A GUITAR owned by legendary rock and blues singer Eric Clapton - complete with a cigarette burn on the headstock - is expected to fetch up to £10,000 at a Corsham auction house.

The guitar, a 1978 Guild D55NT natural-wood acoustic, will be auctioned at Gardiner Houlgate auctions next month alongside hundreds of other guitars during the rock'n'roll memorabilia, sound equipment and guitar sale.

It was owned by the guitarist between 1978 and 1999, when he sold it at a charity auction in New York to raise money for his Crossroads drugs and alcohol rehabilitation centre. The scorch mark was made by a lit cigarette which he used to hang from the end of all his guitars.

It is also believed that the guitar has the same strings as when Clapton owned it, after auctioneers spotted that they were tied off in the same style as Clapton's guitar technician Lee Dickson.

Luke Hobbs, the Gardiner Houlgate auctioneer who will sell the guitar, said: “To have a guitar owned and played by Eric Clapton is a lifetime’s ambition for many collectors. These don’t come on the market very often, but when they do they’re snapped up. We’re expecting interest from all round the world. We had the first calls within 30 minutes of it appearing on our Facebook page.

"“It’s just a small scorch mark on the headstock, but for a Clapton fan, it’s enough to send shivers up your spine.”

The guitar is being sold by a private collector and is expected to fetch between £7,000 and £10,000. Other lots on the day include a black 1990 Rickenbacker 660/12 signed by the late Tom Petty, a vinyl album sleeve for Axis Bold as Love signed by Jimi Hendrix, and a Gibson Les Paul signed by all the members of Kasabian.

Mr Hobbs added: "This is going to be a massive sale with lots of variety. It could well turn out to be the biggest we've ever had. The deadline for entries has just passed and we're working our way through the late entries."

Anyone interested can view the lots at the auction house on Leafield Way from 9-5.30pm on March 5-7 ahead of the sale on March 8.