Eric Clapton Stratocaster

Eric Clapton Stratocaster from 1996

The Eric Clapton Fender Stratocaster is the first Signature - electric guitar from Fender , under the name of Eric Clapton was brought to market.

history

Eric Clapton has been playing a Stratocaster since 1970 , which was assembled from a total of three guitars. The musician affectionately called her Blackie . After three years of planning, Fender released the signature model in 1988. The Eric Clapton Stratocaster is still in production and is the second most successful signature guitar after Steve Vai 's Ibanez Jem . New technology was used on Clapton's guitars, which significantly expanded the sound spectrum. With a mid-boost, you are able to change the guitar from clear sounds to distorted ones without changing the volume using a rotary control, but you need an all-tube amplifier. Thanks to the Fender Noiseless Pickups installed by Fender in 1999 , the guitar has very low hum in contrast to other Stratocaster models. Before that, lace sensor pickups were used.

Models

Clapton with his typical black Stratocaster 2007

The "Artist Series" is based on Clapton's favorite model " Blackie " from the 1970s and was built according to Clapton's specifications. The special feature is the guitar neck with a V-profile, which benefits his playing style. It also has very modern features such as the noiseless pickups, which are very low-hum, a 25 dB active mid-range booster with a 9-volt battery; the tremolo is blocked.

The guitar is available in the colors Olympic White, Black, Pewter and Torino Red . The color 7Up Candy Green (also just 7Up Green ) was only available in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since Clapton wanted the color Olympic White from his From the Cradle World Tour , 7Up Green was taken out of production. In 2001 there was a special edition with noiseless pickups in the green livery.

Another model is an exact replica of the original Blackie built in 2006 that Clapton used in the 70s and early 80s. However, this model is limited to 275 pieces, only 90 of which were for sale outside the USA. The price was 24,000 US dollars .

In 2007 the "Fender Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocaster" was produced, which was also available with the "Crossroads '57 Twin Amp" amplifier. The guitar, decorated with the Crossroads Center logo, is limited to 100 copies, the amplifier to 50 copies. The profits from these instrument sales went to the Crossroads Center . Clapton played the model along with the amplifier during the ABC News broadcast with John Mayer . The Stratocaster with a case and a strap was priced at $ 20,000. The package price for the guitar along with a strap, the '57 twin amp, and some merchandising was $ 30,000.

Other special editions were the Custom Artist series and the 2009 Limited Edition in which the Stratocaster was available in the special paint finishes Mercedes Blue, Midnight Blue, EC Gray and Daphne Blue . Clapton played the Daphne Blue model during his tours from 2009 to 2011. Clapton can be seen with the guitar on bootleg recordings, but also on official releases such as Live from the Royal Albert Hall and the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival . There was also the Custom Thinskin Nitro series. The models in this special edition were thinly coated with nitro lacquer in the colors Olympic White, Torino Red and Pewter . This nitro paint is supposed to give the guitar a more natural, clearer and "thinner" sound. During the Journeyman World Tour , the 1992 Eric Clapton World Tour and 24 Nights, Clapton used signature models in black and pewter that were finished with nitrocellulose lacquer .

In 2013 a replica of Clapton's Brownie was produced by the Fender Custom Shop, limited to 100 pieces. The guitar has the exact pickup configuration that makes the Stratocaster sound very high in the two rearmost positions (bridge), similar to a Fender Telecaster . As a further characteristic of the guitar, the rare strong brown-yellowish 2-tone sunburst finish was imitated. In an interview and podcast with Guitar Center , Clapton confirmed that the replica sounds and looks exactly like the original. The price was € 14,000.

Gold Leaf Stratocaster

Based on the model of the Eric Clapton Gold Leaf Stratocaster , the Fender Custom Shop made replicas of the guitar. 18 of these were sold and two were given to Clapton. Clapton mainly used the replica of the guitar between 1997 and 2001. Fake replicas of the replica are characterized by a shiny, gold pickguard, while the original models have a white one.

Paintwork

Black
Pewter
EC Gray
Torino Red

Olympic White
7Up Candy Green
Midnight Blue
Mercedes Blue

Daphne Blue
Gold Leaf ( gold leaf studded)
Graffiti motifs
Paintwork with logos (Crossroads Logo)

Trivia

Standard models, Custom Shop and Masterbuilt versions of the Clapton Stratocaster are in the mid-price segment from Fender. Special editions, however, can be found in the top one.