I'm thinking about adding a Clapton strat to my collection. Are there any years I should avoid? Were any Clapton strats made outside the U.S.? What are the going prices for used ones? Does anybody know if the bodies are solid or multi-piece glued? What is different about the clapton strat pickups and electronics?
Thanks for any and all help.

Hey there,
As far as I know clapton strats are mia or custom shop. What makes the ec strats unique is;
Soft V profile neck,
Noiseless pups
blocked tremolo bridge,
and a mid range booster which supposedly requires an internal battery.
It also has the nitro finish, which ages quicker, but gives the guitar a more oldschool tone supposedly.
New, they run about 2200 msrp. You can probably find a used or even new for less that 1500 though. Thats about all I know about em, hope this helps.

The Clapton is a great guitar. I will say it does not sound like your normal strat due to the TBX and mid boost it will give you an almost Gibson type sound. The early models had lace sensor pickups and the second generation has vintage noiseless. After checking one out and if it is right for you I would deffinetly go the ebay route thats where I picked mine up 7 years ago brand new and saved $400. You can deffinetly get an NOS or mint condition one and save an easy 5-6 hundred as they are plentiful.

Hi,

Some folks have already provided good information. There are a few things you may want to keep in mind:

1. On the production model, the finish is simply urethane -- just like most other guitars -- not nitro.

2. The guitar has a sound of its own. Even with the boost turned all the way down, the signal is way hotter than youre regular Strat, which will prevent you from getting a true "vintage" Strat tone. If you're not into vintage type of tones, this should not be an issue.

3. With the boost on past say 2, the guitar begins to sound "artificial" through just about anything I ever played mine. Dynamics go out the window, but, that is a part of EC's sound sometimes...

4. The tone, to me, is nothing like humbcukers. SImply play an EC Strat next to a LP, or something similar.

5. The single ply pickguard combined with an additional body route (below the area between the neck and middle pickups, where the active electronics PCB is fitted) make this a very acoustically noisey guitar. When you amplify that with the midrange boost added, if you happen to hit the pickguard with your pick when you play... you will find out with this guitar. Frankly, I had been playing for 30 years when I got my EC Strat and I had never realized I would hit the pickguard when I played... until I played the EC with the boost turned up. Found this to be pretty annoying, actually.

I ended up making a lot of changes to the guitar to suit my taste, but it was worth it because I really like the neck and I had found one at a very good price.

Hope this helps,

Gil

buy one!!!

i have a 89 EC 7up and it plays much better than the new ones
try to find an older one on ebay .....you can always chage the pickups
if you dont like the sound..but the feel of it is great!!
you wont regret it.....i didnt

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USA 1989 Clapton Signature Strat in 7up Green
USA Standard Telecaster all Blk w EMG 81/85
ESP Eclipse II w EMG 81/60
Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier & Road king 4x12

That green color is really cool! Nice to see a Clapton Strat that isn't black or silver for a change..

Pewter, Red, and Green were the original 1988 issue colors authorized by Eric and then he suggested a black guitar. R&D built a black prototype, neck dated 2/23/88 which first went on stage 19 years ago this summer, and was played for three years. The Artist series guitars in that color, which followed had the word "BLACKIE" printed in bold letters under Clapton's signature on the headstock. I cannot offer the date on which those guitars were first produced.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Hello Backbeat1967,

Todays green color is called candy green
and a tone or 2 darker then the '89 7up green.
Both great colors but I like the 7up better.

Cheers.

When considering finish options Eric is quoted somewhere as stating that he always wanted to have a guitar in the color of a 7-Up bottle. Now he also has them in the color of some favorite automobiles....Mercedes Blue and Ferrari Grigio Silverstone....now aka EC Gray(Grey??).....what..everrr.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Grey-gray
color-colour
flavor-flavour

made me laugh and as you so rightly say... whatever!

Grey-gray>>>>>these two are interchangeable; I checked Webster online about that weeks ago I've always treated 'gray' as a 'color' of paint as opposed to 'grey' which has more of an emotional flavor....expressing mood...even to the 'color' of clouds.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Ayan had said that the paint was urethane and not nitro. Now I know for a fact my Clapton has nitro but when I looked at the specs I saw urethane.So I said let me check the Beck which I also have and I know is nitro and again urethane. OK Zzdoc or anyone else when did Fender stop using nitro on these models or did I lose my mind on which I doubt on the latter.

Excepting anyone else on the Forum who might know for sure. Eldred is likely the go to person for that one.

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"Another day in paradise!"

bet you'd never get rid of that thing

[quote="JimiVanPage"][quote="frantic"]buy one!!!

>>>>i have a 89 EC 7up and it plays much better than the new ones
try to find an older one on ebay .....you can always chage the pickups
if you dont like the sound..but the feel of it is great!!
you wont regret it.....i didnt<<<<<<

I have an '89 pewter and ditto on the above comments regarding the neck. Dickson said, of this guitar...'when they copied Blackie's neck-because of the wear and the tear on top of the fretboard here, there's a sort of a rounding which is a natural thing from the artist playing it...They tried to emulate that on all the Clapton guitars by using a little glass slide so its not to sharp an edge.'

It is possible that the necks on the early '88's and '89's are closer to the original intent than some of the later changes in neck profile made by the Custom Shop already commented on elsewhere.

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"