Several weeks ago we did a story about the plan to auction off 75 guitars and more than 50 amps from the personal collection of Eric Clapton to raise money for the Crossroads Centre, the alcohol and drug treatment facility the guitar great established in Antigua many years ago.  What sets the sale this week apart from the previous ones EC has donated instruments to for his cause is the sheer number of instruments being auctioned and the relative affordability of many compared to the astronomical sums his most prized instruments have sold for.  Now, $10,000 is hardly chump change, but it's a bargain when measured against the nearly $1 million paid for Clapton guitars in past fund raising auctions for the facility.  1999 and 2004 auctions brought in a combined $12 million, while this sale is expected to top off well under a million.  A guitarist of Clapton's caliber undoubtedly gets sent free axes and amps by manufacturers all the time, so some of items being offered-up this time around may not have been used much if at all by Clapton. Still, being able to pick-up an amp or guitar that is certified as being from his personal collection for as little as a few hundred dollars is sure to appeal to genuine fans instead of just high roller collectors.
Bonhams.com

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