Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster - Black with Maple Fingerboard Reviews

Great Blackie. I didn't even have to cannibalize three Strats to get this. Much better battery access than the David Gilmour loaded Strat pickguard. I also love the V maple neck. I'm a thumb over player, so I prefer the V necks (also have the Eric Johnson with the sticky gym floor tint).
i wish Fender made replacement necks with the V carve PLUS the modern twin pin holes to accommodate modern locking tuners. But, I digress….
Anyway, this is a great guitar. Great tones and playability. You can bring a vintage Strat AND LP, or, just bring THIS.

Beautiful strat with unreal tone and beautiful craftsmanship. Definitely a great unique strat unlike any other guitar. If your into Clapton or Rock or Blues this is what you need. Highly recommend it. Mine will be my go to guitar for many years to come.

The guitar is flawless (I doubt it was even played). I got it home and plugged it in and it blows my Gibson away. Everything about it is top notch.

Honest review, I looked at the Gibson's and Fender's for a long time , I've played some American Fenders and seemed really nice, I and played some Gibsons also really nice, but wanted a little more since quality control can be an issue with the Gibsons, I decided on the EC Fender since Eric is a great player and love his sound.... I've never played it before receiving it, once plugged in, it played like both Gibson and Fender American Guitars but with a really big punch, I was really surprised on the overall sound this thing puts out, it was exactly what I was looking for, smoothest neck I've ever played, weight is great, I am really happy with the guitar, the case is not as nice as I expected but it will work for now. Also the vintage tuners are good and stays in tune . Honestly this is the best Guitar I've held in my hands and is a great value for the money and would buy it again.

Customer service is good, but arrived late, they did waive the 80.00. shipping fee ,

I have other Strats, including a PRS Silver Sky, and a 2003 MIM Strat. This one blows them away. The boost is great, I have mine going into a Deluxe Reverb amp. Adding some treble and cranking the boost gives creamy Strat tones, ideal for blues and blues rock. This guitar is a game changer. This is my new go to single coil blues machine!

Great sound, plays like a dream. The neck fits right in my hand. I'd actually played a friends in the past but this one actually feels better. Fantastic guitar.

Excellent guitar. Performs exactly as expected. Thanks for getting it to me rapidly and with a near perfect set up.

Love this guitar.. The built in 25db boost is the real deal.... sounds great and growls wonderfully using this feature even without pedals.. that classic Clapton growl!!

As someone who bought the Fender Player Stratocaster back in 2018, I was interested in finding out the differences between that one and the Clapton version. What you find right off the bat is that the vintage noiseless pickups are better soundings than the Player strat. It's cleaner, warmer and just produces an all around better tone. The Player version tends to have buzzing and distortion that isn't as pleasant to the ears. Additionally, the Clapton version appears to ditch the C modern neck for the classic V shape. One of the bigger changes, at least in my opinion is the blocked tremolo. I never understood why Clapton placed a block of wood under the bridge, until I purchased the Player version. When you rest your hand on the floating bridge it alters the pitch of the strings. With the Clapton version that issue is solved, as is another one of life's mysteries.

Lastly, Aaron and team did a great job of inspecting, tuning and shipping the "Blackie" to me. The guitar and case arrived on time and in perfect condition.

In my opinion, this Clapton version is the best choice when comparing to the entry level Player Strat and the Fender custom version. You can easily dial in the sound you're looking for without breaking your bank account. Versatile, beautiful and affordable is how I would describe this excellent guitar.

Just received my "Blackie" a few days ago, and so far have been more than happy. I have other Strats, Teles, and a couple of Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul's, etc., but this guitar can stand with any of them. I had been reluctant to buy the Clapton model as it deviates from the more customary Strat configuration electronically and I've always considered myself a bit of a purest. However, I must say that EC, who knows a thing or two about Strats, has given us a cool and useful variation. The mid-boost is great! If you're looking for a versatile guitar and am partial to the "S" design, give this guitar a serious look. Also, the price is right. I have a hard time believing that the Custom Shop version warrants a sticker price of about $... higher. And finally, when you buy, look up Sales Technician Ryan Murphy, he's the best!

This is one nice guitar, I have few top end guitars but this is just as good or better...…
It was pack very good and set up was the why I like the neck and sound is amazing and just over all a well design Fender Stratocaster and like to thank Mark Johnson, Sales Engineer of Sweetwater Sound for his time and all his help. Thanks

I was blown away by this model a few years ago when I visited Sweetwater's showroom, and now that I own it I couldn't be happier! It is not for everyone's taste, but it fits my needs exactly. I never use a tremolo (vibrato) bar, so having the floating bridge blocked works perfectly for me and helps keep the guitar in tune longer when playing and bending strings. Even more importantly, the 25 dB mid-boost knob combined with the TBX tone control helps me to dial in the ideal tones to inspire my playing. I have always tended toward a humbucker kind of tone, and these controls allow me to move in that direction or dial in the amount of single-coil Fender tone that I need in the moment. It can go from almost a Les Paul sound to a Strat sound, or anywhere in between, in the blink of an eye. Adjusting to the smaller vintage-style frets took virtually no time at all, and the neck plays super quickly. I believe the guitar comes with 9's, so I had Sweetwater change the strings to my preferred 10's along with a set-up adjustment, and the guitar was delivered quickly and ready to play right out of the case. Thank you Sweetwater and Fender - you have one very happy customer!

This guitar arrived very well packaged. No scratches, dents or dings. Beautiful finish! Great action! A joy to play. Kingsley Davis, my sales engineer, kept checking back with me to make sure I was taken care of after the sale.

I have owned four Strats, including a Strat Plus Deluxe back in the 90's. This one is by far the nicest playing one I have ever had.

What can you say , great bset ice, great people and a great deal.

Owned 1 for 4 years now and has been my main guitar since the case was opened. Cant find a back up for it so I'm just going to have to buy another one.

If your a fan of eric or not you have to have this amazing guitar,the playablity is fantastic ,smooth great action for doing massive bends or just classic rock.I have played many strats but this by far is one of fenders better models,do yourself a favor and play one you won't regret it.

These Strats are the best you will ever play! The soft v neck is modeled after a Martin and is extremely comfortable. I like the Lace pickups better, but the Fender Noiseless one are almost as good. P/u height is the key. Now... the TBX and 25 db mid-boost are GREAT. The boost does NOT have an off/on switch. Just roll it up or down as needed. No tone bleed caps, the TBX has a notch in the middle. It actually adds treble and reduces bass or vice versa. You can dial in any sound, plus great playability = great guitar!

Blackie is a beautiful guitar the case is nice too. The feel playablety and sound is awesome right out of the case great job sweetwater. Thanks!

This guitar looks and feels like an old friend. It feels comfortable in your hands, the neck is familiar and yet a touch different, the weight is just right, and the balance is perfect. The line between player and instrument is blurred, and it just feels like an extension of you. After a rare 2 year period without having a strat, i plug it into my amp and instantly, effortlessly - there is the unmistakable sound I've been missing.

And then you reach for the tone knobs...

wow. just wow... after 24 years of playing strats with "normal" tone circuits, the TBX and Mid-Boost circuits feel completely foreign. For a moment I'm a little lost - fumbling to find the sounds I'm used to and realizing that this may look and feel like an old friend, but there is a completely new dimension to this beast. After a few minutes of experimenting i can't stop smiling. This guitar is SICK!! With a tiny twist the guitar goes from a glassy clear and crisp chime to a fat and raunchy roar. It sounds like I've stomped on a pedal, changed amps, changed guitars, or all of the above. You really can go from "Wonderful Tonight" and "Lay Down Sally" to "Crossroads" and "Sunshine of Your Love" without even touching the amp.

Mind blown.

Great strat, and so much more. fit and finish are perfect, and the setup from Sweetwater was right on the money. The case is classic, and comes with a strap and cable. As always, Ted Hunter was a pleasure to work with and I appreciated the free set of extra strings they threw in to try out.

Love the way my hand slides up and down the neck and with the V-neck shape it seems to provide more fingering capabilities.

I played this guitar a few times over the summer. I thought it sounded great so I knew I wanted it as my next guitar. I must say that I am evem more impressed with it once I got it hooked up to my rig. I spent some time put the strings I like on, and set the action to where I like it. Once I got it all set up just the way I like it I cannot be happier. It's the best feeling and and most versatile sounding strat there is!

I may have a new number one go to guitar!

Great guitar, great price, great service!!

This guitar is suited for the god of guitar. Everything in this guitar from the autograph to the tuning keys is top notch Fender really out did themselves on this guitar. The finish on this one is beautiful I really wanted a pewter but I'm more than happy with the black. If you are considering this guitar, BUY IT !!!Be sure to get it from Sweetwater.

I was super surprised by the beauty of this guitar. The black finish is so smooth and bright. Then there's that perfect maple neck. I really wanted the pewter one but I didn't want to wait for it to come in. I'm not sorry that I didn't wait ,the black one is a real beauty. Last but not least my engineer Linsey Becker handled everything so well even thou she knew that I wasn't going to wait for the pewter.

I was always woried about going with vintage frets. I love them, its way easier to stretch fingers between notes, because there is a lot more wood. Also bending with the 9.5 radius on the Clapton neck gives me no problems, maybe its the soft v. I have big hands and with medium jumbo and larger frets I'm have trouble hitting notes high up on fretboard. Not with the vintage frets. Bar Chords are easy with the radius, even with big hands those flat 12 radius, I cant quit get a clean bar chord. Fit and Finish were a delight. The TBX really gives me a wide range of sound, can get really dirty and gritty and cleans up awesome. Probably not a good choice if your want rocket fast but can do classic rock, blues incredibly.

This is an excellent guitar. The soft 'V' neck and midrange boost control make this Strat one of a kind. Extremely fun to play and very comfortable.Looks great too!And as always you will not find a better place to get your gear than Sweetwater. My salesman Geoff Allen is great and I'm sure all of the sales people at Sweetwater are the same.Rock on!

The neck shape, the vintage frets and the TBX combine for a singular, even unique Strat. From a Twin, a Hot Rod, a Vox AC15 - does not matter, it just sounds great. Vintage frets need work more often than medium jumbos, but are effortless and worth the extra attention.

Not my only Strat, but it always makes the trip.

I have 6 guitars all with humbuckers. Some with coil split but my les paul studio is my go to workhorse but I was missing those chimey clean tones in my arsenal. I decided to get this guitar for my cleans and figured with the boost knob it may be a versatile guitar to have. I LOVE IT! Everything sounds so good on it. I may have a new workhorse on my hands here. Time will tell. I took off a half star because the screws for the pickup selector were both very loose from the OEM and it makes me worry a little about internal craftsmanship if they can't tighten 2 screws on the top of the guitar. Besides for that, no complaints yet.

I've owned one other American-built Stratocaster, a couple of American Telecasters, and I have sixteen other guitars currently. I'm digging this one the most. It sounds great, plays great, and seems to stay in tune nicely. It's chimey as sweetness and can growl too! Works nicely with my Marshall JVM, VoxAC15, and the other tube amps I have. I have to knock a half of a star off for the tuners. They're a hair to short and I've had some issues changing strings. Other than that one little thing it's a keeper for sure!

here is a great upgrade for this guitar. with this guitar ,i was having trouble with the strings being to close to the edge of the fingerboard . so what i did first was , get rid of the crappy fender bridge, & replace it with a callaham v/n bridge. this is a 100% better than the stock fender one. much better block also. this one i a 2-7/8 string spacing with a 2-1/16 saddle spacing, then, installed a set of graph- tech chrome saddles, graph tech string tree, & finally a set of graph-tech ratio tuners, this mod brought the outside strings in about 1mm more to the inside of the fingerboard. PERFECT!! now the strings won't fall off the fingerboard any longer. it has much better overall sound . the ratio tuners are the best ive ever used. & all available from sweetwater. this guitar plays so much better now.

Can't decide which is better-Blackie or the attentiveness I was afforded by your staff.....awesome great job guys...owner of three guitars=onevintage ,Les Paul and now Strat...Jim Irvin

Except for the price great guitar. Love the noiseless pickups and the tbx. Great sound and tone. Play through a hot rod deluxe and get a great clean sound.