Andy's Tele played by Clapton in "Beware of Mr. Baker"

[New Zealand Promoter]

Check out "Beware of Mr. Baker".
It's awesome.

At around 37 mins, there is concert footage of Blind Faith from around '68, and you can see Eric Clapton playing a very familiar looking telecaster. It's probably the guitar he sold to Andy Summers which went on to be modded out and his signature instrument for evermore.

[attachment=0]Telecaster.jpg[/attachment]

[Dietmar]

?? didn't Andy give a guitar to Eric and not vice versa ??
I think Andy got the Tele from someone else - a student if I'm not mistaken

[Mario]

I am not positive, but I think Dietmar has a point. I believe that Andy bought his Telecaster from a student when he was living in LA, around 1972 or so. I think he was attending CSUN (California State University Northridge) at that particular time. But then again, I am not sure.

[New Zealand Promoter]

I'm not sure, but here is one source of info....

"Andy mentioned in 1997 issue of Guitar World that he got this guitar from Eric Clapton, after Andy gave him his Les Paul"

http://www.groundguitar.com/andy-summers-guitars-gear/

[Dietmar]

https://books.google.de/books?id=xMDFPe ... nt&f=false

scroll down to the bottom of page 144 (or take the actual book)

[New Zealand Promoter]

[quote="Dietmar"]https://books.google.de/books?id=xMDFPefQCHkC&pg=PA144&lpg=PA144&dq=one+train+later+summers+student&source=bl&ots=kHKa40tWT7&sig=puI8oo9hCWX3tVx-6WW--DSdq5I&hl=de&sa=X&ei=DQ0qVYToKY29aY_ugLAK&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=one%20train%20later%20summers%20student&f=false

scroll down to the bottom of page 144 (or take the actual book)[/quote]

I remember reading that now, actually (yeah, I have the book)....

Well, it's one hell of a coincidence...

[kinetickid]

From what i read in the biography One Train Later and Guitar World.

My flame top Les Paul that I sold to Eric Clapton which he recorded fresh Cream with.
... We were always playing the same bill. He was playing a Telecaster then and one day I came in with a Les Paul that I got from a store near by. I told him where he could get another one.
... Yes, and this store had two of them! Eric eventually went down and bought the other one and we were both playing them together. Then, of course, Eric's got stolen. I was still playing mine but I was getting into the Telecaster... it (Les Paul) went under the bed. After Eric's got stolen, he started calling me... he kept going on and on so finally I sold it to him...I would really like to have it back! I would also really like to have back my Telecaster from those days. It was a late fifties.

[drummike]

The Telecaster in the photo with EC has a standard Fender Tele neck pickup. Andy's Tele of course has the larger Gibson humbucker pickup retro-fitted in the neck position. I believe I read that Andy's guitar already had the Gibson pickup installed when he bought it from the student in California.

Funny how certain instruments are so closely identified with our musical heros. Imagine how different it might be if Andy was mostly known for playing Les Pauls and Stewart continued playing his Ludwig Vistalite drums instead of the beloved Tamas.

[Emmanuel]

Hi Guys, years since I have not posted anything on this board ! (still lurking from time to time though ;) )

I confirm it's not Andy's telly on the picture.
You can find it easily through other pictures on Google : Clapton used this guitar during the Blind Faith (with Ginger Baker & Stevie Winwood) period.

In fact 'custom' telecasters (those with that gorgeous binding on the body, to my sense) have been produced from the early 60's by Fender and always with a rosewood (brown) neck.
Clapton's tele on the picture has a stratocaser maple neck (the exactly one he will use to build up 'brownie' with which he will record Layla later, check the photo on the back of the lp).
Andy's tele has a telecaster maple neck (taken from another telly, probably from the 50's) which was probably already mounted when he got it.

Clapton does not like fender rosewood necks. (Though he played a red tele with rosewood neck when he started with the Yarbirds. When he left them, he also left the guitar which was not his and it has been then played by Jeff Beck, his substitute)
At that time, everybody was looking for rosewood necks, Clapton used to make personal build up with second hands maple necks (and it's easy to set a strat neck on a tele body).
There is this known story where he found several stratocaster pieces for cheap price, he built up several strats : 'blackie', 'brownie' and a few others he offered to George Harrison and Pete Townsend.

Two or three years ago, Fender edited a 'brownie' signature limited edition (and really expensive). They made Clapton try it on youtube, you can find his comment where he explains his Fender rosewood aversion. (though he greatly plays one on the bonus part of Chuck Berry 'Hail hail rock'n roll' DVD)

Andy may regret his tele (by the time he wrote the book) because he lost the humbucker pick up during a police tour and he never really manage to replace it. He did not play either much his tele replica later on the tourzilla, some said the then mounted preamp (mid-boost of the current Clapton signature stratocaster, another cheap guitar) did not really statisfy him compared to the original one. (so no regrets for the guys who wanted to buy a cheap 'andycaster' replica ;) )

Manu (old AUIer ;) )