Guitars
I figure I owe Greg for all those math posts. But up until now, I've had nothing to say on the subject of guitars. Having just finished Eric Clapton's autobiography, I would like to share the following.Clapton's first guitar was a horrible German Hoyer. His first electric guitar was a double-cutaway semi-acoustic Kay, a knockoff of the Gibson ES-335. After his success with the Yardbirds, he was able to actually buy one of those Gibson's, a cherry-red model.
Eventually, Clapton fell into the same groove that apparently assaults many guitarists. He would stare longingly at a certain instrument in a store window for days on end. Finally he would buy it, learn it, and then move on to long after something new. After amassing hundreds of guitars, mostly Martins, Fenders, and Gibsons, Clapton auctioned off one hundred of them to help fund his Crossroads Centre for alcohol and drug rehabilitation. He sold a 1958 Gibson Explorer, a 1974 "Rodeo Man" Martin, a 1954 Sunburst Stratocaster, and his 1956 Fender "Tobacco Sunburst" which he had named Brownie and on which he played "Layla." The latter went for $450,000.
In a later auction, Clapton sold his cherry-red Gibson for $847,500. He also sold Blackie, a guitar so famous it has its own website. Blackie was assembled from the best parts of three different Fenders that he found in a guitar shop for $100 each. Blackie was the guitar most associated with Clapton and it was on a number of album covers. It was auctioned for $959,500.
I don't really understand any of what I just wrote. But I'm a huge Clapton fan and I like Greg a lot too. So I figured I owed him this one.
posted by Thurman8er @ 8:45 AM
6 Comments:
I'M impressed...........and I'm sure Greg will appreciate the tip of the hat!!! :)
Perhaps one of the best blogs you've ever written!! A man at church asked me the other day how many guitars I had and what I liked to play the most (he meant which guitar, I responded with what type of music). In our conversation I was asked who I thought was the best guitarist, which is impossible to answer because each style of music has it's "best" but Clapton is one of those guitar deities! I read an interview once where he said he finally reached the point in his musical ability that he can simply think a guitar run and immediately play it. I'll never be there which is why none of my guitars will ever sell for almost a million dollars!!
No, say it ain't so - the sickness has reared it's ugly head in Fresno. Quick my Math Brother, factor a quadratic equation and say the Order of Operations Rules 3 times and I think you can purge this illness.
Don't be assimilated, resistance is not futile!
The sickness is just setting in for me. I purchased my second guitar this weekend. I am just doing my part to help President Bush to stimulate the economy. Greg Swan Rocks! I never even thought of attempting one of those Yes classical bits.
I have a friend who has 5-7 guitars...the one I love the most is the "National". Beautiful. I used to play my dad's guitar as a child...I would sing a church song, and accompany myself with the bass line on the guitar. Wish I still had my dad's guitar!
I must agree - this might be your best post ever.
I might even print it out and hang it on my wall - right next to my guitars.
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