The 14 most expensive guitars of all time By Jenna Scaramanga published 20 November 23 Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction
“The most expensive Clapton guitar ever sold at auction”: Eric Clapton’s iconic ‘Fool’ Gibson SG just sold for more than $1,000,000 – and it was bought by a world-renowned guitar collector By Matt Owen published 17 November 23 The record-breaking auction sees the uniquely finished double-cut – which Slowhand used to develop his trademark “woman tone” – comfortably join the list of the most expensive guitars sold at auction
“Owned by, played by, signed by and designed by some of the brightest lights in rock ‘n’ roll”: Eric Clapton launches 25th anniversary Crossroads Festival auction – and it includes some serious instruments By Matt Owen published 15 November 23 Slowhand's 'Crash' Fender Stratocaster and a unique PRS Silver Sky are among the guitars up for sale, and all proceeds will go towards supporting the Crossroads Centre in Antigua
“I knew Eric was going to put his guitar on later, so the bass fills were like telegraphed messages”: Listen to Nathan East’s fill-laden bassline on Eric Clapton’s Change the World By Chris Jisi published 14 November 23 Nathan East recorded with his Yamaha Signature 5-string direct through a custom DI box
“One of the most influential sounds in rock history”: Eric Clapton’s iconic ‘Fool’ Gibson SG, which was key to his trademark ‘woman tone’, has emerged – and it’s going up for auction By Matt Owen published 9 October 23 The ’64 SG became an enduring symbol of the psychedelic era, Clapton's Cream career, and the harmonically rich ‘woman tone’ – and it could become one the most expensive guitars ever to sell at auction
“The doctor's in the house”: Watch Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton tip their caps to Peter Green with searing Black Magic Woman at the 2023 Crossroads Festival By Jackson Maxwell published 26 September 23 Guitar legends who had passed on since the last Crossroads gathering in 2019 were on the minds of audience members and performers alike at this year's festival
John Mayer trades solos with H.E.R., covers Grateful Dead with his blues trio, and reunites with the Fender Monterey Stratocaster (again) during jam-packed Crossroads 2023 concert By Matt Owen published 25 September 23 Mayer brought his rhythm, lead and tonal A-game to the star-studded festival, during which he had an especially busy itinerary
“We all loved Larry Carlton’s guitar, it was just magic… We were all looking for guitars with chunky necks, to try and get the sustain that he had”: Session legend Dean Parks reveals the secrets of his most iconic Steely Dan and Eric Clapton guitar parts By Jackson Maxwell published 28 August 23 You can hear Parks on Josie, Haitian Divorce, Change the World, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number and innumerable other songs – here, the guitarist unpacks the gear and recording sessions that forged them
Guitar Center honors Eric Clapton with 25th Anniversary Crossroads Collection – a selection of guitars inspired by the most iconic instruments throughout his career By Matt Owen published 25 August 23 Ahead of this year's Crossroads Guitar Festival, an assortment of limited-edition Fender, Martin and PRS models have been unveiled – watch Slowhand get hands-on with his new signatures
“I get the guitar solo and I immediately have to give it away to Robbie!”: Eric Clapton reveals the reason he’s not particularly proud of his Last Waltz performance By Matt Parker published 24 August 23 In a rare new interview, the guitar icon reflects on his onstage mishap, alongside the late Robbie Robertson’s remarkable playing and his experiences of The Band
His playing took Eric Clapton’s breath away and David Bowie called him the most exciting guitarist since Jeff Beck: how Stevie Ray Vaughan became a blues guitar hero By Amit Sharma published 19 June 23 Inside the rise of the Jimi Hendrix-worshipping Stratocaster master, who delivered some of the greatest solos and tones in guitar history
Learn the playing styles of every Eric Clapton era with this epic lesson By Andy Saphir published 15 June 23 Five EC pieces for the Slowhand in training...
The Groundhogs guitarist and frontman Tony McPhee dies aged 79 By Matt Parker published 7 June 23 The influential British rock guitarist backed John Lee Hooker, recorded with Jimmy Page and played with Eric Clapton and John Mayall
Eric Clapton and Gary Clark Jr. played Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers at the recent Jeff Beck tribute – see how they handled the show’s most daunting task By Matt Parker published 25 May 23 The two guitar heroes were performing at the recent Beck tribute concerts at London’s Albert Hall organized by Clapton
Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kirk Hammett and more close out first Jeff Beck tribute concert with star-studded rendition of Going Down By Matt Owen published 23 May 23 Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, John McLaughlin, Johnny Depp, Gary Clark Jr. and many more all squeezed onstage to pay tribute to the late guitar great
This week's essential guitar tracks: Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton's final collaboration is revealed, and psychedelic titans channel their inner thrash demons By Jackson Maxwell, Matt Owen, Matt Parker published 19 May 23 Hear fresh, vital new guitar work from Nita Strauss, Joe Bonamassa, Red Devil Vortex, R.L. Boyce, Bully, Creeping Death, and many more
Gene Simmons: “Eddie Van Halen talked about being a fan of Eric Clapton. I’m sorry, I don’t see that. What he did was closer to classical music” By Matt Parker published 15 May 23 The Kiss frontman has been fretting over the guitar hero’s legacy, sharing concerns that “millennials need to know about the most important musician since Jimi Hendrix”
Eric Clapton releases Jeff Beck collaboration Moon River – an emotional new single showcasing Beck’s masterful guitar work By Matt Owen published 12 May 23 Recorded in January 2022, Moon River is one of the last studio recordings Beck committed to tape, and puts the late guitar legend's six-string excellence on display
Ed Sheeran says this is why he never learned to shred By Matt Parker published 12 May 23 The chart-smashing singer-songwriter has been discussing Eric Clapton and guitar playing with Howard Stern, but says he “made a choice when he was younger”
Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Santana, ZZ Top… Crossroads 2023 might offer the greatest lineup of guitar talent ever assembled By Matt Parker published 17 April 23 From H.E.R. to John McLaughlin and Marcus King to Stephen Stills and Gary Clark Jr, the LA event takes place this September and features an eclectic, once–in-a-lifetime lineup
