In the late '60s, Eric Clapton personally combined the best elements of three vintage Stratocaster guitars to create the original Blackie guitar. Clapton's albums 461 Ocean Boulevard, Slowhand, No Reason to Cry, and Just One Night, among others, were all recorded with Blackie.
In 2004, Eric offered Blackie for auction to benefit the Crossroads Centre, Antigua. On June 24, what was already the most famous guitar in the world also became the most valuable. The winning bid was Guitar Center at $959,000. Blackie then traveled from Guitar Center's vault to the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, CA USA, where it was carefully analyzed and meticulously measured to capture every essence of its unique character.
Now, the Fender Custom Shop, in association with Guitar Center and Eric Clapton, has re-created this legendary instrument down to the last authentic detail. From the worn-to-the-wood body, to the neck re-shaped by Eric's hand as he played a thousand heartfelt solos. From the unmistakable cigarette burns on the headstock, to the world-weary flight case – every historical detail is faithfully re-created. All the parts, pickups and electronics are aged and matched to the original, unique specifications of Blackie.
For this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, only 275 master-built Fender Custom Shop Tribute Series Blackie guitars will be offered worldwide, and Guitar Center will be the exclusive distributor of 185 guitars available in the USA.
BLACKIE goes on sale in one week--Friday, November 24, 2006 at 7am PST/10amEST.
* By Phone at 866-498-7882
* At your local Guitar Center retail store
You can also see Blackie on display.
Hey, if you have an extra $20,000 lying around, get ready to queue up! These are going to go fast.
