Hi there everybody. I've been playing Fender Strats for as long as I can remember. I currently own a John Cruz Masterbuilt Stratocaster. It's a brilliant guitar but then I went down to one of my local dealers and I played a Clapton Strat and it's blow my mind. The playability, the feel, the look and the sound is totally bizarre. It's so good it's almost weird. But anyway, along with "Blackie" it's the best guitar in the world right now... #Fact!

I've tried different strats through the years and I've always felt like something was missing, but I recently purchased my Eric Clapton Strat, and this is as good as it gets. A beautiful finish with a very easy-played neck. The noiseless mics deliver a soft, delicate and rich sound when played gently, and delivers an enormous kick in the guts when needed. My preferred guitar until this moment was a Gibson Les Paul '77, but it's no real competition. Clapton's Strat together with my Fender Deluxe Hotrod amp literally blows the audience out of their shoes. If you are looking for just one guitar, this is the one you want.

kaigul72 owns this item

Eric Clapton is a great guitar player. This strat has a good sound, comfortable body and neck with a beatiful finish..

So much has been said about this guitar, that I'm not sure I could add anything which hasn't been said already. I've owned and played over ten Strats of one type or another, and this is by far the very best one ever made. The neck is very comportable to play. The pickups (mine are the Lace Sensors) sound beautiful all by themselves without the mid-range boost. The mid-range boost adds more color, depth, sustain, and overall volume that makes this guitar worth every penny.

Two things I would change. One I would put bigger prets on the guitar and two give it a nitro finish. As to the most current pickups, They are really nice when overdriven, but they don't sound as good to me as the Lace Sensors.

Though Eric prefers the VN pickups, I am partial to the Gold Lace Sensors. I owned a '97 'Blackie' which I swapped out for a Custom Shop guitar. I ultimately acquired an '89 Pewter, in very good condition. For me, the neck on the Clapton is the best in the Fender line. The only change I would make to the design of this guitar would be a nod to the the original, giving it the deep '57 belly cut and softer body contours. I'm also partial to soid maple necks with 21 frets. I also feel that, if Clapton's stage guitars do not have a TBX, a conventional tone control should be part of the circuitry of all three levels of Clapton Stratocasters.

ZZDoc owns this item

This guitar is far better than the Standard American Strat. The neck is super playable, the pickups are dead quiet, and the mid boost gives a fat, humbucker-like tone. I wouldn't trade this guitar for any other.

ericdbourassa owns this item

I recently purchased an Eric Clapton Strat that was made in 1996. It has the old Lace Sensors that pre-dated the Vintage Noiseless pickups on it now. What I found I liked more than I expected was the mid range boost tone knob. It really does take the volume to a whole different level while you are playing in a way that changes the character of the tone. I haven't used it a lot yet, but I look forward to seeing what it can do in a live situation. The other thing that knocked me out was the feel of this neck. Like the American Deluxe I used to have, it has a soft v-neck. But this one feels more rounded and even more comfortable. I know it's a 9.5" neck radius, but it feels more like a vintage neck. Mine is Pewter, which just seems to be the norm for this model. I have no issue with the trem being blocked since I don't use it much, anyway. I could have just as easily been fine with a hardtail unit. So far, so good. The only issue I had to have fixed was a slot in the nut needed to be filled to prevent string buzz. Just a strange little quirk that was taken care of before I picked it up. Can't wait to use it more!

Spareparts owns this item

I haven't adjusted this guitar at all, just changed strings, updated pickups to the noiseless set, put straplocks on it.
it plays perfectly, sounds like the Nattional debt! Buy one!

dna9656 owns this item