Fender Eric Clapton Series Amplifiers

[Tig]

This was unexpected news. I don't remember any Fender signature amps. I bet they'll co$t!

http://www.fender.com/products/clapton


www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbxaXk9DG8

In a historic collaboration, Fender introduces its first artist signature amplifiers—EC Series amps bearing the name of legendary guitarist Eric Clapton. Built to the exacting specifications of Clapton himself, the three amps—the EC Twinolux™, EC Tremolux™ and EC Vibro-Champ®—are fascinating variations on their original '50s-era ancestors (the '57 Twin™, '57 Deluxe™ and '57 Champ®, respectively), and are our answer to his call for special models with distinctive features.


Handmade in the United States, all three amp models feature '50s—era output tube bias tremolo (which produces a more throbbing pulse than later Fender tremolo circuits) and a switchable power attenuator (reduces speaker output), in addition to other premium features. In a historic career now in its sixth decade, Eric Clapton has long been known as one of the world's foremost exponents of classic Fender tweed amp tone, and the three new amps bearing his imprint present the pinnacle of personally inspired amp tone for stage and studio alike. Each is a must for Clapton fans and guitarists who want the ultimate in tweed tube amp performance.


http://www.fender.com/themes/products/clapton/images/gallery/EC_GalleryLarge_EricPhoto1.jpg

[Robert]

Buddy playing Twinolux


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbxaXk9DG8

[Katastrophe]

Sounds and looks fantastic. Buddy's tone hasn't sounded that good in years.

I'll bet the cost is more that the GDP of several small developing nations, though.

[cebreez]

I could listen to Buddy Guy play all day! Clapton too. But the amp doesn't sound like Eric Clapton. It sounds like any other well made amp on the market. Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton could sound good through anything including a cheap $100 tube combo and leave everybody saying "How did he get that tone?". Sorry but I just can't stand signature pieces of anything. They developed a style and tone that best suited them and their abilities. Every other musician should strive to do the same.

...and Cebreez steps down from the soapbox.

[sunvalleylaw]

I love the fender tweed look, and generally, the tweed sound. I am not sure I feel the need to have a signature on it though.

[Tig]

MSRP for the Tremolux is $2800
MSRP Twinolux is $4200! http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif
That makes the $1400 MSRP Vibro-Champ a bargain, kinda'. I'd guess about $1000-$1100 street.

[Robert]

Well I'm gonna pass on those amphs! :eek:

[deeaa]

I might pass something on those amphs too...

[duhvoodooman]

Nice amps, but priced w-a-a-a-y-y too high for what they are. Targeted at the corksniffers and status seekers....

[Robert]

Found this clip of Buddy with Mayer. Not sure what amp he used there, but it sounds good to me.


Compare and see which think sounds better! :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGbxaXk9DG8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF2HAHaATs0

[cebreez]

The tweed is a Fender Vintage Reissue '59 Bassman LTD which seems to be his preferred amp. Seen it onstage with him several times. Cant tell if the other is maybe a Twin Reverb? Looks tall for a twin though. Doesn't matter Buddy and John both sound phenomenal.

[deeaa]

I have to say, I really don't much care for how either sounds. Just don't dig that kind of sound so much. Or the music. I could play that kind of stuff ad nauseam, but I wouldn't listen to it much. Just too simple stuff like most blues is...not much to enjoy soundwise, I personally know a few dozen players who can play with much more skill and feel, hell, I think some guys on this very forum could do better or at least just as well as these guys, and nothing interesting songwise either....just not my cup of tea, really.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

The amps sound like typical Fender amps, so no big deal as far as I'm concerned. In the marketing world, where a new iPhone comes out seemingly every couple of weeks, guitar companies do pretty much the same thing. Repackaging the same ol' and calling it "NEW". But it'll increase sales - that's how it's done nowadays. The old adage about "building a better mousetrap" no longer applies; now it's "build a better package/ad campaign/hype". I kinda miss the old days, when musical gear was for musicians, not mass consumers.

And I agree with Dee about the monotony of most "blues", and that Buddy Guy is no big deall in any case.

[Eric]

I kinda miss the old days, when musical gear was for musicians, not mass consumers.
I get your point, but I have to admit to myself that if that was the case, I probably wouldn't be playing the guitar. I'm sure I'd be all right and everything, but overall it's been a positive experience for me, so I can't hate on the market too much.

[Tig]

The amps sound like typical Fender amps, so no big deal as far as I'm concerned. In the marketing world, where a new iPhone comes out seemingly every couple of weeks, guitar companies do pretty much the same thing. Repackaging the same ol' and calling it "NEW". But it'll increase sales - that's how it's done nowadays. The old adage about "building a better mousetrap" no longer applies; now it's "build a better package/ad campaign/hype". I kinda miss the old days, when musical gear was for musicians, not mass consumers.

And I agree with Dee about the monotony of most "blues", and that Buddy Guy is no big deall in any case.

While I won't defend Fender or these amps, you'll find that these are not just re-badged amps. They put in quite a bit of time trying to copy the modded by Suhr amps that Clapton has been touring with for years.

As for bashing blues and Buddy Guy, you are entitled to your opinion. We all have different tastes. I do however get annoyed when people present their opinions as fact, like AM conservative radio talk show hosts.

[Eric]

like AM conservative radio talk show hosts.
You mean like all radio talk show hosts, right? :D

...or maybe that's just how it is around here...

[Tig]

You mean like all radio talk show hosts, right? :D

...or maybe that's just how it is around here...

I stand corrected! I was just going for the easy example out of laziness. :zzz

[deeaa]

Yep, that's annoying indeed. I don't see how can someone say things like 'that baseball player really sucks' or 'that guitar player really sucks' etc...well if the said player plays in some major league team and the guitarist has sold a million albums, well they must be doing something right.

In music it's not always so obvious, I'd be tempted to say there are indeed some out there with loads of success with quite mediocre skills at best, and I might say also that in MY opinion some player sucks, but for sports that's really just plain stupid - if a major league player sucks, then it can be deduced that most any players in lower tier teams suck way more, and definitely just some sports fan/radio host claiming that would suck infinitely more himself....because you just don't get forward in sports unless you have constantly a good record of performance.

Everybody sucks at some point, too. I suck a lot of the time, sometimes I might be able to pull of a nice performance too, but I definitely have sucked and will suck at times to come now and then, especially when trying to pull off something that goes beyond my capabilities. Same goes for everyone, it's no point really ever saying that someone sucks, period. It's for teenagers. I also get a twinge sometimes when people throw the word hate around, I hate this and I hate that, sometimes with surprising gusto...it just feels odd to me. OK I 'hate' it when I get my shoelaces tangled etc. but I can't say I hate somebody and mean it, if I hated someone it'd mean he'd done something like assault my children and I'd be going for his guts already...I just don't feel right about using the word hate too lightly, especially about people. This post sucks bad too, I just woke up and maybe am not making sense.

Just the other day I watched a RHCP video on Tube, and boy Frusciante pulled a sucky, clumsy solo...but I don't think he sucks as a guitarist by any means, despite sometimes stumbling bad on a lead -he's just not a guitar hero lead player, that's all.

We're mammals, so everybody has sucked a lot at some point and likely will do so many times over in their lives. No biggie.

[Eric]

Yep, that's annoying indeed. I don't see how can someone say things like 'that baseball player really sucks' or 'that guitar player really sucks' etc...well if the said player plays in some major league team and the guitarist has sold a million albums, well they must be doing something right.

In music it's not always so obvious, I'd be tempted to say there are indeed some out there with loads of success with quite mediocre skills at best, and I might say also that in MY opinion some player sucks, but for sports that's really just plain stupid - if a major league player sucks, then it can be deduced that most any players in lower tier teams suck way more, and definitely just some sports fan/radio host claiming that would suck infinitely more himself....because you just don't get forward in sports unless you have constantly a good record of performance.

Everybody sucks at some point, too. I suck a lot of the time, sometimes I might be able to pull of a nice performance too, but I definitely have sucked and will suck at times to come now and then, especially when trying to pull off something that goes beyond my capabilities. Same goes for everyone, it's no point really ever saying that someone sucks, period. It's for teenagers. I also get a twinge sometimes when people throw the word hate around, I hate this and I hate that, sometimes with surprising gusto...it just feels odd to me. OK I 'hate' it when I get my shoelaces tangled etc. but I can't say I hate somebody and mean it, if I hated someone it'd mean he'd done something like assault my children and I'd be going for his guts already...I just don't feel right about using the word hate too lightly, especially about people. This post sucks bad too, I just woke up and maybe am not making sense.

Just the other day I watched a RHCP video on Tube, and boy Frusciante pulled a sucky, clumsy solo...but I don't think he sucks as a guitarist by any means, despite sometimes stumbling bad on a lead -he's just not a guitar hero lead player, that's all.

We're mammals, so everybody has sucked a lot at some point and likely will do so many times over in their lives. No biggie.
That's a lot of sucking, Dee!

I agree that a lot of stuff is subjective, but often we get so conditioned to never saying anything negative about anyone that we seem to lose the sense of objectivity along with it. Kind of reminds me that Ellsworth Toohey quote from The Fountainhead about conditioning people to accept crap, thereby breaking the curve of subjective quality.

[progrmr]

LOL @ the blues bashing and Buddy Guy bashing - if any of you can do it just as good, go do it! There's a reason Buddy Guy and the blues are where they are, and you're here on an internet guitar forum!

The amps sound great, but no way I'm dropping that coin on them - although my living room would sound fantastic it's just not worth if you don't make a living playing (IMO of course)

[deeaa]

I don't think of it as bashing at all. I never said he was a bad blues player, I just don't dig that kind of stuff&sound and I don't think it takes much skill or anything to play the blues. More like basic skills and good sense of rhythm are enough, but you need lots of life experience etc...if you wanna play blues u gotta get yerself a woman first, and feel blue, etc...of course it takes time & effort to get good at it, and I respect the experience and talent and whatnot.

Neither am I saying I could do it better myself - or even if at some levels that might be so, it's a moot point, because, well, some people will always like even bad playing, or some special kind of playing because they happen to like just that kind of stuff...me, even if I was capable of playing the greatest blues ever, I would never do it, simply because I don't have the appreciation for the stuff. Can't be good at anything if your heart is not in it.

Conversely, it is not necessary to be good or great at something, if your heart is in it 100%; it will still be honest and true and enjoyable by some who happen to like that kind of stuff.

I'm also quite sure that if I wanted to 'be good' at something, I'd have to play something I know people would like - and sometimes I have too, I mean, performed stuff that goes down well with people, but I don't like doing that. Much prefer doing my own shaite, whether it is liked or not. I never wanted to be a star or get ahead with my music. If I had wanted that, I'd be a pro musician, I would not have disassembled every band I ever was in when they became too popular. Just too lazy to do it.

So once again - I'm not bashing anybody, I'm simply saying I don't think blues needs much skills and I don't think blues has got much to do with musical skills to begin with...I do like some blues, and that blues that I find enjoyable is the stuff made by people who never even learned a chord name or could play a lead to save their lives, but somehow manage to squeeze all the feeling in the world into a few clumsy bars of a ratty acoustic and feet stomping a little off-beat rhythm.

[guitartango]

"and I don't think it takes much skill or anything to play the blues"

You could also say that about any kind on guitar music, be it Rock, Punk or Heavy metal. Clapton and Guy have made it to the top of their game because of their talent (and record sales). Don't forgot slowhand made some "shite" music in the 1980's but so have a lot of other artists.

[Eric]

I don't think of it as bashing at all. I never said he was a bad blues player, I just don't dig that kind of stuff&sound and I don't think it takes much skill or anything to play the blues. More like basic skills and good sense of rhythm are enough, but you need lots of life experience etc...if you wanna play blues u gotta get yerself a woman first, and feel blue, etc...of course it takes time & effort to get good at it, and I respect the experience and talent and whatnot.

Neither am I saying I could do it better myself - or even if at some levels that might be so, it's a moot point, because, well, some people will always like even bad playing, or some special kind of playing because they happen to like just that kind of stuff...me, even if I was capable of playing the greatest blues ever, I would never do it, simply because I don't have the appreciation for the stuff. Can't be good at anything if your heart is not in it.

Conversely, it is not necessary to be good or great at something, if your heart is in it 100%; it will still be honest and true and enjoyable by some who happen to like that kind of stuff.

I'm also quite sure that if I wanted to 'be good' at something, I'd have to play something I know people would like - and sometimes I have too, I mean, performed stuff that goes down well with people, but I don't like doing that. Much prefer doing my own shaite, whether it is liked or not. I never wanted to be a star or get ahead with my music. If I had wanted that, I'd be a pro musician, I would not have disassembled every band I ever was in when they became too popular. Just too lazy to do it.

So once again - I'm not bashing anybody, I'm simply saying I don't think blues needs much skills and I don't think blues has got much to do with musical skills to begin with...I do like some blues, and that blues that I find enjoyable is the stuff made by people who never even learned a chord name or could play a lead to save their lives, but somehow manage to squeeze all the feeling in the world into a few clumsy bars of a ratty acoustic and feet stomping a little off-beat rhythm.
I agree with you, but man are you a lightning rod, particularly on a let's-take-it-out-of-context place like a forum. Still, it's nice to have someone say these things honestly.

For me, I just don't appreciate the blues. It's like anything I suppose, where if you're not familiar with the music it just all sounds the same, kind of like metal to someone who only listens to folk music. But for some reason, blues seems to sound even more same-y to me; I'm not sure why. It does tend to be very guitar-centric though, which I suppose is why it's such a popular genre for guitarists.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Strange how posts seem so often to be misinterpreted as some sort of personal attack. A couple of statements about not liking "Blues", perhaps even trivializing it, were characterized as "bashing". It's as if somebody said that blues sucks and everyone who likes it is a complete idiot. But that's not what was said. I just don't get it.

Hey, I like Steely Dan and I've seen posts from people who think they suck. Do I care?

[MAXIFUNK]

after spending the weekend at the LA AMP SHOW if I am going to spend that much coin on an amp it would not be an other over priced fender anything.

[Tig]

after spending the weekend at the LA AMP SHOW if I am going to spend that much coin on an amp it would not be an other priced fender anything.

Did you get to see Dweezil demo the AXE FX 2? I heard it (the demo and the FX) was awesome.

[Duffy]

Those look like some great amps to me, especially for blues playing. I think that one of those would be great to own. Obviously they are marketed toward people with wealth and taste. I can see some very fortunate kids getting one of those for their birthday and things like that. There is nothing wrong with having the money to be able to buy one of those with no sweat. Some people just like to buy real nice stuff, into which category I'm sure these amps fit.

The whole concept is really cool, in my opinion; tweed, custom Eric Clapton spec'd mods, and capable of great tone as demonstrated by the great Buddy Guy - like him or not. Buddy Guy is a real living relic of the blues and I would like to have heard him demo that amp longer. Definitely not a mass market series of amps, they definitely have some serious potential for some heavy mojo.

I'd also say that dudes like Albert Collins, the "Master of the Telecaster" and Stevie Ray Vaughn, amongst other great blues players, could lay down some serious guitar equal to the greatest in many ways - in my opinion. In my case my appreciation of blues music developed over a period of many years. At first I used to mainly enjoy playing blues music on the guitar and harp but didn't appreciate listening to it much; later I began enjoying listening to blues songs and got a greater scope of more blues artists that I liked and that made a big difference in me liking to listen to it. At this point I enjoy playing blues guitar and drums as well as listening to my favorite blues groups and I am always looking for new stuff that I might enjoy. I like rocked up blues and I often times find it soothing to my soul to listen to the musicality of it reinforcing the strong stories of human emotion that often accompanies it. Sometimes I can see the parallelisms that the songs have to my own experience and it makes me feel not so alone. It doesn't bring me down, in fact it often cheers me up and stimulates my mind.

So, a real good blues amp, like these here new Fenders seem to be, is definitely a good thing - as I see it. Best wishes to those that can afford to get one. I'm fairly confident that they won't be disappointed.

[MAXIFUNK]

TIG missed DZ but there were lots of killer players there known and unknown

[sunvalleylaw]

I am sure they are nice amphs. Just not sure I would spend the coin. Would more likely get a Bassman or Deluxe re-issue, and do mods as necessary.

[Tig]

There are some great USA hand built, based-on-Fender amps already out on the market that I'd go with for much less coin.

Allen Amplification, for example. They offer full kits of most of their amps to save even more money.
http://www.allenamps.com/index.php

http://www.allenamps.com/images/oldflame4x10.jpg

[Robert]

A Bassman or Deluxe re-issue don't need no mods, just sayin'... ;)

Agreed - Allen amps are killer and probably a better buy in the end.

[cebreez]

I stand by my original statement. For the money these amps are are really nothing new! As far as the "blues debate".... WOW! I thought I'd clicked the wrong link. Blues is a genre of music born out of economic poverty. You know sorta like "today". It was also the foundation for most modern genres from bluegrass to country to rock-n-roll to rock and so one. Thats not saying there wasn't other influences but blues was the foundation. You don't have to like blues but we all can appreciate the results.

And just for the record!! Get your hands on the "crossroads" dvd. You'll see why Eric Clapton is considered one of the greats. I love the blues. I would love to play the blues! I consider myself a pretty darn good guitar player! I cannot do justice to blues! It definitely takes some skill that I dont have!

If you are really passionate about this start a new thread. I want to hear more about the amps.
Like has anyone actually tried one yet?