A Gibson Style O archtop acoustic guitar – played and owned by Eric Clapton and Goerge Harrison – has gone up for sale on Reverb, but isn’t likely to stay there long.
Guitars this old are extremely difficult to come by – just ask film composer Ludwig Göransson who had to scour the globe for a 1932 Dobro resonator guitar for Sinners – let alone ones steeped in as much history as this.
“Offered here is one of the most significant surviving acoustic guitars from the late 1960s rock era – an ultra rare 1913 Gibson Style O Acoustic Archtop, affectionately known as ‘Pattie,’” the listing reads.
“Played/owned by Eric Clapton and George Harrison during their formative songwriting collaborations in 1968, and later owned by Delaney Bramlett, this is a rare and culturally critical guitar directly tied to the end of both The Beatles and Cream, the birth of their respective solo careers and their earliest songwriting sessions for Badge, October of 1968 in Los Angeles.”
Harrison and Clapton co-wrote Badge, from Cream’s final album, Goodbye, and they’d soon embark on successful solo careers in the wake of their bands not surviving the new decade.
The guitar can be seen in the Eric Clapton documentary Life in 12 Bars, with Harrison known to have played it during the writing of Badge. He’d later lift the song’s bridge section for Here Comes The Sun, which was released the following year. The guitar, then, has links to the final records from both legendary bands.
The listing goes on to say that the Gibson was used “extensively in songwriting circles during the creation of Superstar, Let It Rain, and other works that helped launch Clapton's solo career, the formation of Derek & The Dominos, and Harrison's All Things Must Pass era”
It features tuners dating to the 1950s–'60s and has undergone several period-correct repairs, including a neck reset, fretboard binding, bridge replacement, and a refret.
There’s no denying how gorgeous this instrument is. With a curvy horn that would make Prince purr and a highly worn top that symbolizes how much of a workhorse it was for two of Britain's most accomplished players, it's hardly surprising that it's listed for $949,999.
Built over 110 years ago, the guitar’s surprise sale, by the late Delaney Bramlett’s estate, presents a massive opportunity for vintage gear collectors. Any would-be new owners will need deep pockets, but this is museum-grade acoustic. It feels like the kind of guitar Jim Isray – the owner of some of the world’s most valuable guitars – would be all over.
Interested buyers can request a historic/forensic/analysis dossier to inspect the instrument at the seller’s Berlin, NJ headquarters by appointment.
Head to Reverb to see the listing.
