A guitar played by British music star Eric Clapton while in rock band Cream has topped a rock ‘n’ roll auction.
The 1964 Gibson SG electric guitar sold for 1,270,000 dollars (£1,023,000) to The Jim Irsay Collection after headlining the Worn And Torn: Rock N Roll Iconic Guitars And Memorabilia auction on Thursday evening.
The auction house said it is the most expensive Clapton guitar ever sold at auction.
It is known as Clapton’s Fool guitar having been custom-painted with a psychedelic print by founding members of the Dutch art collective – Marijke Koger and Simon Posthuma – who became known as “The Fool”.
The Fool later collaborated with many other famous musicians, including designing costumes worn by The Beatles during their broadcast performance of All You Need Is Love and in their 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour, Julien’s Auctions said.
It is widely reported that Clapton received the guitar from Beatles’ star George Harrison after the release of Cream’s 1966 album Fresh Cream and was his principle instrument to develop the “woman tone” which has become an influential sound in rock history, the auction house added.
The auction also saw other items from British stars go under the hammer, including a blue and white blazer worn by Sir Elton John in the music video for his 1984 single Passengers which sold for 5,200 dollars (£4,192).
An original 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that was personally owned and driven by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash also sold for 227,500 dollars (£183,374).
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The Fool is celebrated as an enduring symbol of the era of psychedelia in music.– @Forbes https://t.co/u3cHHBNLFm pic.twitter.com/Amh5eYDQ0z
— Julien's Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) October 12, 2023
Similarly, John McVie’s bass guitar which he played in the official Fleetwood Mac music videos for Little Lies and Seven Wonders from the album Tango In The Night sold for 13,000 dollars (£10,479).
Meanwhile, a custom-made black military style jacket with gold hardware embellishments worn on stage by late US music star Michael Jackson during his 1992-1993 Dangerous World Tour sold for 101,600 dollars (£81,893).
Julien’s Auctions line-up of rock ‘n’ roll items marks its 20-year anniversary and is set to include a guitar played by Kurt Cobain at Nirvana’s last performance at Terminal Einz in Munich in March 1994.
The blue Fender Mustang electric guitar, which is estimated to fetch between one million to two million US dollars (£820,000 to £1.64 million), was used during Nirvana’s 1993 to 1994 tour dates just over a month before Cobain’s death.