Nobody bought Eric Clapton’s $1 million Slowhand Strat

Last month, Eric Clapton’s hardtail Stratocaster (nicknamed Slowhand) went up for auction, with a rather eye-watering starting bid of $1 million. Bidding has now closed on the guitar, without it selling.

While the Stratocaster was, of course, not exactly affordable, its high asking price came from the combination of its rare nature anyway, as well as its extensive use by Clapton for five years. The guitar was made in 1954, desirable enough, but the hardtail bridge is a rare sight on Strats to this day.

Along with the guitar, the lot included a signed typescript letter from Lee Dickson, Clapton’s guitar technician from 1979 to the present day. The details in this letter explain how Clapton used it exclusively for slide, and that it was the only non-tremolo Strat that Clapton had. Alongside this, there’s a Certificate signed by Eric Clapton from the Christie’s auction A Selection of Eric Clapton’s Guitars, held on June 24, 1999, in aid of the Crossroads Centre in Antigua.

However, these documents won’t find their way to a prospective buyer anytime soon, as bidding closed on 5 December 2020 – with no bids placed.

Ahead of bidding opening, YouTuber MusicIsWin paired with Gotta Have Rock ‘N Roll to give the guitar a demo, so, despite it not selling just yet, we can still hear it in action. Take a look and listen below.

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