Blackie

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For other uses, see Blackie (disambiguation).

Blackie was the affectionate nickname given by Eric Clapton to his favorite Fender Stratocaster.

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

Blackie's last public appearance was during the 1991 Royal Albert Hall shows when it was brought out for one number.

[edit] World Record Price

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 United States nationwide music equipment chain Guitar Center, causing Clapton's guitar to set the record as the world's most expensive. (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 $2.6 million, shattering "Blackie"'s record.)

In November 2006, Fender announced a limited run of 275 Blackie reissues (185 for Guitar Center, 90 for international markets) by the Fender Custom Shop. These are identical to the original and have a suggested retail price of $24,000 USD. They were released on November 24, 2006 and sold out within hours.

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