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"Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton":

Discussion in 'Music to Your Ears' started by chet, Dec 22, 2008.

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  1. TG

    TG Doctor of Teleocity

    Just curious (and not trying to start a fight).

    You are happy to accept 'Wolf Marshall's' 2002 opinion...yet you don't believe Eric Clapton himself?

    Why do you think EC would feel the need to lie about it?

  2. Del Pickup

    Del Pickup Poster Extraordinaire

    Mar 24, 2008
    New Zealand
    I love these threads where everyone and their granny has a definite opinion on exactly what gear was used in a studio 40+ years ago!!

    I hate to burst anyone's bubble but unless you were there at the time and took copious notes of everything that was used - including settings - you are all just guessing as to what was or wasn't involved!

    We can all try to copy tones, etc with whatever gear we have and then claim that 'this is how to get that tone' but we all forget that a lot of the time, the recording processes and any effects used could very well have added something to whatever actually came off the speaker and hit the mic before getting as far as the tape head and then onto the final mastered disc.

    It's the same with people watching dvd's or even going to a concert and seeing somebody playing such and such a model of guitar through whatever amp. You can never tell what settings are being used and then, just as importantly, how that signal is getting processed through the desk before it comes out the PA speakers.

    Sorry guys but it's all guesswork, nothing more. But it gives us all something to do and read so keep it coming!

  3. tazzboy

    tazzboy Former Member

    May 5, 2005
    Well nobody has ever ask Clapton about what amps he was using per say in the Bluesbreakers and what setting he used other then he crank it up in the studio.

  4. chet

    chet Banned

    Aug 30, 2004
    The Jersey Shore
    As usual you're tryin' to start somethin'.

    All I've read is the opinion of some guys I've never met on a website. I've yet to hear a viable reference of Eric saying anything about how he recorded that album. Just some inner-net heresay...

  5. chet

    chet Banned

    Aug 30, 2004
    The Jersey Shore
    Next time I go to a Guitar Center with a Marshall 1962 and a few Les Pauls I'm gonna try it out again.
    I can see how the engineer wouldn't like it in the studio. That must be deafening!

  6. chet

    chet Banned

    Aug 30, 2004
    The Jersey Shore
    Just jerkin' yer chain, TG... :twisted:

  7. DrewB

    DrewB Tele-Afflicted

    Feb 3, 2005
    Independence, MO
    A little pictorial research into Clapton's use of Marshalls reveals that he always plugged into the high-sensitivity input of the Normal channel, not the bright channel. He also always turned them all the way up. Plug a Les Paul with a vintage-output bridge pickup into the Normal channel of a Bluesbreaker with KT-66s (NOS not necessary) turned up to 10 and you'll be amazed how close you'll get to that sound. Clapton rarely used the neck pickup on Les Pauls. However, you can hear that he's using it for the first part of the "All Your Loving" solo, then switches to the bridge pickup for the fast part of the solo. No Rangemaster treble boosters (common BS internet wisdom) or fuzzes (not too abundant in late '65) are necessary to get close to that sound. The elusive element in nailing that sound is the guitar. I believe Clapton is right in saying that the Les Paul he used was exceptional; I haven't heard another one that has the complexity of overtones that one had.

  8. TG

    TG Doctor of Teleocity

    I know. :D

  9. chet

    chet Banned

    Aug 30, 2004
    The Jersey Shore
    Man, I wonder what happened to that guitar? they must've destroyed it cause he must have recorded the serial number etc. :eek:

  10. tazzboy

    tazzboy Former Member

    May 5, 2005
    Yeah the current reproduction of the Bluesbreak amp uses 6L6 power tubes not KT66 like they did back in the 1960s

  11. tazzboy

    tazzboy Former Member

    May 5, 2005
    It was stolen during Cream rehearsal days before they did live shows. Clapton had to borrow beg and harass Andy Sumner out his Les Paul.

  12. Volitan

    Volitan Tele-Holic

    Jan 2, 2007
    Tampa Bay
    I played one and I can believe it wasn't used with a pedal. Plus all the pics back that up.

  13. Telemarkman

    Telemarkman Doctor of Teleocity Ad Free Member

    Dec 6, 2005

    I don't claim to have been in the actual studio at the time, but I'm old enough to have been around when the album and the gear were discussed and analyzed ad nauseum, and I clearly remember Claptons statements about using his Les Paul Standard through a Marshall 1962 Combo on full - NO pedals. Others said the same at the time, not some 40 years later!
    This is what I base my opinion on - it's as simple as that ...

    I don't know how old you are chet, but at the time this album happened, there was no "inner-mess"! But a lot of us could read, and believe me, we read everything we could find on the subject at the time it happened!

    Of course "everyone" including Clapton could have been lying, but I choose to believe it anyway ;).

  14. TG

    TG Doctor of Teleocity

    He was only about 20, and at the time it was just an out of fashion old (6 years!) guitar he found second hand in a music shop. There'd have been no notion of it being any sort of icon so there'd be slim chance of him recording details such as the serial number. Maybe he did...I dunno...but if so he'd be in a minority.
    How many of us document details of our guitars?

    In a British guitar mag someone mentioned something about a there being a strong rumour that EC's Les Paul is still in London but the 'current owner' is too afraid to own up...still. I don't know any know more about it, though....just that comment. Maybe someone on some LP forum would know more.

  15. DrewB

    DrewB Tele-Afflicted

    Feb 3, 2005
    Independence, MO
    I don't think so; at least nobody's talking if they know.

  16. themullerfan

    themullerfan TDPRI Member

    May 16, 2010
    I own a Bluesbreaker RI and I've modded it so that it's the same specs as the original(You'd think the reissue would be the same specs-otherwise whats the point of calling it a reissue:rolleyes:) and on ten it nails Claptons bluesbreaker tone. Absolutely nails it. There are clips of a young slinger called martys13 and he plays through a bluesbreaker that he made himself. have a listen and it will all become clear. Clapton definitely had no pedals when he recorded that album.

  17. Bones

    Bones Doctor of Teleocity Ad Free Member

    Dec 31, 2005
    Luddite Island, NY
    They banned me because of a wisecrack I made on another forum.:rolleyes:

  18. elihu

    elihu Poster Extraordinaire

    Dec 24, 2009
    Zombie thread...but I love this album. Question-does the reissue Bluesbreaker combo use a solid state rectifier? The difference between that and a tube one would be a notable difference in sound. Another question-didn't Eric lose a Les Paul in Greece? Was that the one he recorded with on this album?

    Steppin' still sounds inspired after all these years...:cool:

  19. Gareth John

    Gareth John Tele-Afflicted

    Oct 10, 2006
    I think microphone placement and all the other studio gear will have had an affect on the overall tone. Could a little more gain be added by these factors? perhaps overloading the desk or tape machines? I really don't know but it's an interesting topic. I love that album, I think it's great. All I know for certain is that it makes me want a Les Paul and a Marshall.

  20. brokenjoe

    brokenjoe Friend of Leo's

    Mar 1, 2009
    Thread back from the dead........

    I'll second your statements. A buddy of mine, who is just as obsessive over Clapton's BB period as I, modded his re-issueJTM 45. KT-88s, circuit board completely redone point to point, etc, etc.

    He has a re-issue Les Paul -one of the nicest LPs I've ever played- any you're right. He absolutely nails Claptons BB tone. No pedals, no effects, just guitar, cord, amp. I used to love going over to his place to play through his rig. Blast through 'Hideaway', or 'Steppin' Out' and you feel just like Clapton during his 'God' phase.

    Sure it's loud, but nowhere near as loud as 100w heads through a couple of 4X12 cabs -or a 200w Marshall Major.


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