Blackie

Blackie

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. [citenews|url=http://www.whereseric.com/ecfaq/guitars-amps/blackie-black-fender-stratocaster-guitar-slowhand.html|publisher=Where's Eric|title=Blackie (Fender Stratocaster)|accessdate=2008-08-19]

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.

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.)

Custom Shop Reproduction

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. The original Blackie was exhaustively examined and measured for the reproduction. The reproduction Blackies were a team project of the master builders, with each of the various 275 produced being assigned to one master builder. Specifications of the limited edition include: [citenews|url=http://www.zuitar.com/guitar/100116-Eric_Clapton_Blackie_St.html|title=Eric Clapton "Blackie" Stratocaster|publisher=Zuitar.com|accessdate=2008-08-10]

* Colors: Black (Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish).
* Pick Ups: 3 Staggered Pole Custom Wound Single Coil Pickups.
* Body: 3 Piece Alder.
* Neck: Maple, Soft "V" Shape (Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish).
* Fingerboard: Maple, 9½" Radius.
* Number of Frets: 21.
* Scale Length: 25 ½ inches.
* Bolt-On Neck
* Special Soft "V" Shape Neck
* Cigarette-burned Head Stock
* 21 Vintage Style Frets
* American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
* Five Vintage Chrome Tuning Keys
* One Worn Gold-plated "F" Type Key For Top E-string
* Dulled Nickel Hardware
* Single-Ply White Pickguard With 8 Screw Holes
* White Plastic Knobs and Pickup Covers
* One Master Volume Knob
* Two Tone Knobs (Neck and Middle Pickups)
* 5-way pick-up selector as per original (3-way included separately)
* Original Fender Headstock Shape
* Original Body Shape with "Original Contour Body" Decal on Headstock
* Replica-aged "Duck Brother" Anvil Case

ee also

*Famous guitars

References

External links

* [http://www.ericclaptonfaq.com/guitars-amps/blackie-black-fender-stratocaster-guitar-slowhand.html Blackie's History]
* [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/clapton_eric/videos.jhtml Eric Clapton's video page at vh1.com] (The video of "Layla" from Live Aid shows Clapton playing Blackie.)
* [http://www.whereseric.com/articles/2004/eric-clapton-me-and-my-strat.html Clapton explains his relationship with Blackie]


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