Guitar Amp Blog

In Blind Faith, Eric used a Gibson Firebird through either Fender Dual Showman or Marshall amps. But, at the band’s debut performance in London’s Hyde Park, he played a Fender Telecaster with a Stratocaster neck.

While with Derek and the Dominoes, Eric switched to maple neck Fender Stratocasters (primarily “Brownie”). During the band’s UK Tour, he would still play Gibsons. The Fender Champ was his main studio amp used in recording “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.” On stage, he used Fender Dual Showmans or Marshall amps with Fender cabinets.

In 1976, Eric used his Cherry Red Gibson ES-335 for slide playing. It was strung with Ernie Ball Super Slinky’s .009 - .042 and he used an Isis medium slide. He utilized Modified Music Man amps (HD 130 Reverb) with the bias up all the way and special open-back cabinets. He also used a Leslie cabinet with JBL components and had a special foot switch with fast/slow and on/off positions so that the guitar could go either through the amp, through both the amp and the Leslie, or just through the Leslie at either fast or slow speeds (as in the song “Badge”). Eric also used a Crybaby wah-wah pedal. His Fender Stratocaster of choice was Blackie, with the tobacco sunburst Brownie on standby.