Comments on: Eric Clapton Speaks: Best blues guitar, Gibson or Fender?

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:14:10 +0000

I only own 3 electric guitars. Two of them are a Gibson Les Paul Junior Special and a Lone Star Telecaster. I’ve been playing the Gibson since 2003 and it’s a brick, but it’s a SOLID brick. The thing never, never, never goes out of tune even through extreme temperature changes. (I brought it from Florida to California during winter and stayed in the grand canyon.) That things was still tuned. It has a sixties neck and the p-100s sound great for blues, rock, and jazz.

The Lone Star I love as well, but I bought it with weird intonation problems that my guitar tech couldn’t fix. It doesn’t stay in tune as well, but it feels awesomely comfortable and has a great tone as well with the Texas specials and the Pearly Gates humbucker in the bridge.

I think they are both great guitars, but in my case the Gibson came out of the box in top performance. I think the trick with a Gibson is the stopbar and angle neck-nut that keeps everything in tune.

By: RedCurrant

RedCurrant — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:22:17 +0000

If Strats are so great, why have so many players (Clapton, Gilmour et al) customised their guitars? None of them play off-the-peg instruments, they’ve all had pick-up upgrades for a start. And what about the trems? Never heard Clapton use a trem, so why not use a guitar with a stoptail? Wouldn’t that be more stable?

I’ve always loved the look of a Strat – it’s one of the most beautiful guitars ever made, and much prettier than most Gibsons – but I’m coming round to Gibsons more and more. It’s not just the richer, more powerful humbucker sounds but also the build quality. Fenders were designed to be built on a production line by migrant workers, Gibsons have the look and feel of a hand-made instrument. (Consider this: what do you see most of in a PRS, Fender or Gibson DNA?)

An interesting debate, and one I’m sure will go on and on. . !

By: Jonny

Jonny — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:09:40 +0000

SO TRUE!!! Play the old stuff, the Fender just doesn’t cut it. Not biting enough.

By: Jimpy

Jimpy — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:15:41 +0000

In my opinion, the Strat is an acquired taste. New, developing guitarists have difficulty understanding and employing the nuances of sound that the guitar can provide. It simply is harder to play a Strat really well. Gibsons and, generally, most humbucker pickup guitars are easier to make sound good and are more forgiving. You have to be fairly confident in your playing and have some chops to get the most out of a Strat. But at that point, it really is a wonderful instrument. And the fact that you can buy a quality Fender instrument at such comparatively reasonable prices is the icing on the cake. Gibsons are so very over-priced. And until recently, your big bucks for a Gibson didn’t always mean you got top quality for the money either. Now Gibson’s semi-automated production processes are much better at producing quality instruments time after time. But you still have to pay twice as much for a really quality Gibson than for a really quality Fender.
Every guitar player should own at least one Strat. You won’t get the same sound or playing experience from anything else. A truly unique guitar.

By: Deroy Crews

Deroy Crews — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:55:17 +0000

I always wonder why Clapton switched; As for me, I am use to playing strats,but no other strat feels or sounds like that first el cheapo I had when I started. And I’ve always been curious about Les Pauls,I tried one awhile back at a music store,yes it was heavy and Loud but the clean pickup was really articulate,and it seemed that it was also fancy bending strings on that guitar. I now play a Shecter Tempest Custom, in my opinion it resembles more of Les Paul family guitars but has more of a strat feel. I love this guitar,it even has a coil tap so you can play a single coil at the neck position.I ownd a tele once and I liked that guitar too But I still kind of miss the deep clean tone of some of the Strats I gave away. I think deep clean tone belongs to the Stratecaster. DC

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 01:06:04 +0000

Love his sound,But listen real close,He is always trying to get that gibson tone out of his fender.I think he likes the fender better for playing,But misses that humbucking gibson sound.i got both,lay a les paul and a fender side by side,Witch is prettyer?plug them into the same amp,play them,Now compar looks and sound…GIBSON!!!

By: Rich

Rich — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:09:33 +0000

I started with an Epi Les Paul copy after learning on an acoustic. I however did not like the muddy or darker tone of the humbuckers. I guess I should say I like the articulation and clean of the single coils, so I stuck with the body I knew and got another LP copy with P90s but the noise was just increadible with them but I liked the tone. I later pieced together a Fender Strat about two years ago and have been a single coil guy since. I have since settled in with a Telecaster recently with a Twisted Tele neck pickup. That pickup has the tone of a strat neck pickup (which is my favrite tone on the strat). So with the Tele the simplicity of the three positions (well mine has a 4 way switch where position 4 is in series) suite me. But I get the great bluesy sound from the Twisted Tele neck pickup, funk in the middle position and twang in the bridge. Roll back the tone knob and volume a bit and you get some very nice Jazz tones. The Tele just does it for me. Leo got it right the first time.

By: james hogsett

james hogsett — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:42:37 +0000

I am a huge clapton fan and have been since the sixties. I’m also a fan of guitars. I’d like to know if Eric ever played a Mosrite.

By: Eapen

Eapen — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 05:43:44 +0000

Strats are the best guitars, ever, no doubt about it. Great post.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:31:32 +0000

……and then you have Mark Knopfler, a strat player who went to Gibson. I wonder what he’d say?

I’m a strat player BTW.