Eric Clapton stands as one of the greatest guitar players of all time, not just for his incredible skills and his timeless songwriting, but also for his, let’s face it, monumental contribution to guitar tone itself. Players who’ve been around for as long as Clapton invariably go through a number of fundamental changes to their sound through their careers, but none of the British legend’s tonal reinventions stand out as much as the “Woman Tone”.
The Woman Tone was a name that Clapton himself gave to this unique sound, characterized by its rich, warm, and down right creamy texture that blends the grit of an overdriven electric guitar with an expressive, but delicate feel.
Unlike Eddie Van Halen, who was always reluctant to share the details of how he got his “Brown Sound”, Clapton has always been more than happy to talk about getting the Woman Tone just right, and in this KillerGuitarRigs Special, not only will we go into depth on the history of this iconic sound, we’ll also give you some tips, tricks, and gear recommendations for getting this tone just right.
Keep on reading to learn more!
Contents
Origin and Historical Significance
The Woman Tone’s origin story starts in the club scene of the 1960s, where Eric Clapton, together with his band Cream, was literally pioneering a unique brand of rock and roll. He coined the name “Woman Tone” during an interview with Tony Palmer recorded for a film documenting Cream’s final performance in November of 1968. This interview gave viewers a truly intimate look into how Clapton got his tone.
“The woman tone is produced by using either the bass pick-up or the lead pickup but with all the bass off, and in fact, if you use both pickups, you should take all the bass off on the tone control – that is to turn it down to one or zero and then turn the volume full up.”
This sound became the defining element in some of Cream’s biggest hits, including Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, and Crossroads, but what was most interesting about it, was that it couldn’t just be recreated by replicating Clapton’s gear; it required practicing his specific techniques.
“I hook my thumb around the neck of the guitar. A lot of guitarists stretch strings with just their hand free. The only way I can do it is if I have my whole hand around the neck—actually gripping onto it with my thumb. That somehow gives me more of a rocking action with my hand and wrist.”
Clapton’s Gear and Settings
While technique was absolutely instrumental to nailing the Woman Tone, the importance of the gear he used can’t be understated. Clapton is mostly associated with Stratocasters these days, but during these formative days with Cream, he was best known for using “The Fool”, a 1964 Gibson SG, hand painted by Dutch artists Simon Posthuma and Marijke Koger.
The Gear
His SG was a huge part of this sound, as was his 1966 Marshall JTM45/100 head, paired with a single Marshall 1960B 4×12 cabinet. This rig formed the basis of the Woman Tone thanks to the SG’s pronounced, but smooth, mid range, and the organic overdrive of the Marshall working in perfect harmony.
The Settings
The key to this tone really lies in the use of the guitar’s controls. It’s actually possible to get the Woman Tone using any of the pickup positions, but unless you get the tone and volume right, you won’t find the sound you’re looking for. Clapton rolled off the tone all the way to zero to kill the treble frequencies, and this introduced the mellow, creaminess to the sound. At the same time, he cranked the volume control all the way up to get the tubes saturated and breaking up nicely.
Modern Pedals and Technology
It’s fairly well established that the warmth of genuine vintage guitars and amps adds something that it’s just impossible to recreate, even on new versions of the same models. But, unless you’ve got the thousands of dollars you’d need to buy a ‘64 SG and a ‘66 Marshall JTM45/100 to hand, you’ll need a bit of “artificial” help to nail the Woman Tone.
One of the most popular ways to get it is with the Aclam Woman Tone pedal, an FX unit designed specifically to recreate Clapton’s early tone. This pedal uses circuits that mimic the rig that created the Woman Tone, and while it isn’t perfect, it can get you super close for a little over $300. Pretty good value in the scheme of things.
FX pedals like the Aclam are all well and good, but the guitar and amp you use can still color your sound, and that can make getting an accurate Woman Tone difficult depending on what you’re using. One way around this is the use of modeling amps or profilers. Units like the Neural DSP Quad Cortex, the Kemper Profiler, and the Headrush MX5 have put high end, borderline indistinguishable recreations of famous rigs and tones (the Woman Tone included), into the hands of players, with incredible ease and minimal investment. Even the ultra affordable Boss Katana series is capable of a nigh on perfect recreation of Clapton’s tone thanks to the massive community of enthusiasts online who spend hours meticulously playing with settings to achieve the perfect sound.
How to Create the Woman Tone on Different Guitars
As we’ve mentioned, Clapton’s ‘64 SG was a big piece of the puzzle when it came to creating the tone we’ve all come to know and love, but that doesn’t mean that you absolutely need a ‘64 SG, or any SG for that matter, to recreate this sound.
Squeezing the Woman Tone out of your own rig involves having an understanding of how the guitar settings and the amp settings interact with each other. As Clapton highlighted in his 1968 interview, use of the tone and volume controls on the guitar, and specifically the volume on the amp were pivotal, but the rest of the amp’s settings all played a part, too. In the case of your own rig, once you’ve got the basic settings dialed in, you’ll need to play around with them until you find the sweet spot.
We’ve compiled a guide on how to form the basis of the Woman tone using a couple of the most common guitar setups, including both SG/Les Paul style models, and Stratocaster type guitars.
SGs, Les Pauls, and Other Dual Humbucker Guitars
Because these guitars use the same pickup arrangement as The Fool, the setup for dialing in the Woman Tone is pretty straight forward.
Clapton was known to use both the bridge and neck pickups, and even the middle position from time to time, but the easiest way to get the tone is in the neck position.
Once you’re in the neck position, roll off the tone control to its lowest setting or close to it if you find that it’s too muddy all the way down. Cutting the tone like this reduces the top end, which is the first step in getting the thick, warm sound we’re looking for. Next, you’ll need to crank the guitar’s volume pot to max to assist in driving the tubes harder and pushing them into overdrive.
Stratocaster Style Guitars
Naturally, single coil guitars like Strats or even Teles have a much thinner, spankier sound, which doesn’t really lend itself well to the Woman Tone, however, with the right settings, you’ll be able to get surprisingly close.
On a Strat (or other single coil model), you’ll absolutely need to stick with the neck pickup to get enough warmth. Again, you’ll need to kill the treble frequencies by turning the tone knob way down, although unlike with a humbucker, you won’t necessarily need to turn it down to zero to get a mellow enough sound. The volume setting should be set to the maximum possible.
Additional Guitar Tips
Guitars and amps are the big ticket items in terms of getting the sound right, but the setup of your guitar in particular can also have an impact. Heavier gauge strings, for example, are a great way to help you get the warmer tone, particularly when using a Stratocaster or other single coil model.
Amp and Effect Settings
Just as with the guitar you use, the amp you use has a huge impact on the overall accuracy of your Woman Tone replication. For best results you’ll need to use a tube amp, ideally a Marshall or any other British style brand – although, in reality, any tube amp will be fine. The most important part is getting the balance of gain, volume, and EQ right so that you get the warmth, without losing clarity.
Using a Tube Amp
If you’re using a tube amp, you’ll need to start by setting the gain or overdrive to a medium to high level, which will help to break up the amp and get that mild overdrive and long sustain you’ll need. Avoiding too much distortion is important here – as soon as you cross the line from crunch into actual distortion, you’ll overpower the subtle nuances of the Woman Tone.
In the EQ section, set the mid range to a little over half. Keep the bass somewhere between 25 and 50% to prevent any muddiness from creeping in, and keep the treble under 10% to really ramp up the creaminess.
For amps with presence controls, keep the presence low to smooth out the top end frequencies. If you have a master volume control, the setting will depend on your situation, as in whether you’re practicing, recording, or performing live.
Clapton didn’t really use effects to get this tone – in fact his amp didn’t even have a reverb setting. If you really do need to add anything else in, you can get away with a subtle hint (and we do mean hint) of reverb.
As we mentioned, these really are starting points. The specifics will depend a lot on your gear, where you’re playing, and a host of other factors.
Using a Solid State Amp
If you don’t have access to a tube amp, or even a modeler or profiler, you can still get pretty close to the Woman Tone, if not right on the money. It will, however, mean looking to your pedal board for help. Here are the FX units and the requisite settings you’ll need to recreate the iconic tone without the help of vacuum tubes.
Overdrive Pedal
An overdrive pedal is essential for reproducing the warm, slightly overdriven tone of a cranked Marshall amp. Look for an overdrive pedal that offers a smooth, creamy drive without too much harshness or high end bite – we love the Ibanez Tube Screamer and the J Rockett Archer IKON for this. No matter which overdrive pedal you’re using, set the drive to a moderate level to get that warm, creamy overdrive without generating too much distortion. If the pedal you have has an EQ, or even just a tone control, be sure to roll the treble frequencies back and adjust the level to match your bypassed signal volume.
EQ Pedal
Using an EQ pedal will really help you to shape the sound with pinpoint accuracy. You can use it to roll off additional treble frequencies if necessary, and boost the mids to keep the clarity if you find any muddiness creeping in. Our favorite EQ pedal is the Boss EQ-200, but the more affordable Boss GE-7 does a great job, too.
Compressor Pedal
Compressor pedals are the secret sauce when it comes to nailing the Woman Tone without a tube amp. Using a compressor will smooth out the dynamics and add sustain, which is a critical component of the sound. The attack should be in a low to moderate setting to maintain some of the natural pick dynamics. Your level should be adjusted to ensure the signal isn’t too boosted or cut when the compressor engages.
Reverb Pedal
While Clapton didn’t specifically use reverb units, his recordings often had natural room reverb, which you’ll need to get right if you’re trying to replicate the sound. When using reverb, be sure to keep it as subtle as possible – think in terms of adding ambiance rather than texture. We’d recommend keeping it on a room setting if you have the option, and keeping the mix relatively low so that it adds ambiance, without overwhelming the core tone.
Amp Simulator Pedal
Amp simulators are a great way to add tube dynamics to a solid state amp. Something like the TwoNotes ReVolt Analog Tube Simulator will let you specifically dial in British style crunch to get that slightly overdriven sound that responds and reacts to touch in the same way a real tube amp would.
Technique and Practice
We’ve mentioned it a few times, and we’ll say it again for good measure. Getting the Woman Tone right is as much about your touch and technique as it is the gear you use. While you may never learn to play as well as Clapton, with enough time and effort, there’s no reason you can’t master the techniques he used to help you improve your sound.
Part of what makes Clapton such a great guitarist is his fluidity. He uses expressive techniques and embellishments throughout his playing, and manages to pull off extreme precision, without losing soul and feel.
Part of what enabled this was Clapton’s slow, wide ranging vibrato. This added a ton of expressiveness to his drawn out, sustained notes. Just as important was his accurate, highly controlled bends, that often went up a full tone, adding even more emotion into his playing. The use of legato techniques like hammer ons and pull offs was definitely a factor, too, although it was specifically Clapton’s smoothness when using these techniques that really made the difference, giving his tone an almost vocal quality.
Control over dynamics and attack was yet another element of Clapton’s tone that can’t be replicated with gear. Being able to switch up from a soft attack to a more aggressive touch will add huge depth and far more emotion into your sound. Getting Clapton’s note choice and phrasing right is another great (and relatively easy) way to nail the Woman Tone. Make sure to practice your blues scales, but listen to Clapton’s earlier work to figure out his phrasing and timing, and you’ll be off to a great start.
Final Thoughts
The Woman Tone is easily one of the most recognizable sounds in rock and roll. Play a short clip of anybody playing anything in this style to a guitarist, even if it’s not a Clapton or Cream piece, and they’ll more than likely know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.
As we’ve discussed throughout, getting the Woman Tone right means setting up, or adapting your gear in the right way, but also experimenting with it to find that sweet spot where you get the fuzz, the creaminess, and of course the clarity and articulation. Not only is it a case of getting the gear element right, but you’ll also need to make sure you’re practicing! Remember – getting the timing, phrasing and touch right matters just as much (if not more) than the equipment you’re using.
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