EC/Bluesbreakers

F

Frogster

New member
Posted this on another site, thought I could get great feedback here as well. Found some misplaced CD's, one of which was my all-time favorite...John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers w/Eric Clapton. Sweetest tone that ever was. Any insight into how he got that tone? My thinking was a Les Paul thru a Bluesbreaker combo....sounds compressed to me. Also, what pups might be closest to achieving this sound. Thanks.
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

I believe that Clapton used a 1960 LP (alnico 5 PAF era) for that album, so the closest pickups to that would be a set of 59's.
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

On a side note, I think it's weird when people will go with a set of Seths or Pearly Gates because they think it will get them closest to blues rock tones of players who primarily used A5 PAF's. The 59's basically are A5 PAF's.... :smack:
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

from july 1961 onward the short alnico 5 magnet was used in the paf and pat # pups. before that there were different grades of alnico depending on what was available and usually the slightly larger size. so seths, antiquitys, and pearly gates are just as valid as a paf copy as a 59. the wire changed around 1963 from plain enamel to polyurathane which also changed the tone some
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

Excerpt from Eric's autobiography:

“I insisted on having the mike exactly where I wanted it to be during the recording [of Blues Breakers: John Mayall with Eric Clapton], which was not too close to my amplifier, so that I could play through it and get the same sound that I had onstage. The result was the sound that came to be associated with me. It had really come about accidentally, when I was trying to emulate the sharp, thin sound that Freddy King got out of his Gibson Les Paul, and I ended up with something quite different, a sound that was a lot fatter than Freddy’s. The Les Paul has two pickups, one at the end of the neck, giving the guitar a kind of round jazz sound, and the other next to the bridge, giving you the treble, most often used for the thin, typically rock ‘n’ roll sound.

What I would do was use the bridge pickup with all of the bass turned up, so the sound was very thick and on the edge of distortion. I also always used amps that would overload. I would have the amp on full, with the volume of the guitar also turned up full, so everything was on full volume and overloading. I would hit a note, hold it, and give it some vibrato with my fingers, until it sustained, and then the distortion would turn into feedback. It was all of these things, plus the distortion, that created what I suppose you could call my sound.”


As far as I remember Freddy King's Les Paul had P-90s.... which kind of explains how Eric ended up with something quite different. :)
 
 
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Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

Went to the Columbus Guitar Show this past Sunday and they had a Tonerider dealer there with a display including "Alnico IV Classics" for $40....neck pup @ 7.9k, bridge @ 8.6. Any comments on the Alnico IV magnets and/or the Toneriders? At that price I'm considering giving them a shot.
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

It is likely that the pickups in Claptons Bluesbreaker era LP were in fact Alnico 5 however it is impossible to know for sure since the guitar was stolen long ago and nobody ever thought it woudl be important enough to spec out those pickups.

Also, keep this in mind...early PAF's were mostly Alnico II and later ones were mostly alnico 5 but there are lots of other variables...the DC resistance of PAF's are all over the map and you could also find alnico II and 4 in various pickups of the time.

I would say that if you want to get close to the beano tone a good LP and a nice tube amp cranked will get you there...I can get fairly close with my rig an it has little in common with what Clapton used on that album.

If you want to really get close to nailing it do your homework and break out your wallet!

You'll need an original 1960 Les Paul (Historic if you're on a budget) an original 60's Marshall 1962 (a high quality clone like a Germino will do if your on a budget) and a Rangemaster (An AnalogMan Beano will do if your on a budget). Also, for pickups go with a PAF style alnico 5 magnet NON potted pickups (this is VERY important for the tone we're talking about) be suer to load the amp with KT66's and some killer pre rola Celestions (however no one is sure if Eric's 1962 had Greenbacks or silver Alnico's!)

Also, don't forget the room mics that were used during the session and the added plate reverb...

Either way you're looking to spend a load and if you can't play like Eric it won't matter!
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

Ballpark is close enough for me.....I'm 58 and have a room full of toys (amps, SS & vintage tube) and a number of "project" guitars....sorta pride myself on cheap guitars with mods......still play out (Classic Rock). Realizing my situation I'm not too serious.....just enjoy a little gigging and sitting in on local jams.......really would like to get close on this tone (but in a cheap way)....Thanks, Frogster.
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

Close...in a cheep way...

Les Paul and a Bluesbreaker...

That could get you in the ballpark but you'll have to be able to crank the amp to 10...then you'll be way too louyd for most settings IMO.
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

Remember that tone also comes from the person - you can have all the gear you want and not sound like Eric. Buying the autobiography would give you just as much an insight as getting hold of Les Pauls and Marshalls. The young Eric was full of passion, anger, despair and repressed emotion. So, bearing this in mind, it really halps to be English. I'm off for 18 pints of strong lager and a fist fight. I will have great tone tomorrow morning.
 
Re: EC/Bluesbreakers

or ye can hafe non o de gear but drink like eric...dat'll givya da tone,,
 
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