For those of you who appreciate Eric Clapton's Strat years, what do you consider to be his best tone?
I love what he does on the Layla album. I also like the sounds he gets at Crossroads 2007 and on the old 24 Nights discs. I like some of the stuff from Slowhand, but I don't like the sound of his Strat during that time of laid-back Clappy.
Buddy of mine has a mid-nineties Clapton blackie. He's a Strat nut and swears by it. He does get great tone.
Cream 2005 Reunion Album.
Strat through a Tweed Twin turned up all the way.
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
Bell Bottom Blues
Layla
Blues Power
Let It Rain
(no particular order, y'unnerstan'......)
Originally Posted by phantomman
RIP Lacey Cat 1992-2009
Any of the years he was playing Brownie or Blackie. After that, it's a buncha midrange heavy distorted widdley-woo, turkey on acid, gobble gobble blather. The best tones on From The Cradle came from the 335, not the Strat. Just MO, of course, but the best sound he got from his Sig Strats was on the score for Rush.
I kinda liked that tweezy thing he got on his first solo album---through a Showman with the bright switch on? Very funky...
Whatever he's playing on Roger Waters' "Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking."
I imagine that's still Blackie at the point. '84?
His playing on that record is some of his best, to my ears. Especially the title track, "5:01 AM...".
The sound and the phrasing. He's going for it.
His fills are great, and the solo is a killer.
It's as fired up as some of the best moments on Layla&OALS.
I can't just zero in and appreciate a guy's tone, not even someone as iconic as Clapton. But he does sound great here.
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
That's a great vintage sound on Pros and Cons--gotta admit, I'm a bigger fan of Jeff Beck's sound on Amused to Death.
Clapton's got a pretty wide range of tones. His Soldano days may be a little too overdriven, but I like what he's doing live now.
The Layla Album with Brownie. Call me kooky but I also like the money and Cigarettes Album. I am not, will never be, a fan of the lace sensor era tone. But who am I?
Remember! It is the indian, not the arrow! Although the arrow can help.
Have you ever loved a Woman from the Layla album.
Derek and the Dominoes Live. Nice and thick- much thicker than Layla to my ear.
I always like the Beano era tone and then Cream.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VukiMyI45sA
I think his tone is fine these days, as well as in the past. I like the fact that he has been willing to experiment with it over the years. He and his Sig model sound great together here.
YMMV.
Any time I start to worry about whether my Deluxe Player's Vintage Noiseless pups are keeping me from getting a great sound, I watch a little recent footage of Clapton. And then I remember it's not my pickups that stand between me and awesome tone.
But what I really want to know is: "Have you ever loved a woman so much you trembled in pain"?
Yeah. You have. So has Eric. That's the real secret to his sound.
Last edited by elicross; 08-31-2008 at 09:05 AM.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
+1
But what I really want to know is: "Have you ever loved a woman so much you trembled in pain"?
Yeah. You have. So has Eric. That's the real secret to his sound.
Well said, sir.
s'all goof.
Yes, that and incredible dexterity and the ability to coax tone out of the strings.But what I really want to know is: "Have you ever loved a woman so much you trembled in pain"?
Yeah. You have. So has Eric. That's the real secret to his sound.
Yeah, he can play pretty fast for a guy nicknamed "Slow Hand."
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Pretty much every thing before or after the 80's
How about Beware of Darkness from the Tribute to George Concert. No frills, just Strat.
Yes. I think Clapton did a brilliant job at the tribute. Maybe he was making up for not playing his Strat for the Bangladesh concert--he was whacked out and grabbed the Gibson hollow body (L5?). Otherwise, he might have been playing his Strat (or his Les Paul).
This most brilliant thing he did at the tribute concert had nothing to do with the guitar. His singing with Paul on Something was quite simply the best thing he's ever done. Absolutely beautiful, especially for someone who doesn't consider himself a "singer".
Love the crossroads album, Yet cream reunion 05 is at my top.
I'd forgotten how good it was. Here 't is.This most brilliant thing he did at the tribute concert had nothing to do with the guitar. His singing with Paul on Something was quite simply the best thing he's ever done. Absolutely beautiful, especially for someone who doesn't consider himself a "singer".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bGmYuLXLjA
Lethal weapon sound tracks..just blends so well with Dave Sanborn
Last edited by bluesfuze; 09-07-2008 at 02:38 PM.
Royal Albert Hall Cream Reunion (DVD)
absolutley unbelievable...
Robert
+1Royal Albert Hall Cream Reunion (DVD)
absolutley unbelievable...
The 2005 Reunion Album I mentioned in post #2 is the same stuff.
Tweed Twin turned up all the way...'nuff said.
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
This may not be the right thread for this, but .....
I crack up everytime I heard the very end of "Crossroads." Clapton just does THE quintessential 60s guitar solo (ok, not on a Strat), and Jack Bruce shouts to the audience "Eric Clapton - VOCAL!"
"The beauty and profundity of God is more real than any mere calculation."
I hear ya!
That show(s) alone would be enough to make me want to go out and get a strat & tweed if I was a kid again. I've had the dvd since it came out....watched it over & over......matter of fact I just put it back in last night to watch again. I could never get enough of that show/tone. It's just plain sick. I've got to give Jack some credit too, he is still a madman on bass. That disk has some of the best live concert audio I've ever heard, and I've got a stack of about 4 feet to compare it to.
Robert
Anyone know his signal chain on the first you tube link; Have you ever loved a woman?
The tone is clean for starters and when he attacks it, the crunch sets in... volume pedal? light crunch? Overdrive? whazzup?
I might be the only one on this forum that likes Clapton's "Slowhand" era tone. Lay Down Sally and all... just the clean twangy country sound on the second to bottom switch position... the unmistakable strat twang...
Last edited by blewgrass; 09-08-2008 at 08:02 PM.
Watch his right hand closely, and you can see how he occasionally tweaks the volume knob on his Strat. He might have all kinds of other stuff going on, but I don't hear anything that definitely convinces me he's using more than a great, cranked tube amp and the volume control on a well-wired Strat.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
That makes sense, although the volume increase is subtle. Other than a few bells and whisltles, I would doubt that his gutar has any magic wiring. David Gilmour used to brag that all his strats were "out of the box" with only minor tweaks. Pickup changes are frequent and continuing it seems with all professionals, so you never know what any guitar is loaded with...
Well, when I say "a well-wired Strat," I'm not talking about any kind of magic wiring. I just mean one that doesn't get muddy when you roll off the guitar's volume knob, so you can use its full range. You can do a lot with just the volume knob, assuming you don't lose all your highs as soon as you roll it below 7 or 8.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
This was filmed when he was still having his strats wired with the TBX (treble/bass cut) and mid-boost circuit. Nowadays he has just the mid-boost. Just toggling the TBX back and forth to either side of the detent will change tone quite a bit and all three are interactive with the volume depending on the settings. Other than that, he's straight to the tweed twin that's seen for a few seconds in the clip. My twin will work the same way.....clean, but when you dig in, it gets mean.
Last edited by R-Dub; 09-08-2008 at 09:33 PM.
wow... interesting Where is the detent on this TBX circuit? I have an AS that has a detent at 10 on the bottom tone pot.
Steve
It is at 5(circuit off), at the mid-range of the center pot. 1-5 is treb cut with 1 at the extreme. 5-10 is bass cut with 10 at the extreme. Mid-boost is the lowest pot, no detent, 1-10.
He's an underrated singer, for sure.His singing with Paul on Something was quite simply the best thing he's ever done. Absolutely beautiful, especially for someone who doesn't consider himself a "singer".
I think he became a "singer" on Layla&OALS.
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
Clapton is amazing, because the older he gets, the better he sings. From the Cradle (a little old by now) showcases both his guitar and singing skills.
I saw a clip from a recent Hyde Park show, and Clapton was playing "Tell the Truth." I've never seen him play better than for that song. His leads were fast--but verrrry tasteful and toneful. He's still making that Strat sing.
+10
I remember the first time I heard From the Cradle. I thought "Damn, his voice is better now than it's ever been."
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
When I had that CD on recently in my truck, my wife asked who it was...and then said "I didn't know he could sing like that"
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote