How to Sound Like Eric Clapton (Beano Album)

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Eric Clapton had one of the most influential tones that changed the course of music forever. He’s famous for using a bunch of Gibsons as well as a lot of Strats, but in this article, we’ll take a look at his rig on the Beano Album with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers.

It’s really common to see simple rigs in the ‘60s with artists only use a guitar straight to the amp. That’s the case here on Clapton’s rig. A lot of people think that he used a treble booster when he recorded the album, but he stated that he never used one. Keep in mind that they probably used an EQ in the mixing and mastering process.

As far as we know he owned a couple of Bursts while playing with the Blues Breakers but from the photos that were released to the public, we can see Eric Clapton holding a Les Paul. The “Beano Burst” was a 1959 or a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It had a plain maple top, a double-white bobbin PAF in the neck position, and a double-black bobbin PAF in the bridge position. The guitar had a slimmer neck than a 1959 Les Paul would have, so we suspect that it was a late 1959 burst.

Clapton used a 1962 Marshall Bluesbreaker (JTM – 45W Combo). The amp used KT66 output tubes and a GZ34 rectifier tube. The amp was loaded with two 12” speakers at is has an open back, giving the amp a bit more high-end.

Unfortunately, the Beano burst was stolen and we’re not sure where it is at the moment, or if it’s even around. Joe Bonamassa claims that it’s in a private collection on the East Coast of America. But here is the perfect available gear you can buy to get the sound Clapton had.

Before we jump into the gear suggestions, we designed a pedal that will help you get the perfect vintage guitar tone. We made it to be suitable for every guitar and almost every amp out there, focused on that vintage ’60s tone we all know and love! You can find more about it here: Boostache