What Guitar Does Eric Clapton Use?
Eric Clapton's guitar history spans six decades and several iconic instruments — each associated with a distinct era of his career. His playing has been so influential that the guitars he used have become some of the most documented and studied in rock history.
Era 1: The Beano Les Paul (1965–1966) — John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
Guitar: 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Sunburst)
This guitar gave Clapton the tone on the Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton album (1966), also known as the "Beano" album because Clapton was photographed reading a Beano comic on the cover.
Specs: 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard with PAF humbuckers, rosewood fingerboard, thin mahogany body with maple cap, stop tailpiece. Serial number 00001-00999 range (early 1960 production).
Amp: Marshall JTM45 2×12 combo, turned up loud. The interaction between the PAF pickups and the early Marshall circuit — with the volume on both guitar and amp at full — created the "woman tone" and sustained, singing lead tone that influenced every rock guitarist who followed.
Tone: The Beano tone is all about the amp clipping — the Les Paul provides a warm, thick signal; the Marshall does the distortion. There are no pedals in this signal chain.
Status: This specific guitar was stolen from Clapton's car in 1966 and has never been recovered.
Era 2: The Fool SG (1967) — Cream
Guitar: 1964 Gibson SG Standard
Psychedelically painted by the Dutch art collective "The Fool" in 1967, this SG became one of the most recognisable guitars in rock. Used during Cream's peak touring period.
Tone: The SG's humbuckers through a Marshall stack — screaming lead tones on "Sunshine of Your Love", "White Room", and "Crossroads".
Status: Clapton gave this guitar to Jackie Lomax in 1968. It now resides at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after passing through several hands.
Era 3: Blackie (1970–2004) — Solo Career
Guitar: Composite 1950s Fender Stratocaster
In 1970, Clapton visited Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville and bought six vintage Stratocasters for $100 each. He gave three to friends (Pete Townshend, George Harrison, Steve Winwood) and assembled the best parts from the remaining three into one guitar — "Blackie."
Specs: Mix of 1956–1957 Stratocaster bodies and necks, black refinish, 21 frets. The specific year combination is debated, but the guitar is definitively a 1950s-era composite.
Why the Strat? After Cream's Marshall-driven power, Clapton moved toward a cleaner, more nuanced sound. The Stratocaster's single-coil pickups provided a clearer, less compressed response — better suited to the blues phrasing he developed in the 1970s.
Period: Blackie appeared on 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), Slowhand (1977), Unplugged (1992), and almost every recording and performance in between.
Auction: Blackie sold at Christie's in 2004 for $959,500 to benefit Crossroads Centre — the highest price ever paid for a guitar at auction at that time.
Era 4: Eric Clapton Signature Stratocasters (2004–Present)
After retiring Blackie, Clapton has played Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Signature Stratocasters — guitars built to the specifications he established during the Blackie era.
Key specs:
- Neck: Soft V profile (Clapton's preference — slightly V-shaped rather than the standard C)
- Fretboard: Maple, 9.5"–12" compound radius
- Pickups: Noiseless Fender pickups (vintage-voiced but hum-cancelling)
- Body: Alder
- Active midboost: 25dB active boost circuit in the body cavity — boosts the midrange for lead work without changing volume
- TBX tone control: Treble bass expander — a passive circuit that extends the tone control's range
Production version: Fender makes an Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster in the Player Series (~£1,100) with the same V neck, active midboost, and TBX control.
Budget Alternatives
| Budget | Option |
|---|---|
| Under £400 | Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster + V-neck feel |
| Under £700 | Fender Player Stratocaster (upgrade neck to V-profile) |
| Under £1,200 | Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster (full spec) |
Why the Guitar Switch Mattered as Much as the Amp Change
Clapton's move from Les Paul/SG to Stratocaster in 1970 wasn't a cosmetic change — it reflects the same underlying shift covered in the companion amp guide, from the thick, sustained, humbucker-driven saturation of the Cream years to the clearer, more articulate single-coil sound of his solo blues phrasing. A Stratocaster's single-coil pickups respond differently to picking dynamics than a Les Paul's humbuckers, with less compression and a brighter, more immediate attack — exactly what suited the more restrained, vocal-forward material he was writing in the 1970s.
This is why "Blackie" specifically, assembled from vintage 1950s Stratocaster parts rather than bought as a single vintage guitar, matters: Clapton wasn't chasing a specific famous instrument, he was building a guitar around the exact tonal qualities (bright, articulate, responsive single-coils) that the new musical direction required.
Common Mistakes
Assuming a Les Paul is the "correct" Clapton guitar for every era. As the guide makes clear, this is only accurate for the 1966-1969 Bluesbreakers/Cream period — for the vast majority of his solo career from 1970 onward, the Stratocaster is the historically accurate choice, not the Les Paul most people associate with "Clapton tone" by reputation alone.
Overlooking the active midboost circuit on the Signature Stratocaster. This 25dB boost is a functionally important feature, not a cosmetic spec — it lets the guitar push an amp's front end harder for lead work without needing a separate boost pedal, a detail easy to miss when comparing a standard Strat to the signature model.
Assuming the TBX tone control works like a standard tone knob. The Treble Bass Expander extends the tone control's range beyond what a standard passive tone pot offers — treating it identically to a normal Stratocaster tone knob misses part of what the signature model's electronics actually do.
Pursuing an exact vintage 1950s Stratocaster to replicate "Blackie" precisely. As the guide notes, Blackie itself was a composite of three different vintage Strats' best parts, not a single pristine original — a quality V-neck Stratocaster with the right pickup character gets you meaningfully close without needing an actual 1950s original instrument.
ToneStakr's Take
For players chasing this tone, matching guitar type to era matters more than most players realize — a Les Paul or SG for the raw, cranked Bluesbreakers/Cream sound, or a Stratocaster (ideally with a soft V neck profile) for everything from 1970 onward. The Fender Player Series Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster is the most practical modern route to the mature-career tone, since it includes the active midboost and TBX controls that are genuinely part of the sound, not just cosmetic signature-model additions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Eric Clapton's main guitar?
For most of his solo career it was "Blackie," a composite 1950s Fender Stratocaster assembled from parts of three vintage guitars. Since 2004, after Blackie's retirement and sale at auction, he has played Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton Signature Stratocasters built to the same specifications.
What was the Beano Les Paul?
A 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard that Clapton used on the influential 1966 Blues Breakers album with John Mayall. It was stolen from his car in 1966 and has never been recovered — the tone from that recording, PAF humbuckers driving a loud Marshall JTM45, remains one of the most influential guitar sounds in rock history.
Does Eric Clapton play a Les Paul or a Stratocaster?
Both, but in clearly separated eras — Les Paul and Gibson SG during the Cream years (1966-1969), and Fender Stratocaster almost exclusively from 1970 onward through his entire solo career.
What strings does Eric Clapton use?
Ernie Ball strings in a .010-.046 light gauge. His playing style involves significant string bending, and the lighter gauge makes this technique more comfortable and fluid than a heavier gauge would allow.
What is the "soft V" neck profile, and why does Clapton prefer it?
A neck shape that's slightly V-shaped in cross-section rather than the more common rounded C profile — it fits differently in the hand, and Clapton has favored it consistently on his signature Stratocasters since establishing the spec during the Blackie era.
Is the budget Squier version of the Clapton Stratocaster worth considering?
For players wanting the general Stratocaster feel and Clapton-associated look without the signature electronics, a Squier Classic Vibe 50s Stratocaster (with attention to neck feel) is a sensible starting point — but it won't include the active midboost or TBX tone control that are genuinely part of the mature Clapton tone, which only the actual signature models include.