A 1986 Guild Nightbird

Details

A 1986 Guild Nightbird
Serial No. BL100177, in green metallic finish, with gold-plated metal parts, bound body with single sharp cutaway, twenty-two fret bound ebony fingerboard with indented diamond inlays, headstock face with shield motif, two pickups, two rotary controls, selector switch, metal bridge, stud tailpiece and imitation bound tortoise-shell pickguard; in brown rectangular hardshell case with black plush lining and Lee Dickson's handwritten adhesive paper label Guild - Nightbird L 100177 7-Up Green; case containing black guitar strap

Eric Clapton appears to have purchased this guitar as a tribute to Buddy Guy who played a similar Guild model. Clapton commissioned this green finish which he particularly likes. Lee Dickson recalled that Clapton played this guitar on stage in the 1980s. He also said that this shade was Guild's attempt at '7-Up' green.
Guild Nightbird/Green

Literature

FORTE, Dan, The Interview - Eric Clapton, in Guitar Player, GPI Collectors Edition, Summer, 1986, p.20

Lot Essay

In a 1985 interview with Dan Forte, when asked which blues guitarist Clapton felt he was most similar to in attitude, he stated: ...Buddy Guy...I've seen him do some mad stuff, which is fantastic, but I take what I like and then I stop there...

The stage-shot illustrated shows Buddy Guy playing a similar Guild model to the guitar in this lot, on stage with Eric Clapton, at The Royal Albert Hall, London, between February 25-28, 1991.

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