1957 LUCY GIBSON LES PAUL

(SERIAL NUMBER 7-8789)

One of the most storied guitars in Harrison’s collection, this former goldtop 1957 Les Paul was a gift from Eric Clapton, who gave it to Harrison in August 1968 during the White Album sessions. Harrison had just recommitted to playing guitar, following a year’s worth of sitar studies with Ravi Shankar. Previously, John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful had owned the guitar before trading it to Rick Derringer – then with the McCoys, who were touring with the Spoonful – in exchange for an amp.

“It was a very, very used guitar, even when

I got it,” Derringer said of the Les Paul, “So I figured that since we didn’t live far from Gibson’s factory in Kalamazoo, the next time the group went there I’d give it to Gibson and have it refinished. I had it done at the factory in the SG-style clear red finish that was popular at the time.” Derringer eventually sold it to Dan Armstrong’s Guitar Service on 48th Street in New York City, which is where Clapton purchased it.

The guitar saw heavy use from that point on. Clapton wielded it for his solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, and Harrison played it on the White

Album, for his solo on Abbey Road’s “The End” and during the Let It Be Twickenham sessions. Stolen in 1973, Lucy was eventually retrieved, and Harrison owned it until his death in 2001.