Eric Clapton’s 1964 Gibson ES-335: The Story Behind a Rock Legend
Few guitars in the history of rock and blues carry the legacy of Eric Clapton’s 1964
Gibson ES-335TDC. This semi-hollow body instrument became one of Clapton’s most cherished guitars, accompanying him from the explosive final chapter of Cream through his later solo work. Decades later, it would make history at auction.
How Clapton Acquired the Guitar
Eric Clapton purchased the Gibson ES-335 in 1964, early in his professional career and around the time he was building his reputation on the London blues circuit. It was only the second electric guitar he ever bought. As his earnings improved from touring and session work, he was able to afford the cherry-red semi-hollow that would become a lifelong companion.
Although Clapton became most famously associated with other guitars during the mid-1960s—most notably his “Beano” Les Paul and the psychedelic Gibson SG known as “The Fool”—the ES-335 remained in his collection for decades. Its original hard case was stenciled with the word “CREAM,” earning it the nickname “The Cream Guitar.”
Classic Performances and Recordings
While not always the guitar most commonly seen in photographs from Cream’s peak years, the ES-335 played an important role during the band’s final performances.
Clapton used the ES-335 during Cream’s farewell concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 26, 1968. These historic shows marked the end of one of rock’s most influential power trios and showcased Clapton’s fluid, blues-based lead work at its peak.
The guitar was also used in studio sessions around this period, including recordings for Cream’s farewell album Goodbye, which featured the track “Badge.” Beyond Cream, Clapton continued to use the ES-335 in subsequent projects, including work with Blind Faith and in later blues-focused performances throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The instrument resurfaced prominently during his 1994–95 “Nothing But Blues” tour and appeared in the mid-1990s at the Prince’s Trust concert in Hyde Park, where Clapton played it publicly one of the final times before retiring it from regular stage use.
The Record-Setting Auction
In the early 2000s, Clapton decided to auction a number of his most important guitars to raise funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, the drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility he founded in 1997.
On June 24, 2004, the 1964 Gibson ES-335 was offered at the Crossroads Guitar Auction in New York. Pre-sale estimates suggested it might bring between $60,000 and $80,000. Instead, it stunned observers by selling for $847,500, setting a record at the time for a Gibson electric guitar.
The buyer was Guitar Center, which acquired the instrument as a significant piece of rock history.
A Lasting Legacy
Clapton’s cherry-red ES-335 stands as more than just a vintage instrument. It represents a bridge between traditional blues and the explosive evolution of British blues-rock in the late 1960s. From the intense improvisations of Cream’s final shows to later blues revivals, the guitar helped shape some of Clapton’s most expressive performances.
In 2005, Gibson and Guitar Center honored the original with a limited run of Eric Clapton Crossroads ES-335 replicas, celebrating both the instrument and the music it helped create.
The story of this 1964 Gibson ES-335—from London clubs to record-breaking auction—remains one of the most fascinating chapters in guitar history.
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