What kind of strat does clapton play

This could possibly mean that the guitar was borrowed. This guitar seemed to have been a very brief affair, but since the goal with this list is to make it as complete as possible at least when it comes to the early years, it is somewhat important to include it as well. Eric used this guitar during the John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers era, although it is likely not the only Les Paul he owned at that time. In his autobiography [Clapton: The Autobiography] Eric mentions buying a couple of guitars prior heading to Greece in and leaving one Les Paul behind after he bailed out and left the Juniors […].

This is the guitar that Eric used as his main with the Cream from around July to mid He purchased this guitar from Andy Summers who later went on the form The Police after his own Les Paul was stolen sometime in mid The two guitars were originally purchased from the same store, Summers […]. The first time he was seen playing it was during the […]. Clapton acquired this guitar presumably sometime in , likely purchasing it himself.

By that time the guitar already featured the custom body paint done by Simon Posthuma and Marijke Koger, who later went on to form […]. At this time the Telecaster was fitted with a late 60s Stratocaster neck with rosewood fretboard and […]. This is based on two things. According to Eric, he acquired this guitar sometime in It seems however that the guitar was used rarely in comparison to the Firebird which was Clapton main guitar from the summer of and until the end of the tour.

Based on the photos, the Les Paul was used at least a few […]. This guitar was seen during the Blind Faith rehearsals in early , although it is not known whether Eric ever used the guitar with the band in a live or a studio setting. Aside from its appearance on these photos, everything else about this guitar is a mystery. It is apparent that it featured some kind […]. The guitar was used during the first show the Brownie being used for the second one , and this seems to be the only time Clapton ever used this guitar on stage.

Based […]. Eric assembled this guitar in using parts from four different s Stratocasters that he bought from George Gruhn, and from additional parts that were purchased at the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville.

He assembled his […]. One unique feature on the guitar that attracted his attention was the shortened bass bout the upper back horn.

Clapton initially believed that this came as […]. Brownie is considered his first Strat, named after its two-tone sunburst finish. This transition to Strats probably arose from seeing guitar masters like Jimi Hendrix holding this same guitar shape.

This Strat also features a maple neck with dot inlays on the fretboard. This album houses the all-time classic Layla, an unforgettable tune in blues-rock. Blackie definitely was custom-made by Eric Clapton himself in He assembled this black-finish Strat from the best components of three different Stratocasters from the s.

The guitar derives its lightweight alder body from a Strat, while the maple neck is taken from a one. This boost is noticeable in the intro of the first track Motherless Child, where he marries the midrange guitar line to the bright, bluesy one.

You may find Clapton spicing this guitar up with paint jobs, like during his Japan tour in Similar to most Strats, this guitar boasts a feather-light alder body with its bright-tone characteristics and the classical Fender maple neck.

He used the Byrdland for the first gig while the second show featured him on his Brownie guitar. He stated that it was precisely this guitar that got him into his very first band — The Roosters.

He tinkered with it over the months, mostly in terms of aesthetics; he put black Fablon over it, as the guitar had seen its fair share of days on stage by the time it reached his hands.

From the standpoint of sonic performance, Kay K could easily hold its own against modern jazz guitars. Its pickups are fairly hot, its versatility is beyond decent due to the four control knobs, and its tonewoods offer much in terms of both durability and sound.

Before he joined his first band, Eric was mainly busking on an acoustic guitar without any need for an amp. As his grandmother gifted him his Kay Jazz II, it seems that he saved up some cash and bought his first amplifier, which was the Vox AC Now, the specific model that Clapton had used was fairly similar, although it is believed that the tubing was different. Additionally, the controls were probably slightly different too.

The re-issued and reimagined AC30 features a master volume knob, master tone cut knob, normal volume, top boost volume knob, bass boost, treble boost, reverb tone, and a handful of other controls.

The story revolving around the creation of this amp is unique in more ways than one. Namely, Clapton was friends with Jim Marshall, the founder, and owner of Marshall Amps brand, and the two would spend quite a lot of time in the Marshall shop. Back then, Eric was frequently visiting the shop and used to extensively practice there.

According to Jim, Eric asked him to build him a combo amp that he could fit in his car. Jim recounts that Clapton was the first musician who asked him to craft a combo amp. Some of the main reasons why he had such a request included the low wattage of his amp heads and the bulkiness of his cabinets. He had quite a few shows, and possibly some forms of impromptu tours around London, but by the time the record was completed, he left and focused on putting Cream together.

The one that Clapton used was, according to many, the model that was supplied with KT66 tubes and a Drake 43 transformer. Even though JTM 45 was one of the loudest watt amps of that time, Clapton wanted to create a wall of sound that was so outrageous, so over the top that he used two of them fully cranked up. Additionally, he concluded that amps such as JTM 45 with KT66 tubing , if you set them the way that he did, could be heard hundreds of miles away and that he was shooting for the feedback generated by the sheer loudness on stage.

Just like his previous amp, he was mainly using the Super Lead with Cream. You can hear its tone and unapologetic power on their Fresh Cream album. Additionally, there are hints of it being used for both the 2nd and 3rd Cream records, albeit little is known whether it was modified or stock.

Over the course of just four years, Cream had made a tremendous impact on the rock and roll landscape. Though short-lived, Cream had set the bar with the Fresh Cream album, raised it with Disraeli Gears, and completely changed the rules of the game with their iconic Wheels of Fire LP.

During the second half of the band, Clapton was alternating between JTM 45 and the Super Lead, although he also used at least a couple of other amps. He did an interview with GP Flashback in , stating that he used this amp, albeit with a slightly different setup of controls.

Eric stated that he would rarely crank the knobs up as he was famous for doing in his earlier bands and gigs ; he would rather scoop the highs and treble while adding the mids and bass. The Dual Showman was a piece of cutting-edge technology in the 70s, sporting stabler channel inputs and a more versatile selection of tone knobs. The Vibro Champ is essentially a small, practice amp that boasts enough power to bring down the roof of a mid-sized venue with a half-stack of Marshall cabinets.

While the story of Blackie is well known, somewhat less is known about what happened to the other three Strats Clapton picked up that day in Nashville back in It is generally known that upon returning to England, Clapton gave the other three guitars to friends as gifts. After that, the trail becomes somewhat murkier. And thankfully, it seems the sunburst Strat went on to enjoy a longer lifespan than many of the other guitars Townshend got hold of in the early s. Blair later returned it to auction where it was sold to a private collector.