It’s name is “Clapton’s Guitar” but Clapton is really a ‘macguffin’ – the force that puts things in motion, but not really a factor in the book at all; kinda like ‘government secrets’ in a Hitchcock movie. The book is about this journalist – the author – who is a big-time acoustic guitar nut, who encounters this luthier – relatively unknown by most, but considered to be one of the best guitar builders working today. The author gets the luthier to build two guitars for Eric Clapton – one for Slowhand, one for auction – to both be on hand to experience (and write about) the building of the guitars, and also to get a guitar out of it for himself.
On the cover, they say that this is a book about guitars and guitar-building like The Orchid Thief is about flowers – it basically is and there are deeply fascinating trivial excursions about the topic throughout the book. But, as with the Orchid Thief, to think that this book is merely about the superficial topic is entirely missing the point – the book is about this character of a man, the community within which the action takes place, the experience of appreciating a well-made tool. All that and more.
As a guitar geek, I am a bit too biased – but I will say that for the type of book it is, it is very well written and, as a guitar player (although not a bluegrass picker) this author gets it right – he does a great job introducing you to this world…