Eric Clapton's Blackie Stratocaster Specs

Blackie, a mid-1950s Fender Stratocaster guitar pieced together by Eric Clapton himself from numerous individual guitars, was Clapton’s main instrument throughout the ’70s and ’80s. Clapton’s albums 461 Ocean Boulevard, Slowhand, No Reason To Cry and Just One Night among others, were all recorded with Blackie. And in addition to memorable solo tours, Clapton and Blackie shared the stage with the likes of Pete Townshend, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters and The Band.

In 2004, Eric Clapton's legendary black strat Blackie was auctioned off and commanded an amazing US $959,000 at a Christie’s auction that benefited the Crossroads Centre, Antigua, a charity founded by Clapton.

In 2006, Fender Custom Shop, with the permission of Eric Clapton himself, took on the task on recreating a limited number (275 units) of Eric Clapton's beloved Blackie Sratocaster guitar. Each replica, meticulously reconstructed down to the smallest detail, was priced at US $ 24,000.

Listed below are the specifications and items included with the Blackie package:

Fender Custom Shop Tribute Series Series
Standard Colors: Black (Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish)
Pick Ups: 3 Staggered Pole Custom Wound Single Coil Pickups
Body: 3 Piece Alder
Neck: Maple, Soft "V" Shape (Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish)
Fingerboard: Maple, 9½" Radius
Number of Frets: 21
Scale Length: 25 ½ inches
Options:
- Bolt-On Neck
- Special Soft "V" Shape Neck
- Cigarette-burned Head Stock
- 21 Vintage Style Frets
- American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
- Five Vintage Chrome Tuning Keys
- One Worn Gold-plated "F" Type Key For Top E-string
- Dulled Nickel Hardware
- Single-Ply White Pickguard With 8 Screw Holes
- White Plastic Knobs and Pickup Covers
- One Master Volume Knob
- Two Tone Knobs (Neck and Middle - Pickups)
- 5-way pick-up selector as per original (3-way included separately)
- Original Headstock Shape
- Original Body Shape with "Original Contour Body" Decal on Headstock
- Replica-aged "Duck Brother" Anvil Case
- Certificate signed by Fender Masterbuilder Who Made The Guitar
- Certificate signed by Eric Clapton
- Making of Blackie DVD
- Leather Presentation Folder for certificates and DVD
- Christies Auction Book
- Crossroads CD Set
- Crossroads DVD
- Letter from the Crossroads Center
- Original List Price: 24,000.00


Related post:
Eric Clapton and his Blackie Stratocaster

Source:
www.fendercustomshop.com.au
www.zuitar.com

Prince's MadCat Hohner Telecaster

The Guitarist

Prince Nelson Rogers, more popular known as Prince, emerged as one of the top acts in the pop music heap during the early 1980’s. And His Royal Badness has been on it ever since, selling around 80 million albums worldwide and cementing his status as one of the all-time greats.

He’s an astounding multi-instrumentalist who can play several different wind, string and percussion instruments. There was also a time when he recorded all tracks on his album by himself! While Prince was primarily recognized for his talents in songwriting, musical prodigy and knack for producing hit songs, he was likewise notoriously famous for his eccentric behavior. After all, who else would rename himself as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince? Actually, his weird behavior has enough grounds to cover a separate article, but let’s not get sidetracked by this for now.

What is commonly overlooked by the casual listening public is his surprising capacity as a rhythm and lead guitar player. Once Prince puts on his guitar player cap, he delivers with the same six-stringed passion and virtuosity as his idols, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and Johnny Watson.

The Guitar

The main guitar Prince uses is his MadCat guitar, a Hohner telecaster knock-off, which he started using around 1983. It has a natural-wood finish with a maple fretboard/neck and leopard skin pickguard, with chrome hardware. The guitar has 2 single-coil pickups and a fixed bridge.

The MadCat Hohner Telecaster is identified to be his primary guitar during live performances and recording sessions in the studio. It’s distinctive, funky rhythm tone has been present in several of his recordings.

After years of using the stock Hohner Tele pickups, Prince eventually replaced the stock pickups with Kinman pickups. Now here’s another story that displayed his eccentricity. When the Kinman pickups ordered by Prince’s guitar tech arrived, it came with white covers. Rather than buying black covers, Prince instead instructed him to color the covers black with a black Magic Marker. Can you believe that?

His Royal Badness had several of these Hohner Telecasters eventually. It was a testament of his fondness for this guitar despite the fact that Hohner guitars were generally considered as cheap alternatives to more well-known brands such as Fender and Gibson.

Here's a jam session where Prince was playing his Hohner Tele with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne jamming “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” during the posthumous induction of George Harrison to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, of which Prince himself was a co-inductee. Prince made his guitar weep in the latter part of the song, starting at the 3:28 mark. Watch the video and see for yourself!

Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock Strat

The Guitarist

Jimi Hendrix is a guitar legend who, unquestionably, doesn't need any introduction.

He has his share of admirers and detractors but there's no denying that people still listen to his music for inspiration, even after his untimely demise more than 40 years ago. His musical genius was way beyond his time. The showmanship, braggadocio and over-the-top nature of his live performances were unheard of during his era.

As a testament to his talent and influence, Rolling Stone magazine gave him the #1 spot on their list of the Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time in 2003. Hendrix also was posthumously inducted to the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and in the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

But enough about Jimi. Let’s talk about his Woodstock Strat!

The Guitar

As expected from a guitar player of his stature, Hendrix was the owner of several guitars. One of his most well-known guitars was popularly known as the Woodstock Strat. His other equally famous guitar was his favorite, Black Beauty, a black Fender stratocaster.

This legendary guitar is a 1968 Olympic White Fender Stratocaster, bearing the serial number #240981, that he bought from a music store in New York. Its body was made of alder and has a maple neck/fretboard setup.

Hendrix played the Strat at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, including on his famous rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner". Hendrix purchased the guitar in 1968 and played it at many concerts including the Newport Pop Festival and his final concert at the Isle of Fehmarn in September 1970.

It was sold to Paul Allen in the 90s and now rests in one of the rooms of the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle. Since then, it has been in the Seattle-based museum's permanent collections.

The Woodstock Strat was recently played by Kenny Wayne Shepherd during a live performance at the Jimmy Fallon Show last November 2010.

That lucky dog!

I was thinking that a guitar of such iconic magnitude definitely transcends being played again by anyone less than Jimi himself. But in the end, a guitar is a guitar. Frankly, I’d definitely want to try my hands on Jimi’s Woodstock Stratocaster. Now wouldn't that be a treat.

Here’s a video of Jimi Hendrix performing a stupefying, face-melting rendition of “Red House” at the 1969 Woodstock Festival using his 1968 white Statocaster, known as the Woodstock Strat. Prepare to be blown away!

Bob Marley's Les Paul Special

The Guitarist

Bob Marley, one of the most recognized and revered icons in the music world, was a multi-instrumentalist capable of playing various instruments such as the guitar, piano, saxophone, harmonica and percussion. Despite his untimely demise at the early age of 36 when untreated cancer spread to his lungs, his legacy in the form of raggae anthems such as "Buffalo Soldier", "No Woman No Cry", "Redemption Song", "I Shot The Sheriff", which was covered by Eric Clapton, and scores of other songs, plus his dedication to the Rastafari movement, lives on.

The Guitar

During live performances in his career spanning 1963 to 1981, he's often seen playing his Gibson Les Paul Special. Currently, this legendary guitar is kept and displayed at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica. Not surprisingly, the guitar is one of the most popular exhibits in display.

It has a solid mahogany body with a natural wood finish and sports a couple of P-90 soapbar pickups on the neck and bridge areas. Apparently, Marley modified his beloved guitar at some point by replacing the original wraparound tailpiece with a stoptail bridge. The guitar also had the recognizeable bindings on the headstock and fingerboard, with small pearl inlays in the fretboard.

In 2002, as a tribute to the man himself, prominent guitar company Gibson issued 200 limited-edition Bob Marley Les Paul Specials built to the exact specifications of the original Special used by Marley. Though it is acknowledged that no replica would ever come close to a guitar as unique as the one played by the reggae legend, I got an inkling that there won't be any complaints from collectors of Bob Marley paraphernalia about Gibson's faithful reproduction of the instrument.

Here's a classic video of Bob Marley playing with his legendary Les Paul Special, rocking out their upbeat reggae number "Jammin''" with the Wailers. Enjoy, mon!



Photo source:
www.bobmarley.com