The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

[Lewguitar]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

Yes, but it's an opinion based on more experience and more research than most! I wish I still had an old Guitar Player mag from about 85, in which Eric goes into some of this in great detail. If I recall correctly, he also mentions that he got the distortion and sustain from just turning the amp up.

Thanks! Cranking up the amp is the only way I've ever gotten my overdrive sound. The first really good band I ever saw was the Paul Butterfield Blues Band around 1966 and they were loud as heck. They all had Fender Super Reverb and Twin Reverb amps (except for Jerome Arnold, the bassist - he had a Showman or something) and those amps were cranked. Sounded fabulous.

But like Clapton, that cranked amp sound has led me to use smaller and smaller amps over the years - you can't crank up 100 watt and 50 watt amps in most live settings. So I started with an 80 watt BF Fender Twin Reverb for about five years, then a 40 watt Pro Reverb for the next twenty years, then a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb and now an 18 watt Princeton Reverb.

These days I rely on my Deluxe Reverb or Princeton Reverb for most gigs. And I never use an overdrive pedal. I do own some cool ones though.

I've used Celestion speakers in my Fenders for many, many years, starting with my Pro Reverb.

Lew

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

Holy Crap... I can totally see why people thought he was god (at guitar anyway!). That tone and that phrasing... I am going to do nothing but study this stuff for the next few weeks... I have just been pwnd

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

Holy Crap... I can totally see why people thought he was god (at guitar anyway!). That tone and that phrasing... I am going to do nothing but study this stuff for the next few weeks... I have just been pwnd

Do you own the Beano album?

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

I was playing around with my Metro JTM45 the other day and had it cranked up to 10. Wonderful tone and it cleans up nicely by backing off on the guitar a bit. Very touch sensitive in a way that lends itself to picking dynamics and dynamic phrasing. Its basically the same loudness from about 7 through 10, but richer. I didn't find it over bearingly loud, but I can't do this with a 50 watt with solid state rectifier amp for very long without possibly hurting my ears. What I can get away with in a controlled setting is very different from a typical small gig situation these days though.

When just cranking up the amp, the speakers you use seem to matter more. I have an original 50's P12 alnico that sounds very good with a cranked amp. With a cranked amp, the G12H30 and Greenback ceramic Celestions seem to work better than the more modern ceramic models. Like Lew, I have found that Greenies seem too crunchy for the original EC BB sound though.

For many goosing the front end of the amp a little while keeping the power amp at more practical volume levels is probably the easier and more practical route to take these days. But the authentic BB sound seems to be a good JTM45 type amp cranked up to 10 through alnicos, on the amp side of the equation.

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

I don't think I own any Clapton... don't ban me yet!

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

I have got to crank a JTM45 with AlNiCo speakers though... my amp has never been quite as sweet since.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

For many goosing the front end of the amp a little while keeping the power amp at more practical volume levels is probably the easier and more practical route to take these days. But the authentic BB sound seems to be a good JTM45 type amp cranked up to 10 through alnicos, on the amp side of the equation.

I've found that I can approximate his "Hideaway" tone with a cranked AC30 (Alnico Blues), but I need to goose it with a boost to get close to his "All Your Love" tone.

- Keith

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

I've found that I can approximate his "Hideaway" tone with a cranked AC30 (Alnico Blues), but I need to goose it with a boost to get close to his "All Your Love" tone.

- Keith

I kind of agree with that. When I owned an AC30 I used to goose it with a TS808 or DS1 and that thing would sing - sounded a bit like Brian May's violin tone or the tone on the first Led Zep album. But a booster pedal has never been needed for me to get a really good lead tone with the vintage Marshalls I've owned or my Mission Amps modded vintage Fenders with Celestions that I currently own.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

With a JTM45 jumping channels isn't as common as just using the treble channel (because the bass channel is a bit woofy), but its more saturated (much like a slight front end boost) by mixing the bass channel in a little. I wonder if EC experimented with this on a some tracks?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

This is a cool thread...keep it going!

This has me wanting to try my late 60's silver Alnico Vox speaker in my brown Deluxe again!

 

[jeremy]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

has me lusting after a 1962!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

has me lusting after a 1962!

Yeah...I have had the RARE chance to plug into a real 60's Marshall 1962 a few times and I want one every time I do...Im gonna have to find a good clone one day but truth is most close are no where near as great sounding an amp as an original...

 

[jeremy]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

ive only had the chance to play thru one original and it was wonderful but i used a jtm45 thru a 2x12 with blues for a year or so and thats what put me on my tweed quest. loved the tone but it was too loud for many places i play.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

People always ask for recorded examples of an alnico 2 humbucker vs. an alnico 5 humbucker. Well here you go!

I'm pretty sure in this example Clapton is playing a '58 Les Paul with alnico 2 humbuckers. His tone is almost rubbery as he squeezes out those notes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDq9JBY_8Vs

This next cut is from Disraeli Gears and it's Clapton playing his '64 SG with alnico 5 humbuckers. Quite a different tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufdx5EwVdro

Here's another of my all time favorite cuts from the John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers album. It's Steppin Out. This would be another example of an alnico 5 humbucker and Eric's '60 Les Paul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmh0...FA15ECBB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=41

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

People always ask for recorded examples of an alnico 2 humbucker vs. an alnico 5 humbucker. Well here you go!

I'm pretty sure in this example Clapton is playing a '58 Les Paul with alnico 2 humbuckers. His tone is almost rubbery as he squeezes out those notes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDq9JBY_8Vs

This next cut is from Disraeli Gears and it's Clapton playing his '64 SG with alnico 5 humbuckers. Quite a different tone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufdx5EwVdro

Here's another of my all time favorite cuts from the John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers album. It's Steppin Out. This would be another example of an alnico 5 humbucker and Eric's '60 Les Paul.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDq9JBY_8Vs

Hey Lew, you duplicated the "Sleepy Time Time" clip. I know the "Steppin' Out" track you're talking about though. Personally, I prefer the Cream version of that tune tone- and phrasing-wise.

Thanks for the clips!

- Keith

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

Hey Lew, you duplicated the "Sleepy Time Time" clip. I know the "Steppin' Out" track you're talking about though. Personally, I prefer the Cream version of that tune tone- and phrasing-wise.

Thanks for the clips!

- Keith

Oops! Here's the link for Steppin Out by Eric Clapton with John Mayall. This is Eric's '60 Les Paul probably with alnico 5 paf humbuckers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmh0...FA15ECBB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=41

And here by Cream. Probably alnico 2 humbuckers and the '58 Les Paul?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOWVg0AoHWE

And yet another version from Sweden in 1967! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_1hPyPnKQI&feature=related

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

So Lew, what's your current Bluesbreakers rig?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

So Lew, what's your current Bluesbreakers rig?

My favorite humbucker guitar is my 2000 ES-335 with alnico 2 Tom Holmes pickups. I bought the guitar used with those pickups already installed. I've never owned a better sounding ES-335. My brother Bruce has modded all of my amps for a more gain and sensitivity, so I can plug it into just about any of them and get a pretty good Clapton tone. I have a '58 tweed Fender Deluxe with a mid 60's Celestion Alnico Blue 12" speaker - that's a great amp. Same amp Larry Carlton used for his Kid Charlemagne solo. But my favorite of my tweed Fenders happens to be Billy Gibbons favorite too and that's my '51 2 x 10 Super/Dual Professional.

 

[newking70]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

you're a walking encyclopedia of clapton knowlege. :fing2:

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: The Ultimate Eric Clapton Bluesbreaker Tone Thread

A real '51?!