All user reviews for the Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster

The Fender Eric Clapton Strat was one of the very first signature guitars designed by Fender way back in the bygone '80s. It has stood the test of time whilst Slowhand keeps on playing. The signature look of his black Strat has become ingrained in a generation's mind when they think of EC. It was basically designed to take EC's favourite old Strat "Blackie" and bring it into the modern age with some updates and refinements. It features an alder body, a maple neck with custom "V" shape and 22 frets, standard bridge and tuners, and Fender Noiseless pickups with custom 12db midrange boost to beef up the overall tonal character. Here's the full list of specs:


Body Alder
Neck 1-Piece Maple, Soft V Shape,
(Satin Urethane Finish)
Fingerboard Maple, 9.5 Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets 22 Vintage Style Frets
Pickups 3 Vintage Noiseless Pickups (Neck, Middle, Bridge)
Controls Master Volume,
Tone 1. Master TBX Tone Control,
Tone 2. Master Active Mid Boost (0-25dB)
Pickup Switching 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup
Bridge Blocked American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Machine Heads Fender/Gotoh Vintage Style Tuning Machines
Hardware Nickel/Chrome
Pickguard 1-Ply White, (8-Hole)
Scale Length 25.5 (648 mm)
Width at Nut 1.650 (42 mm)
Unique Features Special Soft "V" Shape Neck,
Blocked Tremolo,
Active Mid-Boost Circuit
Accessories Vintage Tweed Case, Strap, Cable

UTILIZATION

This guitar was designed after a late '50s platform, so the general feel of it is very close to the real deal, just with a few tweaks as per EC's request. The most notable is the V neck. Personally, I cannot gel with the V neck at all and it would be the sole reason I would never buy a Clapton Strat, regardless of how good it sounds or looks. It just feels far too awkward for my hand, especially when I'm used to thicker necked Gibsons. However, many other players swear by it, so it's definitely in the court of opinion to decide. Otherwise it has a really cool and useful set of features that bring a '50s Strat and a modern Strat together. The weight is medium with these guitars, and it's contoured just like a '57. The upper fret access is the same here as any other standard Strat design.

Getting a nice tone out of this guitar is not difficult because of the Noiseless pickups combined with the 12db midrange booster. It is a setup that allows the user to go from pure vintage Strat chime and quack to some extremely thick and syrupy lead tones with some SERIOUS mojo. It has a bit of a learning curve but it sounds great once you get it.

SOUNDS

The tones of this guitar are really cool to my ears. I'm all for two things... classic Strat and then really thick and juicy Strat. This guitar was the one that begun the marriage of both, and we can thank EC's ears for bringing us those wonderful tones. Plugged into a clean Fender amp, the tones are definitely that of a good S... covering everything from blues to jazz to surf to whatever else. However, once you kick that 12db mid boost in, it's really kickin' and clippin'. Overtones really start to appear and those beautiful odd order harmonics that I love so much are really apparent even on the cleanest of sounds. It's a great way to get that subtly broken up bluesy tone that so many of us covet from time to time.

Overdrive tones are as good on this guitar as they're gonna get for pure Strat meets raunchy fat. The pickups have a quality that exchanges some of that primary Strat chime for a bit more oomph and kick in the lower register. This on its own produces a sound that is perfect for late '60s psychedelia on through '70s arena rock. Kick on that mid booster, step up, turn your Marshall to 11 and watch as that black Strat just starts to shake... close your eyes and you'd swear you had a really light Gibson in your hands. Tones just have a whole other dimension with the booster kicked in, and it's really awesome that they found a way to blend the Strat and the Gibson tones together. Now if only it wasn't for that pesky V neck...

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Eric Clapton Strat is a fantastic guitar for someone looking for a great vintage feeling, versatile TONE machine. However, I'm not a V neck guy and can't gel with the feel, so I know it isn't for me. At $1,600 new these guitars are a great deal for what you get, and if you're a V neck/Clapton/thick tone fan, this guitar is sure to please.

Manufacturing USA
vintage bridge, blocked a rglage volume, 1 tone and a boost of mdium. Mnche end "V" neck
Fine frets, 22 frets

UTILIZATION

Channel super enjoyable, the cot but not too late and can be a little flatter than the other strata standard allows a quick game with a little time to get used to the thin kind vintage frets.
This forces the guitarist more precision and touch his work which I think is a good as it can also grow. When we used it no longer poses any problme.Et then when you see clapton play we say that it is primarily the guitarist makes the guitar sound .... even if I prfre frets that I put jumbo.Pour 9

SOUNDS

It's perfect my style
blues, rock, blues-rock, funk. I think that even you can do with jazz as the boost allows for a more pais
The sound is both clear and crystalline in its warm distortion as long as you have a good amp lamps. And thanks to the boost you can almost have the double thickness of microphones. On mine the output level and the equivalent of my PRS Custom 22! but the sound is a bit moinpais. There's the cost of clapton album rcents or even Buddy Guy, which also uses the boost to realize they can get big sound.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for almost a year
I love it in every way. The report price is really excellent quality. and I would say that with this guitar you can do everything well. Besides the site you see a fender musicos french speaking professional (Basile Leroux) and he even uses it for scne, so .....
I sell my guitar for reasons financire and regret, but there's that refer to other opinions (black color) or the forums and see that it pleases everyone. I draw attention, however, that before buying his own, it is better to try it because there is a big diffrence between sries, even for a purchase in France or you pay full price. I try three, two rang evil, silent dismal finish for a guitar of this price (including one bought in Germany that I have IMMEDIATE Comeback) but I ended up falling on Pearl rare sounds both great and whose finish is exemplary, so I would put 10 cents down on the reserve of good

Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Grey mtal

Saddle handle satin varnish lg V as the Start of the beginning of the 50s, alder body, vintage tremolo blocked (but which can be dbloqu), Lace Sensor Pickups Gold, 1 volume, 1 tone, middle Boost +25 db.

UTILIZATION

The handle is great for those who do not play with the thumb derrire.
Access in acute plutt is good even if the heel of the neck joint / body is not very ergonomic.
The weight is reasonable is less tiring than a Gibson but it's not the same sound.
Be careful if you search the sound of a Les Paul thanks to the boost, well tried before you buy.

SOUNDS

It's a fender with a serious slap Submitted good handle on the microphone position / environment.
The boost is highly saturated when you put the stopper is simple Boost hear more mdiator.Ouais attack of madness but it's too bon.Si you play with the m I taut saturation of your amp with a guitar in the quip from Humbucker in feedback.
For when you blow against the volume on the guitar there's no one pte of breath even on overdrive. Moustreux The Lace Sensor is a and I think the new Noiseless are the same.
With this guitar I jou Funk and now the Blues Rock, I think it's the styles that are made for it.The Reggae but I also never jou.
The clean sound is great, the crunch fantastic, but its saturated SIMPATIE mtal avoid it is not for a.

OVERALL OPINION

I have since the change of MODEL by Fender and it is silent on sale 1500 Euros new.
It is not made for all the styles are not going to do with mtal.
Thanks to Boost we have a huge range of sounds.

The Fender Eric Clapton signature strat has been around for quite awhile now. It's also been through various reiterations throughout the years. The one I'll be referring to was made around 2008, so it has most of the latest features at the time this review was written. The guitar is actually very similar to most of the regular models in the Fender production line in that it has an alder body, maple neck, SSS configuration and so on. Even the V neck isn't that unique anymore. The things that stand out on this guitar would be the TBX control and mid boost.

UTILIZATION

Fender did a pretty good job at packing a good amount of things in this guitar. For the longest time, it was one of the more versatile guitars Fender had in their lineup. The soft V neck is a very comfortable neck, and I actually think the current one might be a bit thinner than the older ones, but that's just going off of memory. The fretwork is generally good on these models, and the one I played had some decent fretwork, but be aware that you should probably play them.

SOUNDS

The noiseless pickups in this are very nice. They quack nicely, sound great on their own, the clean tone is fairly chimey, and the mid gain tones work nicely. High gain tones can get a little sloppy, but it depends on what you're going for. Personally, I think high gain single coil tones can be absolutely ripping in certain situations. The two biggest features this thing has are the TBX and mid boost feature. The TBX is basically a treble/bass cut with a center detent. You can control how fat or how bitey you want the pickups to be. The midboost is like a built-in clean boost inside the guitar which works great for solo lines.

OVERALL OPINION

I'm not a huge fan of signature gear, but the Clapton strats are pretty good guitars for the money, especially considering how they're a bit more versatile than your off the shelf strat. Like all Fenders, you should really play one before buying as fretwork can be a bit iffy depending on how the luthiers were feeling at the time.

This is the guitar of a lifetime. Everything is perfect and from the American standard, there is a huge improvement in all respects.
With the active electronics simple and very well thought out, everything is done!

UTILIZATION

Channel soft v: I would say U that ends pretty flat. In a perfect playability, I like very fine vintage frets that do not block my fingers. The handle on mine is pretty flamed: the bowl is a signature series!
It is widely lighter than the American standard (wood selected) and lets forget about the shoulder.
Sustain huge (for strata) and glaze very thin but strong.
One of the many strengths of this guitar, gràace the quality of the violin is when - even action: very low, curling free, which immediately increases your level of play!

SOUNDS

I tried many guitars over the past three years and heard a lot of demos. It is difficult to find a single coil sound as warm and precise, with many fishing and versatility, all without noise.
I'm in a cover band that plays music of the 60s until today, the Clapton never faulted.
I plugged into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III and I use a delay loop in the chorus and Electro Harmonix. That's all and it's perfect!

OVERALL OPINION

Compared to the stratum american standard no comparison Clapton both played in another category. For the price difference, please.
Compared to the custom shop I have not tried but again I have done much research and I have my opinion: 1000 euros more, this is not justified. Those who see only two little difference, except that the custom is a bit more powerful. Unless you play BERCY, I do not see the point but the marketing is done well and I am also tempted by the custom shop. There are strong Fender for suciter desire!

The Fender Eric Clapton signature strat has been around for quite awhile now. It's also been through various reiterations throughout the years. The one I'll be referring to was made around 2008, so it has most of the latest features at the time this review was written. The guitar is actually very similar to most of the regular models in the Fender production line in that it has an alder body, maple neck, SSS configuration and so on. Even the V neck isn't that unique anymore. The things that stand out on this guitar would be the TBX control and mid boost.

UTILIZATION

Fender did a pretty good job at packing a good amount of things in this guitar. For the longest time, it was one of the more versatile guitars Fender had in their lineup. The soft V neck is a very comfortable neck, and I actually think the current one might be a bit thinner than the older ones, but that's just going off of memory. The fretwork is generally good on these models, and the one I played had some decent fretwork, but be aware that you should probably play them.

SOUNDS

The noiseless pickups in this are very nice. They quack nicely, sound great on their own, the clean tone is fairly chimey, and the mid gain tones work nicely. High gain tones can get a little sloppy, but it depends on what you're going for. Personally, I think high gain single coil tones can be absolutely ripping in certain situations. The two biggest features this thing has are the TBX and mid boost feature. The TBX is basically a treble/bass cut with a center detent. You can control how fat or how bitey you want the pickups to be. The midboost is like a built-in clean boost inside the guitar which works great for solo lines.

OVERALL OPINION

I'm not a huge fan of signature gear, but the Clapton strats are pretty good guitars for the money, especially considering how they're a bit more versatile than your off the shelf strat. Like all Fenders, you should really play one before buying as fretwork can be a bit iffy depending on how the luthiers were feeling at the time.