For decades, Eric Clapton's Blackie Stratocaster has been one of the world's most coveted guitars. Eric sold Blackie on 24 June 2004 at Christie's Auction House, New York to raise funds for Crossroads Centre Antigua (an alcohol and drug treatment centre) he founded. Blackie sold for $959,500 garnering the record for world's most expensive guitar. Blackie was purchased by the Guitar Center.

In 2006, the Guitar Center, with Eric's permission, announced it would issue a limited edition of Blackie replicas in connection with Fender Guitars a part of the master-built Tribute Series. A portion of each sale benefits the Crossroads Centre. The guitar has been recreated down to the smallest detail. All the parts, pickups and electronics are aged and matched to the original, unique specifications of Blackie.

On 17 May, 2006 Eric played and approved the first Blackie Prototype on three songs during his concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.

On 24 November 2006 (the day after Thanksgiving in America and known as "Black Friday" as it is the busiest shopping day of the year), 275 Blackie replicas will become available to the general public. One hundred eighty five will be sold in the United States through the Guitar Center with the remainder sold internationally. The guitars will go on display 10 November at select Guitar Center locations in the United States.

Fender Artist Series Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster (Maple, With Case)

$1,499.95

Here's an updated version of the Clapton Signature Strat, guaranteed to please all you "Slowhand" fans. The updates are a trio of Fender's new Vintage Noiseless pickups, a powerful active mid-boost and TBX circuits, making it one of the most tonefully versatile instruments Fender offers. Other unique features include a special soft "V" shape neck and blocked original vintage synchronized tremolo bridge. U.S. made.

Hal Leonard Eric Clapton Anthology Guitar Tab Book

$24.99

The most comprehensive Clapton guitar collection ever assembled! Contains 31 of Slowhand's finest - from Cream, The Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Derek & the Dominoes, and his solo career - transcribed note-for-note with tablature, just as he recorded them! Includes: Bad Love, Badge, Bell Bottom Blues, Change the World, Cocaine, Cross Road Blues (Crossroads), Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Hide Away, I Can't Stand It, I Shot the Sheriff, Lay down Sally, Layla, Pretending, Riding with the King, Sunshine of Your Love, Superman Inside, Tears in Heaven, White Room, Wonderful Tonight, and more. Features a special full-color section with photos from 1965-1996. 312 pages!

Hal Leonard Eric Clapton Unplugged Book

$22.95

14 songs. Eric Clapton Unplugged Includes "Tears in Heaven," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "Layla," "Alberta," "Old Love," and more. 112 pages.

Q: What was Clapton's first guitar?
A: His first guitar was an acoustic Spanish Hoya. His first electric guitar was a double cutaway Kay.

Q: Where did "Blackie" come from?
A: In 1970, Clapton bought a handful of Stratocasters, Telecasters, and various other Fenders for $100.00 each at the Sho-Bud shop in Nashville, Tennessee. He took them back to England and gave one to George Harrison, one to Steve Winwood, and one to Pete Townshend. Clapton disassembled the remaining three and constructed "Blackie" out of the best components from each of them.

Q: Where is "Blackie" now?
A: "Blackie" was retired in 1985 after 15 years of faithful service. According to Clapton: "It's at home. It's off the road completely. I play it at home occasionally, but it is too precious for me to take out for fear of loss or breakage or something like that."

Q: What is the Eric Clapton Signature Strat?
A: Dan Smith, the head of Fender guitars, approached Clapton to discuss a plan to create a guitar to Clapton's specifications and market it under his name. Clapton told them to make an exact copy of "Blackie" (his favorite Strat), especially the shape of the neck. Clapton's favorite neck was the "V" neck, like the early Martins. Fender made up a neck and put it on a Strat Elite guitar body for Clapton to try. In the meantime, Fender made another prototype with a less V'ed neck that Clapton liked even more. Among the Elite's features was a "mid boost" control, which on the Elite was meant to mimic the output and sound of a Gibson Les Paul. Clapton loved the boost (which he calls a "compressor") and told Fender to keep it, but he wanted "more of the compressor". The original prototype had 14 db of boost but Clapton wanted more than that. So, they put the guitar together with Lace Sensor pick-ups and a circuit that had a 25 db boost in the midrange at around 500 Hz [Guitar World, Dec 1989] The guitar can be seen in an interview with Lee Dickson that ran in a 1985 issue of Guitar Player magazine. It's a black Elite body with a different neck attached (quite easy to tell). The fact that Clapton's favorite guitar was a Fender, apparently had nothing to do with the fact that his signature guitar is marketed by that company. Per Clapton's request, the color black was not offered initially, but was added as an option around 1991.

Q: What kind of strings does Clapton use?
A: At least on his Strats, he uses Ernie Ball Regular Slinkies (.010) or Super Slinkies (.009).