Music fans will be able to buy themselves a little slice of music history, if their pockets are deep enough, at an upcoming sale of guitars owned by the music legend Eric Clapton.

More than 70 guitars owned by Eric Clapton will be put up for auction in New York with money raised from the sale being used to fund his drug and alcohol treatment centre based in the Caribbean.

All of the guitars have been available for preview for fans to get a feel for the lots they will be bidding on with some of the stars of the auction room including a 2005 Fender Stratocaster Signature Model which is predicted to raise between $20,000 and $30,000.

The famed guitar was used by Eric Clapton during his acclaimed Cream Reunion concerts played at the Royal Albert Hall in London and at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2005.

Another guitar looking to raise a princely sum is the instrument known affectionately as “Blackie”, although this is not the original “Blackie” which sold back in 2004 for a massive $959,000.

The reproduction “Blackie” was made in 2006 and is an exact copy of the original, even down to the cigarette burns on the headstock but despite not being the real deal it is still expected to raise around $30,000.

Eric Clapton is widely regarded as one of the best ever guitarist being named as number four in the Rolling Stone 100 best guitarists in music history in 2004.

He is a recovered alcoholic and former heroin addicts and founded the rehabilitation centre in the Caribbean in 1998 to help others suffering from addiction and has used money from two previous sales, held in 1999 and 2004 to help fund the project that is close to his heart.

The sale of the items, which also includes clothing worn by the star, gold record plaques and even a set of twin fender amplifiers that he used during the 1980'2, is to take place at Bonham's on March 9.