out there.
In 1967 when Clapton did Disraeli Gears, Felix Pappalardi took EC to Manny's Music in NYC. Clapton bought a new Vox Wah Wah and the 1st black LP Custom. There was a second one that Clapton traded a darkburst L.P. Std. for with Paul Kossoff for the 2nd Custom. This was on the "Blind Faith"/ Free Tour.. The one that EC gave to Albert Lee was the 1st one. It was used extensively on Disraeli Gears. Albert still has it as I've talked to him a couple of times about it.
 

goldtop0

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The assertions about Albert Lee got me thinking: What does Albert have to say about this?
Didn't take too long to find out. Go to 3:30 on this video:



View attachment 18354

Interesting to note that Albert talks about the fact that he and Eric didn't(and still don't to my knowledge) use pedals back in the day.
A little later on when I came back into the music business in the '80s it was all about rack systems and pedals, whammy bars and modding guitars etc, what a time that was............sheech.
 

Bruce R

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In 1967 when Clapton did Disraeli Gears, Felix Pappalardi took EC to Manny's Music in NYC. Clapton bought a new Vox Wah Wah and the 1st black LP Custom. There was a second one that Clapton traded a darkburst L.P. Std. for with Paul Kossoff for the 2nd Custom. This was on the "Blind Faith"/ Free Tour.. The one that EC gave to Albert Lee was the 1st one. It was used extensively on Disraeli Gears. Albert still has it as I've talked to him a couple of times about it.
In my mind the question is; was EC playing the Kossoff LPC (not the '55 LPC he used in '67) with Delaney & Bonnie and Plastic Ono Band or was he playing the Manny's/Cream LPC? Albert has the Manny's/Cream LPC so where is the Kossoff LPC?
 

Flogger

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Clapton played the Custom on Live Peace In Toronto.

Harrison got on the Delaney tour bus with two cases. Clapton asked why.
" I know that Delaney is going to ask me for a guitar, might as well be this."
 

El Gringo

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Clapton played the Custom on Live Peace In Toronto.

Harrison got on the Delaney tour bus with two cases. Clapton asked why.
" I know that Delaney is going to ask me for a guitar, might as well be this."
Then that would be the Rosewood Tele that George Harrison gave to Delaney ? What always gets me is how casually the big guys gave there guitars away back then . Sure some of them sold them like Joe Walsh did with one of his Bursts that became Jimmy Page's # 1 . Can you imagine just being given a guitar with so much stature like that ?
 

Bruce R

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Then that would be the Rosewood Tele that George Harrison gave to Delaney ? What always gets me is how casually the big guys gave there guitars away back then . Sure some of them sold them like Joe Walsh did with one of his Bursts that became Jimmy Page's # 1 . Can you imagine just being given a guitar with so much stature like that ?
Those guys lived in the rarefied air of successful established, celebrity musicians, so to give or swap guitars with others of their kind was just "what they did" back then. They were on the forefront of the vintage (or cool used guitars as we called them) gear thing and money was no object. They had access to each other. Nowadays we have the collectors that bring their sacred Bursts to a show and lay them at the feet of guys like Joe B. Hey - at least these guitars are getting played! Different scenario, but even in the old days guitar owners would bring instruments and sometimes just give or loan them to a guy like Clapton (in Cream) for the show.

Yes, we know Eric played a Custom in Toronto, but my question is; which one was it - the Manny's or the Kossoff?
 
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El Gringo

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Those guys lived in the rarefied air of successful established, celebrity musicians, so to give or swap guitars with others of their kind was just "what they did" back then. They were on the forefront of the vintage (or cool used guitars as we called them) gear thing and money was no object. They had access to each other. Nowadays we have the collectors that bring their sacred Bursts to a show and lay them at the feet of guys like Joe B. Hey - at least these guitars are getting played! Different scenario, but even in the old days guitar owners would bring instruments and sometimes just give or loan them to a guy like Clapton (in Cream) for the show.

Yes, we know Eric played a Custom in Toronto, but my question is; which one was it - the Manny's or the Kossoff?
I was told by someone in the industry that when a owner would bring a guitar for someone in the league of great to use for a show he might get it back or the artist would keep it and the owner would be SOL .
 

bern1

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Pretty broad generalization I would think. Sure, there are assholes in every walk of life.
 

Flogger

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Then that would be the Rosewood Tele that George Harrison gave to Delaney ? What always gets me is how casually the big guys gave there guitars away back then . Sure some of them sold them like Joe Walsh did with one of his Bursts that became Jimmy Page's # 1 . Can you imagine just being given a guitar with so much stature like that ?
If I understand the situation, the Harrison estate considered it a loan. I know Dani was unhappy that Delaney routed it for humbuckers.
 

El Gringo

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If I understand the situation, the Harrison estate considered it a loan. I know Dani was unhappy that Delaney routed it for humbuckers.
I totally get that as it was altered and not kept in it's stock configuration . So then is the Rosewood Tele back with the Harrison estate ?
 

gmann

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I totally get that as it was altered and not kept in it's stock configuration . So then is the Rosewood Tele back with the Harrison estate ?
It’s been back for awhile. They had to buy it back at auction. Ed Begley Jr. bid on it on behalf of the family.
 
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