Tone Profile

A clean, bright, and articulate Stratocaster tone with a characteristic "quacky" sound from the in-between pickup positions. It's a quintessential example of Clapton's late 70s clean tone, defined by its clarity and minimal processing, perfect for blues-infused licks.

Signal Chain

Recording Notes

• Recorded in May 1977 at Olympic Studios, London, for the album 'Slowhand'.
• Produced and engineered by Glyn Johns, known for his natural and often minimalist recording techniques.
• The lead guitar parts, including the main riff, are often double-tracked, creating a fuller sound.
• The overall production emphasizes clarity and a relatively dry sound for the guitars, with ambience added subtly in the mix.

Recreation Tips

• Use a Stratocaster-style guitar with single-coil pickups.
• Set your pickup selector to the 2nd (bridge/middle) or 4th (neck/middle) position.
• Dial in a very clean amplifier tone with significant headroom. Avoid preamp overdrive; any breakup should be minimal and from power amp saturation if pushed.
• Use a light picking attack to maintain clarity and articulate the notes.
• Add a subtle spring reverb emulation and a touch of plate reverb for ambience.
• Experiment with double-tracking the main melodic phrases and panning them slightly for a wider stereo image.
• Keep other effects minimal; the core tone is about the guitar and amp interaction.

Recommended Gear

• Fender Stratocaster (American Vintage II or similar)(guitar)
• Music Man HD-130 Reverb(amp)
• Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue(amp)
• Shure SM57(mic)
• Neumann U87 Ai(mic)
• Source Audio True Spring Reverb (pedal for amp reverb)(pedal)
• Universal Audio UAD EMT 140 Plate Reverb (plugin for studio reverb)(plugin)