Lewis Hamilton, driver for Formula 1 team, McLaren, has paid $100,000 for Prince’s gold Strat, in a charity auction. Prince, appearing on the George Lopez Tonight show, while holding the guitar said, “We got $100,000 for that, brother Lewis Hamilton, the racing car driver.” Source: http://www.gigwise.com/

Larry Carlton and his label, 335 Records, are doing their part to assist Japanese recovery efforts after the recent earthquakes and tsunami. The guitar master has announced that he will donate five Gibson Custom Larry Carlton ES-335 guitars to help Japan. According to a press release, Carlton and the label are sending the guitars around the world to collect signatures from “some of the biggest stars.” They’ll later be sold at auction, with all of the proceeds going to relief…

Fifteen LX Martin guitars will be donated to the Dessaix-Baptiste Music School in Jacmel, Haiti courtesy of C.F. Martin Guitar and Jimmy Buffett’s charity, “Singing for Change.” Buffett will present the school with the Martin guitars later this month. The Dessaix-Baptiste Music School offers music education to children, regardless of ability to pay tuition. Many of the school’s instruments were destroyed in Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. Instruction at the school is offered in string, wind, brass and percussion starting at age…

A Gibson guitar signed by a host of bands has been raffled off in aid of Edinbugh-based charity Art in Healthcare. The custom painted instrument, autographed by Edinburgh favourites Idlewild, Canadian rockers Barenaked Ladies and Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord, was won by 11-year-old Jordon Chatt who was presented with his prize at the Hard Rock Cafe. As well as the guitar, Jordan was invited to have dinner with Scottish indie band Frightened Rabbit, who also signed the instrument. A…

Adara Claphan, 10, is not only learning to play guitar herself—she also is raising money so that poor children in Nicaragua will have guitars to play. One of the guitars she is sponsoring is the 100th to be donated through HeartStrings, a program of Wichita nonprofit Trees for Life International—bringing the count halfway to the overall goal of 200 guitars. Adara, a fifth grader at a public school in Wichita, was inspired when she visited the Trees for Life office…

Marshall Amps has produced a special edition ‘Movember’ cab in support of the charity event, which raises awareness of men’s cancers. The cab is being given away as a competition prize along with a JCM2000 amplifier head for music-making Movember participants. See http://uk.movember.com/ for more details. Contestants just have to upload a two-minute YouTube video of themselves ‘rocking out’ (we’re not sure as to whether they mean dancing or playing) and send Movember the link. Head to the Movember website…

Coldplay are to play some intimate gigs in aid fo the charity Crisis (http://www.crisis.org.uk/). In a post on their website the band say they want to draw attention to the problem of “hidden homelessness”. Crisis is the UK charity for single homeless people. The gigs will be held at secret venues in Liverpool on December 19 and in Newcastle on December 20. Both venues have a capacity of around 1000 people. 200 tickets are going to be held back for…

Hear the Music Live, a non-profit organization that sends foster care youth and teens to concerts nationwide, will be auctioning off a special Gibson J-200 painted by Nashville artist Mandy Lawson and signed by some of country music’s biggest stars on eBay Giving Works, from November 9-19. This one-of-a-kind acoustic guitar has been signed by member of Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, members of Gloriana, The Judds, Kellie Pickler, Rodney Atkins, Keith Urban and many more. All proceeds will…

Give a Guitar – Ignite a Life, a musical campaign, is looking for old, forgotten guitars that are still in working condition, hiding in lofts, garages, cupboards or underneath beds – young disadvantaged people are sure to be able to use them to develop musical careers. The campaign, is aimed at taking thousands of unused guitars and placing them in the hands of musically gifted individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. “There is no greater poverty than the poverty of opportunity,” says…

At the Apollo Theatre in Harlem last Thursday night, Prince announced that he is to embark on a new tour called “Welcome 2 America”, starting in New York City in December. He’ll be joined by the New Power Generation and special guests, including James Brown/P-Funk saxophone great Maceo Parker, Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding, Lalah Hathaway, Sheila E., Cassandra Wilson, Graham Central Station and Janelle Monáe. Prince will be using a golden Fender for the tour. After the tour finishes the…