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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 17, 2010 13:42:01 GMT
I just had a very proud Mike Lewis on the phone telling me that on a recent visit to Paris, Eric Clapton bought his third Fine Resophonic guitar. Mike emailed me a few photos and I asked him if it would be okay to post them on the forum so that we could all see this very beautiful Brazilian rosewood spruce top Fine Resophonic Dobro-style guitar. So here it is, Eric Clapton's latest acquisition, photographed in the Fine Resophonic workshop with a very proud Mike Lewis. Well done Mike, it really is beautiful. I can well understand why he grabbed this one.     I am sure that neither Mike or Eric would mind me mentioning that the other two Fine Resophonic guitars in Eric's collection are a wood-bodied round-neck sunburst Tricone and a wood-bodied single cone Triolian-style guitar. Shine On, Michael |
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Post by wolvoboy on Jun 17, 2010 14:33:19 GMT
Hey Michael
Me being a Clapton fan,it would be nice if Mike was able to record him playing it when he comes to pick it up,that would be a treat.i know Eric has a Fine resophonic Tricone i havent seen him do any gigs with it yet. i know he used his single cone one, on the Robert Johnson sessions even though he didnt play it himself,nice to be rich to afford all those nice guitars.
i bet that new one sounds fantastic i wouldnt mind a go on that! lucky Eric.
thanks to Mike for posting those lovely Photo,s ask Mike if he could get some Photo,s of Eric with his new guitar.
wolvoboy
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Post by wolvoboy on Jun 17, 2010 14:34:28 GMT
just a thought i bet Eric has already took it home with him
wolvoboy
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 17, 2010 14:48:10 GMT
Wolvoboy, the guitar has already gone to Eric Clapton. I am sure it will turn up somewhere on a recording, or in a photo-shoot or film in the not too distant future.
Shine On
Michael.
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Post by honeyboy on Jun 17, 2010 16:16:35 GMT
Damn - at first sight I thought this was Mike Lewis holding a prototype of the new Michael Messer 'Nashville' resonator.. ;D
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 17, 2010 16:57:31 GMT
Very good, Honeyboy  Shine On Michael |
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Post by Gerry C on Jun 17, 2010 17:26:47 GMT
Has EC ordered any MM guitars? If not, waal, ain't nuthin' but a geetar-pickin' knucklehead...
BTW, I see that Bert Jansch and Stefan Grossman are playing at Eric's forthcoming 'Crossroads' gig in Chicago, which raises cash for his Addiction Centre in Antigua. I think we ought to campaign for Michael and Ed to be included in the next one. (And if they're busy, I can probably free myself up, though it'll be a pain...)
Cheerily,
Gerry C
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Post by blueshome on Jun 17, 2010 20:29:34 GMT
'nice to be rich to afford all those nice guitars'
You don't have to be rich to own one of Mike's guitars, just determined. If you want one badly enough, you'll save for it and deny yourself other things. Might take a few years........but it'll be worth it, as I and several others I know (including MM) who definitely cannot be classified as being on the Rich List can testify.
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Post by leeophonic on Jun 17, 2010 20:45:45 GMT
Mike,
Brazilian rosewood back and sides but spruce from the rain forest would be v-rare!
I was looking for the ring of pearl around the coverplate but it looks like Eric has mellowed & toned down his tastes
Regards
Lee
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Post by rphenix on Jun 21, 2010 22:54:29 GMT
I was looking for the serial number on on my Beltona guitar and noticed that it's one serial number away from the guitar Eric Clapton auctioned at Christie's for $42,000 in 1999. The way the metal is stamped it's a little hard to tell if one of the numbers is a "9" or an "8". Mine was T029. I was sitting on my backporch last weekend with the guitar, and my friend John , who has a 1930's tricone. He said he thought his was German Silver and i said i thought mine was nickel-plated brass but perhaps neither of us knew what we were talking about. Can someone on this forum tell me what my 1990's Beltona tricone guitar is made of? Forgive me if the answer resides here already.
RPhenix
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 22, 2010 8:09:39 GMT
Hi RPhenix,
Welcome to our forum.
I was involved with the Eric Clapton Christie's auction in 1999. I helped them identify and value the resonator guitars and various electric Nationals and Supros.
The Beltona Tricone was I believe bought by Michael J Fox.
Your Beltona Tricone is made of brass and then nickel-plated. Your friend's Tricone is most likely also made of brass.
The Eric Clapton Beltona Tricone serial number is TO28. How do you know that? I have the original Christie's catalogue which is how I know. Steve Evans did not sell it to Eric direct from Beltona. It was sold to him by Chandler Guitars during the recording of 'From The Cradle' at Olympic Studios in London.
Shine On
Michael.
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Post by rphenix on Jun 22, 2010 13:17:19 GMT
Hi Michael,
Thank you so much for the information on the Beltona. I was reading some of the back-and-forth on your website about the construction of the early replicas but couldn't be quite sure what the actual Beltona production models ended up being.
In the 90's I bought my Beltona tricone at Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island. In 2003 I was revising my list for insurance purposes and noted no serial number or value on the list. I found out from Mandolin Brothers that the company had moved to New Zealand. I finally found the serial number and wrote the following email to Steve:
"Hi Steve,
I'm a happy user of a Beltona tri-cone guitar (#1028). What is the current price for this guitar?
Thank you.
Best,
Roger Phenix"
While I was looking for a reply I read everything on the Beltona website and saw for the first time the news of the Christie's auction, which also stated the serial number of the guitar. I realized that I had made a mistake reading my serial number what I tought was a "1" was in fact a "T". But that would have made my guitar the one in question -- which it was not. So I looked again with a magnifier and saw that the "8" was in fact an imperfectly-stamped "9" . Still pretty close. Steve emailed me that he remembered stopping off at Chandler's to deliver the guitar while on the way to ship one to Mandolin Brothers the same day. I think he said the one you were involved with which Clapton sold would have been the fancier engraved model, and the one I have is not engraved at all.
I never knew until today who the buyer of T028 was.
One again, thanks. I will pass the info on to my friend. We didn't have any money bet on the answer. But I'm happy to learn that I haven't been lying about the brass, and also pleased to find out that you were the right person to ask about this.
Thanks again,
Roger Phenix
Stony Point, NY
P.S. The photos of Mike Lewis are GREAT to see (and his guitars are pretty good-looking too.)
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Post by fredkinbom on Jun 22, 2010 14:47:25 GMT
Ah - I am happy for Mike!  Last time I had the pleasure to visit Mike, this dobro was on the workbench - you can see it (back and sides - in the background, at the top of the pic) on the photo below.   Fred |
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Post by Michael Messer on Jun 22, 2010 16:22:56 GMT
Fred, more importantly, that is Pascal Mesnier's Style 1 Tricone on the floor. I would know that guitar anywhere!
Roger Phenix - my pleasure. Glad to have been able to help.
Shine On
Michael.
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Post by fredkinbom on Jun 22, 2010 20:05:04 GMT
Fred, more importantly, that is Pascal Mesnier's Style 1 Tricone on the floor. I would know that guitar anywhere! And of course Fine Resophonic #1 right behind it - what a fantastic guitar! Fred |
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Last time I had the pleasure to visit Mike, this dobro was on the workbench - you can see it (back and sides - in the background, at the top of the pic) on the photo below.