Clapton's combo

ecc83

Did anyone else see the documentary about him recently? Apparently he found a Marshall combo that have him "The Sound" he had been searching for. He wanted to emulate the harmonica amongst other things it seems!

I would really like to know the EXACT model number although I guess there will debate about that!

A man who is VERY lucky to be alive and as well as he is!

Dave.

springhead

That amp attracts a lot of discussion on various forums, not surprisingly.  Long thread over at the LPF about it:

https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?201640-Eric-s-Bluesbreaker-Marshall-Combo-new-pictures

The best theory there - from a witness account of someone who spoke to Eric after a gig where he was using it - is that it was a JTM45 head installed by Marshall into a custom 2x12 combo cab.  So not quite a Bluesbreakers combo - i.e. no tremolo.  Likely it was 2 x KT66 and the RS Deluxe OT.  No one will ever know 100% but the witness (a guitar player) is still around today and a friend of a very well regarded Marshall expert.

newi123

It occurred to me when watching the Bluesbreakers footage that he`s wearing a huge amount of big rings on his right hand - serious question, what effect does that have on the magnetic relationship between the strings and the pickups? @ICBM ;

Maybe all this time people have been worrying about 59 standards and the correct amp, and they just need to wear more jewelry.  

ecc83

Ha! As I suspected! The documentary was simplistic in the extreme! "Eric went into town and saw this amp and played it and SHAZAM! That's the sound he had been searching for YEARS!!" The truth is probably more like he mixed matched and bothered arse off people to get a good tone and probably used several versions.

Rings? Unless they were Samarium/Cobalt or similar, not likely a factor.

AND! There's a bloke down at the Chip Shop.....!

Dave.

AlexO

Going slightly off topic. The tone when he is playing the Fool SG and describing how he rolls off tone or volume is incredible. 

springhead

He was playing JTM45 heads with 4x12's before he got the combo version.  He asked Marshall to make him an amp that would fit in the boot of his car for easier transport of kit to gigs.  That subsequently was the amp used on the album.  When he left Mayall and buggered off to Greece he took a head/cab.

clarkefan

springhead said:

He was playing JTM45 heads with 4x12's before he got the combo version.  He asked Marshall to make him an amp that would fit in the boot of his car for easier transport of kit to gigs.  That subsequently was the amp used on the album.  When he left Mayall and buggered off to Greece he took a head/cab.

I've always thought it was the combo he took to Greece?

Re. the 4x12, what speakers would typically have been in a 4x12 in that era?

springhead

There's a theory he used the head/cab's until he returned from Greece.  There was a dispute with the owner of the club out there.  He got his Les Paul back but the head/cab remained.  On his return he bought the combo.

Early Marshall amps upto late '65 used the Celestion Alnico T0652.  The 'Greenback' ceramic G12's came in during '65.  Model T1221 was the 16ohm model in the 4x12's.  I dare say there was overlap between the use of alnico's and ceramic's. 

Bygone_Tones

Yes Marshall started using the T1221 from about Autumn 1965 onwards. The T652 was still being used sporadically into mid 66. This is why people debate the Clapton speakers. His amp was made slap bang in that transition period. Nobody knows for sure, but most people tend to think it would have been the alnicos.

rze99

It's the best sound Eric EVER had. No question, IMHO. Everything tone-wise went backwards after that. And the current set up can take a hike. A very boring sound. Unlike his sidekick, Doyle Bramhall II who plays with fire and  early Clapton sound. 

I saw him in Hyde Park a couple of weeks ago. Every time Doyle played I thought "that's the sound!".

Winny_Pooh

Cream live off Wheels of fire has better playing and tone

ICBM

His best-ever sound for me is on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is the Beatles’ blonde Bassman.

The Layla album would be next, which is a Champ - although as with the Bluesbreakers amp, no-one seems quite certain which version, or if it was modded.

bbill335

For me, the best Clapton tone (or possibly just the best guitar tone ever) changes between different live Cream tracks (the Live Cream Vol 1+2 records are absolutely essential). The one that springs to mind as just epitomising in that fat, saggy, snarly sound is Sweet Wine on LC1. I'm also a big fan of the tones when he lets rip on D&TD Live at the Fillmore - the track Why Does Love Got To Be So Bad just off the top of my head. That was, as far as I'm aware, a cranked silverface Dual Showman?

richardhomer

rze99 said:

It's the best sound Eric EVER had. No question, IMHO. Everything tone-wise went backwards after that. And the current set up can take a hike. A very boring sound. Unlike his sidekick, Doyle Bramhall II who plays with fire and  early Clapton sound. 

I thought his tone at Hyde Park was superb - but I generally prefer him playing Fender guitars.

Some of his humbucking tones on ‘From The Cradle’ were great - the really driven tones on that were a Soldano.

Moe_Zambeek

From the cradle has some great tones.

jacksparrow

Fresh Cream for me. That jtm 45/100 cranked with his les paul.

springhead

ICBM said:

His best-ever sound for me is on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is the Beatles’ blonde Bassman.

Not heard that theory before on this often debated topic of what amp he used.  There's an interview with Eric, I think the one where they are showing him a Gibson custom shop 'Lucy' Les Paul, where he says it was a Marshall.  He said it was along the lines of enticing him to play on the session - "look we've got you a Les Paul and a Marshall". 

Found it - around 2 minutes in.  Not definitive though!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CChQUNmi7cg 

ICBM

springhead said:

ICBM said:

His best-ever sound for me is on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which is the Beatles’ blonde Bassman.

Not heard that theory before on this often debated topic of what amp he used.

I can't remember where I read it but it's certainly been mentioned before.

Interesting to hear what he says, and from that it does sound like it was a Marshall - but he then goes on to say that the amps were all unique, which is ironic given that no-one seems to be able to tell what was used from the sound .

I think the answer is that it really doesn't matter... the sound on record is a sum of many parts, of which the amp is actually only a small one.

olafgarten

I think it's almost impossible to tell which amp is being played from a recording, so much of the sound is affected by other factors, from the player and the guitar all the way to how it was pressed onto vinyl. 

mburekenge

bbill335 said:

For me, the best Clapton tone (or possibly just the best guitar tone ever) changes between different live Cream tracks (the Live Cream Vol 1+2 records are absolutely essential). The one that springs to mind as just epitomising in that fat, saggy, snarly sound is Sweet Wine on LC1. I'm also a big fan of the tones when he lets rip on D&TD Live at the Fillmore - the track Why Does Love Got To Be So Bad just off the top of my head. That was, as far as I'm aware, a cranked silverface Dual Showman?

This.

The beano and cream tones are the shit, but that live dominoes album is unbelievable. Much prefer him on a gibson but that album has the best strat tone ever imo. It has girth. Cocked wah? 

fretfinder

Why all this talk about amps, it’s all in the fingers surely?