What Is The "Woman" Sound?

When Eric Clapton formed the band Cream with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, he quickly developed a new sound on his guitar known as "Woman Tone" In this episode of what is the sound we take a deep dive into Clapton's famous Woman Tone.
Gear Used:
Gibson Les Paul Standard 50's Spec (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Fender American Pro II Stratocaster (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Marshall 1959X Hand-wired Plexi (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Line 6 Helix Rack (afilliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Clapton's "Fool" SG
iconic-guitars.jimdofree.com/...
BBC Cream Documentary
• Eric Clapton & his Gib...
------------
MY VIDEO COURSES:
The Complete Nashville Number System video course
rhettshullguitarcourses.com/p...
Check Out My Guitar Tone Course Here!
rhettshullguitarcourses.com/p...
------------
MY PRESETS & PROFILES:
Line 6 HX Stomp Presets
www.rhettshull.com/helix/hx-s...
Line 6 Helix & Helix LT Presets
www.rhettshull.com/helix
Kemper Profiles
www.rhettshull.com/kemperprof...
Impulse Responses (Helix, Kemper, Iridium & AxeFx)
www.rhettshull.com/helix/rhet...
------------
MY SECOND CHANNEL:
Rhett Shull Studio
/ @rhettshulltwo
MY DISCORD SERVER:
/ discord
DEACON KNIGHT (my band):
/ @deaconknight1939
------------
THE BACKSTAGE JOURNAL PODCAST:
(apple) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
(spotify) open.spotify.com/show/1q8Rrv4...
------------
SHIPPING ADDRESS:
5805 State Bridge Road
Suite G90
Johns Creek Ga
30097
------------
My Video Rig (affiliate links)
CAMERA:
-Sony A7III (affiliate link)
amzn.to/2NDqJW2
LENSES:
-Sony 24-105mm f4 (affiliate link)
amzn.to/3svZuLZ
-Sigma 35mm f1.4 (affiliate link)
amzn.to/37M01S6
-Sigma 50mm f1.4 (affiliate link)
amzn.to/3dM4FDm
LIGHTS:
-Neewer LED Panel Bi Color (affiliate link)
amzn.to/3kzkb73
SOUND:
-Sennheiser MKH 416 Shotgun Mic (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/937...
-Universal Audio Apollo X4 (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/937...
-Zoom H6 Handy Recorder (affiliate link)
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/937...

[@RhettShull]

Pre-Order my new guitar course The Complete Nashville Number System and save $15 here! flatfiv.co/nashville-number-system

[@GuitarOnTheRun]

What level of player is this targeted at?

[@petebrown3715]

Is this a video course or just PDF's broken down by chapter? Just curious Rhett. Thank You. If it's a video course then I'm in for sure.

[@chowderwhillis9448]

Claptons good but he’s no Jimi

[@chowderwhillis9448]

Day 88 of requesting your new single “Touch of a Blacksmith” this is coming from a blacksmith’s apprentice mind you...

[@salatieljyrustumanan4929]

Rhett, try dialing the neck pickup tone knob at 1 or 1/2. If the neck is muddy at 0, Eric mentions that you can dial 1 on your tone knob

[@Magnabee97]

I was a huge fan of Cream. I was 14 when they formed. I was really bummed when they broke up, and Clapton never played with such fire again. Cream was like a shooting star that shown brightly and then burned out. In my opinion Crossroads live from Wheels of Fire is the finest live recording ever made.

[@philwimer3591]

Your thoughts (and age) mirror mine.

[@claesvanoldenphatt9972]

Yeah Clapton became extremely boring after he went through his heroin phase. I can’t stand anything he did after Blind Faith.

[@vedder10]

@@claesvanoldenphatt9972 I think people who have been heavily influenced by the unplugged album and his blues album "From the Cradle" would disagree.

[@LucasFerreira-cq8qz]

@@claesvanoldenphatt9972 he did the Layla album after Blind Faith, that album is a blues masterpiece.

[@ImYourOverlord]

*shone, but yeah, that was Clapton at his best, and in a fantastic group!

[@imacmadman22]

My first Clapton "Woman Tone" experience was Cream's "Disraeli Gears" at age seven. My big sister was playing "Strange Brew" on her record player, very loud and I thought it was really cool.

[@RC32Smiths01]

Clapton Cream Era is so iconic and unique in every sense! A true legend he has always been!

[@michaeldoerksen2841]

It's my absolute favorite Eric Clapton era. The best tones and some of the coolest and catchiest riffs of his career. I mean Iommi even cited Cream era Clapton and the woman tone as the influence for his own tone.

[@jackgreenwood1817]

@@michaeldoerksen2841 very interesting, and it makes sense. Without Clapton there'd be no Doom

[@geoffblack9655]

He was an early bloom...then thpppppttt....

[@IrishBog]

After 30 years of playing I’ve discovered great tone is in the fingers. The problem though is that they’re someone else’s fingers :(

[@277southtombob]

Clapton has went through several sounds and they’re all great. The woman tone is truly iconic but for me his sound with John Mayhall was just amazing. That Les Paul through a jtm45/Bluesbreaker is the quintessential blues-rock tone. Although I saw Clapton playing a Strat through a Fender Super Sonic 100w combo not too long ago and he still got really a great tone out of it, no matter what he’s using he always sounds amazing.

[@rjguthrie9294]

“Has gone!”

[@jimmytgoose476]

Many famous guitarists have said that too often people think its about gear rather than the player . Tony Iommi said he was very keen to try out another lefty's gear out of curiosity but "....i still sounded like me ."

[@sleevelessace]

man that bluesbreaker album is the one of only a few albums i can listen to front to end without skipping and loving every secind every note of it!! it is musical nirvana

[@broken927]

When Eric was asked about the "Clapton is God" graffiti, he referenced the picture with the dog pissing on it and said, "That about sums it up."

[@mattgilbert7347]

Smart dog. Good taste.

[@mattgilbert7347]

@@tareum420 Wouldn't put it past him. He was, and still is, a right C U Next Tuesday. A Sea-Hunt. You get the idea. Algorithms are watching...can't call him a ****

[@mattgilbert7347]

I just can't forgive him for never recanting his infamous "Keep Britain white!" outburst. And treating his mates like crap. And abusing young women. And so on. If his music was revolutionary, like Picasso's art (another real piece of work), then I could probably let it go. But it wasn't. He nicked it from the people he wanted to kick out of Britain. Made millions off of their music. What a...yeah. I like that dog. Okay enough ranting.

[@evanabbott2737]

Hahahaha

[@evanabbott2737]

@@mattgilbert7347 he drank every day for like, 10 years. Alcohol makes you do stupid things.

[@nathenate7974]

It's so fuzzy without being fuzz. It's an enigma wrapped in a secret

[@BedeLaplume]

I got myself a pedal made by Mad Professor(Amber) that is an overdrive that steps into the fuzz territory just like this tone as you point out..

[@melonah]

Cranked amp, tone knob closed, you got it

[@TimO-wt9sz]

Your absutely right and Rhett bieng a fuzz guy i totally was waiting for him to add a pedal.

[@nathenate7974]

@@melonah perfect. Now if I just had a tube amp, or one that broke up when cranked, I'd be set. Oh and also, could play like Clapton... or Rhett, or even half as well lol

[@melonah]

@@nathenate7974 that's the only purpose of it :) Enjoy Eric man! Blues and Roll!

[@FuzzImp]

When he kicked on the vocals I was like OH SH*T we got something neat going on

[@guitarsrcool4922]

He still can sing pretty good especially for someone that's 75. He has a great Rock and Roll voice.

[@noahsarich6323]

Rhett's vocals in the intro are great!

[@shanebastable1885]

Great comment

[@ROCK-vl5yw]

What do you mean ?

[@petermiller2884]

So nice to hear someone give well-deserved props to Clapton. He influenced me a lot. One of my most cherished moments was seeing him 9th row center, behind Bernie T cuz Elton was there too, at Dodger Stadium. Epico!

[@davidmiller1218]

I really appreciate the "Sound Of" series you're doing; I'm learning about sounds that I've heard on records and had no Idea how they were produced. This "Woman" sound is one I've always called creamy since I heard it best on records by Cream, now I know what others call it. Anyway, thanks, and I thought the tone you got from the Strat was the best but that's just my ears.

[@willemmoller6736]

I got the Live Cream album at age 12 and it inspired me to learn how to play guitar, particularly blues guitar . . . I was already playing drums and Ginger Baker became a huge inspiration. Two close friends became pro bass players after listening to that same album and hearing Jack Bruce. What a band!

[@benwhitwell7317]

Done. Course purchased. Looking forward to you and Zack dipping our rigs too!

[@liamcrittenden]

The “RIP WAH” graphic killed me. Loved this video. I’ve been dialing in my “Sunshine of Your Love” tone over the past week or so since I picked up my Benson Preamp pedal (it’s phenomenal), but this video gives me a good reason to finally dive into the rest of Cream’s discography. He we go.

[@delisub2910]

What is the “Gilmour” Sound?

[@Patrick-857]

Can't fit that into a KZbin video unless you're talking one specific tone from one specific guitar part, and even then it would be long video lol. Also to do it legit with the authentic equipment would be very cost prohibitive. Gilmours tones are the most expensive to chase imo, he used every bit of tech available to it's limits. But yeah, Big Muff, chorus from a CE2 or Small Stone, delay and reverb, and of course a strat. Also he used Hiwatts, so big clean amps with a lot of headroom help.

[@Terribleguitarist89]

Gilmourish has devoted years to the gilmour tone via his website and youtube. Would love to see Rhett's take on the topic though.

[@mattgilbert7347]

The sound of a real guitar God. References: Gilmourish Kit Rae Francesco Carpenteri

[@derfgerps4016]

He used all kinds of different effects throughout even just his time in Floyd

[@mattgilbert7347]

The most important effect for Gilmour's tone was VOLUME. There is no substitute.

[@chalino5555]

Hi Rhett, I have also been obsessed with this for as long as I can remember. I think the critical piece is the speakers. The speakers shipped with the original JTMs were underpowered, meaning they would distort early without turning the amp all the way up. That is where part of it comes from. You can't properly replicate it with an amp sim, but I do understand that most of us don't have spaces we can crank up giant amps/

[@alexanderkernoghan4385]

Clapton was famous for blowing speakers in cream. A huge part of the "woman tone" is definitely greenback speakers collapsing under the strain of excessive volume. In the second half of cream, especially the live stuff, his tone becomes sharper more focused and you hear less of the woman tone... this almost exactly coincides with the advent of the heavy magnet greenback. As a result the speakers aren't as close to breaking point. From my own research clapton did not generally jumper the marshall channels plugging into the high input of the normal channel. But he did sometimes jumper 2 100W together in series!.... I think this can be heard on the Grande Ballroom concert were the tone is particularly distorted. It's a great sound, and one of the few where you know the player in just a couple of notes. Great video Rhett, your production quality is always outstanding.

[@ethanp2107]

Completely agree...distorted speakers and redlining the board as well

[@dennisyoung4631]

The “more Fur” setting? (Octave distortion, lots of clear-sounding harmonics)

[@dnews9519]

Everyone playing Les Paul's back then used a treble booster. That was the secret to getting that bright scream.

[@BadMotivator66]

eric isn't pictured to, or said he did. it's alleged he did on the bluesbreakers album but eric didn't mention one

[@alanjamesh.zamorano1677]

The Tone Bender stomp box was also another guitarists secret, Jimmy Page in early Zep used one and also Mick Robson later on.

[@tomandtheoutlaws]

Absolutely love these tone videos Rhett. It’s an incredible achievement to build this channel in the first place, and then to reinvent it to an extent after the Backstage Journals became impossible. Well done to you and keep them coming. 🎸🎸🎸

[@sadeairbender1129]

Great video! Your playing is absolutely amazing Rhett. Can’t wait for your next video.

[@sassycat]

It seems to be only in the province of Humbucker City.

[@benelmer]

Don't Forget p90's

[@zerohourdrift]

Easier to do it on a strat if you’ve got the Clapton circuitry. Midboost up tone down gets pretty close

[@dorianford6227]

a jazzmaster can get there with the rhythm circuit 😉

[@theparalexview785]

Carlos Santana described Eric Johnson's 1980s tone as the "woman tone." Johnson played mostly standard Stratocasters with single coil pickups. But most of that tone was in Johnson's hands, volume and treble cut control, and complex pedal board and amps for three distinctly different tones.

[@zerohourdrift]

@@theparalexview785 ironically, most of ej’s most famous songs were recorded on his 335 or even an sg if I recall(in particular cliffs of Dover), but he plays them live on a strat with almost no difference in tone

[@Birkguitars]

My first ever public performance was doing the acoustic version of Layla from Unplugged. I was so nervous that when I went to strum the first chord I missed the strings completely. It is still a track I play a lot and he is still up there with the very best.

[@14djfunk]

Rhett! Man this abundance of studio time is really paying off! I've been loving these dissection videos, keep it up! 🤘🤘🤘👍👌

[@Phil_Hayes]

Really nice job on this video. It’s one of my favorite sounds I gravitate to from time to time. I didn’t know Eric used the bridge tone as in the video. I guess one is never to old to learn something new! Thanks again!

[@MattKellyMusic]

As always, killer tones Rhett. I really dug the intro, you should do vocals more often!

[@sprague49]

I was around at the time of Disraeli Gears and I remember reading an interview with producer Felix Pappalardi in Hit Parader magazine where he said engineer Tom Dowd plugged Eric's guitar directly into the mixing board, overloading the input till Clapton was pleased with the sound. The 100 watt Marshall's Cream turned up at the studio with were just impossible to record properly. Makes sense given the technology at the time and the fact that Super Leads were designed for stage, not studio use.

[@tonebender69]

A lot of Disraeli Gears definitely sounds like the guitar is going into the mixing desk. But not all of it. Sunshine of your Love sounds like a Marshall plexi to me. A lot of the tracks from the studio side of Wheels of Fire also sounds like they put Clapton straight into the mixing desk.

[@tonebender69]

The problem wasn't so much that the Marshall's were not meant to be used in the studios to record. Hendrix used them very loudly in the studios in England and would blow away the offices next door. Chas Chandler and Jimi had arguements over recording levels. Clapton also recorded the bluesbreakers beano album with his JTM 45 cranked. The issue was that the album was recorded in Atlanic studios in NYC amd it was a real tiny space for that sound to be captured correctly. Not so much of a problem in studios with large rooms.

[@sprague49]

@@tonebender69 Mic bleed would have indeed been the bigger problem in a smallish space. Dowd was one of the master recording engineers of the latter 20th century but until that time, he'd never recorded a band quite like Cream. This is just speculation but there were probably heated discussions on how the band wanted to be recorded and how the record company wanted their product to sound. Compromises had to be reached and to Ahmet Ertegun and the Atlantic execs, Tom Dowd was god, not Clapton. LOL!

[@tonebender69]

@@sprague49 😂 yes! Absolutely. Tom Dowd was incredible as well as Pappalardi. They both had much to add to the pot. A great album and accomplishment for all involved.

[@michealcarney853]

Thank God! I've been wait forever for a proper in dept video like this on it!

[@ttrascal]

Thanks for posting, Cream was also a huge influence on my playing as well, and the more I listen to them the more amazed I am. For me another inovater of this sound was Leslie West from the band Mountain, who I felt were the American version of Cream and whose bass player produced Cream, Felix Papalardi, listen as an example to Dreams of Milk and Honey. 👍🏻

[@jordandangelo180]

Great video topic. I was just experimenting with this tone on my 61 reissue SG last night and it a great tone for sure. It sounds like a wah pedal all the way back in the heel position. Another cool tone is to turn the tone all the way down on the neck pickup and then turn the tone all the way up on the bridge pickup and then putting the pickup selector switch in the middle. You get a really great combination of both and it’s almost like turning your guitar into a Wah pedal.

[@josephballerini3730]

Along with Duane allman, I think this is a great humbucker tone.

[@Tjam1]

@Steve Teodecki That's so cool, I hope they won't find out that you sneak in and play guitar in the house 🤣

[@TheGuitarMan71]

Duane Allman is the goat. RIP SKYDOG

[@spoontickle12]

I love these different tone videos. Extremely inspiring.

[@LuckyJack]

I listened to your multi-track intro about 20 times.... SO AWESOME!

[@mkg28]

I think EC doesn't get the credit he deserves. He is not a flashy player but his licks are tasteful and right for the songs and he's wrote amazing songs. If you listen to the Layla album and don't get chills then I don't know what's wrong with you. Eric and his tone in the 70's (my favorite era of his music) is the only reason I own two stratocasters. His work also made me dig deeper into the blues and actually made me want to learn how to play solos and leads when all i knew was how to play rhythm. I wouldn't be who I am as a player without his music.

[@guitarsrcool4922]

Very underrated singer with one of the all time great Rockn roll voices. Paul Roger's from Bad Company. Another great rockn roll voice.

[@kevonguitar]

He was def a flashy player for the generation… crossroads live recording was the flashiest guitar out there for the time… Eddie van Halen wasn’t doing his thing for almost another decade later

[@kentishmale1969]

I think being called God is a pretty high credit rating personally

[@absdyna]

Bro was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thrice, how much more credit does he deserve dammit... just because you weren't around when he was 'viral' doesn't mean he never was lol

[@allancrow134]

Clapton's double-live "Just One Night'" with Albert Lee is my favourite Clapton record. It came out just after Dire Straits "Dire Straits". Both those records have awesome clean tones. I believe they were both using Music Man amps.

[@cacornett58]

Albert Lee played an awesome solo on Cocaine. I love the scales he was playing in.

[@allancrow134]

@@cacornett58 Lee's playing was a real eye-opener for me as well. I spent hours learning licks from that album. I bought Just One Night, Stage Struck(Rory Gallagher), Mahogany Rush Live and Hendrix 'Concerts' on the same day at a record store on Young St in Toronto in around 1980. . That was a good day. :)

[@sixpenske1940]

just finished watching this What is sound series is awesome love this please keep them coming!

[@scottreynolds6317]

I just heard about this today in another video, and bam! here comes your video to explain and explore it! Love it!!!! Thank you!!!

[@ahmedrashed78]

I'm fighting stage 4 cancer, I enjoy your videos, please make more, thank you!

[@DMSProduktions]

Damn dude! Fight the good fight! (TAKE cannabis oil!)

[@ahmedrashed78]

@@DMSProduktions not permitted here unfortunately, thanks man

[@DMSProduktions]

@@ahmedrashed78 What do you mean, 'not permitted here'? It's medicine! There is NO THC in it! It's the CBD compounds that attack cancer! I've seen some1 terminal in S4 like you, go back to S2 in a few months!

[@ahmedrashed78]

@@DMSProduktions the country I live in does not allow any cbd oil

[@DMSProduktions]

@@ahmedrashed78 WHY? That's just stupid! Muslim country I am guessing?

[@ianvalentine9728]

So glad that you talked about Eric Clapton. I think the Bluesbreakers Beano album is where electric guitar rock tone really began. But, certainly, with Cream, Clapton developed the sound further.

[@datguitarplayer1656]

Clapton's Beano tone is actually my favorite of his. Neck and neck with the woman tone, much better than the 80s tone or the 90s lace sensors tone and I actually would say its largely better than his D&TD tone.

[@derfgerps4016]

Yeah All Your Love was the song

[@tjukkv]

I really like these tone videos you have been doing. Very useful for me,

[@donnystephens8032]

Great video Rhett. Great information and explanation. Thanks.

[@gavincarr911]

Rhett, is it possible that you could do like a compilation of your intro songs, even if they're covers? They sound awesome and are something to take inspiration from

[@matthewcole6456]

Your next video should be “what is Jeff Beck?”

[@Manalishi32]

🤣🤣

[@jerrystephenson1172]

Talk about an enigma

[@joaco190]

i agree

[@datguitarplayer1656]

Can't be explained. No such video can ever exist.

[@livekaos]

And what about the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stuart and Ron Wood?

[@98Vols]

Really enjoyed this one, Rhett! Amazing my friend. Thank you!

[@Sasa-mi3xd]

Great 👍...you make my day ...i grow up with eric music ...I m 47 yo and still listening to cream and eric until now and even i stop playing guitar since a long time...but you know what for the love of white room I pick up my old 40 years Yamaha studio lord 400s and magic happens...my favorite tone ever...you miss just wah pedal in your video but still...good job...a big thanks from so far...marrakech Morocco 😇😉

[@thezoexperience1]

Thanks for making this video. I feel like Clapton gets a lot of shit nowadays for changing up his sound in the 70's. What I think it really shows is his innate ability to do what he did with a Les Paul / Marshall combination but with a Strat / Fender Amp combo. Goes to show that it's not about the equipment but the player and their "touch".

[@noahbergman7777]

Another option is with my les paul I like to put it on the middle position,volume all the way up, and tone on both pickups at about halfway.

[@PhilKelley]

This is a great theme. I learned what a huge difference it makes to your playing to get the right tone when I used a Line 6 Spider modeling amp. One piece of the puzzle I was missing was the guitar pickup settings. Also, this really compliments something I have been listening to lately: Rick Beato's "Top 20 Sounds" series. He gives us the great guitar sounds. You telling us exactly how to do it would make for an excellent series. (Thanks for pointing me to Rick's channel, Rhett.)

[@ArtieDillon]

Thanks so much for shedding light on 'ol slowhand. Like you, unplugged started it all for me and he remains the reason I set out on this musical journey all those years ago. Happy Holidays bro!!!

[@o.g5211]

Oh snap he can sing now? Rhett's evolving.

[@alanmartinez1025]

Barely

[@Avinash-it7rp]

@@alanmartinez1025 so nice of you to try and invalidate a compliment

[@mightyV444]

@O.G - Yes, pretty cool! 😀👍

[@sergiootaegui]

he is growing stronger

[@dennisdewinter1997]

A great video and demonstration of Eric Clapton’s sound! Thanks!

[@thomasmcgill6918]

Great video! That BBC Cream interview inspired me to want to play guitar. I saw this interview when it came out in 1968. I was 10 or 11 years old. What I loved most was his vibrato and phrasing. I started playing when I was 14 and worked hard on his tone and vibrato. Unfortunately I lost all of that tasteful technique. Time to revisit!

[@abdulaziz_Saud22243]

Great video for great topic 👌👍 Eric clapton is one of the greatest guitarist of all time 🎼🎶 and my favorite clapton era is cream 🍺 Well done Rhett Shull your content is great ❤️🌹✌️

[@ravenslaves]

"I remember being two years old, three years old, and hearing those (Eric Clapton Unplugged) sounds..." ...And I remember sitting here feeling really, really, old. ...damn kids...(grumble grumble)

[@chipsterb4946]

Too funny yah old fart 😜 I was only 8 when Disraeli Gears was released and don’t think I sat down and listened to the album until I was 12 or 13 ...

[@Mrbeahz1]

"Get off my lawn!"

[@trulsolsen683]

Most big rock bands started out with their members aged 17-18. Today, that would mean being born in 2003-2004.

[@adiiqbal8010]

Really enjoying this series!!

[@peterfalahee]

By the way excellent video /playing and explaining about the equipment … very helpful ❤

[@BrettPapa]

Nice dude!!

[@mightyV444]

He is! 😀

[@gpdaelemans]

So... Jack and Ginger didn't like each other before Cream (never knew that). I wonder how large the Cream catalog would be if they actually liked each other!

[@justinrayguitars6024]

Went back and listen to the intro 3 times. Hanging around with Rick is a good thing.

[@keithrinehart809]

Great stuff Rhett! Nice job on the intro too!😎👍

[@spacemissing]

When I watch these videos of younger musicians admiring those of "my" era (born in 1959) I get the impression that they are more reverent than I have been toward the great artists. Somehow that gives me hope that good music still has a future in spite of the garbage that is so prevalent now. Rhett, you are not only one of those younger musicians I speak of, but you May be the Best of them.

[@andrewwarnock8254]

We’re out here

[@stevelaferney3579]

1954 I heard Rhett and I thought I’m not that old I just hit one year past retirement age. I may feel it I I ain’t that old. It’s just the mileage. ;) KEEP AT IT RHETT!

[@thegolfnut812]

Confession is good for the soul. You are forgiven, stay reverent my son. In 69 I saw Blind Faith live. Yes, it was great.

[@spwicks1980]

Years back, i chased this tone obsessively and got pretty close. To me, there are a lot of things to tone and something that gets overlooked is speaker distortion. Those old celstions when overdriven sound pretty sweet and contribute to the tone. You need wayless volume to get that sweet overdrive tone with the real thing. I also dabbled with a treble booster. There was a theory many years back he was using one in John Mayall and it carried over to Cream. Whether or not he did, it got me close. The boost pushes the woolyness away and leave you with that singing woman tone. I used a Tokai Les Paul copy (Japanese) with AlNiCo 2 pickups, a Dallas Rangemaster close booster into a 50 watt Laney Supergroup combo (almost identical to a Marshall electrically other than a few resistors, power section and Partridge transformers instead of Drakes. He certainly used a boost for years in those Signature Clapton guitars. They sounded awful though, but that might have been the lace sensor equipped model i tried. I think these days he uses a pedal.

[@tjmacmytechpc7192]

I've caught this video about a dozen times and it never fails to crack me up - earliest musical memories of Unplugged on cassette! I fall in love with the Yardbirds in grade school. I really don't want to reveal what my earliest musical memories were... let's just say that rock n roll was just starting to grow up. It really had been a hard day's night.

[@GigsandGuitars]

Great video as always and loved the tones 😊👍

[@eljison]

Great gear talk, but you forgot to mention that a major part of the tone comes from your fingers and hands and the pressure you apply to the strings, as Eric also stated in that video. Still, you did a great job showing how to get close and very nice job playing them. One of my all-time Cream favorites is Tales of Brave Ulysses. I always overplay it, then when I listen to the original it is striking to me how little is actually going on, there is a lot of space and subtlety that is almost impossible to replicate. Not to mention, Ginger Baker's snare stab is never in the same place twice.

[@peterfieldscovers944]

I love Clapton performance on the Waters, pros and cons ...

[@dakotahrivers6640]

You should do a course on how you go about soloing and lead lines. You’re so good and your flow sounds so natural.

[@820hurleyj]

Rhett, you've brought back cherished memories for me. I remember hearing those Clapton sounds for the first time on Disraeli Gears and the Wheels of Fire. What I thought way back when was that Clapton was just going through his regular set-up, LP, Marshalls, and the secret sauce was I think he had his favorite toy back the, clicked on. His Wah-wah, which undoubtedly was a Cry Baby. Fast forward 55 years and I still can't say my first guess was wrong. By 67 I'd been playing guitar for 4 years and had scraped up enough for a cheap Kent 335 knockoff and bought a Heathkit amp, which my dad commandeered to put together. I had the cheapest off brand Wah-wah I could buy. It did make the Wah-wah sound, but the pit was so crunchy I started using it set in one position. It was during those days I pretty much replicated that woman sound, and it was quite by accident. It took some major convincing to get my mom to let me play my albums in the house and that was only when my dad was not home. But playing my guitar in my room distorted, with feedback and if I played it at night, I could hear our local AM station through it if I wasn't playing. You don't know what you missed playing in those days. Anyway, try using just a Wah-wah clicked on with beginning of the wah setting and just leave it there. BTW - earlier I'd become addicted to the Guess Who American Woman sound and read about the guitarist building his own box for a "violin" sound, which is what he used in that album. It may have been the same article, but I found the diagram in Popular Mechanics on how to build my own Fuzz Box, which I did. It explained the wave form of the fuzz sound as just clipping off the top and bottom of the sine wave. It actually worked pretty good! I think I eventually through it away, but in 1967, it was bitchin'!

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Another great guitarist Robin Trower , mid 1970's .... Winterland Concert 1975 .

[@johnbeamon]

"I don't own a Marshall, yet. 😕" HiWatt, /13, and Dumble visible onscreen.

[@daveshamir729]

Hey Rhett, greetings from Tel Aviv! What a great, informative video on this classic tClapton one. My biggest takeaway from this is that you can leverage any decent guitar-amp-pedal configuration to articulate a sound you have in your head. Very inspiring...and apropos classic Les Paul-Marshall plexi sounds, 'm going to get to work on conjuring my best Duane Allman using my American Performer Telecaster and Fender Bassbreaker 15. Thanks for all the compelling content on your channel

[@Alleycat2112]

Thank you. I'm a bassist and a hobbyist. I make my own little tunes on a DAW, where I write and play all the parts. Guitarists tell me to cut the low end and it sounds too thin to me. I usually stay away from the solo pick-up. This points me in a direction I was already heading, and it's perfect with my Wildkat.

[@rebelcat420]

Derek and the Dominoes era are definitely my favorite era of Clapton’s

[@Idan_the_guitarist2603]

I’m on the cream team

[@Matthewtaylorn]

Blind Faith.

[@TheGuitarMan71]

That’s because of Duane Allman lol

[@Matthewtaylorn]

@@TheGuitarMan71 100%!! Some of those songs draaaag out, and Duane saves them with his intense playing.

[@TheGuitarMan71]

@@Matthewtaylorn I agree and also Duane wrote the Layla riff, inspired by Albert King’s “As the Years Go Passing By”. Sadly a little known fact!

[@erickmo1188]

Hearing the Layla riff for the first time was the single moment when I decided to play guitar. It was the first thing I decided I had to learn

[@datguitarplayer1656]

Greatest riff in all of Rock and Roll. I truly believe it's better than anything Angus, Page, Iommi, EVH, Hetfield or any of the other riff greats has written. It's perfect. And it's perfect because it fits the song, the lyrics, the longing and crying soul of the singer, so very, very well.

[@ak47dragunov]

Great riff but a very far cry from the "woman tone"

[@erickmo1188]

@@ak47dragunov I absolutely agree. I was more so just agreeing with Rhett that Clapton played an integral part of why I became a guitar player.

[@brianmcfarland6548]

@@ak47dragunov well that’s in part credit to Duane Allman who is playing the part you remember so well

[@b.rodclark7349]

I was reminded of Clapton's woman tone while playing my Esquired Tele when I put the 3-way switch in the fixed cap (0.022uf) position directly into the dimed out clean channel of my California Marshall Valentine aka Carvin X-60 w/a factory-installed Celestion; it has an imported twin railed humbucker that's P90 hot...wow! Great video insight to this beautiful tone!

[@fri3ndly3fir3]

Love the vocals!!! It's spicing up everything! Keep it up!

[@paulnoonan1151]

Wrong...so wrong, everyone knows he used a Boss Heavy Metal pedal.

[@miromontagnani6539]

Or maybe a Boss Metal Zone 😂.

[@richardtate6972]

I assume you’re talking about Rhett?

[@Claymor621]

@@miromontagnani6539 I bought one in the 90s and thought it was harsh and toneless. Having since watched vids revisiting them I now know I was totally right.

[@Markle2k]

And a time machine?

[@akasgsvirgil9503]

You're all wrong. He used Lace Alumitone Deathbucker pickups, a Digitech "Crossroads" distortion pedal, played through first gen Crate solid state amp passed over the freon coil of a refrigerator for the reverb effect. lol.

[@jasonwampler7101]

Rhett, you nailed it on this one. I play a '91 Gibson SG Celebrity Series. For years, I almost never touched the tone controls. I recently got a Line 6 POD Go and downloaded two different Clapton/Cream patches from the marketplace. Neither one sounded right, until I switched to the neck pickup and rolled back the tone control. It was perfect. I was amazed. Would you consider doing other artist tone series? Like what's the "Mississippi Queen" sound? Or what's the "Bad Company" sound?

[@crumpred805]

Thanks for that rendition of one of my favorite Cream songs when I was eight ... still great!

[@greggpbowlz]

Nice dissection of Claptons Cream era tone. I just pre ordered the new course as well. Thanks!

[@scottyvalero3691]

That Les Paul is simply exquisite!

[@sTVG2]

how about the tone on “I don’t trust myself” from John Mayer’s Continuum (in the intro melody)? is that a different tone all together? could you do a video on that sound?

[@davidclark625]

Pretty sure he's using an EHX Q pedal for that.

[@mgscano]

Great video, great sound, and you made me feel so old with that story on you being a kid when Unplugged came out

[@rsaragosa]

Thanks Rhett great work. I too was influenced by Eric when I first heard him with Cream I knew I had to play guitar. Thanks for your tips and I have to say you hit on some great variations there I have always wanted this tone myself I will have to work on it. Thanks for your work on this.

[@FakingANerve]

When you summarized his career, I feel like I didn't hear Derek and The Dominoes, and I find that quite surprising. 🤔

[@simply3141592654]

Sometime, do something on Clapton's strat tone changing in the 70s 80s and 90s. Maybe something on the From the Cradle Album

[@RyanLBrown9396]

When Clapton started using Fultone OCD’s

[@larrydohanos5893]

@rhettschull you are becoming one of my favorite you tubers. Right up there with Rick Beato. Keep working and you will hit 2 mil soon You have helped me find tone and how to get the most out of my equipment without breaking the budget. Thanks man. From Nashville with Love brotha.

[@jimpottssoundandvision]

Great subject, great breakdown and analysis sir! Cheers, JP

[@kungstu22]

Dude. We are time travel buddies. I have said that exact thing myself many times.

[@davidhammond3738]

Oh.... and don’t forget to take £10000 quid and buy a house in north London for good measure.. and a 59 les paul with the change!!

[@thomaszonkowski2115]

One player from that era, whose tone is just tremendous and vocal is Martin Barre.

[@SB-kw6oo]

Daaaaaaaamn I didn't expect the full song intro NICE MY DUDE

[@loading2074]

I love your channel! You deserve millions of subscribers.

[@seymorebutts5771]

The woman tone is "I swear to God if you buy another guitar I will leave you before you walk in the door!"

[@emilyadams3228]

Those high-strung chicks just can't let it slide. Always fretting about something & getting amped up.

[@mrredritehand]

@@emilyadams3228 😂 this made my day, thanks

[@keithrinehart809]

Now that's funny!😄

[@EclecticHillbilly]

@@emilyadams3228 Well done. :o)

[@romykucheev]

So why u should have ladies like that? Isnt bitchy submission?

[@jts3339]

It’s the sound my wife makes when she discovers that I bought “another g**damn guitar” without telling her.

[@robst247]

She's jealous that you stroke their elegant necks more than hers.

[@chowderwhillis9448]

I’ve been dealing with that all month after I bought me first Mexi Stratocaster, I’ve had an old Epiphone Les Paul, a classic Nylon and my wife’s acoustic to use. I told her about it but she wanted me to sell some of my dads old antique sci fi novels to get the money before I went to guitar center. Lol and she’s usually pretty cool but yeah they get envious that I spend so much time practicing everyday after work instead of doting over her but I’m not that much of a romantic guy I guess I’m pretty self reserved and she’s beginning to understand my love language but she’s young she’s only 19 bout to be 20 and we have a two year old in the mix, so yeah I probably shouldn’t have bought the strat.

[@chowderwhillis9448]

My first*

[@billkoetting5197]

@@chowderwhillis9448 My guitar store has a sign by the register. For $10 tip I'll print you another receipt that shows what you told your wife it would cost.

[@stevelaferney3579]

One acoustic guitar in 7 years cause when we had to move to an apt I thought about the neighbors and noise/music. My wife says it’s ok to buy whatever I wish so long as we can afford it, but family comes first afore them thar geetars in my mind. Makes fee a more pleasanter time. However I hear a Strat calling out to me, very soon. ;)

[@pg123ab]

Great video Rhett, thanks for the research. I like it when with the selector in the middle I turn down the bridge pup tone.

[@PhilAlbinus]

Great video!

[@sambarker6312]

cream are the best live band in history, wish I could have seen them

[@bendayze]

Is it just me or did Eric describe taking all the bass off using the tone knob ( which doesn’t make sense) maybe a mis-speak? He describes turning the tone knob to zero which is accurate but turning the tone knob all the way down would ONLY leave you with lower bass-y frequencies? Maybe I’m wrong but I watched it back a couple times

[@vicpnut1]

Yeah that’s what I’ve heard every time I’ve seen that vid.... to me it’s just misspeaking in the moment , sort of tongue twister . Meant to say roll off or down to 1or so “tone” to get all bass ...... but in speaking said “bass” instead of tone control

[@istvandejesus]

My favorite tone al time. Very cool video Rhett. God bless!!!

[@820hurleyj]

Clapton became my all time favorite guitar player in 1967!