Guitar Center unveiled its 2026 exclusive Crossroads guitar collection on Aug. 26, a five-model lineup developed in collaboration with Eric Clapton that includes a new John Mayer x PRS Silver Sky model. Mayer is set to debut the Silver Sky onstage at this year's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Austin, Texas, running Sept. 26-27, where fans will also be able to shop the full collection at The Guitar Center Experience alongside Clapton's original "Blackie" and other instruments from the retailer's Legends Collection.
Guitar Center has a track record with Clapton-branded releases: a remake of his 2006 "Blackie" sold out in just four hours, then the fastest-selling guitar launch on record, while the Gibson Custom Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul sold out in under 12 hours in 2025.
The new lineup spans a range of price points and materials. The Martin 000-13E offers a more accessible entry into Clapton's acoustic sound, built on the compact 000 body shape he has long favored, available in antique toner natural and 1935 sunburst finishes, with only 70 units being produced. At the high end, the Martin 000-42 pairs the same 000 shape with ziricote wood, limited to 50 guitars in each of two finishes, 1935 Sunburst and Clear Natural. An even more exclusive piece, the Martin 000-42 Eric Clapton Brazilian, features Brazilian rosewood back and sides with a solid Adirondack spruce top; each is personally signed by Clapton and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Fender contributes a detailed re-creation of Clapton's Blind Faith-era guitar, combining a Telecaster custom body with a replica 1956 "Brownie" Stratocaster neck, replicating the instrument he played during Blind Faith's 1969 Hyde Park performance. The John Mayer x PRS Silver Sky, described as the collection's wildcard, arrives in an incline blue finish with a rosewood fretboard, a custom "Crossroads Sun" inlay at the 12th fret, and a festival-specific neck plate.
Clapton is also releasing his first signature string set, made with Ernie Ball and priced at $29.99. The limited run includes three sets of Slinky 10-46 strings packaged in a collectible tin, with only 5,000 tins produced exclusively for Guitar Center.
Guitar Center's relationship with Clapton dates back to 2004, when the retailer acquired historic instruments at the Crossroads guitar auction, including "Blackie," Clapton's Cream-era Gibson ES-335, and George Harrison's Martin 00-21 — pieces that now anchor the Legends Collection at the company's Hollywood flagship.
All proceeds from the 2026 Crossroads guitar collection will support Crossroads Centre Antigua, the treatment and education center for people affected by chemical and alcohol dependency that Clapton founded in 1998.
Photo: Steve Proctor, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
