When Eric Clapton graced the MTV Unplugged stage with a pre-war Martin acoustic, he sailed against the wind of popular music. By 1992, grunge’s grip on guitar music was bruisingly tight, but in an age of screeching guitars and feral songwriting, Clapton’s classy, heartfelt performance proved a seminal moment for the acoustic guitar; giving the instrument a powerful resurgence in the public’s eye, and elevating Martin to new levels of prestige.
The performance was released that year as Unpluggedwhich went on to win three Grammys and sell 26 million copies. At the same time, it kickstarted work on a signature Clapton guitar, the 000-42EC, which arrived three years later to great acclaim.
Inspired by the 1939 000-42 he played that night, the 000-42EC quickly became one of Martin’s most sought-after models. Three decades on, Martin is celebrating a major anniversary of their Clapton partnership with two new releases.
The 000-42EC is back in all its pre-war-replicating glory. It’s a faithful re-creation of the guitar that proved so successful for Clapton and Martin, and as such it’s limited to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 300 examples. The the 000-EC, a more affordable — and more readily available model — offers the same tonal flavors at a far more accessible price tag.
Yet Clapton’s adoration for Martin Guitars goes deeper into his career than that.
For years, he played a 1974 Martin 000-28 as he began to establish a solo career in the wake of Derek and the Dominos’ demise. It was here we see the beginning of Clapton’s affinity for Martin’s 000-size acoustics, which combine the OM-style hourglass shape with a shorter scale length.
The 000-28 accompanied Clapton everywhere he went and was used to compose his hit “Wonderful Tonight” in 1977.
“It was his go-to guitar,” says Steve Clarkethe vintage guitar expert at Bonham’s, which auctioned the guitar last summer. “It’s the one he took around with him — the one he went back to the hotel with after gigs.”
It left his possession in 1999, one year after he established his Crossroads Center for addiction recovery, with its sale helping raise funds for its cause. Parting with a guitar that meant so much to him nearly moved him to tears.
“During the auction,” Clapton once recalled“the guys were all around me, and I felt myself starting to cry.”
But it wasn’t just the high-end Martins that left an impression on Slowhand. When working on the original signature guitar in the mid ’90s, Clapton was stunned by the quality of the cheaper alternative made in tandem with the pre-war replica.
Former Martin historian Dick Boak wrote in his 2003 book, Martin Guitar Masterpieces“We sent one of the prototypes to Eric in England, and he sent me these exact words back through Lee (Dickson, Eric’s guitar tech): ‘Don’t get me wrong. I love my 000-42EC Martins. The craftsmanship and detail are superb. But this new 000-28EC model is the best-sounding acoustic guitar I’ve ever played.’”
The 000-28EC proved a hit at NAMM in July ‘96, and atop a bedrock of orders, Clapton added his own into his collection of performance guitars.
Clapton, Boak adds, “continued to be surprised at how a lower-cost instrument could stand up to the top-of-the-line guitars.”
The new, limited-edition 000-42EC stays true to the past, featuring a solid Adirondack spruce top and solid Guatemalan rosewood back and sides, while Golden Era-inspired Adirondack spruce X-bracing and an authentic 1939 neck shape and 42-style snowflake inlays make the instrument look and feel like a pre-war relic.
Its $10,999 price tag, though, is a tall order.
Thankfully, the 000-EC is half the price ($4,999). It swaps those premium tonewoods for a solid spruce top and solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, while the inlays and neck feel are retained. If the earlier batch is anything to go by, there’s no reason to turn one’s nose up at this still premium-priced guitar.
While Clapton’s Unplugged acoustic may stand as his most iconic, it wasn’t the only Martin that played a big role in the shaping of his solo career.
It’s also notable that press material surrounding this release was sent out to coincide with the guitarist’s 80th birthday, such as the importance these guitars have had on his life.
Head to Martin to learn more.
In related news, Albert Lee has revealed the uncanny story of what happened to Clapton’s ’58 Les Paul Custom before he gifted it to Lee, who was performing in his band at the time.
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