This used 2018 Fender Custom Shop 30th Anniversary Eric Clapton Blackie Stratocaster Master Built by Todd Krause is here on consignment. Only 30 of them were made! A 2nd certificate is included that is signed by Eric Clapton himself. The neck is straight, the frets are still crowned, and the truss rod is functioning properly. Included with the guitar are the original hard shell case and the certificate of authenticity.
Todd Krause has been building Eric Clapton's personal guitars for years now. He is well-known as being the man Slow-Hand goes to when he needs (wants!?!) another guitar. His builds are truly impeccable with perfectly rolled fretboard edges and the best "hot dogged" fret ends in the business, the neck on a Clapton Master Built is truly a life-changing thing of beauty! Seriously, I use Todd's necks as the example of how I want my fret ends dressed. Warning: you can't un-feel things!
Carved from a single piece of Maple and shaped to Clapton's Soft V profile, this neck also features perfectly rolled edges, the most comfortable, perfectly hot-dogged fret ends you have ever NOT FELT AT ALL, WHAT SO EVER! Other notable numbers include a 9.5" fingerboard radius, VIntage Sized Frets, 1.650" nut width, and 25.5" scale length.
The pickups are a trio of Fender's Vintage Noiseless Single Coil Pickups. Clapton has been using these for at least the last 2 decades and they continue to be the perfect choice for this guitar. One of the best-kept secrets of the Clapton Siggie is that it has a Gain Boost tied to the ... control knob. This boost adds about 20db of output which makes the guitar goes from classic, thin, and spanky Strat, to a powerful, humbucker-ish sounding savage that drives any tube amp into overdrive. A master volume, TBX Tone Control, a 25 dB boost, and 5-way pickup selector switch round out the electronic details. This single guitar can run from spanky clean like Lay Down Sally to the searing lead tones on the Journeyman record.
The body is made from Alder, as are all Clapton Stratocaster guitars. This is the most often used wood throughout the history of the company, To learn all about this fantastic tonewood, click here and head to Matt's Blog. Finished in an all-nitrocellulose Black Finish, this guitar carries the name "Blackie" on the back of the headstock.
This is a highly collectible guitar, one of only 30 made. They don't seem to make it to market very often so make sure you act fast! This one will probably be on its way to a new home shortly!
