Win a chance to meet Eric Clapton!

What do you do when you get lonely? You go hang with Eric Clapton, of course! © LUKE MACGREGOR/Reuters/Corbis

Ever dreamed of meeting 'God'? Well, you're in luck, because Ernie Ball, Inc has announced Experience Clapton and the Ernie Ball Eric Clapton Golden Pick, giving Ernie Ball customers a rare opportunity to meet Eric Clapton in London or win one of thousands of exciting prizes instantly.

Twenty-five grand prize winners (15 from the US, 5 from the UK and 5 from Japan) will get unparalleled access to Eric Clapton's private rehearsal, an exclusive meet and greet and a ticket to see Clapton live at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The London show is the climax of Clapton's UK tour in support of his 19th studio album, Clapton.

Ernie Ball has partnered with the Guitar Center in the US and Strings And Things Ltd in the UK for this contest. Each and every pack of Ernie Ball electric and acoustic guitar strings purchased at Guitar Center and through Strings And Things between 1 February and 30 April will give a guitarist the chance to win one of the 25 grand prizes to Experience Clapton in London, simply by visiting www.ernieball.com/ericclapton and entering the unique code provided inside the package.

Select packs will also include one of five color-coded, instant-winning Eric Clapton guitar picks. Each pick is redeemable for one of thousands of exclusive prizes including free Music Man guitars, VIP trips to the 2012 winter NAMM show and other goodies, depending on the pick's color.

"Eric Clapton has been playing Ernie Ball strings for nearly 50 years," said Brian Ball of Ernie Ball. "He is a true guitar legend and a close friend of the Ernie Ball family. We're thrilled that Ernie Ball and Eric are able to provide our loyal customers with an unparalleled opportunity to experience one of the world's great guitarists, Eric Clapton, like never before."

25 Experience Clapton Grand Prize Packages Include:

• Round-Trip Flight & Hotel Accommodations To London, England
• Once in A Lifetime Access to Attend Eric's Private Rehearsal
• Meet & Greet with Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall
• A Ticket to Clapton's Royal Albert Hall Concert

Eric Clapton Picks and Prizes Include:

• Golden Pick - Round-Trip Airfare to Anaheim, CA for the 2012 Winter NAMM Show (10 winners)
• Silver Pick - Custom Ernie Ball Music Man Guitar of your choice (10 winners)
• Red Pick - $100 Guitar Center Gift Cards (150 winners)
• Black Pick - Limited Edition Eric Clapton Lithograph (150 winners)
• White Pick - Free Pack of Ernie Ball Guitar Strings (1,500 winners)

Experience Clapton codes can be submitted online at www.ernieball.com/ericclapton. Twenty-five winners will be selected at random following the promotional period of 1 February to 30 April 2011.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF JAPAN, US, AND UK. RESIDENTS OF JAPAN MUST BE 20 YEARS OR OLDER, US AND UK 14 YEARS OR OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Competition ends 31 March 2011. Electric strings game inserts must be registered online by 1 April 2011. Alternate method game inserts must be registered online by 25 April 2011. For Official Rules, alternate method of entry, prize descriptions and odds disclosure, visit www.ernieball.com/ericclapton. Promoter: Ernie Ball, Inc., 53-973 Polk Avenue, Coachella, CA 92236, USA.

Information taken from press releases.

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Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.