He certainly put together a fantastic band in 2013. Many of the same players then. 

30,000 seats and 30,000 people there!! 

Eric Clapton probably is the most famous guitarist and singer on the planet. 

In 2020 his net worth was listed as $450 million dollars. An incredibly wealthy man. 

@robertdee  $450 million!  Rock and Roll been veddy-veddy good to him!

I'll buy front row tickets and whatever "luxury package" required to one of the shows if I can get Eric to autograph my Martin EC0028!  

@rusty Everyone needs to watch this. Eric Clapton incredibly successful but very reckless over the years. Especially with women. This is a recent overview of his life and great wealth. 

Back in the late 1970s Clapton said when Duane Allman died he probably would have joined the Allman Brothers if they had asked him!!

But he wouldn't have stayed and Eat A Peach as ND Brothers and Sisters would have been so different with Clapton in the band. 

Also Eric Clapton was way, way to famous to be in the Allman Brothers. It wouldn't have been fair to Gregg and Dickey. All the attention would have been on Clapton. 

No bigger Eric Clapton fan in this solar system than I!  

I picked up his book (autobiography) a few years ago at a church rummage sale for a quarter.  Gotta say that of the rock biog's that I've ever read (only several, actually) that his was a little disappointing.  Short, quick chapters that never really tell you more than you already know.  He does mention (briefly) some of his failures in and at life.  I won't go into those - you probably already have an inkling anyway.

He hasn't always been kind to or acknowledged some of the musicians who have contributed to his success.  The book makes absolutely no mention of Chuck Leavell.  Chuck had the gall to request legitimate royalties and other payments - not just to himself, but to other bandmembers.  For doing so, he received the standard, "you should be thankful for the opportunity ..." from Clapton's management.  I do not know (nor is it any of my bidness) how Eric felt about this, but Chuck was never summoned to play in EC's band afterward.  I have a friend who knows Chuck.  He says that when asked about Clapton, Chuck hesitates for a moment - then, with a slight gleam and smile, says, "Eric is intense".  

@rusty That TV news bio on Clapton I posted above which mentions his beginnings, various bands, the several ladies involved with Clapton and the dozens of expensive cars he owns makes NO mention of Unplugged from 1992. The narrator mentions how many millions Clapton made off several albums including compilation albums which of course contains tracks off front line release new albums but there is NO mention of Unplugged!!! 

Unplugged sold over 8 million copies in the US and 26 million worldwide. The best selling live album in history so far and Clapton's biggest seller. 

Yes Chuck Leavell was featured prominently on that album and Chuck's solo on Old Love is as famous as his solo on Jessica. Yet Chuck's work with Clapton ended when Chuck tried to get a fair cut from the many millions of dollars that album generated. 

The Allman Brothers had a compilation album come out in 1991 called "1969 -1979 A Decade of Hits" which sold over two million copies. One of just four million selling albums the ABB had. Fillmore East, Eat A Peach and Brothers and Sisters are the others. Due to the awful deal the band had with Capricorn Records and in the wake of Capricorn's bankruptcy, the Allman Brothers Band and Butch Trucks got NOTHING. Gregg and Dickey and others who had writing credits made money. Indeed Gregg and Dickey had credits on several tracks which according to Butch on this website in the late 1990's meant over a million dollars for Gregg and Dickey and Butch got ZERO!! Butch was really pissed about that and apparently never got over being angry about that. Butch has a credit on Hot 'Lanta but it wasn't used on this. Butch also felt he should of had a credit on Liz Reed even in 1970 but Duane blocked it saying "whoever brings to song to the band gets the credit. What we do to it is the arrangement". I'm not sure Duane was right. Butch did come up with a time signature and drum part for Liz Reed and Berry Oakley came up with the bass intro and bass line for Whipping Post and he and Butch changed the time signature up from what Gregg had brought into the band which apparently Whipping Post was a slow ballad when Gregg showed it to the guys. 

Duane Allman had one. Little Martha. I assume his daughter got/gets the royalty for that song.  

Steve Alaimo for years got 50 percent of Mellisa and wrote not one thing on that song. Gregg sold Steve half of it for $500.00 back in 1967 when he was broke. When Gregg had the money to repay Steve, Steve refused to sell and Steve made a ton of money over the years. Gregg finally bought Steve's credit for thousands of dollars getting Steve Alaimo's name off of Melissa. 

One Way Out has Marshall Sehorn as co writer. This is the same. Sehorn wrote ZERO. Got his name on it and other songs through slick business dealings. 

John Mayall’s Blue Breakers, hmmmmm

also TOIECrowd was released in 1975, not ‘71

the Allmans sure got some raw deals over the years, esp the oft-mentioned decade of hits

✌️

I am a big Cream and Dominoes fan but have to admit I have always been a little underwhelmed by Clapton's solo material.

JMO I think he took a step back after Cream and the Dominoes and I never felt his solo material reach those heights again.

Don't get me wrong I like most of his solo stuff and saw him live a half a dozen times as a solo artist and he gave excellent performances but just feel he never stretched out again like he did on his pre-solo work.

@stephen Yes that Clapton review about on his life and career has a few mistakes in it. And the omission of Eric's best selling album Unplugged, 26 million copies worldwide, is very odd. Like a retrospective of Humphrey Bogart's career and life and not mentioning Casablanca!!! 

1969-1979 A Decade of Hits is on the Polydor lable. They scooped up the Capricorn albums after Phil Walden went bankrupt. Apparently they control all the Capricorn recordings by the ABB and the band gets nothing. The song writers do though. 

Didn't Derek say Clapton whispered to him during one of the Beacon shows that he hasn't played like that since 1969? Those 2 shows are still a lot of fun to listen to. 

I'm surprised to hear that Clapton has scheduled a tour.  It was only 3 or 4 years ago when it was reported in the press that he had some kind of arthritis-related ailment that made playing the guitar at all very painful for him.  Maybe he found some kind of successful therapy?  Anyone know?

I've never been a big Clapton fan, his solo music nor as a person, but the COVID misinformation that he's been shoveling lately has managed to lower my opinion of him (not to mention the batshite crazy Van Morrison album he was a part of)

@porkchopbob  Yes that video bio I linked yesterday lowered my opinion of him as a person just from how he has treated all the women who have been in and out of his life. They likely are lured by the fame and Clapton's enormous wealth then treated like crap by EC. I know he had an odd childhood thinking his young mother was actually his sister but that is no excuse in my book for how one treats ladies that he allows inside his private life. 

In 2017 Clapton was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy. A painful disorder that affects the nerves carrying messages to and from the brain and spinal cord from damage from an accident or disease. In 2017 Clapton was photographed a few times being pushed around in a wheelchair. So he must be better if he is going to tour. And why your? If I were worth $450 million dollars, I would be out to sea on my 450 foot yacht that he bought a few years ago. 

I've seen Clapton several times to always sellout crowds. Clapton continues to be a huge draw live. 

And his shows are always top notch. But not necessarily because of Clapton. Sometimes Clapton just doesn't play that much for some reason. It is because he always puts together a top notch band! Derek Trucks on several tours in recent years was good for Clapton's band and gave Derek exposure that goes well beyond the ABB. 

This upcoming tour has Steve Gadd on drums. Many critics site Steve Gadd as the best drummer on the face of the earth. A position Steve has had with many music critics for years. Paul Carrack formerly of Ace and Mike and The Mechanics is a great singer himself and one of the best organ players in music today. 

Clapton's shows are always top notch mostly because of the bands Clapton than Clapton himself. 

I also was disappointed in 1993 when Clapton refused to give Chuck Leavell a fair share of the millions of dollars Unplugged earned. 26 million copies sold and Chuck apparently only got the standard salary he accepted before anyone knew how well the tour and album would do and Chuck's piano is all over that album. His solo on Old Love is as iconic as his Jessica solo. 

There is a lot about Clapton to not like. But he is likey the most famous and successful guitar player on earth today. 

"In 2017 Clapton was diagnosed with Peripheral Neuropathy. A painful disorder that affects the nerves carrying messages to and from the brain and spinal cord from damage from an accident or disease. In 2017 Clapton was photographed a few times being pushed around in a wheelchair. So he must be better if he is going to tour."

Here you go:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/13/eric-clapton-reveals-nerve-damage-that-makes-playing-guitar-hard-work/

Fool me once...

NEVER been a Clapton fan?  You didn't like the Cream?  Blind Faith?  You didn't go apeshit with the rest of the world when he walked out onto that Beacon stage with the 'Brothers?  I didn't care for that period where he basically became Phil Collins for 10 - 15 years (80s and 90s), and I was extremely disappointed the first time I saw him (461 Ocean Blvd), but he pretty much single-handedly set the ball rollin' for every white boy bluesman that came afterwards.  Yeah, him and Van are just crusty old douchebags these days.  Even Pete Townsend got old.  I remember reading Derek say, "He's still Eric Clapton.  He's got it in his back pocket always."

Posted by: @rusty

NEVER been a Clapton fan? 

Nope, not really.

Cream is fine, I've always enjoyed them. Obviously they were incredibly groundbreaking.

Blind Faith is cool, for that one album, but I dig it more for Winwood since I'm a big Traffic fan.

To be honest, I only love about 3/4s of Layla, and that's probably my favorite dose of Clapton. After that his solo stuff just doesn't interest me. I'd rather hear JJ Cale and Cowboy and Bob Marley than his covers of their songs. His music is mostly pleasant, but a little lifeless to me. But the kicker is I can't stand is Strat tone and most of his post-Cream guitar playing. Obviously he has zillions of fans and he's one of the best guitar players ever but it just doesn't do anything for me. So, no, hearing Clapton play "Dreams" is a quick skip for me. I'd rather hear Randy Brecker sit in.

Clapton absolutely wearing out a 335. 

@porkchopbob What about his Strat tone?  Through early (1970, 71) it was too thin for rock and blues I thought. Those stock single coils he had in Brownie were designed in 1954 for country and western swing music. 

Later Clapton had Lance Sensor pickups which are louder and Clapton's custom design Strat came out and featured these pickups. Warren Haynes bought an Eric Clapton custom shop Strat with a distinctive red headstock. Somehow the roadies were asleep at the switch and allowed that guitar to get stolen. 

Anders Osborn recently had his equipment trailer broken into and someone stole his three prize and main guitars, a 1957 Fender Stratocaster, a 1954 Gibson Les Paul and a 2017 Les Paul custom plus his pedals while he slept inside at a California motel. 

Now Clapton supposedly uses Seymour Duncan pickups. 

Stratocasters are more versatile guitars than Gibsons. A superior design and more comfortable to play and are excellent blues guitars. But like you, I've never liked the stock single coil tone except when one is playing country music like Roy Clark or playing like The Ventures or Hank Marvin. 

Fender Stratocasters are the best selling electric guitars in the world BUT the most modified and tinkered with guitar. I think it was you Porkchopbob that sent me a link to Fender's customer shop where one can order Strats with various makes of whammy bars, pickups including big humbuckers and a variety of electronics. Indeed the need to modify a Strat for rock, blues, heavy metal ....spawned the Super Strat industry in which Fender participates but ironically their souped guitars are currently outsold by the Ibanez R7. In 2018 the best selling electrics were 1) Strat, 2) Les Paul, 3) Tele, 4) Ibanez R7, 5) SG. Taylor is the best selling acoustic. 

Mark Knopfler and David Gilmore recently said in interviews that Stratocasters are the best physically designed guitars ever. The design hasn't really been improved by other manufacturers since 1954. But even they juice the pickups and both have used Les Pauls on some recordings. Gilmore plays a Les Paul on The Wall. 

I love the fat tone of a Les Paul though. Especially Dickey's tone on One Way Out / Eat A Peach.  The big music store here has an Epiphone Les Paul based on the Rush guitarist's Gibson Les Paul that looks and sounds great to me. But it's $855.00 AND HAS EPIPHONE on the headstock. For that price it should say GIBSON.

To me Les Pauls often sound very similar from one player to the other but Stratocasters vary so much from one player to the other because of tinkering. So I assume you are referring to how Clapton set up his guitar and not the instrument itself. 

This is the best tone I've ever heard on any electric guitar. You have Stratocaster design, whammy bar ( not stock ) and HUMBUCKER  pickups. Best of both worlds. 

Posted by: @robertdee

Stratocasters are more versatile guitars than Gibsons. A superior design and more comfortable to play and are excellent blues guitars.

I disagree. Comfort is subjective, I never liked the body or long-scale neck of a Strat. Gibsons have several different neck circumferences - from the 50s baseball bat to the 60s streamline - something for everyone. And if the weight or upper fret access on a Les Paul is an issue, you can always get an SG.

You can get a lot of sounds out of a Les Paul or an SG, you can swap out pickups and pots. The amp and speakers makes a difference - a Fender amp and a Marshall amp are going to affect the tone. But to me, a Strat almost always sounds like a Strat unless it's drastically modified.

And I don't dislike Strats, per se - I like Knopfler, Winwood, Jack Pearson, or Peter Green on a Strat, but they are all tasty, melodic players.

Strat's (Fenders, in general) and Les Pauls are two completely different animals.  If you want a Strat sound - get one.  If you prefer a Les Paul sound, go with one of those.  Starting with the "Brothers in Arms" LP - Knopfler began to play more and more on a Les Paul.  Hard to say if he changed his approach, but the sound is certainly fatter.  Just because somebody doesn't like a Strat (or its sound quality) doesn't make it an inferior instrument.  At all!  Let individual taste a preference be your guide!

Owning several Fenders and Gibsons, I can say with great authority (or knowing what I'm talking aboutness) that Fenders in general are much tougher instruments.  Generally speaking, they're built like Soviet tanks!  You could take a Telecaster and sling it through a third floor window (glass and all).  After it bounces around and gets run over by a truck or two you can go get it and plug it back in.  It might require re-tuning.  😉  If you leave a Gibson leaning against a chair and a truck drives by and back-fires - causing the Gibson to fall over - you're liable to have an expensive piece of firewood or an expensive repair on your hands.  Experience talking, here.  I do love that fat, humbucking Gibson sound though.  

I don't understand why anybody would take a vintage instrument (Fender or Gibson) out on the road.  I wish that I enough talent to justify spending $10K (or much, much more) on a '57 Strat or a '59 Les Paul.  I could probably scrape up the cash to buy one, but then it would pretty much own ME.  It'd also be like buying a Water Pick when you only have two teeth!  Contrary to believe, some of the newer models do play and sound good enough for any practical use.  I read an interview with Eric Johnson a while back.  He disclosed that not only was "Cliffs of Dover" played on a Gibson (335) instead of a Strat' (which I had assumed) - that he had a brand new 335 that sounded and played as good as his vintage model.

Posted by: @porkchopbob

Posted by: @robertdee

Stratocasters are more versatile guitars than Gibsons. A superior design and more comfortable to play and are excellent blues guitars.

But to me, a Strat almost always sounds like a Strat unless it's drastically modified.

 

Totally agree. Great guitars , but above really nails it. I just dont care for the tone and you can usually can tell right away whats being played. Just a preference. But

BUT, one of my fav tones is when Clapton digs into his guitar(Stray) to really go for it.He just balances that line of clean and breaking up/overdriven sound . Pure sweetness. Derek Trucks is the same way. When he attacks(picking) that SG and that gritty tone he gets by driving that thing through the amp ...what more can be said. His tone is one of my favorites.

I am more of a humbucker person myself. That tone just fits me more. I have never owned a Gibson LP. always Epi's...I can afford them. I am thinking about changing things up and going for an SG.

Posted by: @robertdee

To me Les Pauls often sound very similar from one player to the other but Stratocasters vary so much from one player to the other because of tinkering.

Exactly, because they've been modified to achieve a different sound not available from a stock Strat. You can do this with any guitar. 

A PRS probably has more range of tone, but that's because they were designed to tap into both single coil and humbucker tones. But I don't think PRSs do either as well as Fender or Gibson.

So I assume you are referring to how Clapton set up his guitar and not the instrument itself. 

His playing and his stinging tone. Maybe it's because all of the imitators who bought Strats and play generic blues rock, but for me Clapton just plays a lot of notes. I'd rather hear Albert King play one note than 20 from Clapton.

@rusty

The classic guitar market is crazy. I'm glad some of them still get played, but yeah I would never take one out on tour (I mean, if I ever went on tour)

People chased those '58 and '59 Les Pauls because those are the LPs that were available in the late 1960s. Gibson stopped making them when they redesigned it as the SG.

Once Page and Townsend made what was meant to be a jazz guitar popular again, Gibson started producing them but they weren't quite as good or even the same. Since then guitarists chase the "classic tone" thinking the same vintage wire or the same lacquer will make them sound like Jimmy Page.

I have a 2014 Les Paul Studio that I got for $700 and it sounds fine to me. I don't need a $1500 nitro finish.

@jszfunk  Nice SG. With a whammy. Bigsby? I have an SG. I got it years ago when Dickey was playing one in the summer of 1970. Have an old Stratocaster too and someone doubled the single coils in the bridge position which makes it louder but similar single coil tone. Okay for some blues songs and whammy. I can't use a darn whammy anyway. Often go out of tune. 

Porkchopbob is right about those amps. That makes all the difference in the world. 

Posted by: @porkchopbob

Posted by: @robertdee

To me Les Pauls often sound very similar from one player to the other but Stratocasters vary so much from one player to the other because of tinkering.

Exactly, because they've been modified to achieve a different sound not available from a stock Strat. You can do this with any guitar. 

A PRS probably has more range of tone, but that's because they were designed to tap into both single coil and humbucker tones. But I don't think PRSs do either as well as Fender or Gibson.

So I assume you are referring to how Clapton set up his guitar and not the instrument itself. 

His playing and his stinging tone. Maybe it's because all of the imitators who bought Strats and play generic blues rock, but for me Clapton just plays a lot of notes. I'd rather hear Albert King play one note than 20 from Clapton.

I have played the lower end PRS's and they are nice. Never have owned own. I have been doing some research on the PRS Starla, nice tone, but I think they designed the PUPS to be more chimey sounding. NOt sure I am sold on it.

Gonna go in a direction on PUP's. Since most of us here are guitar players, we probably understand, that being a single coil PUP(guitar) does not qualify or make it a Strat(Fender) type tone and the same for humbuckers( being a Gibson hb) vs anything else. I have also being eyeballing some Gretches and they're HB are not really similar to a Gibson or Seymour Duncan. I have had guitars that have they capable to split the Humbucker into a single and get that tone, but its no where near a Fender Strat tone.

@jszfunk 

I have a Les Paul Studio, SG, and a PRS. Both Gibsons were on the cheap end and still sound like Gibsons. The PRS cost more, it has my favorite neck, but I like the tone the least - jack of all trades, master of none. For me, the SG has everything. If I can't find pickups that I like for the PRS I might sell it and get another SG.

Posted by: @robertdee

@jszfunk  Nice SG. With a whammy. Bigsby? I have an SG. I got it years ago when Dickey was playing one in the summer of 1970. Have an old Stratocaster too and someone doubled the single coils in the bridge position which makes it louder but similar single coil tone. Okay for some blues songs and whammy. I can't use a darn whammy anyway. Often go out of tune. 

Porkchopbob is right about those amps. That makes all the difference in the world. 

 

I am not a whammy guy. If I do get it , its coming off or being pulled back to the lower bout out of the way.

Posted by: @robertdee

Porkchopbob is right about those amps. That makes all the difference in the world. 

Dave Grissom is a huge PRS guy (he has his own PRS model).

He's chatted about sitting in for Dickey in '93 and how bright and chimey Dickey's Marshall with JBL speakers was for him. It's one of the reasons Dickey always sounded like Dickey.

here's the interview, a good amount of ABB material:

HB bridge P90 neck!!!