Guitar Center Displays Its Iconic 'Legends Guitar Collection' for the First Time in Minneapolis

Guitar Center Displays Its Iconic 'Legends Guitar Collection' for the First Time in Minneapolis

Eric Clapton's 'Blackie' and Gibson '335,' Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Lenny,' and the Edge's 'Les Paul Custom' guitar will be displayed at Minneapolis Twin Cities Guitar Center on March 1 and 2

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Guitar Center is proud to display four iconic guitars from their "Guitar Center Legends Collection" at its Minneapolis Twin Cities store on Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2.

Clapton's legendary "Blackie" and Gibson "335," Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" and the Edge's (of U2) Gibson "Les Paul Custom" are the four electric guitars that comprise the "Guitar Center Legends Collection" and this is the first time all four will be displayed together. They will be traveling from Southern California where they are stored in a secret, climate controlled vault.

Guitar Center purchased Clapton's "Blackie," his vintage Gibson "335," and Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" for over $2.4 million from the Clapton Crossroads Centre charity auction at Christies New York in 2004. They added The Edge's Gibson Les Paul after purchasing it for $240,000 at the Music Rising Charity Auction last year. The guitars will be displayed in the Guitar Center Twin Cities store, which is located on 1641 W. County Rd. in Roseville, Minnesota. They will be exhibited in one-of-a-kind, newly created, "Legends' Collection" display cases that will provide high level protection and climate control as the instruments tour prestigious musical events and key Guitar Center locations in 2008.

"Guitar Center is proud to be the custodians of this legendary collection of priceless instruments," said Greg Trojan, President/COO, Guitar Center. "These iconic guitars created many major moments in rock n roll music history, raised substantial sums for Eric Clapton's and the Edge's related charities, and we are excited to share them with Minneapolis' music community."

Store hours will be extended for this display. On Saturday, March 1 the collection can be viewed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday, March 2, the hours will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be an after hours Legends Collection Platinum Night from 9 - 11 p.m. on Friday, February 29th by invitation only.

Personally built by Clapton in 1973, he played "Blackie" almost exclusively on stage and in the studio from 1974-1985 recording hits such as "Cocaine," "I Shot The Sherrif," "Wonderful Tonight," "Further On Up The Road", "Lay Down Sally" and various live versions of "Layla" featured on several album covers and videos. "Blackie," was subsequently purchased by Guitar Center for $959,500."

Clapton's Cherry Red Gibson "335," purchased for $847,500, was used to record the Cream versions of "Badge" and "Crossroads" as well as many other historical performances during his 40 years of ownership. Steve Ray Vaughan's "Lenny," which was purchased for $623,500, was used to record his classic love songs including "Lenny" and "Riviera Paradise." All of the proceeds of these three guitars purchased by Guitar Center were for the benefit of Clapton's Crossroads Centre charity.

U2's the Edge purchased his cream colored 1975 Gibson Les Paul (faded from its original white) in 1982 in New York. It found fame as a go-to guitar most famously used to write and record the smash hit "New Year's Day," among many others. In 2005 the Edge partnered with producer Bob Ezrin, Gibson Guitar and the Guitar Center Music Foundation to establish Music Rising, a charity campaign founded to replace the lost or destroyed instruments of professional musicians of the Gulf Coast Region. In 2007, the Edge donated his prized guitar to be auctioned in the Icons of Music Sale. Guitar Center paid $240,000 ($288,000 including buyers premium) and added this significant instrument to their "Legends Collection."

Guitar Center commissioned Gibson Guitar and Fender Guitar to make replicas of Clapton's Gibson "335" and Fender "Blackie" as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" guitars. These limited edition re-creations are among the most valuable guitars of their type ever offered. For more information about the Legends collection, please visit http://www.guitarcenter.com/legends.

About Guitar Center

Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 200 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, http://www.musiciansfriend.com/.

More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at http://www.guitarcenter.com/.

The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

****Photos Available Upon Request****

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Maureen O'Connor Heather Lewandoski
Rogers & Cowan Rogers & Cowan
310.854.8116 310.854.8147
moconnor@rogersandcowan.comhlewandoski@rogersandcowan.com

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Guitar Center, Inc.

CONTACT: Maureen O'Connor, +1-310-854-8116, moconnor@rogersandcowan.com,
or Heather Lewandoski, +1-310-854-8147, hlewandoski@rogersandcowan.com, both
of Rogers & Cowan, for Guitar Center, Inc.

Web site:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/

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