The Fool (guitar)

The Fool guitar replica exhibited at HRC San Antonio

The Fool is a 1964 Gibson SG guitar, painted for Eric Clapton by the Dutch design collective of the same name. One of the world's best-known guitars, it symbolizes the psychedelic era.[1] Clapton used the guitar extensively while playing with Cream and it was an essential element of his famed "woman tone".

History

The Fool, a "psychedelic fantasy", according to Clapton,[2] was the brainchild of Marijke Koger who, along with Simon Postuma, was a founding member of The Fool collective. In early 1967, the collective were contacted by Robert Stigwood, then manager of Cream, to work on instruments and costumes for the band, which was about to leave London for a tour of the United States.[1] Koger and Postuma painted Clapton's Gibson SG, a drum kit for Ginger Baker,[3] and a Fender Bass VI for Jack Bruce, which he did not like very much and played only on TV performances.[4]

The guitar made its debut as Cream played their first show in the United States on 25 March 1967 at the RKO theater on 58th Street, Manhattan, where Cream and The Who played a series of shows headlined by Mitch Ryder[1] and promoted by Murray the K.[4] Clapton used the guitar for most of Cream's recordings after Fresh Cream, particularly on Disraeli Gears, until the band broke up in 1968. After Clapton it passed to Jackie Lomax, who may have acquired it from George Harrison. It then passed to Todd Rundgren,[1] who had seen Clapton play it during Cream's show at the RKO Theater and was "mesmerized" by it.[5] Rundgren reportedly paid $500 for the guitar[6] and had various repairs done to it. He had the guitar finished anew and retouched in places, and a portion of the neck and headstock was replaced. Rundgren sold the guitar in 2000 at auction[7] for around $150,000[5][8] to pay off a tax debt, donating 10% to Clapton's Crossroads Centre.[1] The Fool was resold to a private collector a few years later for around $500,000.[5][6]

The Fool has had other work done: some of the control knobs have been replaced and, most notably, the original trapeze-style bridge was replaced with a Tune-o-matic. The guitar now has Grover tuners rather than the original Klusons.[1]

Execution

Koger and Postuma sanded Clapton's 1964 SG Standard (not, as is found in various sources, a 1961 model,[9] and not an SG Special[10]) and painted it with oil-based enamel paint[1] in the "gaudy dayglo colours of the day."[11] As Koger explained, "the single thread running through all of my paintings is nostalgia for paradise." The theme of the SG's design is "good versus evil, heaven versus hell, and the power of music in the universe to rise above it all as a force of good". The centrepiece on the face is a cherub holding a triangle, surrounded by yellow stars on a celestial blue background ("a Fool hallmark"). The angel's curly hairstyle was inspired by Clapton's hairstyle at the time. Flames come up from the bottom of the guitar (the bass-bout with the volume and tone controls) and the treble point has rainbow-coloured arcs. The pick guard contains a landscape with mountains and a red sun on the horizon, a "Dutch miniature" representing paradise. On the back, coloured concentric circles are surrounded by coloured waves.[1]

Woman tone

The Fool is an essential part of what Clapton called the "woman tone", "a sweet sound… more like the human voice than the guitar". Clapton demonstrated that tone in a videotaped interview in 1968, using The Fool and a Marshall amplifier; he said it is accomplished by turning the tone way down and the volume full up, and it is exemplified in the opening and the guitar solo of "Sunshine of Your Love".[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Oxman, J. Craig (December 2011). "Clapton's Fool: History's Greatest Guitar?". Vintage Guitar. pp. 62–66.
  2. ↑ Welch, Chris (2011). Clapton: The Ultimate Illustrated History. Voyageur. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-7603-4046-2. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  3. ↑ Lawrence, Robb (2008). The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 1915-1963. Hal Leonard. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-634-04861-6. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Shapiro, Harry; Clapton, Eric (2009). Jack Bruce Composing Himself: The Authorized Biography. Jawbone. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-906002-26-8. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rosen, Steven (16 April 2008). "Legendary Guitar: The Saga of Eric Clapton’s Famous Fool SG". Gibson Guitar Corporation. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Celebrate the Gibson SG During the 'I Love My SG' Summer". Gibson Guitar Corporation. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Newman, Belinda (3 June 2000). "The Beat". Billboard. p. 16. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  8. ↑ Bradley, Simon (24 May 2010). "Round-up: 4 graphic finish metal electric guitars". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Prown, Pete; Newquist, Harvey P.; Eiche, Jon F. (1997). Legends of rock guitar: the essential reference of rock's greatest guitarists. Hal Leonard. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7935-4042-6. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  10. ↑ Shapiro, Harry (1992). Eric Clapton: lost in the blues. Da Capo. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-306-80480-9. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  11. ↑ Bacon, Tony (2000). Fuzz & feedback: classic guitar music of the '60s. Hal Leonard. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-87930-612-0. Retrieved 2 January 2012.

External links