Getting the Clapton Tone.

Gassage · August 2023

How on earth does Eric get so much compressed drive out of his guitar to amp?

I have a big tweed; I have a midboosted strat; I have cranked them, but still nowhere near his level of sag, drive and compression.

Is there something missing? An extra preamp stage or something? I know his amps are modded from even his sig stock, but so, so hard to get there.

And obvs I don't have his fingers.

fretmeister · August 2023

I like that this is in off topic as Clapton hasn't been relevant for decades.

I can only imagine it's because of his massive use of non-standard medication and a lack of vaccines with a pinch of racism.

crunchman · August 2023

With your own amp, you are hearing the amp raw. What you hear with Clapton is almost certainly mic'd and through a desk. Mic placement a bit off the centre of the cone would soften the top end a bit. His sound guys might have some kind of mic pre between the mic and the desk. It might be partly that you aren't hearing your amp processed in the same way.

There are other things you could look at. You could try a different rectifier valve in your amp. Some will cause more sag than others, and supply a lower voltage to the power valves. You need to be careful about current requirements but it may be an option.

However he does it, he does cut through. I was at the Joe Bonamassa gig at the Albert Hall that was recorded and released on DVD. When Clapton came on for his cameo, he really cut through the mix - far more than Bonamassa did.

Gassage · August 2023

@crunchman ;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

rlw · August 2023

fretmeister said:

I like that this is in off topic as Clapton hasn't been relevant for decades.

I can only imagine it's because of his massive use of non-standard medication and a lack of vaccines with a pinch of racism.

Bitch

EricTheWeary · August 2023

There’s a 2021 Rig Rundown but basically sig strats into modded Bandmasters. I think these are 3x10s? Everything on 7 apparently.

roberty · August 2023

EricTheWeary said:

There’s a 2021 Rig Rundown but basically sig strats into modded Bandmasters. I think these are 3x10s? Everything on 7 apparently.

Ah yes, the number of the beast

guitargeek62 · August 2023

Gassage said:

How on earth does Eric get so much compressed drive out of his guitar to amp?

I have a big tweed; I have a midboosted strat; I have cranked them, but still nowhere near his level of sag, drive and compression.

Is there something missing? An extra preamp stage or something? I know his amps are modded from even his sig stock, but so, so hard to get there.

And obvs I don't have his fingers.

Bias it hard to the right.

Offset · August 2023

roberty said:

EricTheWeary said:

There’s a 2021 Rig Rundown but basically sig strats into modded Bandmasters. I think these are 3x10s? Everything on 7 apparently.

Ah yes, the number of the beast

More like the neighbour of the beast.

Funkfingers · August 2023

On stage, at selected marked locations, the monitors will be interacting with the guitar's pickups, contributing feedback to aid sustain.

Axe_meister · August 2023

Lots of Volume. He also has a Crybaby in the chain, not sure if it is true bypass or not, if not the buffer does colour the sound a little (the dunlop buffer is not particularly good)

Neilybob · August 2023

I've circled this rabbit hole before but haven't fallen in yet but I'm intrigued to see what the Board have to say regarding this so following.

victorludorum · August 2023

How far are you away from your rig when it's cranked? I would imagine that being right next to it would sound different to being at some distance, as we are when we go to gigs.

guitartango · August 2023

Gassage said:

@crunchman ;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

Still a great player and tone. Let's burn the Clapton haters!

Gassage · August 2023

guitartango said:

Gassage said:

@crunchman ;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

Still a great player and tone. Let's burn the Clapton haters!

When he plays like that, albeit it can be hit and miss with him live, he is untouchable. Literally untouchable.

I was at that show and his playing on that tour was sensational

theatreanchor · August 2023

guitartango said:

Gassage said:

@crunchman ;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

Still a great player and tone. Let's burn the Clapton haters!

Sure, but make sure you use Clapton CS strats for firewood. That way we can die smiling.

Winny_Pooh · August 2023

I would assume that your J40 is less compressed than Clapton's high power tweeds.
I'd experiment with the hi/lo switch and get it darker and dirtier and then try different boost levels.

You also really need to play more aggressively.
You wont get that "sting" with a floppy right hand and lazy vibrato.

Gassage · August 2023

Winny_Pooh said:

I would assume that your J40 is less compressed than Clapton's high power tweeds.
I'd experiment with the hi/lo switch and get it darker and dirtier and then try different boost levels.

You also really need to play more aggressively.
You wont get that "sting" with a floppy right hand and lazy vibrato.

Prob a lot easier with a J10 or 20.

thecolourbox · August 2023

I'm never normally glad to hear his playing, but I was incredibly grateful to hear it as it meant he'd stopped that god awful "drunk uncle at a funeral wake" singing!

Was a decent tone to be fair to him, but it didn't sound like anything too out of the ordinary. I imagine he had a good team mixing the band as there were so many players on stage so perhaps some compression applied afterwards around the frequencies of his guitar solo pitch?

victorludorum · August 2023

"Drunk uncle at a funeral wake singing". I think I might have heard it all now. So off the money it's frightening.

Apologies for the diversion.

roberty · August 2023

Here we go haha

Offset · August 2023

victorludorum said:

"Drunk uncle at a funeral wake singing". I think I might have heard it all now. So off the money it's frightening.

Accurate or not, it was bloody funny. Oddly enough, Clappo's voice is one of the things I like most about his music. His playing is one of the things I like least :-)

<retreats as mass brawl breaks out>

vasselmeyer · August 2023

Gassage said:

@crunchman ;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

This makes me feel old...that clip is from nearly 30 years ago.

Hootsmon · August 2023

What you need is a Kingsley Jester Custom....;)

Neilybob · August 2023

I wonder if this pre-amp pedal would help you get closer to that sound?

JSA Effects Porta IV https://reverb.com/item/72709302?utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=android-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=72709302

DefaultM · August 2023

Don’t bother with any of that amp stuff you mentioned, just get the Digitech Crossroads pedal straight to desk and you’re sorted.

tone1 · August 2023

Yep…..I’ve always wondered how Clappo got his sound. I assumed it was the active onboard boosty thing he uses….

thecolourbox · August 2023

Sorry for potentially derailing the thread but actually strangely for me my comment was actually a back handed compliment to him because while I was criticising his singing (which I stand by nonetheless, and the awful piano playing), his tone and playing was actually quite enjoyable and especially so in what was a crowded mix. I just wish the video had started at that point and without the song song sing along bit at the start.

My comment was badly worded perhaps, but of course I'm sure Eric of all people should forgive that!

bbill335 · August 2023

his good tone back then in the NBTB days were playing a 335/other semihollow, the strat sound was always a lot more nasal and reedy in comparison. was he using soldanos at the time? who cares really, compressed heavy-midrange tones aren't exactly hard to get, and there are many routes there. just step on a tubescreamer or klone or something.

feel like this period was the first time he was singing the way he always wanted to, he figured something out. it's refreshing to see him looking "workmanlike", in the tshirt and loose trousers. i saw a fairly recent pic of him on stage wearing some awful hooded letterman jacket, hood up, looking as ridiculous as his sociopolitical ramblings.

jdgm · August 2023

vasselmeyer said:

Gassage said:

@crunchman ;;;;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

This makes me feel old...that clip is from nearly 30 years ago.

Wear glasses, use a compressor along with all the other stuff.

Seriously - they always say tone is in the fingers and Clapton exemplifies that IMO. The playing is always very logical - downstrokes on strong beats, A goes to B then C, so to speak, and so he never wastes notes. Superb call and response player. He is also a very learned man as far as post-war electric blues guitarists (20th century) go.

Kittyfrisk · August 2023

jdgm said:

vasselmeyer said:

Gassage said:

@crunchman ;

That's helpful and yes, of course.

This is the tone...it's absolutely wonderful. As is the playing in this- Eric at his finest.

This makes me feel old...that clip is from nearly 30 years ago.

Wear glasses, use a compressor along with all the other stuff.

You make him sound like tyre fitter or a sandblaster.

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