How many guitars has Eric Clapton ruined?

tvr1979 · **Joined:** Sat Jan 01, 2011 12:15 pm **Posts:** 603

This is a rhetorical question. But, ever since Blackie sold for big bucks, I've seen so many guitars on the used market that have been ruined by their owners burning the headstock, and probably their fingers, with a cigarette. Why would someone do this? Sorry, don't mean to offend anyone, just a fun little rant!

jaknzax · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 7:43 am

In 2004, Blackie was sold for $959,500 at a Christie's auction to support the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton. The final bid was cast by the United States nationwide music equipment chain Guitar Center, causing Clapton's guitar to set the record as the world's most expensive guitar. (In 2006, another Stratocaster, signed by a large group of celebrities, including Clapton, was auctioned to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami, selling for $US2.6 million, surpassing Blackie's record.)
The entie Wiki article...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackie_(guitar)

Sure your not thinking of Townsend or Hendrix?

Screamin' Armadillo · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:33 am

Any guitar that an artist uses as extensively as Blackie was--touring, recording, writing, jamming--is bound to get some battle scars.

While I don't smoke (and even if I did, I probably wouldn't put a cigarette on the headstock), it was his guitar that he had the right to use in whatever way he saw fit. The rest of Blackie's wear and tear was related to extensive use.

Clapton doesn't take the cake on instrument abuse, though...Hendrix and Townshend were mentioned, but SRV absolutely tortured his "#1" Strat on occasions (see the Live at El Mocambo performance of "Third Stone From The Sun"... :shock:

The worst serial abuser of guitars, in my opinion, is Yngwie. Google the video of him carelessly stacking vintage instruments in a slipshod manner...of course, even if he didn't do that, I consider his (*ahem*) performances to be abuse of both the instrument and the listener.

tbazzone · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:02 am

I can,t think of one strat that Clapton has ever ruined.

JPD · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:12 am

tbazzone wrote:

I can,t think of one strat that Clapton has ever ruined.

I agree. The wanna be`s put burn marks in their headstocks but that don`t make you sound or play like him.

CRGuitarMan · **Joined:** Sat Sep 08, 2007 9:46 pm **Posts:** 2041

Eddie Van Halen was always a big one for sticking his cigarette under strings on the headstock - drives me crazy when I watch the Van Halen DVD I own. He was always big for puffing away during his solos, too. Yuk. Play the guitar, smoke & drink after the show.

jaknzax · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:50 am

tbazzone wrote:

I can,t think of one strat that Clapton has ever ruined.

+1
That was my point on posting the Wiki article. If the axe was so "ruined" why did to fetch nearly a million bucks??

telemaster000 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:44 pm

jaknzax wrote:

tbazzone wrote:

I can,t think of one strat that Clapton has ever ruined.

+1
That was my point on posting the Wiki article. If the axe was so "ruined" why did to fetch nearly a million bucks??

Smashed townshend guitars go up for big bucks.
its because its associated with a celbrity artist.

T2Stratman · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:51 pm

Totally agree with you SA. Claptons guitars suffered from actually being played to death...SRV, Hendrix, and Townsend just abused their guitars. Not that they didn't have talent and played em too, but the abuse those guitars took was purely for show! You want to impress me? Play the crap out the thing...leave the "Show" to entertainers in Vegas!

T2

telemaster000 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:36 pm

seward wrote:

Couldn't agree more. I think that when Townshend did this it catered for aggression within the confines of The Who, Hendrix just went that bit further with it and set his axe alight. Nowadays though it all looks a bit tragic, and really contrived. There is a lot of craftsmanship that goes into making a guitar, I really can't see the point trashing the poor things - especially when they should be treasured, as well as some being very expensive to buy.

Agreed.
But look at the show it put on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q63XogYTIcc

Ceri · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:12 am

I wonder if we're slightly misinerpreting tvr1979's post?

tvr1979 wrote:

This is a rhetorical question. But, ever since Blackie sold for big bucks, I've seen so many guitars on the used market that have been ruined by their owners burning the headstock, and probably their fingers, with a cigarette. Why would someone do this? Sorry, don't mean to offend anyone, just a fun little rant!

If I'm reading it right I think all he's asking (correct me if I'm wrong, tvr) is how many people saw Eric put his cigarette behind the strings at the nut while playing, did the same to copy him, and so thousands of guitars out there aquired burn marks as a result?

To be fair to Eric, I don't think he invented the idea of storing a lighted cigarette in that position: I think guitarists would have been doing it with or without him.

But then, since tvr says it's a rhetorical question I guess he wasn't looking for a reply anyway... :lol:

Cheers - C

tvr1979 · **Joined:** Sat Jan 01, 2011 12:15 pm **Posts:** 603

I don't think I got my point across. I'm was referring to the countless guitars people have scared, with cigarette burns, emulating Eric's Blackie. Every time I see one for sale, I automatically pass, no matter the price.

ZZDoc · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:25 pm

Below!

ZZDoc · **Posted:** Sat Jan 07, 2012 12:26 pm

ZZDoc wrote:

It's an interesting question, which leads naturally into the area of production instruments with relic finishes, for which there appears to be a demand sufficient for which Fender seems to have no end of new ideas for these. In the past, I've used the phrase 'different strokes' for a host of issues in many of my commentaries, and IMHO this is another one of those instances. Though I am not at all particular to the looks of these guitars there are those who are and, I expect, they comprise part of the group of whom the OP writes. It can take an awfully long time for a guitar to 'wear in' so to speak.

Lemon Crush · **Joined:** Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:39 pm **Posts:** 6

seward wrote:

Couldn't agree more. I think that when Townshend did this it catered for aggression within the confines of The Who, Hendrix just went that bit further with it and set his axe alight. Nowadays though it all looks a bit tragic, and really contrived. There is a lot of craftsmanship that goes into making a guitar, I really can't see the point trashing the poor things - especially when they should be treasured, as well as some being very expensive to buy.

But Hendrix didn't do that all the time. He only burned the Strat at Montery (and a couple other shows) so that he could make a name for himself and give something for the audiences to remember.

P. Townshend on the other hand :/

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