lead guitar from “tears in heaven” by eric clapton | ToneDB
tears in heaven
eric clapton
lead guitar
Tone Profile
The lead guitar tone is clean, warm, and slightly compressed, providing a smooth and expressive sound suitable for melodic playing. It's a balanced tone, focusing on clarity and sustain to convey emotion.
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The Story
Eric Clapton recorded "Tears in Heaven" using a Fender Stratocaster through a Fender Tweed Deluxe amplifier, captured with a Shure SM57 microphone. The recording was done at Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles with producer Russ Titelman and engineer Mick Guzauski. The amp was set to clean settings with minimal overdrive to maintain clarity, and compression was applied during mixing to enhance sustain and even out dynamics.
Production Credits
Producer: Russ Titelman
Engineer: Mick Guzauski
Recorded at: Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles
Signal Chain
Instrument: Fender StratocasterShop on Reverb
Amp: Fender Tweed DeluxeShop on Reverb
Microphone: Shure SM57Shop on Reverb
Recreation Tips
- Use a Fender Stratocaster with the neck pickup selected for a warm tone.
- Set your Fender Tweed Deluxe to a clean setting with moderate volume.
- Position a Shure SM57 microphone close to the speaker cone.
- Apply subtle compression to the guitar track to increase sustain and even out the dynamics.
- Consider using a touch of reverb to add depth and dimension to the tone.
Original Gear
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Substitutions & Recommendations
Alternative to: Fender Stratocaster
Modern Stratocaster with the same pickup configuration and tonal characteristics as vintage models, offering that classic neck pickup warmth
Alternative to: Fender Tweed Deluxe
Hand-wired reissue of the original tweed Deluxe circuit with the same warm, compressed clean tones
Alternative to: Fender Tweed Deluxe
Budget option that emulates the compressed, warm breakup of tweed amps when used with a clean amplifier
Alternative to: Shure SM57
Same microphone model used on the original recording, still manufactured with identical specifications
Alternative to: Studio compression and reverb
Emulates the studio-grade compression used to achieve the smooth sustain and dynamic control of the original
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