A unique colour Polaroid photograph of Eric Clapton with his favourite Fender Stratocaster guitar, nicknamed 'Blackie', circa 1977, signed in pencil by Pattie Boyd verso
4¹⁄₄ x 3¹⁄₂ in. (10.8 x 8.9 cm.)

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This lot is offered by Christie Manson & Woods Ltd

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Lot Essay

Blackie served as Eric Clapton's primary - and practically sole - stage and studio guitar for 15 years of his career from late 1970 to 1985. Interviewed for Guitar Player in 1985, Clapton told Dan Forte:

I feel that that guitar has become part of me. I get offered guitars and endorsements come along every now and then. [A guitar maker] tried to get me interested in a fairly revolutionary guitar. I tried it, and liked it, and played it on stage - liked it a lot. But while I was doing that, I was thinking "Well, Blackie is back there. If I get into this guitar too deeply, it's tricky, because then I won't be able to go back to Blackie. And what will happen to that?" This all happens in my head while I'm actually playing [laughs]. I can be miles away thinking about this stuff, and suddenly I shut down and say, "This is enough. No more. Nice new guitar. Sorry. You're very nice, but..." That's when I drag the old one back on, and suddenly it's just like jumping into a warm pool of water.

In June 2004, Blackie was sold as the highlight of Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Auction at Christie's New York in aid of the Crossroads Center, Antigua, for $959,500, which was a world record for a guitar at the time.