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Clapton Unplugged - Walkin Blues - What Guitar?

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yellobay76

Clapton Unplugged - Walkin Blues - What Guitar?

Lead

[-]

(05/13/08 7:59 AM)

Tags : None

Hello all, I hope this is in the right forum etc, just looking for some info...

What model Guitar is Mr Eric playing on Walkin' Blues from unplugged?

It appears to be a Martin, from what I can see of the headstock, appears to be a resonator, but all my web searching has found no help!!

I've been trying to improve my slide playing, learning some of this stuff, and absolutely love the sound he gets from this lovely bit of kit!

Any help would be great, thanks in advance,
Craig.

MichaelM

[-]

(05/13/08 8:17 AM)

According to two web sources, it's a Dobro F 60 Classic

Slowhand Blues Guitar

An unplugged Axology

Michael . e E

yellobay76

[-]

(05/13/08 8:22 AM)

Wow and thankyou!!

There was me thinking it was a Martin!! Thanks for the swift response.

Craig.

Lefty00042

[-]

(05/13/08 8:49 AM)

Nope, couldn't be a Martin. Martin never made a resonator prior to a few years ago, and the one they introduced is an aluminum body, spider-bridge cutaway model.

00045

[-]

(05/13/08 9:50 AM)

Clapton is using a custom resonator guitar similar to a Dobro. I don't remember the builder's name, but a Dobro with a spider cone should do the job.

hogwldfltr

[-]

(05/13/08 9:53 AM)

Those listings for instruments are full of hogwash. How else can you explain them calling the guitar pictured below a Fender.

It was a D12-20.

Additionally, Clapton's 000 couldn't be a

Guitar: Martin 000-42EC

The guitar was introduced after the fact and not before. I do believe the resonator was a Dobro but I have serious doubts as to the reliability of the sources quoted.

-Lee

*************
I've been known to play with the following: D-18 : D-18V : Backpacker : 000-28EC : D-41 : Breedlove OM-M : Gibson C-0 Classic : Martin D12-1 : and a '98 Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide
*************

Hand me my old guitar, pass the whisky round.
Won't you tell everybody you meet that the Candyman's in town.
-Hunter/Garcia

oltimeyrider

[-]

(05/13/08 10:43 AM)

It is a Dobro. It's a pre-war model. I'm not sure that it's a 60 Model because it's been seriously tricked out. It has a lot of fancy inlay on the fretboard and all the hardware is gold. The coverplate has a ton of engraving on it and there is abalone inlaid all over it like a style 45. Clapton got the guitar around 1970 (about the time he hooked up with Duane) at GTR in Nashville - and I believe they're the ones who did the custom inlay at his request. The neck of the guitar is so bowed that it can only be used for bottleneck. This is one of the guitars he still has and chose not to sell in either of his auctions. Hope this helps.

Last Edited By: oltimeyrider 05/13/08 10:53 AM. Edited 2 times.

Todd Stuart Phillips

[-]

(05/13/08 10:58 AM)

Indeed those links are not accurate. Looks like the one got their info from the other. One says he used his EC - which of course came out after the concert, not before.

I do not have a copy of the show, is that the ONLY 12-string he uses? One site mentions two songs that featured a 12-string. But that is surely a D-12-20.

Otherwise, the steel 6-strings were a 1939 000-42 (Serial #73234) and a 1966 000-28 that had been converted to Style 000-45 pearl inlay (Serial #208511).

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
- Dr. Seuss

MichaelM

[-]

(05/13/08 11:43 AM)

If you just read the headline of the second link it seems to be saying that he played a 000-28EC. But if you actually read the paragraph underneath the headline, it explains:

[...] a vintage 1939 000-42 and a vintage 000-28. Both are classic small-body acoustic guitars, through the 000-28 was modified by inlay artist/historian Mike Longworth with a style 45 fingerboard, headstock, and top pearl. These instruments were made highly visible in the MTV Unplugged concert and on the Grammy-winning CD.

Michael . e E

Todd Stuart Phillips

[-]

(05/13/08 12:45 PM)

Yes I did see that. That is on one of the sites but not the other one.

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
- Dr. Seuss

oltimeyrider

[-]

(05/13/08 2:04 PM)

Who cares. Neither of those guitars were the one yellobay was asking about.

hogwldfltr

[-]

(05/13/08 7:05 PM)

oltimeyrider wrote:
Who cares. Neither of those guitars were the one yellobay was asking about.

So what is the answer?

This is from another source:

Customised wood-body dobro

The photograph from the 1976 "No reason to cry" recording session of Eric playing this wooden-bodied resonator guitar with the amazing inlay work is well known. He spoke of this guitar during his interview with Guitar Player magazine conducted during the mixing session for the album. He said that he had bought an old Dobro in need of repair from George Gruhn's shop in Nashville and had a Martin style replacement neck put on it by Randy Wood. Wood decorated the guitar with the vintage Martin style torch inlay on the headstock, style 45 abalone inlay on the body and a "tree of life" inlay on the fingerboard complete with Eric's name. 16 years later, this guitar made what was probably its first public appearance during the "Unplugged" session at Bray Studios and then became a stage regular for acoustic slide blues during the 90's blues period.

Clapton's Guitars

*************
I've been known to play with the following: D-18 : D-18V : Backpacker : 000-28EC : D-41 : Breedlove OM-M : Gibson C-0 Classic : Martin D12-1 : and a '98 Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide
*************

Hand me my old guitar, pass the whisky round.
Won't you tell everybody you meet that the Candyman's in town.
-Hunter/Garcia

Last Edited By: hogwldfltr 05/13/08 7:18 PM. Edited 1 times.

oltimeyrider

[-]

(05/14/08 12:09 AM)

Great site!!!!!

yellobay76

[-]

(05/15/08 4:45 AM)

Thankyou all for your responses!

So basically, I can't just go out and get one, can I? That's a shame, coz it's luvly.

The search for a resonator continues...
Craig.

FloydBreeze

[-]

(05/15/08 7:03 AM)

I have an '88 OMI Dobro 60F. It's very plain looking, definately a lower end model, but it sounds great. I only use a slide on it because of the very high action. It's allot of fun to play and always gets attention.

000aa

[-]

(05/15/08 12:39 PM)

Someone mentioned earlier that EC has some custom made dobros.
They come from http://www.fineresophonic.com
Mike Lewis, an english man in Paris, is a very nice person and no need to tell you his guitars are fantastic, I do have the blue tricone that is on his website.
As far as I know EC got from him a woodbody tricone and a koa spider bridge or single cone, can't remember. That guitar is the one played by Doyle Braham in the DVD Mr Jonhson and me.

AA

Todd Stuart Phillips

[-]

(05/16/08 8:27 AM)

oltimeyrider wrote:
Who cares. Neither of those guitars were the one yellobay was asking about.

Boy are YOU in the wrong place, fella! lol

Asking "who cares" where any mention of some tidbit of Martin specs, lore or trivia can be found. How un-umgf can you get.

Otherwise, I did send an email to the 12-bar website. I got a nice response.

The webmaster said he knew it was out of date and had lifted the text directly from other sources, but never got around to correcting it. But now he has and was looking for confirmation about the Dobro (if it IS that model). I invited him to stop by the UMGF.

Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
- Dr. Seuss

oltimeyrider

[-]

(05/16/08 11:18 AM)

Todd Stuart Phillips wrote:

oltimeyrider wrote:

Boy are YOU in the wrong place, fella! lol
Asking "who cares" where any mention of some tidbit of Martin specs, lore or trivia can be found. How un-umgf can you get.

Fair enough! My bad!

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Clapton Unplugged - Walkin Blues - What Guitar?

Clapton Unplugged - Walkin Blues - What Guitar?

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