Eric Clapton’s “Blackie”
Eric Clapton gave his favorite Fender Stratocaster the moniker "Blackie." Clapton transitioned from Gibson electric guitars to Fender Stratocasters in 1970, owing to Jimi Hendrix and Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood's influences. His first Stratocaster, dubbed "Brownie" due to its sunburst brown finish, appeared on his albums Eric Clapton and Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
Clapton discovered the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville, Tennessee, the same year. He paid two or three hundred dollars for six 1950s Stratocasters. After donating one to each of George Harrison, Pete Townshend, and Steve Winwood, he chose the best components of the remaining three (made between 1956 and 1957) and had Nashville luthier Ted Newman Jones put them together as "Blackie," so named for its black finish.
Clapton performed Blackie for the first time live on January 13, 1973, at the Rainbow Concert. Clapton would play Blackie on and off stage for many years (including a cameo in The Last Waltz) until it was decommissioned after the Behind The Sun tour in 1985 due to neck problems. According to Clapton's specs, the Eric Clapton Stratocaster was released in 1988; he began playing his own trademark model immediately after.
In 2004, Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” was auctioned off for $959,500 USD to benefit the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation center created by Clapton. The auction was won by the music equipment retailer Guitar Center, and the bid set the global record for the most costly guitar.
Price: $959,000
