Zemaitis Custom Built Acoustic guitar,
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A 2005 Zemaitis Custom acoustic,
in natural finish, African blackwood body with asymmetrical twisted design and gold-leaf interior, heel-less construction, violin edge style raised koa binding, spruce top, three-dimensionally combined fan bracing and X bracing, heart-shaped soundhole with ebony-edged koa soundhole ring, mahogany neck, twenty fret ebony fingerboard, sixteen frets clear on the treble side and fourteen frets clear on the bass side, ebony mustache-shaped pin bridge, gold-plated tuners with ebony buttons, ebony headstock facing with engraved aluminum plaques with floral motifs, one with maker's initial, the other with ERIC CLAPTON; and a black hardshell contour case with burgundy plush lining and handwritten label with various inscriptions including Made For EC
Sold for US$ 61,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

  • This guitar, with its very unusual and innovative construction, was specifically designed and built as a gift for Eric Clapton by Zemaitis in Japan in 2005. The dimensions of the guitar and the neck shape were based on Clapton's signature Martins, whereas most of the design concepts were one-off and developed for this project. Only two of these guitars constructed exclusively for Clapton and his Japanese friend in 2005 and the model was never intended for production.

    Literature: TANAKA, Minoru, Eric Clapton Private Guitar File, Article in YMM Player Special – The Guitar vol. 10, Player Corporation, Tokyo, 2007, p.p. 18 & 19.

    Photo: Detail of this Zemaitis' gold leaf interior during its construction in 2005. Photograph courtesy of Player Corporation.

Category: Collectibles / Entertainment Memorabilia

Auction terms and conditions

Contacts

Stephanie Connell Bonhams
Work
Montpelier Street
London, SW7 1HH
United Kingdom
Work +44 20 7393 3844
FaxFax: +44 20 7393 3873
Specialist - Entertainment Memorabilia