Riff Tone

Born Under A Bad Sign (Remastered 2026)

Cream

Guitarblues1960s

Original Gear

Guitar1964 Gibson Reverse Firebird

AmpMarshall JTM45 half stack

PickupsMini-humbuckers (stock Firebird pickups)

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6.5

mid7

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1968 (Wheels of Fire sessions); no evidence of pedals or effects other than amp overdrive; settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Clapton/Cream studio rig.

Tone Character(9)

thick British crunchmidrange bitesaturated but not fuzzytouch-sensitive dynamicswarm, singing sustainslightly rolled-off highsclassic Cream overdrivetight, punchy rhythmarticulate note separation

Difficulty

The riff requires solid timing and muting technique to achieve the punchy, articulate sound, but is not technically complex in terms of speed or advanced techniques.

Sources

How to sound like Eric Clapton (Cream) | Aclam Guitars

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