'Cheers' In Heaven - Big Bucks For Clapton Guitars

NEW YORK (AP) -- Even without his nimble fingers touching their strings, Eric Clapton's guitars rocked New York City on Wednesday as an auction of them brought in millions of dollars.

A 1948 Gibson L-5P sold for $82,960, well above its presale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. And a replica of a prized Clapton guitar that duplicates the cigarette burns and belt buckle scratches found on the original sold for $30,500 at the auction.

The sale at Bonhams New York included 75 guitars and 55 amps from the British artist's collection and brought in $2.15 million. Proceeds were to benefit a drug and alcohol treatment center Clapton founded in the West Indies.

The 65-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is a recovered addict who established the nonprofit Crossroads Centre in Antigua in 1998.

The replica Fender Stratocaster "Blackie" guitar is inscribed in silver felt pen with "Eric Clapton 2010." The original "Blackie" sold at Christie's in 2004 for $959,500. It was the most expensive guitar ever to be sold at auction, said Bonhams' expert, Carey Wallace. The Los Angeles-based Guitar Center bought it.

Other Clapton guitars sold even better than the "Blackie" replica Wednesday.

An original custom-made black Fender "Eric Clapton" signature Stratocaster sold for $51,240, including the buyer's premium. It had been used during the Cream Reunion Shows in New York and London in 2005. Its presale estimate was $20,000 to $30,000.

The amp with the loudest sale price was a pair of 1997 Fender Twin Amps, estimated at $9,000 to $12,000. They sold for a booming $42,700.