Gibson and the legendary member of classic rock band Led Zepplin’s Jimmy Page have joined voices to create a series of artist-designed guitars from both the United Kingdom and Brazil. With the well-known guitars of Gibson serving as the template, the money from the sale of the guitars will benefit the children of Brazil’s shanty-town favelas. The guitars seen here include Calma, Titi Freak, Will Barras, Daniel Melime, Inkie and Pure Evil. Alongside the ones seen here are other artist-designs (for a total of 12) which are currently being showcased as part of the A Força Da Rua (“Force Of The Streets”) exhibition at The Print Space in East London. The auctioning of the guitars will take place at The Cuckoo Club on April 29th, with the proceeds benefiting the ABC Trust.

A Força Da Rua (“Force Of The Streets”) Exhibition
Thursday, April 23rd – Monday, May 11th
9:00 am – 7:00 pm
The Print Space, Kingsland Road
London

Photography: Antonio Silva
Source: GQ Magazine

Guitar genius Eric Clapton looked to French fashion house Hermès to create a custom guitar case. The made-to-order case housed Clapton’s signature Martin 00028 EC acoustic guitar with a rich matte-finish croc skin adorning the exterior of the case. The shell of the case is made from poplar wood source from Nazareth, Pennsylvania and is completed with a blue silk velvet liner. Estimates for the case’s cost are tabulated at approximately $100,000 USD on the low end.

Although graffiti artist CRASH had developed a strong foundation in the visual world, following a partnership with guitarist Eric Clapton he would develop an increased global presence. Back in 2004, a custom-painted CRASH guitar for Clapton fetched $321,000 USD at the auction houses. The success of this would eventually lead to the unofficially dubbed “Crashcoaster” project, CRASH’s Custom Shop Project with Fender which has yielded 50 stunning works of art and musical memorabilia. However, the ultra-limited quantities and exorbitant prices commanded by these guitars make it a difficult to acquire as it makes way for this collaboration between CRASH, F-toys and Fender Japan. The small-scale miniature features a detailed reproduction and vivid paint job to offer a more reasonable artistic alternative to the real thing. The suggested price is ¥3,990 JPY (approximately $39 USD) with a release date set for November. For more info on CRASH check out his blogs at ModernGuitars.com and JohnMayer.com.

Hooking up the winner of the 2008 Slam Trick skate competition, Designer/artist Fergadelic contributed artwork on a classic Fender California guitar. Featuring an electric/acoustic platform the vintage inspired piece combines an old school California vibe with throwback imagery. Further images are available after the jump.

Source: Slam Jam