ERIC CLAPTON - CLAPTON + MAYER PLAY TOGETHER TO MARK GUITAR LAUNCH

ERIC CLAPTON joined JOHN MAYER onstage for a performance of blues classic CROSSROADS in New York on Friday (20Jul07) - to mark the launch of a series of limited edition guitars. The pair played together in front of fans - some of whom had been queuing since three o'clock in the morning - at the city's Bryant Park. The concert was broadcast live on U.S. TV show Good Morning America. Clapton recently announced he'd teamed up with guitar firm Fender to create a series of limited edition guitars and amplifiers to raise funds for his Crossroads Center rehab facility in Antigua. Fender launched its limited edition Clapton sale on Friday - only 100 Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocaster guitars, or Sun Strats, and 50 Crossroads '57 Twin-Amps have been manufactured. The amps come with a Clapton guitar at a cost of $30,000 (GBP15,000) a pair, while the remaining 50 guitars retail at $20,000 (GBP10,000) each. Former drug addict and alcoholic Clapton founded the Crossroads Center in 1997.