Wife swap jokes aside, this thing is pretty cool and VERY culturally significant.
Anyone with a passing knowledge of classic rock lore is familiar with the most famous rock-n-roll love triangle of all time—no, not David Crosby's "Triad"—I'm talking about "husbands-in-law" George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and their shared/on-again-off-again/who can even keep track romance with model Pattie Boyd.
But there was actually another "Pattie" in the mix the whole time (love quadrangle square?)—this 1913 Gibson Style O Archtop guitar, which now happens to be available for purchase on Reverb.com for a cool $949,999.
Legend has it that both guitarists had an affinity for the Style O (which looks like a giant mandolin) due to its ties to blues great Big Bill Broonzy, who was known to play the model. It's also got kind of a hippie-ish, almost Willy Wonka vibe to it, which surely was part of the appeal as well. It was an incredibly rare guitar, even in 1968, and fitting that even two world-class rock stars would be forced to share custody of just one (free love, free guitars, I guess).
There are photographs and videos of the pair using the guitar both together and separately. It's thought that the pair used the guitar while composing sections of Cream's "Badge" and the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" in a backyard session that was actually captured in part on film, which definitely lends it another degree of significance. What Beatle fan wouldn't want the guitar George wrote "Here Comes the Sun" on? The guitar's identity has been verified by certain mods that were done to the guitar, including a rare aftermarket tailpiece, that can be seen in images of the pair with the guitar in that era.
After a period of time in the collection of Delaney Bramlett (of Delaney and Bonnie), "Pattie" ended up in the Victor Vault, RCA Victor's archives. And now, it's ended up in their Reverb shop, for sale for nearly $1 million US.
Check out the video below to learn the full history of this guitar and the role it may or may not have played in Harrison and Clapton's tumultuous friendship, not to mention their recording careers (and shared love life?).
Head to Reverb to check out the full listing with specs, photos, and more.
Images courtesy of Reverb.
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