Eric Clapton guitar auction raises $2.15 million for charity

Clapton has raised millions of pounds for his drug and rehabilitation centre in Antigua by auctioning some of his extensive instrument collection.
More than $2.15 million (£1.3 million) was raised through the sale, which also saw instruments donated by Clapton’s musician friends Jeff Beck, J.J Cale and Joe Bonamassa.
Clapton’s 1948 Gibson hollow body guitar brought in $83,000, making it the most expensive item in the auction. The guitar had been expected to fetch $20,000 to $30,000.
The auction included numerous Fender Stratocaster guitars – which Clapton is closely associated with – including a black model he used during the Cream Reunion concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London and New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2005.
An acoustic 12-string Martin guitar Clapton played on his song Motherless Child also sold for $70,000, completely eclipsing its estimated $5,000 price tag.
The top amps of the sale were a pair of 1997 Fender Twin Amps, estimated at $9,000 to $12,000, which sold for $42,700.
Proceeds will go to the Crossroads Center in Antigua, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre which Clapton founded in 1998.
Clapton is considered one of the greatest guitarists in rock history and is recognised both as a solo artist and for his collaborations with The Yardbirds and Cream.
“This sale is much more for the fans,” said Carey Wallace of London-based firm Wallace & Hodgson, who put together the auction. “There are affordable guitars, affordable amps.”
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time that the artist has put his instruments up for sale.
Back in 1999, he raised more than $5 million, while in 2004 he collected a cool $7.4 million that went toward the Crossroads Center.