Now, Clapton himself has donated one of each of these models - the #3 prototype for the Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1964 Firebird I and a Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Blind Faith Telecaster built by Todd Krause - from his own personal collection for an auction to benefit Crossroads Centre Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by the guitarist for chemically dependent persons in 1998.
Each guitar is accompanied by a letter signed by Clapton stating it was part of his personal collection.
(Image credit: courtesy of Fender)
The Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1964 Firebird I recreates the guitar Clapton used on the Cream farewell tour in late 1968, while the Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Blind Faith Telecaster built by Todd Krause is modified with a Strat neck, similar to the customized instrument Clapton played with Blind Faith at London’s Hyde Park in 1969.
The top bid on the Gibson Firebird currently stands at $25,300, while the Blind Faith Tele is at $17,500.
The auction for both guitars ends on October 6, so if one of these Clapton-owned models strikes your fancy, head down to the Crossroads auction.
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
