The Fender Eric Clapton "Blackie" Stratocaster is a signature model guitar that is based on a guitar that Eric Clapton himself played extensively in the 1970s and 1980s. The original guitar was assembled from parts of three different 1950s Stratocasters, and was famously painted black with a distinctive scratch plate. The "Blackie" Stratocaster was first introduced by Fender in 1988, and has since undergone a number of revisions and updates. It features an alder body, a vintage-style synchronised tremolo bridge, and three Vintage Noiseless single-coil pickups. The guitar also has a special active mid-boost circuit that allows players to boost the midrange frequencies for a more prominent and cutting tone. Other features of the Fender Eric Clapton "Blackie" Stratocaster include a special soft V-shaped neck profile that is modeled after Clapton's favorite 1950's Stratocaster neck, as well as a 22-fret maple fingerboard with black dot inlays. The guitar is finished in a high-gloss black polyurethane finish, and features a single-ply white pickguard.