Clapton's 'The Fool' Gibson SG

[Chris P.]

Just a nice story I wanted to share. No real 'point' and only some guitar content;)

Last friday I was visiting a local bookstore when my I fell on two words on a book: 'Fool' and 'Posthuma'. As a sixties fan I immediately knew what that meant!

In the sixties a Dutch painter called Simon Posthuma, his girlfriend Marijke Kooger, an English guy called Barry and a girl named Josje formed art group called The Fool. They moved to London and they:

- Designed the original Sgt Pepper's sleeve. It was rejected, but they used it as an innersleeve at the first pressings.
- They decorated the Beatles Apple store outside and inside and they designed all the clothes which were sold.
- The made record covers and clothes for The Hollies and Cream.
- The Beatles wore their clothes during the famous All You Need Is Love broadcast.
- They painted Jack Bruce's Bass VI and the famous Clapton's SG.
- They made the original Wonderwall. Someone made a movie out of that and a gy with only one big eyebrow called a song after it in the 90s.
- They made records, produced by Booker T. Jones (they lived on his ranche), with Jony Mitchell, Graham Nash, Booker T. and much more famous people on it and they scored a 12 weeks number 1 hit in Holland.

That's just some of the achievements.

Well, this Simon has written a book which reads as aboys adventure. Brilliant. In Dutch only, but if it's a succes they'll try to get English and German translations out.

Yesterday I went to the book launch party and it was great to have a talk with the guy who designed/painted one of the most famous guitars ever. We talked about the SG, the fact it went for 500.000 dollars at an auction and the Vintage copies which are not official. A great guy, a great story and it's a pity they're not that well known in Holland...

 

[Dave W]

You forgot the part about the paint fouling up the Bass VI's electronics, which is why Jack bought the Longhorn he used on Disraeli Gears.

http://twtd.bluemountains.net.au/cream/basses.htm

[Bernardduur]

He Chris!

How is this book called? Need something else to read then medical journals and stuff

[Chris P.]

@ 'prince' Bernhard:

'A Fool Such As I' by Simon Posthuma & Joost Goosen
Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam
ISBN 9789046804339

@ Dave:
That story's new for me. Thanks. I wonder what happened to the VI though...

[Dave W]

Chris, according to that page, it's believed to be owned by Leslie West. The site owner still updates the site, but that page hasn't been updated since 2001.

[Chris P.]

Okay, I believe Leslie has a nice collection.

Well, let's find out!

[Basvarken]

With my friends it is customary to buy silly things for each other's birthday. You go to one of them shops where they have all sorts of nick nackeries. You buy an ugly reproduction of "the boy with the tear" or the "gypsy girl". Or you buy old vinyl records of "Henk Wijngaard" or "Racey".

When you really want to get "even with your friends you give these things back at their own birthday and you act surprised.
That is our kind of fun. This year I got Heino, Demis Roussos and Nana Mouskouri...

About ten years ago I got a very silly LP with a very silly cover with four people wearing colourful clothes that seemed to be inspired by fairytales.
It was a record by the band called The Fool. I had never heard of that bunch of hippies and the music was really awful. Lots of fun at the party!

I kept the record for a few years and at a certain point I needed and old vinyl record for another birthday. So I took that ugly record by the silly band The Fool and sprayed the vinyl gold and made a personalised cover and glued it on top of the cover.


A few years later I found out this record is a collectors item. People pay top dollar for that record...
 

[exiledarchangel]

This year I got Heino, Demis Roussos and Nana Mouskouri...

Oh my! What did you do to deserve that? Their "music" is really awful, even for Greeks!

[Blazer]

Or you buy old vinyl records of "Henk Wijngaard".

Funny that you mention Henk Wijngaard, when my boss Jan Knooren used to work for Telstar records, one of the albums he played bass on was Wijngaard's breakthrough album. Eversince then we refer his seventies Fender Jazzbass that he used on that one as the "Vlam in de pijp" bass.


But it could be worse, because he also used that bass on the recording of THIS track...


Oh well, just working for a living here, he told me that he was given a sheet a played whatever was on it, it was recorded and released, that's the way it workd with studio musicians.

[Chris P.]

Real nice stories only Dutch people understand:D I guess mr. Wijngaard didn't had any hit records in the US of A?


@ Basvarken: We do the same things:)

[Barklessdog]

I was never aware that Jack Bruce had a "Fool" bass?

Too bad it was not his EB-3- too matching to Clapton's I guess?

[Chris P.]

Too bad indeed... It was his Bass VI and like Dave points out, paint came into the electronics, so the bass didn't work. He bought some Longhorns to replace it, so I think he only used it as photo session bass... There are a lot of pics with both instruments and bass skin. I'll try to scan some, cos I can't find them on internet.

There's a company specialized in making replicas of the SG, the VI, but also the painted Beatles and hendrix guitars. Here's the Bruce replica:

[Chris P.]

[Dave W]

I was never aware that Jack Bruce had a "Fool" bass?

Too bad it was not his EB-3- too matching to Clapton's I guess?

Think about it this way: if it weren't for The Fool's paint job messing up the electronics of the Bass VI, he might still be happily using it. He might not have ever bought the EB-3. Warwick might never have had its best known endorser.

That paint job changed history! Just not in the way they intended.

[Basvarken]

Here's the Bruce replica:

Dare I say it's fugly...