Eric Clapton "Blackie"

Blackie is the affectionate nickname given by Eric Clapton his favorite Fender stratocaster

Eric Clapton switched from using Gibson guitars began to use Stratocasters in 1970, largely due to the influence of Jimi Hendrix of Blind fate bandmate Steve Winwood. His first, nicknamed "Brownie", due to its sunburst brown finish, was used on his album Eric Clapton and Layla and Assorted Love Songs.

In the same year, Clapton found the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville,Tennessee . He bought six vintage Strats for a hundred US dollars each. After giving one each to George Harrison,Pete Townshend and Steve Winwood , he took the best parts of the remaining three (built c.1956 and 1957 ) and assembled "Blackie", so named for its black finish.

It was first played live January 13, 1973 at the Rainbow concert. Clapton would play Blackie for many years on and off stage (such as in his guest appearance in The last waltz); finally, after a tour concert in Hartford 1985, it was retired due to issues with the neck. In 1987 the Eric Clapton Stratocaster was released according to Clapton's specifications; he began playing his new signature model shortly after.

One of the last known occasions when Blackie was seen by the public was for a 1990 television commercial for the Japanese automobile firm Honda when, at the specific request of the company, Clapton used Blackie to record a new guitar solo on Bad Love in New York and was filmed for the commercial doing so. Blackie was also brought out on stage for one number during the Royal Albert Hall shows in 1991

In 2004 , Blackie was sold for $959,500 at a Christie's auction to support the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton. The final bid was cast by the US nationwide music equipment chain Guitar Center , causing Clapton's guitar to set the record as the world's most expensive guitar. (In 2006, another Stratocaster, signed by a large group of celebrities, including Clapton, was auctioned to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami , selling for $US2.6 million, surpassing Blackie's record.)

In November 2006, Fender announced a limited run of 275 Blackie reissues by the Fender Custom Shop , identical to the original. They were released on November 24, 2006 and sold out within hours. The original Blackie was exhaustively examined and measured for the reproduction. The reproduction Blackies were constructed by a team of master builders, with each of the various 275 produced being assigned to one master builder.

One of these "Blackie" replicas has been played by Clapton during a gig at the Royal Albert Hall May 17th, 2006.

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