Which guitar is called Blackie?

In this blog, we dive into the story behind one of the most iconic guitars in the world: Eric Clapton’s Blackie. Although the nickname is derived from the black body, the rest of this Fender Stratocaster is hard to describe. Blackie is a ‘partscaster’, or in Slowhand’s words: a “mongrel”.

Welke gitaar heet Blackie?

Cheap vintage Strats

Blackie’s story begins in the early 70s, when Clapton walked into a guitar shop in Nashville. He was interested in a Stratocaster and found a rack with six vintage Fender Strats from the 50s. A purchase like that would set you back hundreds of thousands of pounds today, but at the time these models weren’t yet so sought-after. In fact, Clapton paid only $200~$300 each and left the shop with all of them! Three of these were given away and he kept three for himself.

The ultimate guitar

Clapton really wanted a black Fender Stratocaster. The ‘56 Stratocaster he’d recently bought did have a black alder body, but he found the neck of his ‘57 felt nicer. This was a one-piece maple neck with a hard V-profile. So Eric decided to take his Strats to legendary luthier Ted Newman Jones. There, the best parts of the three Strats were combined to create one ultimate Stratocaster. A notable detail is that this is the first and only time Clapton has had a guitar made in this way. That makes Blackie extra special.

Worn down to the bone

From 1973 up to and including 1985, Blackie would become the most-used guitar in Eric Clapton’s arsenal. You can hear Blackie on the studio versions of tracks such as “Cocaine” and “I Shot The Sheriff.” After all those years of faithful service, Blackie was so worn out that Clapton decided not to carry out any further repairs and to retire the guitar. In the 90s, Blackie would still appear now and then in an advert or during a concert, but no longer to the extent it once did. Its job was done.

The most expensive guitar in the world

In 2014, Blackie was auctioned to raise money for the Crossroads Centre Antigua. This is a treatment centre for drug addicts and alcoholics, founded by Eric Clapton in 1997. The guitar was auctioned by Christie’s Auction House in New York and fetched an incredible $959,500. At the time, that made it the most expensive guitar in the world. Fortunately, Blackie hasn’t disappeared from the spotlight entirely. Fans can view the iconic black Stratocaster at the Guitar Center on West 44th Street in New York City. And these days, you can also buy a modern version.