Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster Review
February 22, 2010
By R. S. Rasnick
Fender's Artist Series of guitars has earned a well-deserved reputation for excellence. Artists as wide ranging from Yngwie Malmsteen to John Mayer have their own Artist models. One of the earliest Artist guitars was the Eric Clapton Stratocaster, and it's still one of their most popular instruments due to its versatility and playability.
Chances are, you likely already know the features of a stock "non-Artist" Stratocaster, so you're probably curious what makes the Clapton Stratocaster distinct. Let's look at the details, briefly.
For starters, there's the electronics. Throughout his extensive career, Eric Clapton has played a variety of instruments, including a Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson SG, a Gibson ES-335, and, of course, a Fender Stratocaster. So it goes without saying that Slowhand needs a guitar that can cover a lot of sonic ground.
Fender has obliged with an amazing amount of sonic versatility in a single guitar. For starters, there's an active mid-boost control (powered by a 9-volt battery).
When you add this mid-boost control to the Fender Noiseless pickups and the master TBX control, you've got a guitar than is a six-string chameleon, capable of emulating a wide variety of useful, tasteful guitar tones. Honestly, the Clapton Strat might be the most versatile guitar we've had the good fortune of playing.
Aside from the sounds, the Clapton model has a comfortable playability that few instruments achieve. We can thank the V-shaped neck and 9.5" fingerboard radius for that. The back of the neck is incredibly smooth and lends itself to easy bends and fast runs with no effort.
We have to be forthright and say that this guitar is also one of the best playing guitars we've ever reviewed. It's really that good.
That's not to say we wouldn't have some suggestions should Mr. Clapton ask our opinion. While the vintage-style tuners add an air of old-school appeal to the model, we think that locking tuners would be a more appropriate choice for such a modern guitar.
We also wish that the vibrato unit wasn't blocked. However, that's Clapton's preference, so we don't think it'll change any time soon.
The minor "problems" are not really worth worrying about. The Clapton Strat is really an amazing instrument, and we recommend it highly. It's a keeper!
Chances are, you likely already know the features of a stock "non-Artist" Stratocaster, so you're probably curious what makes the Clapton Stratocaster distinct. Let's look at the details, briefly.
For starters, there's the electronics. Throughout his extensive career, Eric Clapton has played a variety of instruments, including a Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson SG, a Gibson ES-335, and, of course, a Fender Stratocaster. So it goes without saying that Slowhand needs a guitar that can cover a lot of sonic ground.
Fender has obliged with an amazing amount of sonic versatility in a single guitar. For starters, there's an active mid-boost control (powered by a 9-volt battery).
When you add this mid-boost control to the Fender Noiseless pickups and the master TBX control, you've got a guitar than is a six-string chameleon, capable of emulating a wide variety of useful, tasteful guitar tones. Honestly, the Clapton Strat might be the most versatile guitar we've had the good fortune of playing.
Aside from the sounds, the Clapton model has a comfortable playability that few instruments achieve. We can thank the V-shaped neck and 9.5" fingerboard radius for that. The back of the neck is incredibly smooth and lends itself to easy bends and fast runs with no effort.
We have to be forthright and say that this guitar is also one of the best playing guitars we've ever reviewed. It's really that good.
That's not to say we wouldn't have some suggestions should Mr. Clapton ask our opinion. While the vintage-style tuners add an air of old-school appeal to the model, we think that locking tuners would be a more appropriate choice for such a modern guitar.
We also wish that the vibrato unit wasn't blocked. However, that's Clapton's preference, so we don't think it'll change any time soon.
The minor "problems" are not really worth worrying about. The Clapton Strat is really an amazing instrument, and we recommend it highly. It's a keeper!
About the Author:
If you've appreciated this review and wish to purchase your very own Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster, then please visit Ray's Guitar Shop, which offers the best prices on all used and new Fender guitars available anywhere on the Internet.
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