Later gifted to Albert Lee, the iconic instrument has been honored by a loving tribute from Gibson Custom, aged in the Murphy Lab and limited to just 150 units
Gibson Custom has announced the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul™ Custom, a loving tribute to the iconic three-pickup 1958 model Eric Clapton used first in Cream, and then on multiple solo tours and recordings, including with Delaney & Bonnie.
When Clapton purchased the instrument in 1967 on Cream’s first American tour, he was just 22 years old and preparing to record the band’s masterpiece, Disraeli Gears. By the time he gifted the guitar to his friend and fellow guitar superhero Albert Lee in 1979, Clapton had already achieved considerable acclaim as a solo artist, using the Les Paul Custom extensively during that pivotal period of his career.
Handcrafted by the artisans at Gibson Custom in Nashville, Tennessee, the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom utilizes proprietary Murphy Lab aging techniques to evoke the spirit of the original. Just 150 pieces will be made available worldwide, complete with an outstanding case candy package including a second pickguard signed by both Eric Clapton and Albert Lee.
The guitar boasts a carefully chosen, lightweight mahogany body paired with a mahogany neck with a period-correct profile and an ebony fretboard adorned with mother-of-pearl block inlays. Its aged gold hardware comprises Grover® tuners, an ABR-1 bridge, a Stop Bar tailpiece, and unpotted Custombucker pickups, with the middle pickup orientated to reproduce the configuration of the original guitar.
Image: Case candy includes a pickguard signed by Eric Clapton and Albert Lee
The package includes a custom case with a Duck Brothers stencil—inspired by a running joke between Clapton and Lee—and the signed second pickguard is housed in an attractive wooden display case.
A Certificate of Authenticity booklet featuring a photograph by acclaimed photographer Chuck Stewart accompanies the guitar, along with a black leather Archive Series strap and Gibson Custom switch plate medallion.
Shop now and own a piece of musical history directly tied to two of the world’s finest guitarists.
