Guitar Center & Fender(R) Joined Forces to Sell out 185 Tribute Series Eric Clapton BLACKIE(R) Stratocaster(R) Guitars in Only 7

  
    
  
  
    
      Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTRC), America’s 
      leading musical instrument and professional audio retailer, made an 
      enormous contribution to the preservation of music history when it 
      purchased at auction, for $959,500, the Fender® 
      Stratocaster® 
      guitar once owned by Eric Clapton and affectionately known as BLACKIE®. 
      Guitar Center also made history when 185 Fender® 
      Custom Shop Tribute Series BLACKIE® 
      Stratocaster® 
      guitars, meticulously handcrafted by the renowned Fender® 
      Custom Shop Master Builders, sold out in less than 7 hours. A portion of 
      the proceeds will benefit the legendary artist’s 
      Crossroads Centre in Antigua. The Crossroads Centre is an 
      internationally recognized treatment center for addiction, founded by 
      Clapton.
    
    
      The 185 guitars earmarked for the U.S. market were offered for sale 
      starting Friday, November 24, 2006, at precisely 10 a.m. EST, 9 a.m. 
      CST, 8 a.m. MST and 7 a.m. PST, and were sold strictly on a first-come, 
      first-served basis through Guitar Center’s 
      more than 195 U.S. retail locations. Within the first two minutes, 106 
      of the recreated BLACKIE® 
      guitars had been sold to eager aficionados, each at $20,000. In just 
      over 7 hours, the remaining guitars were completely sold.
    
    
      “I am delighted to hear that the replica of 
      BLACKIE®, which was 
      a guitar very special to me, has proved to be such a success and that 
      the project will help support The Crossroads Centre, Antigua and in 
      particular the new transitional living facility that Crossroads is in 
      the process of acquiring in Delray Beach, Florida,” 
      said Eric Clapton.
    
    
      BLACKIE®, a 
      mid-1950s Fender® 
      Stratocaster® 
      guitar pieced together by Clapton himself from numerous individual Fender® 
      guitars, was Clapton’s main instrument 
      throughout the 1970s and ’80s. Clapton’s 
      albums 461 Ocean Boulevard, Slowhand, No Reason to Cry 
      and Just One Night, among others, were all recorded with BLACKIE®. 
      In addition to memorable solo tours, Clapton and BLACKIE® 
      shared the stage with Pete Townshend, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, 
      Muddy Waters and The Band.
    
    
      This historic addition to the Custom Shop Tribute Series replicates 
      BLACKIE® 
      down to the smallest of details — from the 
      worn-to-the-wood body, to the neck re-shaped by Eric’s 
      hand as he played a thousand heartfelt solos, to the unmistakable 
      cigarette burns on the headstock.
    
    
      When Clapton envisioned his Crossroads Centre, now an internationally 
      renowned treatment facility for addiction disorders in Antigua, he 
      offered his famed “BLACKIE®” 
      Fender® 
      Stratocaster® for 
      sale at auction through the prestigious Christie’s 
      auctioneers. The auction was held on June 24, 2004, in New York City. 
      There, Guitar Center purchased it for $959,500 — 
      one of the highest prices on record ever paid for a guitar. Guitar 
      Center, a leading sponsor of Clapton’s 
      landmark Crossroads festival in Dallas, brought the guitar to Fender®’s 
      Custom Shop in Corona, California, where Fender®’s 
      experienced Master Builders meticulously measured it millimeter by 
      millimeter, analyzing every part of the original BLACKIE®. 
      Their precision extended to reproducing the legendary distressed #50 “Duck 
      Bros” road case complete with stenciled 
      London phone number 01 486 8056 and artificially aging the finish to 
      ensure an authentic vintage look. Clapton himself approved this 
      incredible accomplishment, as indicated on a Certificate of Authenticity 
      personally signed by Eric Clapton himself.
    
    
      Commenting on the success of the BLACKIE® 
      project, Alan Waite, Sr. V.P. Sales – USA & 
      Canada for Fender® 
      Musical Instruments Corporation, stated, “Without 
      the creative genius of Eric Clapton, the extraordinary commitment of 
      Guitar Center, and the dedication of the people at Fender®, 
      this historic occasion could not have happened.”
    
    
      Guitar Center’s Vice President of 
      Merchandising, Guitar Division, Keith Brawley, stated, “Everyone 
      at Guitar Center is extremely proud of our association with Eric Clapton 
      and Fender®, and we’re 
      excited for all the players and collectors who will enjoy these 
      incredible instruments. We are equally delighted that the sales of these 
      guitars will additionally result in a charitable donation to support the 
      Crossroads Centre and their efforts to battle substance abuse.”
    
    
      Because of the continuing high consumer demand for instantly collectable 
      guitars, the Fender® 
      Custom Shop Tribute Series Master Craftsmen are already hard at work on 
      their 2007 spring edition. For more information, visit www.fender.com.
    
  
Guitar Center, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTRC), America's leading musical
instrument and professional audio retailer, made an enormous
contribution to the preservation of music history when it purchased at
auction, for $959,500, the Fender(R) Stratocaster(R) guitar once owned
by Eric Clapton and affectionately known as BLACKIE(R). Guitar Center
also made history when 185 Fender(R) Custom Shop Tribute Series
BLACKIE(R) Stratocaster(R) guitars, meticulously handcrafted by the
renowned Fender(R) Custom Shop Master Builders, sold out in less than
7 hours. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the legendary artist's
Crossroads Centre in Antigua. The Crossroads Centre is an
internationally recognized treatment center for addiction, founded by
Clapton.

   The 185 guitars earmarked for the U.S. market were offered for
sale starting Friday, November 24, 2006, at precisely 10 a.m. EST, 9
a.m. CST, 8 a.m. MST and 7 a.m. PST, and were sold strictly on a
first-come, first-served basis through Guitar Center's more than 195
U.S. retail locations. Within the first two minutes, 106 of the
recreated BLACKIE(R) guitars had been sold to eager aficionados, each
at $20,000. In just over 7 hours, the remaining guitars were
completely sold.

   "I am delighted to hear that the replica of BLACKIE(R), which was
a guitar very special to me, has proved to be such a success and that
the project will help support The Crossroads Centre, Antigua and in
particular the new transitional living facility that Crossroads is in
the process of acquiring in Delray Beach, Florida," said Eric Clapton.

   BLACKIE(R), a mid-1950s Fender(R) Stratocaster(R) guitar pieced
together by Clapton himself from numerous individual Fender(R)
guitars, was Clapton's main instrument throughout the 1970s and '80s.
Clapton's albums 461 Ocean Boulevard, Slowhand, No Reason to Cry and
Just One Night, among others, were all recorded with BLACKIE(R). In
addition to memorable solo tours, Clapton and BLACKIE(R) shared the
stage with Pete Townshend, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters
and The Band.

   This historic addition to the Custom Shop Tribute Series
replicates BLACKIE(R) down to the smallest of details -- from the
worn-to-the-wood body, to the neck re-shaped by Eric's hand as he
played a thousand heartfelt solos, to the unmistakable cigarette burns
on the headstock.

   When Clapton envisioned his Crossroads Centre, now an
internationally renowned treatment facility for addiction disorders in
Antigua, he offered his famed "BLACKIE(R)" Fender(R) Stratocaster(R)
for sale at auction through the prestigious Christie's auctioneers.
The auction was held on June 24, 2004, in New York City. There, Guitar
Center purchased it for $959,500 -- one of the highest prices on
record ever paid for a guitar. Guitar Center, a leading sponsor of
Clapton's landmark Crossroads festival in Dallas, brought the guitar
to Fender(R)'s Custom Shop in Corona, California, where Fender(R)'s
experienced Master Builders meticulously measured it millimeter by
millimeter, analyzing every part of the original BLACKIE(R). Their
precision extended to reproducing the legendary distressed #50 "Duck
Bros" road case complete with stenciled London phone number 01 486
8056 and artificially aging the finish to ensure an authentic vintage
look. Clapton himself approved this incredible accomplishment, as
indicated on a Certificate of Authenticity personally signed by Eric
Clapton himself.

   Commenting on the success of the BLACKIE(R) project, Alan Waite,
Sr. V.P. Sales - USA & Canada for Fender(R) Musical Instruments
Corporation, stated, "Without the creative genius of Eric Clapton, the
extraordinary commitment of Guitar Center, and the dedication of the
people at Fender(R), this historic occasion could not have happened."

   Guitar Center's Vice President of Merchandising, Guitar Division,
Keith Brawley, stated, "Everyone at Guitar Center is extremely proud
of our association with Eric Clapton and Fender(R), and we're excited
for all the players and collectors who will enjoy these incredible
instruments. We are equally delighted that the sales of these guitars
will additionally result in a charitable donation to support the
Crossroads Centre and their efforts to battle substance abuse."

   Because of the continuing high consumer demand for instantly
collectable guitars, the Fender(R) Custom Shop Tribute Series Master
Craftsmen are already hard at work on their 2007 spring edition. For
more information, visit www.fender.com.