British rock legend Eric Clapton parted with 70 of his guitars in a charity auction on Wednesday that drew hundreds of fans and aficionados, and broke sale estimates.<\/p>\n
Clapton’s 1948 Gibson hollow body guitar brought in US$83,000, making it the most expensive item in the auction. Its estimated value stood at US$30,000.<\/p>\n
Most items sold for much higher than estimated by Bonhams auction house. <\/p>\n
The auction included numerous Fender Stratocaster guitars, which the legendary guitarist is so closely associated with, including a black model he used during the Cream Reunion concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London and New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2005.<\/p>\n
Clapton’s signature Stratocaster sold for US$51,000 in the auction, which was carried out simultaneously in New York, Los Angeles, London and online.<\/p>\n
Proceeds will go to the Crossroads Center in Antigua, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center which Clapton, himself a recovered alcoholic and former heroin addict, founded in 1998.<\/p>\n
An acoustic 12-string Martin guitar Clapton played on his song Motherless Child sold for US$70,000, way above its estimated US$5,000 price tag.<\/p>\n
Another guitar that drew auctioneers’ attention was a 2006 replica — down to the cigarette stains on its headstock — of Clapton’s “Blackie” Stratocaster, which he played throughout the 1970s. It fetched more than US$30,000.<\/p>\n
The original Blackie was bought by musical instruments chain store Guitar Center for a record US$959,500 in 2004.<\/p>\n
The auction also offered dozens of Clapton’s amplifiers, including a vintage 1960s Supro amp said to have been used by guitarist Jimmy Page on the Led Zeppelin II album. It went under the hammer for US$28,000.<\/p>\n
This isn’t the first time Clapton put his instruments up for auction. In 1999, he raised more than US$5 million and in 2004, another US$7.4 million that went toward the Crossroads Center.<\/p>\n
In addition to Clapton’s gear, there were also guitars donated and autographed by other rock legends, such as Jeff Beck, J.J. Cale and Joe Bonamassa. <\/p>\n
More eclectic artifacts put on the auction block included a Gianni Versace three-piece suit made for Clapton’s concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1990, a black leather tote bag designed by Andrea Valentini and a signed cellular phone Clapton advertised.<\/p>\n
The 65-year-old rocker is considered one of the world’s greatest guitar players and was crowned by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004 as one of the greatest musicians of all times.<\/p>\n
Nicknamed “Slowhand” as a pun for his fast-playing style, Clapton took part in the groups The Yardbirds and Cream before embarking on a solo career. His hit songs include “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Cocaine,” “Layla” and “Tears in Heaven.”
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