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.
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[@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

[@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 :(

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@matthewcole6456]

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

[@Manalishi32]

🤣🤣

[@jerrystephenson1172]

Talk about an enigma

[@joaco190]

i agree

[@livekaos]

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

[@FantasticExplorers]

YES!

[@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....

[@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. ;)

[@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

[@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

[@noahsarich6323]

Rhett's vocals in the intro are great!

[@shanebastable1885]

Great comment

[@ROCK-vl5yw]

What do you mean ?

[@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".

[@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.

[@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

[@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)

[@o.g5211]

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

[@Avinash-it7rp]

@Alan Martinez so nice of you to try and invalidate a compliment

[@mightyV444]

@O.G - Yes, pretty cool! 😀👍

[@sergiootaegui]

he is growing stronger

[@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!

[@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!

[@sgholt]

GInger didn't like anyone....

[@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/

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@BrettPapa]

Nice dude!!

[@mightyV444]

He is! 😀

[@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.

[@Sco3000]

If Clapton is a god, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page are titans.

[@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. :)

[@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.

[@johnbeamon]

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

[@Hyce777]

IDK - Clapton certainly is an influence, a fantastic, technical player - but for me, he's never been an influence, never been cared for - never been a factor really. Layla, Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads - all great tunes, but just kinda "whatever" compared to most of what Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck wrote.

[@mcswordfish]

One of my earliest musical memories was my Dad putting on Politician - it scared the shit out of me so much I made him turn it off. I was only two or three, but I just had this vision of a disembodied head floating over rows of hedges in the dark, singing this song. I am now in my mid-30's and it is one of my favourite songs of all time

[@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.

[@bradswanson6788]

Kinda sounds more like "Charlie Brown's mother" tone.

[@DMSProduktions]

Wah wa wa wa wAHHHHhhhh! Good grief!

[@trevorgwelch7412]

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

[@jonathanrossmusic2509]

“A kind of whining noise described as WOMAN TONE”. Ahh good old fashioned sexism.

[@mrredritehand]

👃👈

[@jonathanrossmusic2509]

@@Dead_Solid_Irish the whining woman is in fact a stereotype of women used by sexists. A more accurate description would be that of a whining child. Having said that, my comment was meant to be sarcastic. I would assume the interviewer didn’t mean it that way. It was a joke. Besides, we all know EVH was one of the worlds top elephant poachers. The screams of the dying elephants were a huge influence on his sound.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Why did they call it "woman" tone? I hate Eric Claptons tone and songs, since 1971 at least. The stuff he did with Duane was the best and since then he has just coasted in neutral and lived off his name. I cant stand his tone. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Frank Marino, Rory Gallagher Hendrix, Duane Allman etc, was so much better.. Stevie Ray and the Hendrix tone was 1,000 times better than Clapton. Hendrix destroyed him one night in 4 minutes playing "Killing Floor". Clapton was the sleepiest worst most boring concert I ever saw.. so boring half the crowd was gone by the half way point. Stevie Ray totally destroyed him in every way..so much better and way huger tone. We had so many great blues players right here in St. Louis that make Clapton look silly. Clapton is the safe sanitized blues guy for the suburban people that dont know the names of any bluesmen, and never heard real blues and never met a real bluesman that lived the life.

[@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!

[@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?

[@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.

[@MattKellyMusic]

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

[@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!

[@diemturner5755]

You're close but I think if you go back and listen to Clapton's tone, I think he's using a fuzz. Quite possibly a ToneBender®. There's just a fuzziness about his sound that you hear particularly well when he goes down to the lower notes. You can hear that clipped, gated kind of shizzle that happens with a fuzzbox.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@benwhitwell7317]

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

[@erestube]

And don't forget your amp has EQ knobs on it!

[@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?

[@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.

[@8MinuteAxe]

It was the soul crushing voice of disappointment (my ex wife) now it's the sweet sound of an angel. My fiance is so cool that when I went to pick up my new PRS at Righteous from a PLEK I couldn't resist adding another 12 string guitar to my collection. Then a week later I bought an Epiphone 339 and a Jazz bass and she said 'ok, i'll still get you a guitar for Christmas but it's not going to be over $1000, you've spent a lot already. LMAO. Tell me she's not the best. Sorry for getting sidetracked Rhett. Great video. I've always loved that interview bit from the farewell concert. FYI, If you were in London in 65 you could have seen the Beatles 15 times in 16 days at the HO. Great work. -Mark

[@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.

[@derfgerps4016]

Yeah All Your Love was the song

[@Allan-et5ig]

Rhett Shull - just caught this two years late, lol. Nice job. I just got a very expensive SG and it does Woman Tone poorly, yikes. Someone in Nashville must have been asleep at the switch. By fidling with amps I can get it and if fact, something I wanted to mention - folks that can sort of get it can eventually get it - if you can get close you can nail it. I'm exchanging it! I'm 'happy' with EC's SG version of Woman Tone in the BBC show - sounds fine to me. Guitar World says Sunshine of Your Love (studio) was recorded on it. One other thing you didn't mention - because it's so obvious - is Clapton himself. Not only is he ther originator but, you probably read his biography? In it, he says and I believe, he's never (never!) lost a left-handed arm-wrestling contest - and never wins right-handed. His inexplicable left-arm strength really set's his Woman tone apart. Studio boards also make a helluva difference. So, some of the great Woman Tone is probably down to that on record. P.S. British 'stars' are much more down to earth generally, than Yanks. You could probably email E.C.'s publicist, etc., and simply ask him. Good video!

[@ShiroiTengu]

Neck pickup, tone down, treble booster on. Bam. There it is

[@jeffliberatore3759]

I agree... There's gotta be a booster or fuzz that EC is just completely not thinking about. Im thinking thats where the magic is, and that woman tone on a Les Paul would be solely on the neck pickup with the tone know at about 3.5... Just guessing.

[@martinheath5947]

Makes sense

[@BluesAnders]

No treble boosters or fuzzes on Eric Clapton tone. Just a Marshall with so-called "bass" circuit, G12M-20 or G12H-30 speakers and a guitar with PAFs humbuckers, and that's it.

[@kalejoe6599]

Eric Clapton would have been using a Marshall JTM 45/100 which has a different sound to the Super Lead let alone a reissue, and his cabinets had a VERY thick grill cloth. Just google 1966 Marshall JTM45/100 or 1966 Marshall pinstripe cabinets and old photo's of cream and look at the backline.

[@JohnConditTV]

Another take is keeping your wah set in a certain spot, all the way back I think works best. Neck pickup, tone off.

[@JohnConditTV]

Well Rhett is talking about it in this video, but I think the wah is part of it. If you notice in the recordings, when the woman tone is going the wah follows pretty closely, but you never hear the wah kick on. Clapton kicks it pretty hard in that interview video, so probably just preferred to keep it in a spot he liked so he didn't have to kick it on and off a bunch.

[@IAM_Reedy]

This... nailed it John. This is how I have accomplished the woman tone for years. The Vox wah is crucial for the correct tone. Isolated the guitar tracks and you can hear bleed from the studio monitors but you can clearly hear the guitar was doubled on the rhythm tracks which was accomplished by recording straight into an MCI console. Engineer Tom Dowd convinced Eric to do this to bring back the clarity lost while recording at extreme volumes. Dowd mixed the two tracks after the band left the studio to maintain the warmth of the fool SG recorded with multiple Plexi amplifiers and the clarity going through the soundboard. Eric had stated in an interview that he “thought” he doubled the rhythm with a Les Paul, Tom said it was just the SG.

[@IAM_Reedy]

@@datguitarplayer1656 it’s been years... Tom Dowd put out an audio biography called the “language of music” detailing the numerous adventures of him running the board for numerous artists. He details the Cream story and even adds how pissed he was when the band ordered up a limo after day three and abruptly left, requiring him to finish the mixing by himself. Awesome book for tech nerds like myself. So some of that lead tone on the record is due to Dowd and what he was doing after they left. Funny thing is the record label hated the song and didn’t want it included but Dowd convinced them to keep it after he mixed it. It was considered too psychedelic and they despised the lyrics.

[@fluxahelmi]

Clapton sound comes from his fingers 99%... don't try..... try to find your tone/sound..... there are so many cover (bands) but they all fail ...compared to "god" ☺

[@FakingANerve]

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

[@stevenvandemsky7290]

Great vid! I never liked Clapton, as he is one of the most overrated guitar players of all time in my opinion. And I really hate that „woman tone“ with a passion. Who wants a dark muffled guitar sound? Who would call this dark sound „woman tone“? Because women are supposed to have dark voices or what ?!? This is all so dumb...

[@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

[@vegasspaceprogram6623]

When you listen to the song with headphones or small speakers, his guitar tone doesn't sound amazing. It's to bassy if you listen to it like that. I never understood why people loved cream so much. Then I decided to crank the volume on disraeli gears, and when strange brew started, I understood exactly why everyone was hooked. I was to. Amazing tone, but only when it's very loud.

[@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.

[@465marko]

It's weird that he says "take all the bass OFF on the tone control" by turning it down to 0 or 1. He says it twice pretty purposefully. But that's kinda the opposite of what normally happens with a tone control...

[@dyangordon6151]

When people talk about Eric's live cream/gibson tone not enough is said about reverb...by desgin or by accident farewell cream has an reverb to die for..also strange brew has a subtle bit of reverb..its not a lot but its present...if you could box that it would make you a millionaire..

[@6bt_str86]

"younger" dudes (I'm assuming your under mid 30s) getting what good music is does show there's hope in society. 🤘😆edit: wait, you said you were 2 when Clapton's unplugged came out..jesus man! I nailed it to almost the yr.

[@electricgypsyblues4761]

Im also thinking alot of His tone was achieved later in Post EQ

[@shadowspectrum]

For sure. The sound of the room itself, going into an analog board, into analog compressors, recorded onto tape, it all contributes greatly to the final sound.

[@McSlobo]

How do you explain that tone around 5:05 which obviously is from a documentary? Did they help the documentary maker with post processing or what?

[@romancultist6089]

@@McSlobo My first thought too. Bet this guy won't answer this question.

[@DTension]

Came here to learn how to sound like Wolfmother.

[@dildojizzbaggins6969]

me too dude, me too...

[@Alienkiwi730]

You have to be Wolfmother to sound like Wolfmother. No matter how hard you try, you'll never sound exactly like your favourite musicians. Because you are not them. Secondly why would you want to? Don't you want to be unique ?

[@DTension]

@@Alienkiwi730 It was a joke, Jon.

[@nickspitzley8539]

It's a similar tone though.

[@paulrobertson8689]

Yaasss Rett man Claptons one ay the first guitarists I heard as a kid n just knew at some point in ma life I wanted to make that noise lol Unfortunately my life went down another path n it till another 30 year before I was able to get my shit together enough to play and have people Around me who were conducive tae that . Anyways yeah Eric Clapton is god no real god as he gets pissed about that wae me but god enough for me tae worship ther rather than a church . Love the video Rett thanks man

[@StringBender]

The song “SWLABR” is also great for the woman tone!

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

Jimis lead sound on the intro to All Along The Watchtower could be argued to be somewhat woman-toney

[@attichatchsound-bobkowal5328]

Rushmore of who shaped rock guitar: Chuck Berry, Clapton, Hendrix, EVH,

[@alandavis1245]

And Jimmy Page

[@attichatchsound-bobkowal5328]

@@alandavis1245 Only four on Rushmore - that's the rule. Who would you replace to put Jimmy Page on there? When I say shaped rock guitar, I mean changed the way generations that followed approach their instrument. Of course Page is technically a much better player than Chuck Berry, BUT CB laid down core fundamental rock guitar vocabulary . Clapton brought the blues riff to the masses more than anyone else. Hendrix showed the world a whole new mind set for playing. EVH did the same. Page is great, and inspired a lot guitarists, but I'm not sure he ushered in a paradigm shift like the others.

[@stevelaferney3579]

Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen are all paradigm shifters. There’s your Rushmore Four.

[@starcloud4959]

Cool! That was bold , i also think jimmy page would be the 5th , but yeah only allowed four...so i agree with this.

[@TweedSuit]

The reason we talk about Gibson Les Paul's, SG's and Marshalls is because of Clapton.

[@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 ❤️🌹✌️

[@sarthwahb]

Oh I love clapton and the first band I ever heard was cream, I loved the white room, that was the first i English rock song I’ve ever heard, (I am indian btw) he is my guitar hero and he inspired to pick up the guitar, now I’m 15, I have my first electric guitar ( like Jimi Hendrix, he had his first guitar in the age of 15 too.) and I’m practicing, I don’t like pop songs from nowadays, I love 60’,70,80’s rock, blues and metal. The first song/solo I learned is solo of “while my guitar gently weeps” by beatles and solo by Eric.

[@jamesgretsch4894]

Woman Tone is Bonnie Raitt.

[@jordandangelo180]

Have you ever heard Bonnie Raitt’s version of “ Can’t Find My Way Home “ on KZbin? Lowell George and John Hammond Jr on guitar and a bass player with a really funky one word name. Her vocals on that version are perfect. Sublime. Some of the best I’ve ever heard. I listen to it all the time and I think it’s one of the best hidden gems on KZbin and it were ever officially released, would become a classic. My dad was a guitarist in the 1960’s and said he saw Bonnie Raitt perform at a coffee house at Central Connecticut State University around 1972. There were about 20 people there and no one knew who she was but he said she was amazing. He also saw Dan Folgeberg there as well, both for free.

[@emilyadams3228]

@@jordandangelo180 Bonnie Raitt was on the 1999 Lilith Fair. When Sarah McLachlan played Good Enough, Bonnie came stolling out ever so languidly, playing this ethereal slide part that wound around Sarah's guitar & vocal melodies, like low-lying fog around their feet. It was one of the greatest things I've ever seen/heard on stage.

[@EclecticHillbilly]

@@jordandangelo180 The bass player was probably Freebo (Daniel Friedberg).

[@pjteves1]

What a bunch of crap. Ginger Baker started Cream and recruited Jack Bruce. Clapton had nothing to do with it.

[@jonathancumblidge3247]

if Clapton is god what is Hendrix

[@arlingtonhynes]

Even more God. None... more God. Except actual God.

[@emilyadams3228]

Steve Martin had a bit on Let's Get Small about how people have outrageously unattainable goals. But his were simple: "I want to be the All-Being, Master Of Time, Space, And Dimension." Hendrix beat ya to it, Hoss.

[@pittuthead]

Master of the universe?

[@pittuthead]

Gods slayer, wielder of the Hatori Hanzo sword

[@frankgrocholski]

Didn't he use a rangemaster as well? Nice video Rhett, great playing as always!

[@andymarin6725]

You mean with the Bluesbreakers? That was probably just a myth. Most people who were there during the making of the album say that he didn't.

[@tonebender69]

Nope! Definitely no treble booster or fuzz live. You never see pictures of Clapton plugged into anything more than a wah pedal. Maybe in the studio. Although some of the tracks on Disraeli Gears and the follow up sound like it's through a mixing console. I did read online about Dearmond modding Jack Bruce's SG bass by adding something built into the electronics to give him more dirt. Who knows if he did the same to the fool 🤔

[@livekaos]

Even Jimi Hendrix references Eric as an influence due to the success of Cream

[@emilyadams3228]

When Cream broke up, he played an instrumental Sunshine Of Your Love at shows, dedicated to "The Cream". The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At Winterland (Rhino Records) Lulu Show, BBC, January 1969, the famous show where the producers wanted Jimi to turn Hey Joe into a duet w/Lulu, & he said OK. Instead, he sang the first two lines of Verse 1, the last two lines of Verse 3, then stopped the show & said "We'd like to stop playing this rubbish and play something dedicated to The Cream, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Eric Clapton" & launched into Sunshine Of Your Love. After about a minute, he says "They're gonna cut us off now" & keeps playing. They were then banned from the BBC.

[@cacornett58]

He called them cool cats.

[@RyanLBrown9396]

They influenced each other. Clapton bought a wah wah pedal after hearing Hendrix

[@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'!

[@jasonremy1627]

So after Tyler Larson did his video on guitar tones and completely skipped the Woman Tone, you swooped in and saved us all!

[@francescotenti193]

The 60's! Great days, great times, we plugged our guitars into whatever amps we could and just cranked'em up and that took care of it. No need of any of all of that electronic computerized stuff that I see on the background of so many KZbin guitar's videos.

[@thejeffhowe]

2 years old listening to Clapton "Unplugged?" Oh, my. I'm old.

[@sja1188]

Ha! So true...

[@jamesthe-doctor8981]

*uses walker to get as close to the speaker as possible and tries squinting to make out at least the edges of all the stuff on the screen but has to quit as usual due to my abysmal visual acuity brought on by old age “EXCUSE ME SONNY BUT I’M A LITTLE BIT HARD OF HEARING! WOULD YOU MIND TYPING A LITTLE LOUDER, PLEASE?!? 😂😂😂

[@DMSProduktions]

I didn't even know WHO Eric Clapton was when I was 2 y/o! (And Cream had only been gone 2 years!)

[@thejeffhowe]

@@jamesthe-doctor8981 hahaha

[@madaxe79]

Yeah man, I was in high school when unplugged happened, I might have even been nearly finished high school.

[@davidchapman7224]

Im positive that Eric Clapton isn't one person, but multiple people who say they are named Clapton

[@antoonhermans8953]

clapton said : neck pick up or brigde pick up with the tone control rolled down

[@tomsnowden6201]

lol "a whining noise you call the woman tone"....Yup perfect.

[@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.

[@fabriciomatos5906]

Clapton touchs the strings soooo much softer with the pick, almost like the lightest as possible to make a sound.

[@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.

[@DoobTube71]

The Woman Tone definitely involves a throaty, bottom-end, big-muff-cocked-wah sound! I've created it many times,...on many 'guitars". Lol!

[@mikeirelan]

Wait...your earliest memories are Eric's 'Unplugged' album? Jeezus, I'm old.

[@csharpminorseven]

Michael Ireland Wow, you're old ?I'm really old... I saw EC with the Yardbirds at the Trade Union Hall in Watford, with Cream at the Marquee and the original Albert Hall concert...still sounds just as good to these old ears 55 years on...thank you EC for the great drive you put into my young life!

[@WolfGuitarsandGear]

A factor you didn’t cover is that it’s likely Claptons sg/Les Paul would have had 50’s wiring as opposed to modern wring which affects the treble roll off with the volume and tone knobs. It would probably account for some of the differences in results.

[@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!!

[@820hurleyj]

Clapton became my all time favorite guitar player in 1967!

[@styrkecoach]

"what is the woman tone?" Starts to sing... There IT is 😂😜

[@oicsaywhat]

Great analogy on Claptons woman tone, like you it’s one of my favorites

[@sambarker6312]

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

[@garethsigrist8714]

Awesome video for an all time great tone. Clapton looms large in my playing too. I was born in 86 so obviously wasn’t around for the Bluesbreakers/Cream heyday but my parents had a copy of a Clapton Best Of from 1991 which I always loved as a kid (incidentally, it had the thickest CD I’ve ever seen!) and it had a picture of Blackie on the back of the booklet. So when it came time for me to get a guitar I asked my parents for one like Claptons and pointed to that photo of Blackie. Unfortunately the guitar shop was out of black Squier Strats so I ended up with a Brownie rather than a Blackie but hey, can’t win em all right? 🤣