Eric Clapton Calls Blackie Auction a ‘Big, Big Mistake’
Eric Clapton said in a Guitar Center interview published September 29, 2026, that selling Blackie and his 1964 Gibson ES-335 was a “big, big mistake.” He auctioned both guitars in 2004 to support the Crossroads Centre, the addiction treatment facility he founded in Antigua.
What Clapton gave up for Crossroads
Blackie sold to Guitar Center for $959,500, while the cherry red ES-335 brought $847,500. The full auction raised $7.44 million, with approximately $6.4 million going to Crossroads. Clapton assembled Blackie from components taken from three Fender Stratocasters dating from 1956 and 1957. He had bought six vintage Stratocasters in Nashville, then gave three to George Harrison, Pete Townshend, and Steve Winwood. From the remaining guitars, he selected the components he preferred and built an instrument that felt distinctly personal. Blackie became his main guitar for years and appeared on recordings including “Cocaine,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and “Lay Down Sally.” Clapton acquired the ES-335 during his time with the Yardbirds and later played it with Cream. It featured during Cream’s final performances in 1968, including the November concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Why these guitars still matter to players
Clapton’s regret shows how closely a musician can bond with an instrument shaped around personal preferences and linked to defining recordings and performances. Blackie carried an added connection because he had assembled it himself, while the ES-335 followed him through the Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has described guitars as sacred and said playing one can help someone transcend a bad situation. Even so, he believed the sacrifice was justified. Staying sober, helping other alcoholics achieve sobriety, and keeping Crossroads alive mattered more to him than retaining either guitar.
(Compiled)