When Martin® Guitar called, they had a situation. Eric Clapton had commissioned two extraordinary instruments from them — a D-50 Deluxe and a 00-50 Deluxe — and he wanted cases that matched their caliber. Not just protective cases, but something as special as the guitars themselves.
Martin knew who to call.
We'd worked with plenty of exotic materials over the years, but this project pushed into new territory. Genuine alligator hide. Not the embossed leather that mimics the pattern, but actual farm-raised alligator hide with all the paperwork to prove it. We sourced five hides for the project, each one coming with CITES documentation — the international treaty paperwork that would let Eric travel anywhere in the world without customs headaches.
The details mattered as much as the material.
Sterling silver hardware throughout, plated to perfection. Eric's signature embroidered on the interior shroud, then engraved again on a sterling silver nameplate. Every element had to live up to the Clapton standard.
When we delivered the finished cases, we knew we'd hit the mark.
But the real confirmation came later — Eric liked them enough to feature one on the cover of his 2005 album “Back Home.” Not many case makers can say their work graced a Grammy winner's album art.
Some instruments demand cases that are instruments themselves. For Eric Clapton's Martins, we delivered exactly that.