Gibson Custom Announces the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom, An Artfully Recreated and Murphy Lab Aged Version of the Icon’s Versatile Les Paul Custom Guitar

Above: The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom.

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Gibson Custom is the pinnacle of craftsmanship, quality, and sound excellence. Each instrument celebrates Gibson’s legacy through accuracy, beauty, and attention to detail.

NASHVILLE, TN – For over 130 years, Gibson has shaped sound across generations and genres of music, becoming one of the most relevant, played, and loved guitar brands around the world. Gibson Custom is proud to unveil its next global release in homage to two of the most legendary, successful, and respected guitarists of all time, Eric Clapton and Albert Lee. Introducing the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom, a piece of music history that’s directly associated with two of the world’s foremost guitarists. The guitar comes with a second pickguard, hand-signed by both Eric Clapton and Albert Lee and presented in a collectible wooden display case. The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom is available now for early access via Guitar Center, the Gibson Garage Nashville and London, and on Gibson.com. It will be available worldwide at authorized, premium Gibson dealers starting on February 25.

Performing with the Yardbirds, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, Delaney & Bonnie, and as a solo artist, Eric Clapton has inspired countless players. Clapton has won 18 GRAMMY® Awards, received the Brit Award for “Outstanding Contribution to Music,” four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and was awarded a CBE for services to music. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He is the co-founder and a patron of the Crossroads Centre, a substance abuse rehabilitation facility on Antigua that has helped countless people overcome substance abuse.

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Above: The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom.

During Cream’s first American tour, Eric purchased a three-pickup 1958 Les Paul Custom, serial number 8 6320, which he used on Disraeli Gears, multiple tours, including with Delaney & Bonnie, and on and off throughout the rest of the 1960s and 70s. In 1979, he gifted the guitar to fellow legendary guitarist Albert Lee, who continues to be inspired by it and uses it to this day. Now, Gibson Custom is proud to introduce the Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom, a loving tribute to Clapton’s original Cream-era 1958 Les Paul Custom. This special limited run uses ultra-precise Murphy Lab aging techniques to aid in handcrafting a reproduction of this legendary guitar. Every detail has been thoughtfully crafted, from the exact playing wear to the sonic character. It features a hand-selected, ultra-lightweight, one-piece, all-mahogany body, a mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard with Custom mother-of-pearl block inlays and 22 historic medium jumbo frets, and the same neck profile as the original guitar. The hardware is aged gold, including the Grover® tuners, ABR-1 bridge, Stop Bar tailpiece, and pickup covers. The three pickups are unpotted Custombuckers, with the middle pickup mounted with the screws oriented towards the neck, just as they are on the original guitar. The volume and tone controls use CTS® 500k audio taper potentiometers that are hand-wired to paper-in-oil capacitors, while the Murphy Lab aging simulates the exact aging and wear patterns that Eric and Albert created.

Above: Delaney & Bonnie and friends perform on stage in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 10, 1969, Jim Gordon (drums), Delaney Bramlett, George Harrison, and Eric Clapton performing with his Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar. Credit: Getty Images Jan Persson/Redferns.

Above: Albert Lee performs onstage with Eric Clapton with the Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar Eric Clapton gifted to him at Ahoy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on April 23, 1983. Credit: Getty Images Rob Verhorst/Redferns.

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Only 150 of these exceptional guitars have been handcrafted by the expert luthiers of the Gibson Custom Shop and Murphy Lab in Nashville, Tennessee. The custom Duck Brothers-inspired case includes the guitar, along with a second pickguard, signed by both Eric Clapton and Albert Lee in a collectible wooden display case, a Certificate of Authenticity booklet with a photo by Chuck Stewart, a black leather Archive Series strap, and a Gibson Custom switch plate medallion. Here is your opportunity to own a piece of music history owned and played by two guitar icons.

Above: The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom.

Above: A close-up of the front headstock for the Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom.

Above: The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom.

Above: The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom full package with case candy.

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About Gibson:

Gibson, the leading iconic guitar brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for 130 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, Gibson has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson portfolio includes Gibson, the leading guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, which has been on every stage since 1873, Kramer, the original MADE TO ROCK HARD guitar brand, MESA/Boogie, the home of tone, KRK, behind great music for over 30 years, and Maestro, the founder of effect pedals. Gibson is dedicated to quality, innovation, and sound excellence so that music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by all Gibson brands. Explore more at Gibson.com, Gibson App, and on Gibson TV, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and visit us at the Gibson Garage Nashville and the Gibson Garage London.