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Post subject: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne Blue
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:38 am
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When I saw the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 on DVD I completely fell in love with EC's Daphne Blue Strat. So I basically decided there and then that, one day, I'd be getting me a Daphne Blue Strat with maple fretboard like EC's... to be honest, it really never occurred to me that I'd be able to get my hands on an ACTUAL Daphne Blue Custom Shop Clapton Strat because of the fact it was a limited edition and I live in South Africa where we don't get the greatest of selection/variety in the shops... so I figured even if I did find one for sale on eBay, the asking price plus shipping plus tax would make the price prohibitively high.

THEN: about a month ago a classified ad appeared on one of the local (South African) guitar forums that I'm on, and sure enough, someone here in SA had one for sale! I couldn't believe it and, while I hadn't budgeted for a new guitar on such short notice, I knew I had to make a plan to make sure I didn't lose out on the opportunity, possibly of a lifetime, to get my hands on it.

Picked it up on Saturday, my Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 Limited Edition in Daphne Blue:

Image


Image

Despite being 4 years old (since manufacture) the guitar has barely been played, indeed, barely ever even been taken out of its case! It's absolutely mint, came with all the hang-tags, case candy and Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity. She plays beautifully, and in the couple of days since I got it we've become firm friends!

I have a question though: the first tone control is a TBX-something-or-other, and the second tone control is some kind of active mid-boost circuit. Could someone here please explain, or link me to an explanation, as to how these two non-standard Strat controls work and what the point of them is? I ask because aside from hooking up my Strat bridge pickups to the middle Tone control, I'm very much a vintage-spec Stat user (5-way selector switches all the way though), I'm a true single-coil addict and have no need for any more volume/gain boosts for solos (more than enough of that on my pedalboard), nor do I have any desire to make a Strat sound like it's got humbuckers, which I think is the point of the active mid-boost control.

Any clarity you guys could provide on my query would be greatly appreciated!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:17 am
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WOW, that's a major catch you've got there mister. Amazing guitar right there. That Daphne Blue is so eyecatching!

I'm afraid I can help you with your questions but surely some of the experts in this forum will give you the answers you are looking for! :wink:

Be sure to play that baby and give her a lot of love man! 8)


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:32 am
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TBX = Treble/Bass eXpansion

It's a detented, stacked 250K/1 MEG. split shaft pot with a .022 capacitor and a .25W resistor. From "0" to "5" it acts just like a normal tone control, they say. As you turn the control past "5", the resistance caused by the tone control circuitry begins to decrease, resulting in more treble, bass and a bit more presence.

MDX = MiDrange eXpansion

It's a variable midrange booster which boosts the mids and makes single-coil pickups sound like an overdriven humbucker while retaining their glass and transparency.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:33 am
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Nice score indeed!

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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:37 am
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Slowfingers35 wrote:
WOW, that's a major catch you've got there mister. Amazing guitar right there. That Daphne Blue is so eyecatching!

I'm afraid I can help you with your questions but surely some of the experts in this forum will give you the answers you are looking for! :wink:

Be sure to play that baby and give her a lot of love man! 8)


The catch was with the price, but in a good way! These things new (Custom Shop Artist Series Clapton Strats, but not in Daphne Blue) go for $4280. Shipping to South Africa plus import taxes would push that up to $5000. Current exchange rate is ZAR (South African Rand) 10 to $1, and local instrument retaillers put a premium on everything, so one of these new in the shops would easily set me back ZAR50,000 ($5000) or more, and Daphne Blue isn't a current option!

I paid $2500, and it really is absolutely in mint unplayed condition!

And yes, isn't Daphne Blue totally gorgeous!


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:43 am
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chromeface wrote:
TBX = Treble/Bass eXpansion

It's a detented, stacked 250K/1 MEG. split shaft pot with a .022 capacitor and a .25W resistor. From "0" to "5" it acts just like a normal tone control, they say. As you turn the control past "5", the resistance caused by the tone control circuitry begins to decrease, resulting in more treble, bass and a bit more presence.

MDX = MiDrange eXpansion

It's a variable midrange booster which boosts the mids and makes single-coil pickups sound like an overdriven humbucker while retaining their glass and transparency.


Thanks for the info, are you an MDX user? I ask because is there a setting on this "tone" control that gives me the pure undiluted single-coils like I assume the middle detent on the other "tone" control does? I want to see if I like the Noiseless pickups without any electronics surgery if at all possible. I'm not sure I'm going to keep the TBX/MDX tone controls and I need to see if I like the pickups as they are.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:07 am
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Sebber wrote:
is there a setting on this "tone" control that gives me the pure undiluted single-coils like I assume the middle detent on the other "tone" control does?


The first tone knob (TBX) has the detent.

The second tone control (MDX) is a gain volume pot. It doesn't have any detent on it.

The TBX compensates for the lack of highs when the MDX is cranked up.

Almost all of Eric's personal stage and studio guitars sport a standard tone pot in place of the TBX circuit - apart from a couple of Lace Sensor-equipped Blackies he uses for slide.


Image

Daphne Blue was retired from active service as of November 2011.

Quote:
are you an MDX user?


My Strat doesn't have the mid-boost, sorry.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:58 pm
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Sebber wrote:
When I saw the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 on DVD I completely fell in love with EC's Daphne Blue Strat. So I basically decided there and then that, one day, I'd be getting me a Daphne Blue Strat with maple fretboard like EC's... to be honest, it really never occurred to me that I'd be able to get my hands on an ACTUAL Daphne Blue Custom Shop Clapton Strat because of the fact it was a limited edition and I live in South Africa where we don't get the greatest of selection/variety in the shops... so I figured even if I did find one for sale on eBay, the asking price plus shipping plus tax would make the price prohibitively high.

THEN: about a month ago a classified ad appeared on one of the local (South African) guitar forums that I'm on, and sure enough, someone here in SA had one for sale! I couldn't believe it and, while I hadn't budgeted for a new guitar on such short notice, I knew I had to make a plan to make sure I didn't lose out on the opportunity, possibly of a lifetime, to get my hands on itthe position is still available, I could send my resume. I am a very dedicated, friendly person that is looking for a change in employment. I enjoy friendly interaction with clients in a fast pace, busy environment. gmail.com)Picked it up on Saturday, my Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 Limited Edition in Daphne Blue:

[img]http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/Sasebber/Music/20130721_111720_zpsd2c62ae5.jpg[/

[url=http://s782.photobucket.com/user/Sasebber/media/Music/20130721_111801_zpsd6ff4910.jpg.html]Image


Despite being 4 years old (since manufacture) the guitar has barely been played, indeed, barely ever even been taken out of its case! It's absolutely mint, came with all the hang-tags, case candy and Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity. She plays beautifully, and in the couple of days since I got it we've become firm friends!

I have a question though: the first tone control is a TBX-something-or-other, and the second tone control is some kind of active mid-boost circuit. Could someone here please explain, or link me to an explanation, as to how these two non-standard Strat controls work and what the point of them is? I ask because aside from hooking up my Strat bridge pickups to the middle Tone control, I'm very much a vintage-spec Stat user (5-way selector switches all the way though), I'm a true single-coil addict and have no need for any more volume/gain boosts for solos (more than enough of that on my pedalboard), nor do I have any desire to make a Strat sound like it's got humbuckers, which I think is the point of the active mid-boost control.

Any clarity you guys could provide on my query would be greatly appreciated!


Hey that looks just like mine


Last edited by tbazzone on Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:49 pm
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Let me understand this. The OP buys a Custom Shop Clapton Strat and then wants to remove all the components that make it a Clapton Strat? Seems like a waste of a good guitar. OP should have searched for a regular Strat in the color he wanted instead of butchering a Clapton Strat. :roll:

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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:54 pm
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Deleted.

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Last edited by bluesky636 on Tue Jul 23, 2013 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 9:06 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
Let me understand this. The OP buys a Custom Shop Clapton Strat and then wants to remove all the components that make it a Clapton Strat? Seems like a waste of a good guitar. OP should have searched for a regular Strat in the color he wanted instead of butchering a Clapton Strat. :roll:


+1

If you're not happy with the active electronics, why not purchasing a MIM Classic '50s in that colour rather than ruining a high-end instrument? :wink:

Image


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:59 am
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chromeface wrote:
bluesky636 wrote:
Let me understand this. The OP buys a Custom Shop Clapton Strat and then wants to remove all the components that make it a Clapton Strat? Seems like a waste of a good guitar. OP should have searched for a regular Strat in the color he wanted instead of butchering a Clapton Strat. :roll:


+1

If you're not happy with the active electronics, why not purchasing a MIM Classic '50s in that colour rather than ruining a high-end instrument? :wink:

Image


Lol, I'm a player not a collector: for me a Fender Strat has to be a good player, first and foremost. As far as I'm concerned the electronics in ANY guitar are of secondary importance and can be changed as required. If I were suggesting non-reversible mods, like giving it swimming pool and Floyd Rose routs, and scalloping the fretboard, then terms like "waste of a good guitar", "butchering a Clapton Strat" and "ruining a high-end instrument" would be apt... however, given that I'm considering putting standard tone pots and possibly different pickups in there, and given that if I did so it could easily be reverted back to precisely Clapton Strat spec, I really don't see the issue.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:22 am
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Of course yes, you can remove the Noiseless pickups and the matching Elite circuit then install more conventional pickups and electronics. A lot of players did that mod with their EC Strats.

You can revert to the factory configuration at any moment.

Bill says that modifying a top-notch Custom Shop instrument could hurt its value.

In your place I'd buy a MIM Classic '50s Strat in Daphne Blue and upgrade it with the Clapton mods rather than purchasing an expensive Custom Shop guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:49 pm
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bluesky636 wrote:
tbazzone wrote:
Sebber wrote:
When I saw the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010 on DVD I completely fell in love with EC's Daphne Blue Strat. So I basically decided there and then that, one day, I'd be getting me a Daphne Blue Strat with maple fretboard like EC's... to be honest, it really never occurred to me that I'd be able to get my hands on an ACTUAL Daphne Blue Custom Shop Clapton Strat because of the fact it was a limited edition and I live in South Africa where we don't get the greatest of selection/variety in the shops... so I figured even if I did find one for sale on eBay, the asking price plus shipping plus tax would make the price prohibitively high.

THEN: about a month ago a classified ad appeared on one of the local (South African) guitar forums that I'm on, and sure enough, someone here in SA had one for sale! I couldn't believe it and, while I hadn't budgeted for a new guitar on such short notice, I knew I had to make a plan to make sure I didn't lose out on the opportunity, possibly of a lifetime, to get my hands on it.



[img]http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy108/Sasebber/Music/20130721_111720_zpsd2c62ae5.jpg[/

[url=http://s782.photobucket.com/user/Sasebber/media/Music/20130721_111801_zpsd6ff4910.jpg.html]Image


Despite being 4 years old (since manufacture) the guitar has barely been played, indeed, barely ever even been taken out of its case! It's absolutely mint, came with all the hang-tags, case candy and Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity. She plays beautifully, and in the couple of days since I got it we've become firm friends!

I have a question though: the first tone control is a TBX-something-or-other, and the second tone control is some kind of active mid-boost circuit. Could someone here please explain, or link me to an explanation, as to how these two non-standard Strat controls work and what the point of them is? I ask because aside from hooking up my Strat bridge pickups to the middle Tone control, I'm very much a vintage-spec Stat user (5-way selector switches all the way though), I'm a true single-coil addict and have no need for any more volume/gain boosts for solos (more than enough of that on my pedalboard), nor do I have any desire to make a Strat sound like it's got humbuckers, which I think is the point of the active mid-boost control.

Any clarity you guys could provide on my query would be greatly appreciated!


Hey that looks just like mine


Where did that come from? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I just saw that. That's funny it's my niece and I don't know how that got in there


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Post subject: Re: Fender Custom Shop Eric Clapton 2009 LTD Edition Daphne
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 4:44 pm
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Welcome to the club. My story is similar to yours. I saw EC in concert a couple of years ago and fell in love with the Daphne Blue Strat. Like you I never expected to be able to buy one, but a few months ago one turned up and I had to jump on it even though I really didn't need another guitar. I paid a little less than you but I didn't get any case candy.
I think you should play it for a few months before you decide to mod it. I would be surprised if you decided you didn't like the tones it gives.
Here's mine:

Image

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