Joe Bonamassa discusses Eric Clapton‘s Gibson guitar years on The Pickup Radio Show this week. Do you think Clapton went downhill after switching to a Stratosphere? Personally I think he just changed with the times, as did bands like The Rolling Stones, and the new sound just wasn’t the same. He discarded the blues for some time, finding success with a softened 70s harmony. It was good, but it wasn’t Eric Clapton, as far as some were concerned. He was mortal after all. He has been cranking out some first-rate blues in recent years, but I don’t know that it compares to some of the brilliant stuff he did in the 60s.
The full show can be downloaded from here.
Since 2004, Eric Clapton has been using a Carlos Juan CP-1 Pickup in the Bellezza Nera model Martin guitar. These pickups are handbuilt in Germany by Carlos at his American Guitar Center. The Eric Clapton Signature Stratocasters are equipped with Fender Vintage Noiseless Pickups.