Claptons pickups

[JOLLY]

Re: Claptons pickups

Wow!
Who bought it?

A rich idiot.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Claptons pickups

Fender Vintage Noiseless, as stated many times. They get negative reviews from the vintage nazis (kidding guys ), but I tend to think they produce some very sweet tones. Much of Clapton's tone is in that boost circuit, a very intimidating circuit board stuffed into a rather large cavity under the pickgaurd. A buddy of mine has a Clapton signature and we were very surprised at what we saw when we had the guard off. Personally, I liked the tones of the Clapton strat a lot better with that boost circuit OFF.

Playability wise, the Clapton sigs are comfy. All the typical appointments of an American strat, with a deep V shaped neck despite its seemingly exotic profile, is very easy to play (in my hands atleast).

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Claptons pickups

Fender Vintage Noiseless, as stated many times. They get negative reviews from the vintage nazis (kidding guys ), but I tend to think they produce some very sweet tones. Much of Clapton's tone is in that boost circuit, a very intimidating circuit board stuffed into a rather large cavity under the pickgaurd. A buddy of mine has a Clapton signature and we were very surprised at what we saw when we had the guard off. Personally, I liked the tones of the Clapton strat a lot better with that boost circuit OFF.

Playability wise, the Clapton sigs are comfy. All the typical appointments of an American strat, with a deep V shaped neck despite its seemingly exotic profile, is very easy to play (in my hands atleast).

So, how much difference is there between Clapons' boost circuit and the SD SFX-01 Pickup Booster Pedal. Does Clapton do more than boost? does the SFX only boost without changing the tone? Is it possible to boost without changing the tone?

 

[Curly]

Re: Claptons pickups

Clapton's boost is a mid boost circuit; the Pickup Booster is a clean boost with a 3 way resonance switch that can be neutral (just a clean boost), or 2 modes of resonance, which are most effective at getting single coils to sound like a humbucker

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Claptons pickups

Clapton uses what Fender gives him - he really doesn't seem to care. They are the Fender Noiseless.

The Clapton Boost is a mid-range boost that goes up to 25decibals. It is a decent boost, but gives the guitar a voicing that can't be removed without taking out the circuit board and lace sensors.

IMO, Clapton should let me take over his rig and let me get him set-up. He has sounded so mediocre for years because of the Lace Sensors in his old Clapton model. If he spent a portion of the time that SRV did with achieving decent tone, he would reign as the king of the strat. He has phenomenal licks, chops, soul and feeling, but crappy tone...particularly during late 80's to mid/late '90's.

I think it would be great if he was just change guitars to a '62 rosewood Strat reissue with Antiquities or some pickup equivalent. He could ditch the Clapton boost and use a Tubescreamer (since there 80 of them on the market) and sound phenomenal. I just don't get it!

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Claptons pickups

Clapton uses what Fender gives him - he really doesn't seem to care. They are the Fender Noiseless.

The Clapton Boost is a mid-range boost that goes up to 25decibals. It is a decent boost, but gives the guitar a voicing that can't be removed without taking out the circuit board and lace sensors.

IMO, Clapton should let me take over his rig and let me get him set-up. He has sounded so mediocre for years because of the Lace Sensors in his old Clapton model. If he spent a portion of the time that SRV did with achieving decent tone, he would reign as the king of the strat. He has phenomenal licks, chops, soul and feeling, but crappy tone...particularly during late 80's to mid/late '90's.

I think it would be great if he was just change guitars to a '62 rosewood Strat reissue with Antiquities or some pickup equivalent. He could ditch the Clapton boost and use a Tubescreamer (since there 80 of them on the market) and sound phenomenal. I just don't get it!

Why the '62 rosewood Strat reissue? Why not give him the SRV or the JV or the Buddy Guy strat?

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Claptons pickups

Clapton uses what Fender gives him - he really doesn't seem to care. They are the Fender Noiseless.

Why doesn't he care? Because he is already established? He doesn't have anything to prove? Now, he is just playing and having fun. Truly enjoying life.

Or does Fender just totally take care of Mr. Clapton?

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Claptons pickups

Well here is my favorite Clapton strat (brownie):

And some info from http://www.fendereurope.com/news/sevensensationalstrats.asp

The highest price paid for a Stratocaster® that day (and still the highest price ever paid for a Fender® Stratocaster® at auction) was $497,500.00. This was for Clapton's 'Brownie' Strat®, the one famously used on Layla and other tracks.

The guitar in question was a Sunburst Stratocaster®, manufactured in September 1954 (first year of manufacture). The reserve price on the day was $20-30,000. The sale number was 9198. This hardtail Strat® with its serial number of 7431, is known as the "Slowhand Strat®" because of its use by Clapton in slide and rhythm work on such albums as Slowhand (1977) and Backless (1978) (Listen out for it on the final track of Backless, Tulsa Time). The Strat® was used consistently up to the Behind The Sun tour of 1985.

The guitar can also be seen on the 1979 Japan tour during the concert at Budokan, Tokyo, which was recorded and later released as Just One Night. The guitar was also used live on Tulsa Time during the ARMS concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1983 and on Roger Waters' Pros And Cons Of Hitch-Hiking tour in June-July the following year.

The Slowhand Strat® has 'T-G-9-54' written in pencil on the back of the neck, where it meets the heel cavity. (This can only be seen when the neck is removed from the body). This was written by a Fender employee at the time of manufacture. Other specs include a maple neck with skunk stripe routing, 21-fret fingerboard, tailpiece with adjustable saddles, white single-ply pickguard and a tweed rectangular hardshell case with red plush lining. On the case is a sticker with '54 S/Burst Fender Strat #7431' written by Clapton's guitar tech Lee ****son. The case also contains a strap.



BTW his blackie also has to be mentioned here! And here is some information on blackie's auction when it was sold for $959,500 five years later than the brownie auction.

B

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Claptons pickups

Isn't Clapton using the Fender Noiseless pickups?

Strats are the most popular guitars on the planet...that's why you see so many. :laugh2:

Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's usung the regular noiseless pups. Beck uses the hot rodded ones with ceramic magnets.

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Claptons pickups

Well here is my favorite Clapton strat (brownie):

And some info from http://www.fendereurope.com/news/sevensensationalstrats.asp

The highest price paid for a Stratocaster® that day (and still the highest price ever paid for a Fender® Stratocaster® at auction) was $497,500.00. This was for Clapton's 'Brownie' Strat®, the one famously used on Layla and other tracks.

The guitar in question was a Sunburst Stratocaster®, manufactured in September 1954 (first year of manufacture). The reserve price on the day was $20-30,000. The sale number was 9198. This hardtail Strat® with its serial number of 7431, is known as the "Slowhand Strat®" because of its use by Clapton in slide and rhythm work on such albums as Slowhand (1977) and Backless (1978) (Listen out for it on the final track of Backless, Tulsa Time). The Strat® was used consistently up to the Behind The Sun tour of 1985.

The guitar can also be seen on the 1979 Japan tour during the concert at Budokan, Tokyo, which was recorded and later released as Just One Night. The guitar was also used live on Tulsa Time during the ARMS concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1983 and on Roger Waters' Pros And Cons Of Hitch-Hiking tour in June-July the following year.

The Slowhand Strat® has 'T-G-9-54' written in pencil on the back of the neck, where it meets the heel cavity. (This can only be seen when the neck is removed from the body). This was written by a Fender employee at the time of manufacture. Other specs include a maple neck with skunk stripe routing, 21-fret fingerboard, tailpiece with adjustable saddles, white single-ply pickguard and a tweed rectangular hardshell case with red plush lining. On the case is a sticker with '54 S/Burst Fender Strat #7431' written by Clapton's guitar tech Lee ****son. The case also contains a strap.



BTW his blackie also has to be mentioned here! And here is some information on blackie's auction when it was sold for $959,500 five years later than the brownie auction.

B

Doc,

Thanks for the info. I totally agree. "Brownie" had the best tone of any Strat Clapton has used.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Re: Claptons pickups

Yep, he sure does. A few of the songs, like "They're Red Hot" he uses a very old Gibson hollow body ( NO CLUE what it is) but when he uses his strats he always uses the circut to some extent. I own a Clapton Strat, and I must say it is a dream. It plays great and it is possible to achieve a variety of sweet tones from it. I can get pretty good vintage strat sounds to Les Paul type mids.

+1

I own the "7 UP Green" version and couldn't be happier w/it. The neck plays like a dream and the electronics are very toneful.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Claptons pickups

I read elsewhere that Clapton always gets his strats with the tremolo but blocked from the factory. Is there ruth to this? Does he like the tone or the string spacing the trem provides?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Claptons pickups

I read elsewhere that Clapton always gets his strats with the tremolo but blocked from the factory. Is there ruth to this? Does he like the tone or the string spacing the trem provides?

If you buy a new Clapton Strat it comes with the tremolo blocked, eric hates using a trem, hates trying to tune a guitar with a trem, but also hates the tone of a hardtail strat.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Claptons pickups

Are my observations correct, that the vintage strat players don't care for the tone or the look of this guitar?

It's kind of itonic/interesting that one of the mainstay benchmarks for vintage strat sound is now playing a non-vintage look with a non-vintage sound.

Is this an example of an artist continuing to define himself? Determined not to be limited by his tools? Or is this simply an example of being versatile with a verstile equipment? Is the strat the Leatherman multi-tool of guitars?

Not this vintage player. I like it!

I liked his painted SG too...the one he played with Cream.

Lew

 

[rspst14]

Re: Claptons pickups

I read elsewhere that Clapton always gets his strats with the tremolo but blocked from the factory. Is there ruth to this? Does he like the tone or the string spacing the trem provides?

I remember reading that the hardtail Strats didn't have the sound he was after. I tend to agree, the tremolo is a part of the vintage Strat sound, even if you never use it.

If you want a silent Strat pickup that actually sounds like a vintage Strat, try the Lace 6k Hot Gold model. I like it better than the original Sensor series. Kinman and Bill Lawrence also make great noiseless singles. I agree that Clapton is just one of those guys who uses what Fender gives him. If they sent him a guitar with a Dimebucker/Distortion set, he probably wouldn't care. :smack:

Ryan

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Claptons pickups

I read elsewhere that Clapton always gets his strats with the tremolo but blocked from the factory. Is there ruth to this? Does he like the tone or the string spacing the trem provides?

Yes. Clapton has stated that he prefers the tone of a Strat with the Vibrato but that he never uses the vibrato so it's blocked.

When you block the vibrato it lets you bend notes with your fingers and do doublt stop bends without the strings you are not bending lowering in pitch.

That's why my Strats either have blocked vibratos too or the springs set so tight that the vibrato won't move when I bend a note with my fingers.

Lew

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Claptons pickups

Not this vintage player. I like it!

I liked his painted SG too...the one he played with Cream.

Lew

Lew, you're awesome

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Claptons pickups

ya'll probably already know this but Clapton is Texas Blues.

see for yourself. http://www.texasbluesmusic.com/Welcome Page.html

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Claptons pickups

I remember reading that the hardtail Strats didn't have the sound he was after. I tend to agree, the tremolo is a part of the vintage Strat sound, even if you never use it.

If you want a silent Strat pickup that actually sounds like a vintage Strat, try the Lace 6k Hot Gold model. I like it better than the original Sensor series. Kinman and Bill Lawrence also make great noiseless singles. I agree that Clapton is just one of those guys who uses what Fender gives him. If they sent him a guitar with a Dimebucker/Distortion set, he probably wouldn't care. :smack:

Ryan

Clapton cares. He has great ears. Just ask anyone who's built an amp for him. He's fussy like Eric Johnson is fussy and he can hear minute differences caused by using different species of the pine used to build his Tweed Twin clones!

I personally like him best playing a Gibson guitar, but Clapton likes the way he sounds playing a Strat.

Like his tone or not, he's fussy as all get out about his tone.

Lew

 

[BlueGuitar]

Re: Claptons pickups

IMO, the two best tones Clapton ever had were the Bluesbreakers Beano album and Derek and the Dominoes. The Derek album had some of the sweetest tones ever. Just his brownie strat and a tweed champ! That tone made me want a strat! ...

I was told that it was a non-vintage Silverface champ, not a tweed champ.