Soldano / Cornish Guitar Routing System

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The system before the auction

The Soldano / Cornish Guitar Routing System [ solˈdɑːnəʊ ˈkɔːnɪʃ ɡɪˈtɑː ˈruːtɪŋ ˈsɪstəm ] ( English for “Soldano / Cornish Guitar Steering System”) is a guitar amplifier and effects device system formerly owned by British rock musician Eric Clapton . It was designed by Michael J. Soldano, Jr and Pete Cornish and built from June 1988 to 1989. It became known because the multichannel sound system is one of the most complex in the world and was used on three world tours by Clapton. In 2011, Clapton auctioned the rig for his drug and rehabilitation center - the Crossroads Center .

backgrounds

amplifier

The two modified Soldano SLO-100 amplifiers during a presentation in 2011

The US-based amplifier manufacturer Michael J. Soldano, Jr was commissioned in 1988, two of his Soldano SLO-100 - amplifier produce for Eric Clapton. In November of the same year, when Clapton was asked about his newly acquired Soldano amplifiers in an interview for Japanese guitar magazine Young Guitar , he commented: “During rehearsals, I played amplifiers from the Fender Dual Showman series. When I heard Mark Knopfler start rehearsing, I was blown away by his sound. It struck me immediately that it was not his guitar but his amplifier that was responsible for this great sound quality [...] ”. Clapton tested Knopfler's amplifier and praised the "warm [en]" and "round [en]" tone of the sound. Shortly afterwards, Clapton contacted the manufacturer Soldano with the request that two of these amplifiers be completed for him immediately. Even though Soldano put Clapton on the first place on the waiting list, he had to wait two months for his amplifiers as every Soldano amplifier is handmade and mass production is strictly prohibited in the company. After Clapton received his amplifiers, he wrote: “Soldano was the best amplifier for me. It's a classic. ”Shortly afterwards, Clapton announced that he would record his next studio album with Soldano amplifiers. In the spring of 1994, Clapton's guitar technician Lee Dickson stated in an interview with Guitar Techniques Magazine : “These very Soldanos are the original amplifiers that Mike Soldano had built for us without further ado. Of course we bought them and paid for them because Mike left everything else behind in order to manufacture the amplifiers for us as quickly as possible. Eric gave him a signature Stratocaster for this , which we thought was fair. Eric asked Mike, 'In return, could you sign my amplifiers for me?' - and he did. We have two, one as a reserve. But I change them both regularly so that the electron tubes are used equally [...] ”. Soldano signed: “Eric, Thank you very, very much + keep on playing those same old blues! Michael J. Soldano ”(“ Eric, Thank you so much and keep playing those old blues! Michael J. Soldano ”).

Effects devices

A foot switch developed by Pete Cornish that Clapton could use to control the effects devices.

In 1989, British music engineer Pete Cornish was commissioned by Lee Dickson to develop a guitar steering system that could replace Clapton's previous " Bob Bradshaw switch system" and that included two Soldano SLO-100 amplifiers for stereo sounds. Clapton also wanted to use the system to easily go on a long world tour and to be able to reproduce his studio sound live. To ensure this, Pete Cornish and his wife Lynda had to develop all the control devices for the mono effects devices and individually design the power supply for the system. Cornish recalled his work on the system: “We initially saw that all effects devices, with the exception of the wah-wah pedal, were stereo effects and therefore required a volume of +4 dBm . [...] It is not advisable to connect a guitar to such devices. That's why we decided to route all effects between the preamp and power amplifier of the Soldanos. In retrospect, this was not practical, as the output stage connection generated + 23dBm, but we still needed + 4dBm. So we added another distortion stage to the amplifier. Since the amplifiers had to go to Soldano again anyway, we asked Mike to perfect this level. He also helped us to set the master volume to + 4dBm. [...] Another problem was connecting all effect devices to one another, as some had stereo outputs , but some also had mono outputs . So we had to route all the effects into an isolated and balanced signal from the SLO-100 so that Clapton could switch between the 'Clean', 'Crunch' and 'Lead' channels without losing the effects of the rack [...] " . The effects were preprogrammed backstage by Dickson and selectively selected by Clapton using a foot switch. A total of 20 different sounds could be selected. Clapton never used two volume pedals made by Ernie Ball Incorporation . The cost of the Cornish system was around £ 50,000 .

Technical details

designation Manufacturer Model / element use S / N
speaker Marshall 2 × bass (straight) 4 × 12 ″ cabs; EV12Ls speakers 2 × straight bass 4 × 12 ″ boxes ; EV12L loudspeaker N / A
Signal steering Samson 2 × BR-3 wireless receivers 2 × wireless receivers of the guitar signal 01904/32
Power supply Pete Cornish Automatic voltage stabilizer Automatic current stabilization 199
amplifier Soldano 2 × SLO-100 Guitar amplifier 88043EC
88044EC
Steering element (A) Pete Cornish 2 × receiver inputs 2 × inputs for the wireless receiver 200A
2 × auxiliary inputs 2 × PS / 2 interface
Clean DI with Mute Direct input for the “clean” channel with gate
Preamp DI with mute Direct input for the preamplifier with gate
Effects DI (Left; Right) Direct effect input for the left and right box
Send - Return (Drawmer Tube Compressor) Effect loop for Drawmer Tube Compressor
Send - Return (Soldano SLO-100) Effects loop for Soldano SLO-100 amplifiers
Remote - Local (Wah-Wah; Volume Pedal) Effects loop for wah-wah and volume pedals
Send - Return Roland SDE-3000 Delay Effects loop for Roland SDE-3000
Send - Return TC Spatial Expander Effect loop for TC Spatial Expander
Return - Output to S / N: 200B Entry and exit to the S / N 200B steering system
Auxiliary Output (Left; Right) Extra outputs left and right box
Linear Boost with Bypass Extra volume with on / off switch
Output to Soldano SLO-100 Poweramp Jack output to the Soldano SLO-100 power amplifiers
Master Volume Control Control over master volume setting
Clean - Lead Control (Soldano SLO-100) Control switch over "Clean" and "Lead" channel
LED guitar level display LED display of the current guitar volume
Stereo - mono switch Switch between mono and stereo
Tuner inputs (1; 2; Dickson; Clapton) Tuner connection (input 1; 2; Dickson; Clapton)
Steering element (B) Output to S / N: 200A Output to steering system S / N 200A 200B
Send - Return Yamaha SPX90 Effects loop for Yamaha SPX90
Send - Return Dyno-My-Piano Tri-Stereo Chorus Effects loop for Dyno-My-Piano Tri-Stereo Chorus
Send - Return TC2290 Effect loop for TC2290
Send - Return Dynacord CLS 222 Effect loop for Dynacord CLS 222
Send - Return Yamaha GEP 50 Effect loop for Yamaha GEP 50
10 × 20 pin matrix Effect preset for Dickson
Local switches for FX selection Inputs for further foot switches
Dry Mute (Left; Right) Gate for "Dry" channel left and right box

use

Clapton first used the system while recording his eleventh studio album Journeyman in 1989. Between January 1990 and March 1991, Clapton used his rig for the entire Journeyman World Tour on all five continents. Recordings of the concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall were released on October 8, 1991 on the live album, VHS and DVD 24 Nights , where the system was also recorded on video. When the recordings were made for the orchestra nights, the amplifiers had to be completely isolated because the "monster setup" was too loud for the orchestra musicians' ears, guitar technician Dickson said in an interview with Premier Guitar in 2013 . Critics described Clapton's guitar sound as "rocky" and "distorted bluesy" during 24 nights . The American blues rock musician Joe Bonamassa describes the sound as "one of the best Clapton sounds that ever existed". In late 1991, Clapton used the equipment for several concerts with George Harrison in Japan. During the Eric Clapton World Tour in 1992 and the recording session for the single Runaway Train with Elton John , Clapton re-used the setup.

Amplifier setting for From the Cradle recordings
Normal / preamp 8th (Preamp - Normal Channel)
Overdrive / preamp 3 (Preamp - Distorted Channel)
bass 11 (Bass frequency)
Middle 11 (Center frequency)
Treble 3 (Treble frequency)
Presence 4th (Presence)
Normal volume / master 10 (Master Volume - Normal Channel)
Overdrive Volume / Master 7th (Master Volume - Distorted Channel)

The last time Clapton used the system was to record his blues album From the Cradle from 1994 at Olympic Studios . Clapton plugged his guitar - sometimes without the effects rack - directly into the amplifier to ensure a direct and clear signal. The rig was last used during the From the Cradle World Tour . (See figure for sound adjustment).

Dickson recalled during an interview with Tonequest : “When we started the Pilgrim sessions in early '98 , Eric asked me to check his warehouse to find an old acoustic guitar that he would like to see on the album. I searched for hours until I finally found it. It was in a black suitcase just behind the two Soldano-Marshall stacks. I took a look at the rig but realized that a lot of parts were lost but immediately reminded me of the great time we had in the early 1990s. [...] I took the guitar back to Eric and told him about my experience. […] Eric asked if I could bring the system into the studio. I declined, explaining that many parts were missing and that Pete [Cornish] was unavailable. Eric replied: "Okay, it's not that important ..." ("Okay, it's not that important ..."). [...] ".

When the British rock band Cream was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, Clapton used a stack of two Soldano 4 × 12 "boxes and a Soldano SLO-100 head in the" White Bronco "look, however, these were not the original, modified amplifiers. His effects system was not used that evening. Although Clapton used the amplifiers during rehearsals for his 1996 concert in London's Hyde Park , he did not use them for the actual concert or the concert film Live in Hyde Park .

auction

“When I spent my last days with Eric, he would often watch old live recordings from the 1990s. 24 nights and unpublished recordings from the concerts up to 1995 were also included. He was amazed at his physical performance on the guitar - his speed on the instrument - and was fascinated by the sound of his guitar. He asked me several times how I had given him such a 'brilliant tone'. I replied, 'It was Mike and Pete's rig ...'. When Eric heard the names drop, I think everything was clear to him. [...] He wanted this natural, old and massive tone back. He immediately contacted Pete [Cornish] to fill in missing parts and bring the sound to life again [...] ”, said Dickson in 2010. In 2008 Pete Cornish renewed the rack system with effects and the connections of the system, to produce better sound and clearer signal flow.

On September 3, 2011 from 1 p.m., Clapton auctioned a part of his guitars for the Crossroads Center in Antigua for the third time . The auction house Bonhams was responsible for the auctioning of the system with lot number 91 . The official title for the setup was: “A pair of 1988 Soldano SLO-100 and a 1989 Pete Cornish Guitar Routing System with a pair of Marshall 1960B speaker cabinets Soldano SLO-100s: Serial Nos. 88043EC and 88044EC (with stickers Nos. 1 and 2 respectively) ". The rig was sold for a total of 32,940 US dollars (29,405 euros ) including the auction hammer . Joe Bonamassa stated during an episode of online radio The Pickup Radio that he almost bought the rig but was unable to buy it because a Russian oligarch billionaire who is part of an Eric Clapton tribute band performing in Russia bought every item in the auction.

The auction employee Carey Wallace noted that Clapton "had difficulty coping with the sale of his beloved rack system" because he had "had so many unbelievably breathtaking adventures with the setup [...]". Wallace went on to say that Clapton "loves his electronic amplifier and effects equipment as much as he loves his rare and important guitars." “I was able to talk to Eric for maybe two minutes after the auction closed. He followed what was happening on the Internet on the computer. He told me that he would miss all the lots very much, but that it would be better for himself to do something good with the proceeds […] ”.

Web links

Commons : Soldano / Cornish Guitar Routing System  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h A pair of 1988 Soldano SLO-100 and a 1989 Pete Cornish Guitar Routing System. Bonhams, September 3, 2011, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  2. ^ Young Guitar . Japan November 1988.
  3. ^ Guitar Techniques Magazine . 1994 ("The Soldanos are the original amps that Mike Soldano built for us in a hurry. Of course we bought them, but because Mike dropped everything else he was doing, Eric gave him a signed Clapton Strat, which we thought was a fair deal . Eric said, 'In return, why don't you sign my amps?' So that's what he did. We have two, one as a spare, but I like to alternate them so that valves are properly burnt in on both. " ).
  4. ↑ a b Pete Cornish: Eric Clapton's Amps / Effects System. Tech Talk, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  5. ↑ Judith Will: Memorable Moments of Rock History (1980-2000) . Collection edition. Will Press, 2014, pp. 246 .
  6. ↑ Eduardo Mira: Eric Clapton en Argentina 1990 Part 1 August 5, 1990, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Pretending - Eric Clapton @ 24 Nights, 1991. February 18, 1991, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  8. ^ Lee Dickson: On the Road with Clapton. Premier Guitar, March 12, 2013, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  9. ^ The Many Tones of Eric Clapton. LGN, November 9, 2011, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  10. ↑ a b Joe Bonamassa: Top 5 Strat Masters. The Pickup Radio, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  11. ↑ Eric Clapton - "Running On Faith" Hartford 1992. May 6, 1992, accessed July 27, 2015 .
  12. ^ A b Eric Clapton's guitar, amp and equipment set up (historical). Where's Eric !, accessed on July 27, 2015 .
  13. ↑ a b Dreyn Swamp: Is Eric Clapton still playing Marshall's? 3. Edition. Tonequest, 2010 ("When we started with the Pilgrim sessions back in '98, Eric called up and said that he would like me to get an old acoustic guitar that he wanted to use on the album. I searched for hours until I finally found the guitar. It was sitting in a black case directly behind the two Soldano-Marshall stacks. I took a chance and looked at the rig. I saw that many pieces got lost, but also remembered the amazing time we had in the early 1990s. [...] I drove back to Eric and recalled what happened. [...] Eric asked, if it would be possible for me to bring the system into the studio, but I said 'no' and explained that a lot of pieces aren't there anymore and that I couldn't get Pete on the phone. And Eric said: 'Okay, it's not that important ...'. [...] "•" I noticed that Eric was often looking at some old live takes form the 1990s when I Spent my last days of my career with him. 24 nights and unreleased concert takes from 1990 to 1995 he especially liked. He was surprised by his physical power and fast playing on his guitars and also was fascinated by the sound of his guitar. He asked me a couple of times how I got him this 'genius tone' and I said that it was due to the rig of Mike and Pete. When Eric heard these two names, I think he knew what I was on about. [...] He wanted this natural, old and massive sound again. He immediately called Pete and ordered him to replace the parts that were missing from the rig ... to get that sound back to life once again [...] ").
  14. ^ Cream Crossroads Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 27, 2015 .
  15. ↑ Eric Clapton: Live in Hyde Park . Warner Music Group , August 4, 1997.
  16. ↑ Pete Cornish: Clapton / Cornish. Marc Dorendorf, accessed on July 27, 2015 (English).
  17. ^ Carey Wallace: Wallace & Hodgson - The Guitarshop on Sunset Boulevard . London 2011, p. 54 ("Eric Clapton could barely cope with the sale of his beloved rack system, because he had so many unbelievably breathtaking adventures with this setup. [...] He loves his electronic amps and effects equipment just like he loves his rare and momentous guitars. I had the chance to talk to Eric for about two minutes after the auction was done. He watched the actions from his computer over the internet. He told me that he would miss all of the auctions lots, but also said that it is better for him to raise money for charity and actually do something good with the money the auction brought in [...] ").