Joe Bonamassa breaks down Eric Clapton's iconic playing during "the Gibson years"

[@Rylie-Riley]

Thanks for reminding us why we fell in love with Clapton's playing in the first place.

[@delphinazizumbo8674]

well, eric had to play it first for joe to play it second.

[@classicraceruk1337]

Please make a longer version of this Joe, I enjoyed every micro second!!!!!

[@JordanSeal]

"... this small little room of hobbyist level equipment." Now we know that Joe hangs out on The Gear Page.

[@glennmcqueen9475]

The world needs more of Joe

[@SOBRANTE409]

With his lack of feel??? Hard pass

[@travisweigand9982]

My favorite era of Clapton, his playing during those years grabs me more than most of his later work

[@stratman9449]

it'S the "real" Eric from those 5 years......and deffo his best.....

[@RobertSlover]

"the magic is in his hands" its not the posh gear!

[@mikeyohe4750]

I like his “voice” much better on a Gibson. His Fender sound is too thin and smooth even with the midrange boost.

[@bluesman7119]

Clapton's Cream years are still influencing younger players today and will be for years to come , if your starting out like I did listen to and learn Clapton's Cream years it will give you a great foundation for your guitar journey

[@donyarish3343]

Clapton if and when you put a humbucking guitar in his hands today plays differently from the Strat he regains some of that ballsy fire. Its in the hands but also what is in your hands.

[@georgebertozzi8267]

I'm no guitar player but I can watch these tutorials all day. Especially coming from one of my very favourite guitarists talking about my all time favourite Clapton!

[@questfortruth665]

We're all honored that you take the time to throw all of us plebes these bones of wisdom!

[@NolalanD]

Thanks for this. Clapton Bluesbreaker, Cream, and Layla periods are my first influences as a player and opened me up to the world of the Blues and both the great Albert King and Freddie King. Nice NOLA shirt Joe!!!

[@michaelondrusek3768]

I feel that Fresh Cream is the template for all rock guitar that came after it: the Gibson/Marshall combination, pentatonic and modal solos, huge power chords (sometimes w/ the 3rd), and the best vibrato in the business, and it still sounds “fresh”

[@stratman9449]

you're right there....pure "cream" and Clapton...and badass Bruce and Roger

[@neilritson7445]

Agree! The scales he used were SLOW, CLEAR and accessible unlike the Bluesbreakers' fast tricks! Think SPOONFUL for example.

[@davidpicard5376]

Thank you so much for your generosity 💓

[@stratman9449]

Cheers Joe....that was the very best of Eric Claptons "essence" of his "BEST" years......and (one) of the reasons i still play guitar today.....56 years later...i know....thx....good to mention Alexis Korner.....he doesn't get the merrit he deserves....and he left us far too soon too....

[@petergedd9330]

You know what, I'm just so pleased that I wanted to play guitar since I was 7 years old, it's been such an amazing ride through the years, and it's still going strong, all the twists and turns and subtleties of an instrument that can be played in so many ways. What would I do without this constant goal of achievement. Music is such a wonderful thing as is Life.

[@joseph_Stuart]

Oh I know I’m gonna love this series on Clapton!

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Eric is one of a few that has had 4 decades of great music and hits in several bands and as a solo artist. An elite artist/guitarist/singer and performer. One of the greats.

[@jbrobertson2758]

One of my favorite Cream songs is 'SWALBR', the B-side of the 'Sunshine Of Your Love' 45 Single released in 1967. Eric's beautiful Treble attenuation and overdriven 'Woman' tonal spectrum grabbed my attention immediately. His dual leads? in the solo a look into the future... Check it out!

[@timwalsh715]

I still have a copy of that 45!

[@fotodave8896]

SWLABR- She was like a bearded rainbow😁

[@greghenderson4582]

You sound the most like Early Clapton than anyone I have ever heard !!! Bravo !!

[@stratman9449]

that'S true....

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

You got to do somethinng with all that gear.

[@ByronWarfield]

Much respect to Joe! Seeing Clapton at the Crossroads Festival in '04. His chops are elite, he's a very good singer and writer to boot. He also seems like a really approachable guy!

[@chandleravans8266]

Crossroads 04? So you saw his AMAZING I Shot the Sheriff solo in person? I think that was the greatest solo of his career

[@jcruisioso5975]

Saw both Chicago crossroads shows. Friggin amazing

[@Fugettaboutit]

The term 'nailed it' is often overused, but I can think of few times outside of this that it's been so apt. Spot on, and no surprise that it's coming from Bonamassa.

[@cu6454]

Thank you Joe 👍🎸

[@chariotdrvr14]

As a teen, I remember hearing him play the lead on George Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and it inspired me to want to learn how to play lead guitar. Mostly what I got from Clapton wasn't so much his shredding leads, but the idea of how many different emotions or tones that one can get from one note. Probably Clapton got that from B.B. King...but still, the man is a master.

[@pkoven]

agreed. IMHO he gets even more emotion than King does.

[@mikekaylor1226]

Thank You Joe! I love your playing, and I love how much joy you get out of EC's playing.

[@AgavePiper]

I can watch Joe do this all day. Always learn something from him. cant wait to hear him play for the first time in November

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

That bit about backing off a bit on the pick hand attack is so true. And fantastic advice about the Tone control…I never considered that before for Beano tones. It is obvious on ‘Disraeli Gears’ tunes like “Outside Woman Blues” and on ‘Fresh Cream’ recordings like “I’m So Glad”, but I never thought of it for Beano album sounds.

[@bazzathegreat3517]

When I first heard Sunshine of Your Love, I was in awe. I became obsessed. I didn't what to just learn about Cream and Clapton but I needed to know all his influences. I read liner notes, looked at who wrote the songs. I would then find that music. It led me all the way back to Robert Johnson. Joe does a great job of getting Clapton's tone here. And Mr. Bonamassa is probably the best blues guitarist around right now. But still no one sounds like Clapton.

[@johnperiard9594]

The Gibson years were my fav Eric years! Great video!

[@GuyCabliaro]

I would enjoy a breakdown of Peter Green's playing and gear. He played Les Pauls and had an out of phase pickup on his Strat. Anyway, these videos are really entertaining. Thanks for taking the time.

[@djwarren5081]

Brings back memories of seeing EC at the Royal Albert Hall. The place was bouncing. Great stuff Joe.

[@jamesgomez753]

Joe plays this stuff so well

[@oicsaywhat]

Love these videos of Joe showing homage to the greats before us and giving us damn accurate sounding clips. Thanks for the tips Joe life long Clapton fan myself

[@bsjeffrey]

so what you're saying is...that's the beano guitar.

[@TlicTlic]

Its so nice to see that clear out because so many guitars aren’t the beano guitar. Thx @bsjeffrey (and joe)

[@steve_anderson]

😂

[@Mojoe70]

Actually, he said it wasn't.

[@RjBenjamin353]

Fun Fact: That’s actually the Refried Beano guitar. You can tell by the gas powered humbuckers

[@bsjeffrey]

@@Mojoe70 so...what you are also saying is that's the beano guitar.

[@GerryBlue]

Nailed the Stepping Out tone!

[@ImprovGuitarJams]

Pretty easy when you own nearly the exact gear...

[@theedguiTOR]

Thank you Joe for tips and knowledge to improve! 🙏

[@chrisbullen219]

I’ve only seen Eric Clapton live one time on the From the Cradle album tour at the House of Blues in New Orleans on Decatur Street in the French Quarter in 1994. Played three shows in a row I went the third night. Awesome and intense show small venue all blues, muddy waters Robert Johnson, etc. I can still see and hear it clearly in my mind 30 years later. At this point, I’ll probably never see him live again but then again I don’t need to.

[@spartannomad3036]

Hey Joe, love your work. He also played a Firebird 1 for stint, great sounding guitar.

[@khabibissell]

I love watching pros that truly love the guitar and all that goes with the experience of playing. Good stuff!

[@bnastali]

Loved EC on the Firebird ! for his biting tone.

[@donmccann2885]

I still love Clapton on a SG the best. I just tried a Clapton demo today with a 73’ Marshall and my 71 sg….

Thank You! I think this is the best Clapton´s era:-)

[@ShadysMyCat]

Thanks Joe. Love these vids.

[@boabglen]

That one bend in to vibrato at 3.28 to 3.29. Man that one hit hard

[@slu4154]

Longer version please Joe!

[@danthegeetarman]

Love the Joe bonamassa collabs!! Always good stuff

[@steffenbrix]

AMAZING tone❤

[@MrGuitar1458]

Absolutely wonderful, Bravo Joe!

[@PedroFreire95]

“This small little room full of hobbiest level equipment” Yeah right… Loved this, Joe! As a strat guy, looking forward for the video about the fender years!

[@cu6454]

Thank you Joe 👍 Eric 🎸👑 appreciate you 🙂

[@neilh9442]

Peart was The Professor. Joe deserves equal title for guitar. Brilliant!

[@5150show]

The Beano album changed my Life

[@Timat-s4n]

Good super concise presentation.

[@balke7935]

Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor…. And Walter Trout. Arguably the best of them all, absolute phenom.

[@daveelbourn3655]

Thanks for doing these vids Joe!

[@Trial212]

Thanks Joe, Some nice info to have!!

[@robertlee4172]

I subbed to this channel, just now, based on this one clip alone.

[@johntillman6622]

Good stuff! Thanks Joe!

[@stickman55100]

Phenomenally meticulous, helpful and interesting video. Thank you so much.

[@bluesful]

That ODS sounds great.

[@andrewtate8303]

Love hearing Joe takin guitar

[@kimlombardy3393]

We’ll never know if that is Beano and Joe is smart for not telling 🤫

[@JohnSmith-in1tt]

If only guitars could talk. Then we’d know

[@MrSatchmo724]

Beans was a 1960

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Is all the fuss because of the value of the instrument, like Mr B says and is trying to tell players is that whichever Guitar you choose make it your own and try to be "Original" a bit?

[@skipneumann1]

Clapton high on the neck is so good

[@FrankEspinoza115]

I need more of this series. Get him back to talk more

[@tmgranato]

Woah those bends sound EXACTLY like Clapton's 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 It was them who grabbed me the first time I heard Cream

[@jonranper]

Thanks Joe!

[@WeekendWarriorGuitars]

Go Joe - love the sound and the swagger! 🤩

[@lordsong7]

The most 'unsung' Gibson Clapton played in Cream is his Firebird I. I saw Cream at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on the Farewell Tour, and Clapton played the Firebird I throughout the show, going through all the popular Cream songs. I had never seen or even heard of the Firebird at the time and so kept wondering what is that kinda funny looking, cool guitar he's wielding. :) I was expecting to hear the SG 'The Fool's, but introduced to the Firebird instead. All through 2 Marshall full stacks with the Range Master on top.

[@humangreg]

I love the way he insists : "NOT THE ONE !" 😁

[@kathleenkarsten156]

More please! 🎉

[@thedude-jb7wx]

That Let it Rain Down solo man oh man

[@markarita3]

Clapton at his finest, for SURE.

[@skipneumann1]

I was 14 in 66 and Clapton records got worn out ever since- great video thanks

[@Watergrovey]

How do you know the color of the bobbins if the covers have never been off???

[@bradc32]

you can look thru the back

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Joe also has a collection of X-ray specs...you will see him wearing them in photos and when he goes shopping .

[@geemac7267]

Man, that Fumble sounds smooth.

[@stinkboneorien1270]

As usual, you have great chops but as one who saw Clapton up close and personal from 15' away when I saw Cream live in a April 1968, and was literally traumatized by Eric's massive, spine tingling performance on his SG "Fool" through a Marshall Stack, I think you made the discussion a bit too simple. I fully understand it has to be dumbed down for the average player or audience, but EC has so much *more* within his pallet than just those minor pentatonic riffs. He would also often go into major pentatonic mode through those long jams and once in while, he'd go off the reservation and try new things. That said, I also wanted to suggest that the so called "Woman Tone" was *never* a major tone setting for Eric during Cream and like the myth of his 335 being from the Yardbird days which it wasn't, on Cream studio recordings, Eric only used the WT on most of the "I Feel Free" solo on Fresh Cream and then, most of "Disraeli Gears" except for his solo on "Outside Woman Blues" which was more like what I call the generic Clapton "Blues Breaker-Cream" tone. He also used it very sparingly live and by the time he retired his SG permanently and opted for the Firebird and his other Les Pauls for Cream's US Farewell tour, the Woman Tone was totally extinct. However, Eric's lead pickup, "Blues Breaker-Cream" tone,, was his most common and prominent tone throughout his tenure with Cream regardless of which Gibson he used. From 66 all the way through Cream's final performance on 11-26-68 at the RAH in London, Clapton mostly stuck with his toggle in lead or bridge pickup position with variations on his tone control. His most historic, and arguably, the greatest live guitar solo in plectrum, blues-rock history, "Crossroads", featured his typical lead pickup tone except it was never shrill, it included a near perfect vocal tone with the searing power of that Gibson lead pickup. When I saw him live in April 68, the tone that came out of his dual Marshall stacks was phenomenal with the power of the space shuttle and when he bent a high register note, it crawled up your spine. His tone on Cream's live "Sleepy Time Time" is the closest example of how he sounded the night I saw Cream except hundreds times the volume:-) Clapton also had the hands down, greatest stretch vibrato of all time. A stretch vibrato is when he would use his wrist-finger vibrato while bending the string as opposed to his "held note" vibrato which was powered by his upper arm. The perfect oscillation of his vibratos, meaning not too fast or slow, have remained unequaled in my opinion. That was one reason George Harrison recruited Eric to play lead guitar on the Beatles "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" because George wanted a huge, wide vibrato that would mimic crying and Eric delivered using the "Lucy" Les Paul which he had given George just a few weeks earlier. Please consider eventually doing a more detailed discussion and analysis of Clapton's Cream period for us more experienced guitarists, especially we who had the fortune of seeing a young powerful, virtuosic Clapton in his 20s, mesmerize the guitar world and become the worlds first gun slinging guitar deity. The rest is history. Thanks😄

[@mikekoenig6467]

I've also heard on the YT comment section of how "The Woman Tone" was a rare occasion and that he would only have that tone for 20 seconds for the whole set. Mainly it was that Beano tone that was as you put it "crawling up your spine". I also heard from the same guy that his Firebirds tones treble was overwhelming and ear piercing at times. Thank you so much for the history. Ill only ever hear recordings as I'm only 30 years old but the stories I hear are phenomenal.

[@richfrank8540]

Great video. Never noticed EC is playing a LP Deluxe in the Tommy film scene (as is Pete T, his guitar of choice in that period). Likely EC borrowed his Deluxe from Pete for the scene. Never seen any other photo of EC playing a Deluxe.

[@tymanngruter1808]

The Beano guitar was a beast, in that time Eric was to! ♨️

[@allstopblue5717]

Insanely good tone here

[@loontil]

I love his pre-Dadrock stuff...

[@prathameshbhambure]

This video was too short. We need a longer one.

[@9kingsOffroad]

Playing a '59 burst into a Dumble . . . "hobbyist level equipment".

[@fkteeter]

Love this!

[@cpk313]

Casually hanging out with a Dumble and a real 59..."it's in his hands" Joe, that's what us mortals think when watching you.

[@delphinazizumbo8674]

joe: "yes, I have in fact analyzed Mr Clapton's style from every angle. I can re-create every musical moment of Eric Clapton's life. Success!!!"

[@mainoffenders4662]

Great stuff!

[@RobertFairweatherLuvMachine]

The good years.

[@CarstenGoeke]

Super cool. Thanks ✌🏻

[@calsurflance5598]

The “ get into character “ quote is golden. You do not need a $400,000 guitar though a Marshal stack! ( but it helps)

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

One complaint, these are too short. 😉

[@benallmark9671]

Agreed

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Too right, get us all hot under the collar and says " Bye" ...tease. I bet the Fender "Years " will last about 4 mins...an epic !!

[@alex241]

I think Mr Bonamassa has forgotten more about blues lead guitar playing than I will ever know....I need to get to one of his live shows ASAP....oh, and I wish my "hobbyist level equipment' can one day approach a fraction of his....then I can die happy....

[@ImprovGuitarJams]

Can you please cover Peter Green Bluesbreakers era, and can you please cover Dan Toler?

[@petetatonks]

Thank you 🙏

[@SixStringRay]

*Not 100 Pedals Folks,Just a good old guitar and some gain and verb* 🎉

[@albertjabberin739]

Great video

[@drebatista]

Clapton till this day, is a better/meaner musician if he has a Gibson on him. Thats just a fact.

[@TRWilley]

Spot on about a lighter touch - that can be an issue when you can't get enough power from the amp/guitar, is often subconsciously you try to attack harder on the right hand and then the tone goes to crap. When you can get enough power from the rig it allows you to relax and get more dynamics between your right and left hands.

[@subbamichi]

What about Clapton‘s „From the cradle“ early 90s Gibson sound? I heard that he also played a lot his ES on this record

[@DavidLumby]

Hey Joe, were is the Beano guitar?

[@reubenrozeyt5716]

Eric Clapton's woman tone on Sunshine of Your Love made me love electric blues

[@rutger4131]

4:53 "They just humbucking guitars" Mic drop!

[@stephanea5364]

Clapton bores me to tears

[@Cream1968]

If you remember like I do after his heroin addiction was kicked in. He finally got Patti Harrison he became a raging alcoholic, replacing one addiction for another. You have to take the whole body of his work into consideration, and remember that most of his peers aren’t alive anymore for one reason or another. The 70s were a low point because of the alcoholism… he still here is somewhat of a miracle

[@philipbrackpool-bk1bm]

It was that tone that John mayall heard and got Eric into the bluesbreakers.