The Eric Clapton Stratocaster is the signature model electric guitar of English guitarist Eric Clapton, and was the first signature model guitar ever released by Fender. An electric guitar An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into electrical current, which is then amplified. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Fender redirects here. ...

Background

In 1981, Fender had informally discussed the idea of a signature model Telecaster with the legendary James Burton; however, this would not come to be until 1990. Jeff Beck had also been offered a signature model Stratocaster, but he rejected the idea until 1991, when he opted for an Artist Series signature guitar based on the Fender Stratocaster Plus Series models of 1987. 1950s-style Telecaster with natural finish, with metal bridge cover removed. ... James Burton (born August 21, 1939 in Minden, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. ... Geoffrey Arnold (Jeff) Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, Greater London) is an English rock guitarist. ... The Jeff Beck Stratocaster is an electric solid body guitar made by Fender Musical Instruments for British rock guitarist Jeff Beck. ... The Strat Plus is an electric guitar made by Fender. ...

Eric Clapton, though he had played Fender Telecasters and Jazzmasters in his brief career with The Yardbirds, would attain "guitar god" status while playing models such as the Gibson Les Paul, Firebird, ES-335 and SG whilst a member of Cream. However, in 1970, for his landmark Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs with a new band, Derek and the Dominos, Clapton switched to a tobacco sunburst Stratocaster from 1956, nicknamed "Brownie". This was in part due to the influence of his former Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood. He later assembled the best parts of three mid-'50s Strats to create his favorite guitar, the famous "Blackie", a black Stratocaster which he played for many years. Both guitars would later sell for record prices at auction. When Blackie finally wore out, Eric and the Fender Custom Shop began to work on a signature model based on the artist's original guitar. 1950s-style Telecaster with natural finish, with metal bridge cover removed. ... 1962 Fender Jazzmaster Sunburst The Fender Jazzmaster electric guitar was introduced in 1958 and was designed as a more upmarket instrument than the Fender Stratocaster, which itself was introduced in 1954 as a higher-priced product than the companys Telecaster series. ... Not to be confused with Yard Birds. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Gibson Les Paul is a popular solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s. ... Cream were a classic 1960s British rock band, which consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. ... Eric Clapton chronology Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is a blues-rock album by Derek and the Dominos. ... Derek and the Dominos were a blues-rock supergroup formed in the spring of 1970 by guitarist and singer Eric Clapton with Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon, who had all played with him in Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. ... Brownie was the affectionate name to a Fender Stratocaster that was used extensively by Eric Clapton during the early 70s most notably with Derek and the Dominos on their album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. ... For other uses, see Blind Faith (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The cover of Claptons greatest hits album Time Pieces: Best of Eric Clapton almost certainly features Blackie. ...

Features

Clapton asked Fender for a V-shaped neck similar to his Martin acoustic guitar and what he called a "compressed" pickup sound, similar to that of a humbucker, explaining everything else about the famous "woman tone" he had developed during the Cream period in the late '60s, a playing technique almost synonymous with various Gibson models such as the ES-335, Les Paul Standard, Explorer, Byrdland, SG and Firebird, all sporting a pair of humbucking pickups. Early prototypes made around 1986/87 featured 21 frets and locking strap buttons. Few of these prototypes had an active/passive toggle button. The final product (released in 1988) came with 22 frets and three Fender Gold Lace Sensor pickups powered by an active mid-boost circuit with 25dB of gain and TBX tone controls. These world famous pickups (made by AGI Lace Music Products since 1985) were used exclusively by Fender until 1996. Powerful active 25dB midrange boost and TBX tone circuits (first introduced in 1983 with the shortlived Elite Series instruments, which have been discontinued at the end of 1984) helped augment the tone of the sound delivered, opening up a greater tonal range Clapton desired. Also, the guitar had an interesting feature: a vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge blocked off to tremolo arms. This idea came about as Slowhand shunned the tone of hardtail Stratocasters but never used the whammy bar. In 1991 Eric agreed to have his signature model with a rosewood fretboard as well to suit the needs of players disliking the feel of maple neck Strats. However, only 94 of these shortlived guitars were made and their production finally ceased. C.F. Martin & Company (Martin) is a US guitar manufacturer that was established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. ... Traditional humbucker pickup, uncovered A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ... The woman tone is the informal term used by guitarists to refer to Eric Claptons distinctive mid- to late-1960s electric guitar sound, created using his Gibson SG solidbody guitar (with humbucking pickups) and a Marshall tube (valve) amplifier. ... Gibson ES-335 In 1957, Gibson realeased the worlds first commercial semi-hollowbody electric guitar, the ES-335. ... The Gibson Les Paul is a popular solidbody electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s. ... The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro), made its debut in 1958, then known as the Futura. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s. ... The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body guitar marketed by Gibson in the late 60s. ... Traditional humbucker pickup, uncovered A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ... The Lace Sensor is a guitar pickup designed by Don Lace and manufactured by AGI (Actodyne General International). ... Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ... Slowhand is an album by Eric Clapton, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). ...

In 2001, reflecting the changes Clapton had made to his own guitar, the Lace Sensors were replaced with Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups, which were available as a standard equipment material on the American Deluxe Series guitars from 1998 to 2003. A Custom Shop version of the same instrument started to appear in 2004. This guitar is available in Midnight Blue, Mercedes Blue, Black and Gold Leaf with gold-plated hardware. The Vintage Noiseless series is a line of electric guitar pickups made by Fender. ...

Construction and design variations

Several variations of the Clapton Strat were made by the Fender Custom Shop throughout the years, including fancy versions with ash bodies, quilted or maple tops, abalone dot position inlays, matching headstocks, gold hardware and white pearloid pickguards, made by Senior Master Builder J. W. Black. Many of these guitars were sold for charity auctions for the Crossroads Centre of Antigua, the drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation facility founded on the small, idyllic Caribbean island in 1998. They include the Gold Leaf Stratocaster of 1997 (used during the Legends and Montserrat concerts) and the Crashocasters (signature model Stratocasters hand-painted by New York-based street artist John Matos, better known as Crash), used by Clapton from 2001 to 2004. The Crossroads Centre is a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre located on the island of Antigua. ... John Crash Matos Crash (b. ... John Crash Matos Crash (b. ... John Crash Matos Crash (b. ...

The Gold Leaf Stratocaster

The original Gold Leaf guitar was built by Fender Master Builder Mark Kendrick as a custom order for Eric Clapton at the time of the 50th Anniversary of the firm in 1996 and was Slowhand's main instrument of choice during the Legends period in 1997. The Gold Leaf Stratocaster was later sold by Christies for US $455.000. Originally available with Gold Lace Sensors since 1996, the Gold Leaf models were upgraded with Vintage Noiseless pickups in 2001. They were built by the same Senior Master Luthiers crafting Eric's personal guitars. The Gold Leaf Strats proved very popular "one-off" Fender models since then and probably the most copied (the BST-GL guitar from the Japanese boutique maker Bacchus Guitars is a fine example). Slowhand is an album by Eric Clapton, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). ... The Lace Sensor is a guitar pickup designed by Don Lace and manufactured by AGI (Actodyne General International). ... The Vintage Noiseless series is a line of electric guitar pickups made by Fender. ...

Limited Edition Crossroads Signature Guitar and Amp Set

Fender introduced a matching set of limited-edition Crossroads instruments, which consisted of an Eric Clapton Crossroads Signature Stratocaster (better known as the "Sun Strat" and produced in a limited run of 100 instruments globally) and a Crossroads '57 Twin-Amp (produced in a limited run of 50 pieces). Each guitar is crafted to Clapton's exacting specifications and bear a unique "Crossroads Antigua" smiling sun graphic designed and originally hand-drawn by Eric Clapton himself.

The commemorative Crossroads '57 Twin-Amps are modeled after the original '57 Twin (one of the most collectable amps of all time) with the classic Fender sound and design that made them so desirable. This limited-edition amplifier features a custom engraved commemorative "Crossroads 2007" badge autographed by Eric and his "Crossroads Antigua" graphic is artistically embedded on the grill cloth.

The latest copy of the stratocaster was made to Clapton's current exact specifications. Bearing in mind the number of changes he makes with regards to neck dimensions any fans purchasing this will be getting an exact replica as used at the Crossroads Festival 2007.