The Guitars of Eric Clapton: A Short History

[@BloodBoughtMinistries]

Reminder to protect your hearing - if it's too loud it's too loud. You only have one set of eardrums, look after them. Chronic tinnitus and pain hyperacusis is no joke.

[@albertarthurparsnips5141]

Indeed ! Just ask Brian Johnson. He’ll be able to hear you, now, apparently 😊

[@PetParadiseVB]

Some people seem to not be affected. It’s weird.

[@PetParadiseVB]

Some people seem to not be affected. It’s weird.

[@jrtme]

Blackie: in 2003-2004. I worked for Christie’s in New York City. I was computer support for them. One day I get a call.. Kerry Keane down in musical instruments needs to see you. I had just helped him the week before with a printer issue. I get down there thinking the printer was acting up again. Kerry said come with me. I was like ok and we went into this vault. He reached in a bin and pulled out a guitar case and said open it. In it was Blackie. He said enjoy it and come get me when you are done. I spent about 15-20 mins with that guitar. It is a very cool guitar. I am so grateful for that moment that he thought enough of me to do that. There are moments in your life you never forget. This was one of them. 😊

[@fivewattworld]

Great story!

[@tadpoleinnit2643]

5WW, please look at amplification at big rock concerts. Legend has it that The Beatles' break out (1965?) concert at Shea Stadium is said to have been terrible if you attended - the screaming drowned out the songs - the amplification was under-powered. The Grateful Dead was said (by my mates) to have the most powerful speakers set-up then known to man. I attended a The Who concert at Wembley Arena in the mid 1970s and the volume hurt, it was on the pain threshold. Townsend said everyone in The Who suffered hearing damage from their many concert tours. How did these mega touring rock bands amplify sound in a 150,000 seater stadium in say, Wichita (spelling?) ?

[@TheAlignmentGuy_TM]

I also would like to see how big shows are put together.

[@jonathanjiles781]

I love this. I’d love to hear a rundown of the (scientifically) loudest bands in rock history and how they got there.

[@jubei7259]

They always said The Who were the loudest but an outdoor reunion gig by Madness at Finsbury Park in the early 90's actually registered as an earthquake lol (True story)

[@philmanson2991]

Loudest show I ever saw was Neil Young and Crazy Horse, and I saw the Who in 1975 with Keith. P.S. In the 1974, the Dead built the "Wall of Sound." Each string on the guitar/bass, every drum, every keyboard had it's own speaker and amplifier.

[@loganwhite8375]

It wasn't only that for Shea. There was NO centralized speaker location. The band literally plugged into the Stadium's PA that just had those shitty vocal-only focused bullhorn looking speakers. There was no time aligning back in the day. That's where that "classic Stadium" reverb/echo comes from. All of those speakers being out of time-alignment, the metal bowl of bleachers, etc. So not only did the Beatles still have no monitors on stage to produce any sound back at them, they didn't even have the speakers near the stage facing out to an audience like they were used to. There were no walls for the sound of these missing front stage speakers to bounce back at the Beatles off of. It's basically the pinnacle of rock music at its absolute worst of huge crowd + terrible sound equipment. They were hearing a cascading slap of echoes of every single thing they were doing back at them the whole show. By the time the slowest and latest ones were echoing the previous word, the fastest responding speakers were already pushing the next one out as well.

[@TheLambLive]

21:30 - I have a classical guitar made by the same luthier, Lorenzo Alvarez, who made the Clapton 'Tears in Heaven' guitar shown here. Mine was made in Madrid in 1966, and it's breathtakingly beautiful.

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

I'm a Clapton devotee for life and my favorite tone he ever got was from his 335. Holy crap that guitar just brought out an absolute animal from him. The tones he was getting during the From The Cradle era are absolutely out of this world. I saw him back last September from 14 rows back and he has still got it. Dude has absolutely given his life to his guitar for sure.

[@thaddeusfields4360]

From the Cradle is a ridiculously underrated album. Every track is dripping with soul.

[@winstonsmith8236]

It doesn’t bother you: his racism, anti-immigrant sentiment for decades? Or recently his anti-vaxx/mandate nonsense? I don’t understand how this man gets a pass on his repeated disgusting behavior.

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

@@winstonsmith8236 No it literally doesn't bother me that idiots say that Clapton has been "racist" for decades. Especially considering he has toured for years with multiple black musicians and literally he got vaccinated. Twice. It was the Astra Zeneca vaccine and no it doesn't bother me that Clapton doesn't want people to get forced to do something that doesn't even work anyway against their will. I actually celebrate him for that but it's totally irrelevant to his actual music. Did you know that if you like a Woody Allen movie you support pedophilia or if you like a Tarantino movie you support rape since Harvey Weinstein produced a lot of his movies? Do you renounce Quentin Tarantino for collaborating with a known sexual predator? You should never watch another Tarantino film ever again in order to be consistent.

[@fivewattworld]

It’s called freedom of speech. You don’t want to silence people, especially if you disagree with them.

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

@@fivewattworld Thank you. This should be fairly simple but apparently it's really complicated. On an actually related note, have you heard the new Clapton song? I really like it and his tone is absolutely on point. It was a stealth release the other day and it's called Pompous Fool.

[@msspi764]

Like how you ended this. When I was young I got a Cream record for Christmas. I fell in love with it and took a particular liking to Spoonful. I looked on the label and it said W. Dixon. Who’s that? Thus began a lifetime journey where I applied my history and research education to learning more and more about the music. So now I live in Vicksburg, the birthplace of Willie Dixon, I head to festivals and concerts at places like the Blue Front Cafe and up in the Delta whenever I can, and I get to see new young talent develop, like Christone Kingfish Ingram, who was a student and now has a Grammy and just opened for the Stones. I see old talent like T Model Ford and Kenny Brown, RL Burnside’s side man. I’ve learned from the scholars of the musicology and ethnography of blues. But nothing compares to just sitting in with the folks who play. It’s been a wild journey that started with a Cream album.

[@marekgitarzysta5193]

I'm giving "thumbs up" even before I start watching - I'm a huge fan. I love your dedication and I can only imagine how much time and effort it takes to prepare each of the videos. Thank you!

[@AskZac]

Great video on EC. I saw him last year here in Nashville. He was amazing and played the same Strat all night.

[@stefanodelstef7988]

Keeping count of the actual guitars he played is almost impossible but you covered pretty much the most important ones that shaped today's music.

[@paristhalheimer]

When I was younger, I was obsessed with getting a Candy Green Clapton Strat. I was lucking enough to order and received a Candy Green Clapton Strat with Lace Sensors in February 2001, just before Fender switched over to Vintage Noiseless pickups in the Clapton model.

[@i.m.22]

That would also be my first choice, Cheers!

[@thaddeusfields4360]

But do you have a purple suit to wear when you play it? Seriously though, I’m a little jealous. The green strat is sweet.

[@paristhalheimer]

@@thaddeusfields4360 for a second, I had no idea what you were talking about. I have no idea what Clapton was thinking. It's a great duet.

[@paristhalheimer]

@@thaddeusfields4360 the funny thing is, the green Clapton Strat is the rarest of colors Clapton Strat colors. When I ordered it thru a dealer in January 2001, the dealer called me up and told me that I could have any other color in a week, but green would take a month, because they didn't have any.

[@Buddycoop1]

We all like different sounds etc. so each to their own. That being said, I love the Clapton Gibson sound. When he went Fender I thought his stuff was good but not enough bite to it which is what got my adrenaline going. People I know who are into "pop" like his Fender years which go on and on.... I still bring out the old Clapton Gibson music and wish he stayed with it....

[@stickman55100]

Yet again, a fantastic, informative and super-entertaining history, and Jeff McErlaine’s incredible playing added another dimension! Thank you so much.

[@tenniswilliam]

Clapton did a big service to old blues players. If it was not for Clapton many marvelous old players would be buried and forgotten.

[@angusorvid8840]

Eric sounded best on the SG through the Bluesbreaker combo. I just can't get beyond that tone. This is not to say he didn't sound great on other instruments, but the SG tone was something special with his style. I feel that moving to the strat made his tone too thin at times. There's a time for a thin tone, and a time for a thicker tone. I just prefer how he sounds through humbucking guitars, particularly the SG.

[@christianhebditch]

Hi Angus Clapton never used his SG through a Bluesbreaker he used JTM 45’s with double stacked 4 12’s because Jack Bruce used the same thing. A Bluesbreaker combo is only 22 Watts like a Fender Deluxe reverb. They came with either 2 12’s or 4 10’s I have all three along with a few other nice amps. Clapton used a Bluesbreaker on the Beano album.

[@thenameless3271]

Yep, only the first Les Paul went through a bluesbreaker. The start of Cream and the switch marshall stacks were almost simultaneous. For most of the Cream studio work, it was a marshall head and a single 4x12.

[@christianhebditch]

Hi The Nameless I know I’ll never be able to play like Clapton but his tone of the Les Paul through a Marshall has been so emulated by other greats. The Woman tone is my favorite, and so many greats built off of it! Mind boggling.

[@wyssmaster]

There's a video of Eric at Hyde Park in the '90s, I think, playing Have You Ever Loved a Woman with his ES-335, and it's among his best tones. I really wish he would play more guitars with humbuckers, but I get that he's been associated with Strats for over 50 years now.

[@kenster865]

I said basically the same thing in another post. Agreed!

[@popeye089]

All music is appropriated from somewhere and some culture. That's what is amazing about music, generations become influenced and adopt sounds and techniques as their own. That is how music evolves. We all stand on the shoulders of the giants and gods that came before us

[@fivewattworld]

Amen. All great food comes from one culture rubbing up against another as well.

[@msaintpc]

Pete "Guitar" Lewis taught me the basic rudiments of blues guitar in Bakersfield, CA when I was a young kid when we both lived there in the early 1960s. But Mike Bloomfield and later on Eric Clapton, were my idols. I still play their music every day to this very day and I'm now 76. I feel blessed to have lived through the musical trends of the late 1940s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and the 2000s up to this point in time. I was fortunate enough to attend many of Eric's Crossroad concerts and to have purchased three of the guitars for sale while there, and no, I'm not talking about his personal guitars, only millionaires could afford them. At all Crossroad concerts there are countless guitar vendors who also sell their guitars too, but at affordable prices, and of course EC's company renting them the space and collecting a percentage of the sales, as any good business people/person would do. Yes, I truly have been blessed and I ain't even religious.

[@jcruisioso5975]

I’ll bet the lions share went to the crossroads charity . Artists are given a plane ticket & hotel room. That’s it.

[@Roosimpson]

This was a WONDERFUL watch. Thanks for posting!

[@bobsteel6916]

I'm an electric guitar person, but I severely loved that Martin acoustic at the end. Only Kieth could know that would be awesome to include that for a perfect ending to a great awesome video.

[@nedludd3641]

I seen to recall that Martin Guitar's documentary 'The Story of the Dreadnought' claimed that Clapton's 'MTV Un-Plugged' Concert helped to save a financially floundering company. Suddenly, Martin Guitars sold like hot cakes. Although I might have mis-remembered that. They still sell a Clapton Signature 000-28 for about $4,000.

[@SeanOHanlon]

I thought I knew Clapton's guitar history pretty well but learning that he played the Firebird and the SG is a big surprise. I will never get tired of hearing the story of how 'Blackie' came to be.

[@shanewalton8888]

The way you described how Clapton "translated" the Mississippi blues reminds me of a story here in Japan about the woman who translated LM Mongomery's Anne of Green Gables into Japanese. It became a huge hit in Japan not only for the original story but because the translator was an awesome talent in her own right. In fact, they made a TV drama here in Japan about this translator.

[@tadpoleinnit2643]

Now, there's a name I've not heard in a long time: Paul Kossoff. Died of a drug over-dose. The title of his greatest record is on his gravestone, 'All Right Now'. Great tune. Part of a very gifted family. Broke his father's (David Kossoff) heart when he passed

[@vladertx43]

Free is a really underrated band, really great musicians especially Kossoff

[@tadpoleinnit2643]

@@vladertx43 - Sadly, a lot of the greatest musicians at that time took Class-A Drugs.

[@mark1781]

I went to see David Kossoff talk about his son in Prestwich in the mid '70s. Of course we all went to hear about his son. It was not that.

[@Jamzamurai]

best vibrato in the game no cap

[@kevinjohnbetts]

@@Jamzamurai I was gigging in Italy pre-Covid and took my iPod with me. The other guitarist in the band knew Free but I had a Kossoff compilation that included an extended studio edit of 'The Stealer'. The expression on his face when Koss started playing some big bends with vibrato was something to behold. Pure awe!

[@briandaniels679]

As always, what a great video! I love 5WW. Clapton did appropriate blues music, and we are all the better for it. There is no need to defend what he did or try to put a nice spin on it. He liked what he heard, and he imitated and modified it. If that offends someone, who really cares?

[@eldiablo3794]

There's a good video clip up from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus of the supergroup, The Dirty Mac, performing the song Yer Blues. Eric is playing his 335 in it along with John Lennon on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mitch Mitchell of the Hendrix Exp on drums, and Keith Richard's on bass. Out of all Eric's bands and supergroups it would've been amazing to see how far that group of talented musicians could've gone and what type of music they would've composed. It's amazing how many iconic, awesome guitars Eric has played over the years and each guitar you see you automatically know what era and period of his music it's associated with.

[@drtimoshea4087]

Any particular link - or should we just guess within the 2 billions online videos---?? There's also a giant mountain of gold ingots -- free for the taking. Help yourself to as many as you like,,.

[@Guitar5986]

Incredible as always! I do wish Clapton stuck with the Gibson's though. His tone was always best when he was using a Gibson. Still an amazing artist and musician no matter what gear he chooses.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

I agree

[@PaulSter]

We all do

[@traceywalker2887]

This is easily the best guitar channel on the net. Continued success and thanks from a 75 year old telecaster duffer!

[@fivewattworld]

Thanks Tracey

[@tonya4157]

I tell you what, there's a lot of strange things and people in this KZbin world. Can't believe some of the stuff that somehow turns up on my newsfeed, timeline, whatever. You are not one of those people. You're a stand up guy and I enjoy and appreciate what you do. Hats off to you...

[@gregorypennell1755]

Another great video! I was fortunate enough to see Clapton live in either 1977 or 1978 in Knoxville, Tennessee, on the Slow Hand tour. I just stood there at the edge of the stage for two hours, in awe. The opening act? Muddy Waters….

[@jcruisioso5975]

Saw the same tour in Johnson City Tn. Amazing .

[@frankierodriguez8661]

brilliant as always Keith. simple direct and clear. accuracy and well documented. Keep with the great job.

[@fredjonker5933]

The best guitar player of the world. I visited his concert in the Royal Albert Hall, London 1987.

[@TheCream14]

Excellent video! Eric Clapton and Cream got me started playing guitar back in 1967 and I've been playing (and collecting vintage guitars) ever since. I've owned quite a few "Fool" replica's simply to stare at them and get transformed back into the best years of rock, blues, etc. Note: Cream performed two shows at the Royal Albert Hall final concert and he used his Firebird for one show and his 335 for the other. Lots of photos show this.

[@tommyraper3895]

Thanks Keith and Jeff for covering my favorite electric guitar player, can never get enough of this kind of stuff and I appreciate the time and care that you put into it!

[@supafrogg258]

Sir, my apologies if, when rewinding certain sections, I somehow inadvertently bypassed your segment on this guitar. But, I don't recall coverage by you of Eric's mid '60s Fender Electric XII, which I believe he recorded only one song with, the dazzling exotic sounding "Dance The Night Away" on Cream's Disraeli Gears album!

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

Hello Keith. In '68 after a Cream concert I did my usual thing to go back stage. The trick is to hide in plain site, or in short walk around as if you are part of the crew. Anyhow I asked Eric if I could play his Firebird. He said ..."Yes" ...then said ...."when your'e done" ...and then pointed at a roadie and then left. The thing that blew me away was if the action was any lower the strings would have been under the frets, LOL. In those days no one even heard of a 'set up' and repairs were sent to be done by the distributors so to us if the action was really bad it was a repair. I just assumed the Firebird was some special guitar that came that way.

[@fivewattworld]

Oh to have been a bird on your shoulder Paul.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

@@fivewattworld You would have been with me to meet Hendrix who wouldn't let me play his guitar. He gave me a good natured laugh and said the last guy he let stole it, lol. I was back stage with the Doors and another time Janis Joplin alone and she shared her whisky with me. There were many others but they were crowed with hangers on, drug dealers and the music press. They weren't as much fun. You would have enjoyed Cheech & Chong before they even had a record deal. We played the same tiny club. It was different time if you had a band and did your own tunes you got treated as a peer by other player big or small. No one had a nickel until there 3rd LP came out. I met Ron Wood and he lived with his Mom. He set me up to get a 50 watt Marshall cheap. I nearly forgot all this stuff because years ago if I shared it I got the vibe they thought I was lying.I am 75 so know when I say I don't give a sh@t I actually don't, LOL My best advice is that if you want to be a big time rock guitarist there is only one single thing that can stop you. Death, and I'm not dead yet.

[@jcruisioso5975]

@@Paul_Lenard_Ewing much harder to walk backstage now my friend. 9-11 changed the world. But I used to , yes. Same here, why tell my stories to those who think I’m lying?

[@54macdog]

Knocked it out of the park again, Keith!

[@davidwonpu353]

In addition to the obligatory black, the original signature Strat production run had some of the coolest Fender colors ever: Pewter, Torino Red and, especially, 7-UP Green!

[@johnconstantinides]

You should also mention Olympic White - a colour option first introduced in 1994, made famous by Martin Scorcese's «Nothing but the Blues» movie filmed at the Fillmore. Candy Green has been discontinued since 2010.

[@sweetdrahthaar7951]

Nobody does this sort of deep dive documentary like at all Keith. This video is stellar.👍🏻

[@azizaziz7007]

Keith, your passion is so contagious. Your video tells such a great story.

[@williamsanderson9279]

Great video Keith. You've done EC's rich instrument history justice in a mere 25 minutes. Well done!

[@JonManProductions]

I remember first hearing "White Room" on my local classic rock station (TEN O SEVEN POINT THREE THE EAGLE TAMPA BAY) and goddamn it took me a few months to figure out who it was because I was driving and didn't have the magical Shazam app available to me... I've started listening to more Cream and now I understand why it's such a huge influence on so many people today, gear, music, and musicans and all.

[@thaddeusfields4360]

My wife and I are going to see EC for the first time in our lives! We don’t go to very many shows (I have gotten to see BB, Buddy & a few of my country music heroes). Anyway, next month I’m going to snag some 5W merch to support this channel. I have watched the strat and p-bass videos countless times. Thanks Keith and friends for your research and presentation.

[@ianmckenzie5303]

Hey Keith, great video. I can think of only one guitar Eric Clapton owned that was missed. An early '80's Red Fender Lead ii... I don't know if it played much of a role if any in his career. I believe he played it live a few times. I don't think he even had it that long. He did donate it to the London Hard Rock Cafe. Thanks for all the hard work you do in producing your channel it shows in the quality of the videos 😎👍

[@ThePandaProcrastinates]

Love Clapton's guitars and love this breakdown! Even though I grew to like the 335 more, the Beano Les Paul is ALWAYS a holy grail for me!!!

[@jasonconerty2214]

Saw Clapton play in San Diego quite a few years ago. They had video footage of him up on the big screens. Think he played majority of the show on a strat. I noticed from watching the video that he played almost all of the songs entirely in the middle position.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

It was in the early spring of 1995 when I became motivated to become a guitar student, something which I had resisted before. I thought I would be a bass player because of the hubris about one note at a time versus six. Eric Clapton changed that for me. Not only did he inspire me to learn to play guitar, but he also was one of the players that tempted me to seek out a Strat, a Les Paul and a 335. In fact, I think that by the mid 90s, the only other guitar player that had made a name for themselves playing all three of them (as well as the Explorer) was The Edge. As of this comment, my current Stratocaster is a homemade affair that more closely resembles the David Gilmour Signature than any other (although with Brian May pickup selectors), my Les Paul gold top is the only Gibson I may ever own, and instead of a 335, I have a Yamaha SA2000 (which might be better than the real thing). I’ve also managed to leave behind my original impetus as a player (which was to emulate Eric Clapton) and focus on being Eric Benjamin Gordon (which is my real name).

[@matthewpotter1933]

As always outstanding story. Thank you so much!

[@jdguitarmusic]

Thanks for this Keith - for those of us born-late-50's kids who grew up listening to the first and second British Invasion bands, Clapton was omnipresent - played with the Beatles & the Plastic Ono Band, first of the Golden Trilogy of lead guitarists in the Yardbirds, recorded THE quintessential British Blues album with John Mayall (Beano album), formed Cream, Blind Faith, Derek & the Dominoes, played with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends - and that was just the first 8 years of his career! You've done an excellent job of connecting his various bands and incarnations to his choice of guitars. And Jeff McErlain doesn't just play guitar, he embodies it - just sublime. The deep research and attention to detail is, as always, mightily impressive. Took me back to my roots - thanks!

[@troybagby4902]

I bought a used black Clapton Strat years ago and that’s what I gigged with for a number of years. I loved it.😊l

[@williamnash6079]

Keith, another wonderful video. I’ve been a Clapton fan for years….until I discovered Richard Thompson, EC was my favorite British guitarist of the lot. I really like the way you get the full sweep of his career here without it feeling rushed. And I would welcome a companion video about EC’s acoustic guitars; it would likely get tons of views as well!

[@SpacemanXC]

I was a fan until I found out he's a racist.

[@williamnash6079]

@Louis Renault I agree; Keith, what do you think?

[@aluminati9918]

Thanks for a great run-through of Eric’s guitars, Keith! He’s a true master, always with a strong sense of melody at the core. (More so than many of his contemporary peers if I may say..)

[@FenderBender503]

For me, it's the Crash Strat he used in 2001 on the "One More Car, One More Rider" tour. Eric Clapton is my Dad's favorite guitar player; My parents had tickets at the time for the Portland, Oregon show but for whatever reason they couldn't go. I remember my Mom and buying the DVD after it was released for his birthday or Christmas or something and watching it with my Dad. I hadn't started playing guitar for another 5 or so years, but something about that design caught my eye and I had a weird obsession with guitars and its been all down hill since. I thank my Dad for my taste in music, and I will buy a crashocaster one day

[@nationalduo4945]

You missed One of his Favourite models….a full bodied single P90 pickup Gibson es 125…good video…

[@grantiscornholio15]

This is my new favorite KZbin channel

[@Roscoe.Maples.2-9-73]

Thanks for your great work, Keith. Loving this “The Guitars Of…” series

[@supafrogg258]

Over the years, I've come upon too many refutable so-called facts about equipment used by our guitar heroes. Now, I love referring to your ardently researched videos, for the most in-depth & accurate accounts I've encountered. Thank you for your scholarly work!

[@josephadams]

Eric’s duaghter bought him a sky blue Mexican strat and you can see him play it during a live performance of I Shot the Sheriff.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

two fun facts: i bought my first 66 slope J45 from bells in surbiton, sometime around 1975, (possibly as late as 1979 though) when i walked into the shop there was the 66 J45 and a 66 epi texan, and when the guy asked me "what would you like" i answered "these two please" - he was only going to sell one though, so i opted for the gibson. which leads me to the story that when i was doing my graphics degree at kingston poly our illustration lecturer told the story of his predecessor who was famed for having said "you're never going to get anywhere until you put down that guitar, clapton".

[@MarkFromHawaii]

Great docu-viddy Keith. My wife caught me watching it shook her head: "More toys?!?" Haha! Speaking of records, back in my formative years I joined one of those Columbia Records clubs where you get 5 albums for a nickel at an introductory price. I clearly remember two Polydor double albums: "Heavy Cream" and "Eric Clapton at His Best". Wore out the grooves on those two.

[@drbrappe]

Super as always Kieth. What’s important ? My first electric guitar was a earlier 1960s (‘64?) Gibson SG Jr. I wish I still had it But what’s more important is the memory of my dad driving me all around Houston to Music stores till we happen to find it among the used guitars. That was in1966. My dad has since left this planet but my memories of us finding my ‘first’ is in the long run what’s most important. The love of a caring father matters most.

[@allan-shephard]

Wow Keith. Your Aunty was a deadset legend! What great albums to pass on to you young 'uns. An older friend who started teaching me guitar in the 80's got me hooked on Cream. So that was an enjoyable overview of Clapton's guitars too. Thank you 😁

[@Chess_Guitar]

Very interesting video full with information. Thanks. In the early 2000's Clapton used a custom shop strat with an interesting color design. That guitar can be seen in the "One more car, one more rider" video made for the 2001 tour. That's the same guitar that he used when he came to Venezuela that year.

[@johnconstantinides]

The guitar in question was the very first "Crashocaster" painted by John "Crash" Matos. Eric had also another pair of Crashocasters in his guitar arsenal, the most famous being "Crash 3" used extensively during the 2004 world tour and the Crossroads Guitar Fest at Dallas' Cotton Bowl.

[@ryanchan8367]

I read Clapton's autobiography this week so this was a great video to come across. This was a fascinating watch! I love the content you put up! It's always so informative and interesting to watch. Plus it is presented in a way that is accessible to all people and not gear heads. Please do keep it up! ✌🏼

[@rick00770]

Thank you for the is video, I'm a Clapton fan from the 60,s, il be 72 next month . he's always beem my favorite guitar player. I started playing in 61, saw s lot of great guitars through the years, couldnt afford them. But had a few nice ones. Super interesting video and super job putting it together. I only saw him one time in 77, i wasnt dissapointed. Dicki Betts came out and they played Layla. At the omni , Atl. I think my favorite was the brownie strat. Thanks brother.😊

[@uiocity]

Stunning video! Thank you for sharing such interesting facts. I've been playing Clapton songs on a classical Nuñez Guitar and a Custom Les Paul. I just bought the Signature Strat. Thank you for taking the time to build the POD Go tones; they are incredible.

[@BrytonBand]

aw poop i just missed the premiere oh well, i'll just listen to this with a nice icy drink

[@ryanmiller9999]

My first guitar instructor had a gorgeous grey Clapton strat with lace sensors that played and sounded amazing. I still debate putting lace sensors in mine from time to time. Great video!

[@robertwhitcomb6105]

I believe the color is known as pewter.

[@johnconstantinides]

@@robertwhitcomb6105 There's also a darker variant called EC Grey. It was offered - along with Daphne Blue - as a part of a limited edition run in 2010.

[@curragh4635]

keith you do unbelievably great work

[@johnpandolfino8663]

Great job Keith 👌 I first heard the Beano record in highschool back in 1967.....that tone and Duane Allmans Live at the Fillmore East tone is all I have in my brain when I go for a sound out of a guitar and an amp.....

[@nathanielvargas3863]

Although I first heard both of those tones 45 years after you did I feel that same way. A Les Paul into a Marshall will always be the guitar I hear in my head.

[@justinparkerthewildwolf6394]

Been looking forward to this one . Thanks from oz mate

[@bazilbrushrocks]

Keith, these just keep getting better and better. Bravo!

[@csharp57]

I love how classy Clapton dressed in his early years

[@francescotenti193]

Great video! Being a Clapton fan since my early teens, 70 now!, I never get tired to watch anything related to his life, playing, gear and everything else in between. Clapton is still GOD!!!

[@TheSavagederek]

The man who is responsible for me loving Strats and SGs but mainly Stratocasters.

[@eddiecarter9831]

Clapton is one of my absolute favorites! As you mentioned for other players, he and Page turned me onto many blues players that I would have otherwise never heard of. Many guitarists are known for their tone, but there aren't very many who are known for many different and great tones as Clapton is. I've become an even bigger fan over the years, even purchasing albums that aren't considered to be among his greatest works, learning that I like much of that as well. I never knew that Clapton owned a Washburn early on. I have a Washburn D10-CE that I've had for close to 25 years. It has aged very well and is a joy to play. Great video!

[@RodClark]

Excellent as always. And yes … we’ll take that acoustic episode please

[@backwater_j]

Patrick Wilson and Five Watt World? Yes, please. Keep 'em coming Keith, you rock!

[@5150show]

Absolutely brilliant. Eric Clapton is a absolute legend . Thank you

[@alexperez3651]

Your send off was beautifully put!!

[@fivewattworld]

Thanks Alex. I worried that haiku in translation might be a bit of a stretch. :)

[@howabouthetruth2157]

Another video I'm terribly late with enjoying. As always, another great body of info, thanks Keith! Funny story, pertaining to Clapton's UN-plugged concert. During that time, I was at the height of my local club gigging here in Brevard co and east/central Florida. Aside from full rock & blues bands, I had bought myself 3 nice acoustic guitars with onboard electronics and performed a lot of acoustic shows at the time, both with a partner and as a solo performer. Right before Clapton's UN-plugged show was first aired, I had purchased a new Samsung ( or Sanyo ) television set that had both a DVD and VCR tape player. I recorded that show onto video tape. This TV set had an amazing feature for the VCR: "Shuttle" and "Jog"......I think it was called. Anyway, you could rewind and pause, and then use this feature to move the video tape forward literally1 frame at a time ( and even freeze frame, if needed, with remarkable clarity. ) In addition to all of those other great songs such as "Tears In Heaven" ( I had already learned to play/sing & perform ), there was the tune "Lonely Stranger".....I think that's the song's title.....anyway, this tune had some incredibly difficult chords, especially if you were trying to catch it as it was being performed. But with that shuttle/jog feature, I had that song down chord for chord and note for note literally within an hour. During my very next acoustic gig ( and all others to follow ), I performed Lonely Stranger ( playing and singing ).......to the amazement of some really great guitarists who asked "how in the hell did you cop those chords"......I enjoyed messing with them at first by saying "I just figured it out by ear" ( although I do have the gift of perfect pitch ).........but being the honest bugger that I am, I eventually confessed & revealed to them, that darned TV set and those features it had, LOL. I don't think any guitar tablature would exist for that particular song in any guitar magazine for at least several months to come. So I was the very first singer/guitarist in my entire area who not only performed that song, I performed it to perfection, within days of that show first airing on MTV. And I did it using VERY OLD "technology"........LOL. By the way.......I never read music except for tenor saxaphone in jr high. Everything I learned on guitar was by ear and watching more advanced players. But I do encourage young players to take advantage of lessons that can be found today on platforms such as TrueFire. If I were still performing ( I retired from the club scene back in '02 ), I would definitely take advantage of TrueFire.

[@isaacshepard7809]

I can't get enough my brother.. appreciate you and All your knowledge ❤❤❤

[@rankenfile]

That was a fun cruise through history. Thanks 5WW!

[@gunsofsteele]

Thanks, Keith! Time to practice. And-a-1-&-a-2-a-&-1,2,3, ROCK!!! ✌️

[@Bruh-ov7iv]

How does this only have 6 views?!??

[@fivewattworld]

It was only available to my Patrons on Patreon yesterday. Its going public at 11 this morning (7/6/22). This should be a big one.

[@Bruh-ov7iv]

Ok I just want to say I love these videos

[@lanebowman-biggietc7870]

The private owner that owns the sg and the unplugged acoustic is Jim Irsay owner of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team, he also owns several other iconic instruments like lennons piano, he takes his collection on tour sometimes and you buy tickets to see it all From what I've heard he also gets hammered and plays some of them on stage lol

[@dr_tomK]

Another amazing video! Thank you Keith.

[@Jake-yx7ct]

Thanks for the research and respectful presentation of my and your Guitar God. EC,Slowhand,.🖤🖤🖤

[@guppybill]

I really dig watching these great players give small tweaks to tone or volume and it's if they changed their whole rig. Mr. Williams, you know some inspirational players. This was a terrific breakdown.

[@fivewattworld]

Thanks Bill

[@gregmize01]

Yet another stellar video!🎸

[@stevegamiello6476]

When EC was touring with Delaney & Bonnie, he also used a black Les Paul custom with, I believe is two pickups with covers removed. Durning the Nothing But The Blues tour in ‘94 - ‘95, he used many Gibson archtops, ES-350’s and Byrdlands as well as a Sunburst ‘59 dot neck ES-335, Which he continued to use after that tour. Most notably in his jazz session with Wynton Marsalis. In the 70’s , there were the Guild Acoustics as well. Also notable, his custom shop Signiture Strats that he uses, often match the color of some of his favorite cars. Mercedes Blue for example. And the baby blue one match his custom hot rod built by Roy Brizio( check that spelling). I was really hoping for some insight to the Bangladesh Byrdland. That seems to be the biggest mystery guitar of all. It’s a Byrdland but it has 350 style parallelograms neck inlays as opposed to blocks. There’s never a mention anywhere about this guitar. He said many years later that it was the wrong guitar to play at that show, but he wanted a Chuck Berry style ES -350T and couldn’t find one. Since that was such a bad period for him mentally and because of drug abuse, I felt he may have rented it from a NYC music shop like Manny’s or Carrol Music which was located very close to MSG. ( I had rented a vintage Gibson J-200 and vintage Martin D-28 from Carrol music. Two of the finest guitars I have ever played. I’m sure those are out of circulation now.) The photos from that booklet that came along with the album is the reason I wanted to play the guitar. The one of him with his eyes closed playing the Byrdland. I saw that and at 11 years old I said to myself “ wow that’s so cool, I want to be like that”. That’s the photo used on “The History of Eric Clapton” cover. But that’s just my thought. Otherwise another great video. Thanks for doing these video’s. You channel is a favorite. Keep it up

[@MattyK-USA]

Terrific job as usual, Keith - no matter the subject, I always learn something from your videos. Very grateful to have you around! Cheers - ❤🔥👍

[@christopherweise438]

Even though Clapton is not my guy......Keith always draws me in with his thorough content. Thanks Keith.

[@nitrobw1]

As repellant as I find Clapton personally, it’s hard to deny his contributions to guitar music.

[@christopherweise438]

@@nitrobw1 - Fair point. I don't even like his playing all that much, but when Keith starts talking gear.....i'm all in.

[@toms5951]

I think the 80's Lace Sensor is overlooked quite a bit, I love the tone in Pretending and the 1990 concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Favorite guitar thought has to be that "Crashocaster" graffiti style used for the Concert For George, which might still be my favorite concert.

[@kevindean1327]

The sound on Miss You is huge. Those lace sensors were great!!!

[@Mr.Goldbar]

As someone who was born in the early 2000s and grew up on Clapton in the mid-late 2000s, my favorite Clapton guitar is actually the Crashocaster with the wild graphic!

[@IAmInfinitus208]

Specifically the one he used on George Harrison's tribute concert. Loved that orange one!

[@telecasterbear]

When I was younger, I wished that bands would always stay together. Now, I get the joy of being in different projects. Recordings will save the result of these projects.

[@adambeachard6794]

Great history, thank you very much. I always enjoy these videos.

[@bassfishingwiththeantichri2921]

I’ll always remember Clapton playing a green Strat with Lace Sensor Pickups. I agree with the maple slight V neck. I have an 57-07 Mary Kaye and it’s the best feeling neck.

[@mattgoettl6796]

You should do a history video on Lawsuit Era guitars from Ibanez. If love to know more about these instruments! Keep up the great work, I love the Five Watt World channel!

[@punkly8423]

Excellent work as always.

[@mikec3454]

Love this series! EC is my absolute favourite guitarists and a major influence on my playing.

[@WillKellyHardKnocksGtrs]

Roger Giffin built THREE "Strats" for Eric, at the request of Lee Dickson, Eric's Tech. Eric had asked Lee to see if he could get Blackie, Brownie and another Hard Tail '55 Strat repainted in modern colors. Lee instead contacted Roger, who had a shop under a bridge in London at the time, and Roger built three Strats, a blue one, a Burgundy one and a Green one. It was a rush job, and Roger barely delivered them in time for the tour. Eric liked the blue one the best, kept the burgundy as a spare and gave Lee the green one...

[@faronhamblin]

I have the Green one now Will.

[@WillKellyHardKnocksGtrs]

@@faronhamblin Yeah, Lee kept me in the loop. Enjoy!

[@theelongmann5841]

In my opinion, there is no other guitar player that has as many recognizable/ important guitars in the history of music as a whole as Clapton does, and I think that just speaks volumes about how much of an impact / influence the man has had over his long career.

[@bryonkidder6199]

Great video once again! Luv it!