The following interview is courtesy of Christies, originally appearing in the catalog for the Christies Crossroads Guitar Auction – 24 June 2004. Here, Eric Clapton discusses the Gibson ES-335 with Lee Dickson (LD), Eric Clapton’s Guitar Tech, and Christies (C).

EC: I think this is the star of the show. This is the second electric guitar I bought. I had a pinky red Telecaster, and then this. I bought it brand new, either from Denmark Street or Charing Cross Road.

C: Was the purchase of this guitar influenced by Chicago Blues players?

EC: There wasn't a great deal of footage or still photos or album covers that I could refer to, and the people that I was idolising.. like Freddy King... played a Les Paul at that time. But I did see a Freddy King instrumental album and he was playing one of these. I think it was really acceptable on every front. It was a rock guitar, a blues guitar... the real thing. Even in those days I may have had reservations about Fenders, in that they were solid, whereas this one's semi-acoustic. What I love about Fenders now, I probably would have held in contempt in those days, in that they didn't have any purfling down the side of the neck, and so on. This guitar has got all the finish you would ever want, and all the credibility a guitar needed at that time, and the fact that Alexis Korner and I played those Kay's, was because you couldn't get Gibson's in England - you didn't see them. You got copies, German guitars like Hagstroms, Hofner... I went and bought this guitar with the first money I managed to save up playing with the Yardbirds. I've had it ever since. That guitar has been played regularly over the years. It gets on albums... it has never really changed. It's never got old, it's never worn down. It's never lost anything... I'd play that now.

LD: The only thing that’s been done to this guitar is a little fret work… a few years ago… a little light dressing… also one volume pot has been changed. Eric changed the machine heads early on.. put Grovers on it. Whenever this guitar comes out, when you pull that case out, and put the guitar on the rack… crews that are helping us.. they always ask to have their picture taken with the case (which has CREAM stenciled on it)…

EC: It's worked really hard... It went everywhere.

C: There’s a point in time when ythe 100 watt amp is introduced.. the driving high volume, and you’re playing SG’s and Les Paul’s … guitars which really lend themselves to that type of amp. But you’re playing the 335 also. How did you make that choice?

EC: In those days I was less of a collector. I didn’t have the money or facilities… I wasn’t really sure where I was living half the time, and it would have been cumbersome to have had more than two guitars or three guitars. So guitars like the Les Paul would have been the focus of my work for a long period of time.. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to think… “Oh for this song I’ll use that”, I just wouldn’t have thought like that at all. I just was very focused on a guitar and would play that exclusively for a year, two years and … then for some reason I’d go somewhere else…

C: When you've come back to this guitar more recently, is there a specific reason you've had for picking it up?

EC: Nostalgia. Anything that's been that long in my life and is still functional...There aren't too many things that can command that kind of respect. There’s no cars I’ve had that long for instance. There's no other tools in my life that have been as long serving.

C: Have you used it in every genesis of your career? John Mayall etc

EC: Yes

C: Are there any songs that you particularly associate with this guitar?

EC: Badge… Most of the Blind Faith songs.

C: Is that when George Harrison would have given you that (Hare Krishner) stickerto put on, around the Badge period?

EC: Maybe…. Although I think it was a little later actually, Bangladesh time, around that time… I was using a Gibson Byrdland at Bangladesh. This also went on the Rolling Stones Circus… if you want to go into it's full provenance - that was the Crossroads guitar.

C: It’s come I a full circle.

EC: Yes

C: Its amazing it survived in this condition…