Eric Clapton's "The Fool" Replica
Acrylic Brush and Airbrush
When I was in high school I worked at a local guitar shop in Sioux City called Flood Music. When my Uncle Jim was a kid in the late 50's, he took lessons from Ray Flood, the original owner. I used to spend a lot of time in there just trying things out, so much so that eventually, somehow I convinced the owner, Tom Kingsbury, to let me work there. I think he figured that if I'm gonna be there all the time and not buying anything, I may as well make myself useful.
Tom is a fantastic guy who even let me borrow some of his vintage Les Pauls (my favorite being an early 60's gold top Deluxe, an early 70's tobacco sunburst Custom, and a 1970's double neck EDS-1275). I look back and still can't believe he let me borrow those, and sometimes I would have them for months. But because of how he treated me as a kid, I've aimed to do the same with some young guitar players that I run across, letting them borrow some of my guitars, even the really nice ones!
The manager at the time was Phil Carlin. Phil was always so gracious and patient with me when I was just a teenage customer, and that translated well when I became an employee. We spent a lot of time together and I learned a lot from him. Eventually he came to know that my Dad was an accomplished illustrator, and he asked what it might cost to paint his 70's Gibson SG as a replica of Eric Clapton's famed SG from his Cream years. Clapton's guitar is named "The Fool," and we had a few reference shots from magazines to go off of. Intrigued by the project, Dad said he'd love to, and it came out incredible.
At the time, there was no internet, and all we had was a few not-so-amazing shots of "The Fool," so on some of the guitar, Dad had to sort of "guess" what it should look like. But he nailed it! Phil was jaw-dropped not just at the final product, but also at the price tag. Dad did it for free because it was so fun to do.
The pictures here are current, sent to me just after Dad passed away. As you can see, the paint job has held up very well.
PHOTOS BELOW:
Top Left: Phil Carlin with his "Fool"
Top Right: Dad's signature on the side
Bottom Left: Clapton's original "Fool."
Bottom Right: Dad's Replica
