# Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399 "2005-10-22T04:51:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/41 "2005-10-23T21:40:33Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guitarist, but Hendrix, on the other hand, if he had recorded nothing other than his version of the Star Spangled Banner \ Interesting sidenote: Some years ago I volunteered to be the DJ at the 4th of July picnic at our embassy in Uganda. After playing the required traditional version of “The Star Spangled Banner”, I cranked the volume up and immediately launched into Hendrix’ version. The reaction was interesting, with most people grimacing and telling me it was ‘inappropriate’. I let it barrel through and then queued up “Favorite Son”, which plummeted my popularity even further. Those who thanked me for playing those two tunes were few but sincere. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/42 "2005-10-23T22:41:50Z")
How was Jimi on the acoustic? All of my exposure to him was electric. Personally, I think acoustic guitar is the true standard for greatness. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/43 "2005-10-23T22:51:35Z")
At his best Clapton is a great Blues guitarist but not the greatest. Hendrix is unique. He created, he mastered, he inspired many generations of guitarists. It is not really a contest. Hendrix ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/44 "2005-10-24T01:31:27Z")
For once I am ready to go with the crowd and say Hendrix outdoes Clapton, easily. It’s the difference between genius and talent. HOWEVER I did notice that the quality of Hendrix’s work dropped precipitously after he died. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/45 "2005-10-24T12:31:03Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > For once I am ready to go with the crowd and say Hendrix outdoes Clapton, easily. It’s the difference between genius and talent. > > HOWEVER > > I did notice that the quality of Hendrix’s work dropped precipitously after he died. Dude, you’ve got a point. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/46 "2005-10-24T13:28:20Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > I did notice that the quality of Hendrix’s work dropped precipitously after he died. …but not the volume. How many albums (albeit, mostly bootlegs) of his work were released after he died? ---
**Author:** ![bustagusta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@bustagusta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bustagusta)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/47 "2013-04-18T22:17:04Z")
The reason this is so hard to answer accurately is Hendrix being dead and Clapton having the last 40 years to perfect his playing. At the time, Hendrix was easily the better player, anyone should admit that. The Eric Clapton of today has surpassed Hendrix in experience. That being said, if Hendrix was still around today he’d probably be better. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/48 "2013-04-19T04:02:16Z")
Hendrix ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/49 "2013-04-19T04:23:23Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > Hendrix Zombie Hendrix beats Zombie Clapton ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/50 "2013-04-19T04:41:53Z")
Clapton would grant that Hendrix was a better guitar player, and not out of some false modesty. I do not think guitar technique is close. But, I enjoy a lot more Clapton music than Hendrix music. Both are passable singers, but Clapton has written far more enjoyable songs than Hendrix. That is a matter of how long he lived. SRV had potential to play his blues style of guitar better than Hendrix, but I don’t think he lived long enough to surpass him in emotional maturity. SRV had complete control of what he played. Two artistic geniuses whose lives were tragically short. ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/51 "2013-04-19T07:48:12Z")
I like Clapton’s music more than Hendrix’s, but there’s no question that Hendrix was a fucking miracle with the 6-string. I can still listen in awe to any number of Hendrix tracks at the sheer brilliance of his playing, the sounds and patterns he creates, and any number of things, really. As a guitarist, even imitating Jimi would be a monumental task for me. However, at the end of the day, if I had to make a desert island choice of whose music I would take with me, it would be Clapton’s. But man, how cool would it have been if Jimi did his own covers of Clapton/Cream catalogue? I mean, look what he did with All Along The Watchtower (originally by Dylan)… ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/52 "2013-04-19T09:10:10Z")
Heck, I’ll contribute to the zombie pile-on. I’ve met you, Mr. Clapton, you were very nice, and way more human than I would have expected. So, I am sorry for saying this. Clapton’s not even the best blues guitarist from _England_ of his generation. It’s not even a contest. Hendrix, Hendrix, Hendrix. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/53 "2013-04-19T13:37:57Z")
Interesting zombie to resurrect. Yeah, as I said years ago, if this is even in the realm of discussion with someone, just step away. Clapton is a great blues player, and his time with Yardbirds, Mayall and Cream were revolutionary in his innovative use of lower-gauged strings to make bends easier, using a Marshall amp dialed up to purposely feed back, and using a Les Paul to capitalize on / control that feedback (he wasn’t the first to use a Les Paul this way but was the most popular guy who used one early in the Brit Blues era). So his combination of popularity and gear innovation locked up his place in the Pantheon of Guitar Heroes. Much past that, with Layla and Other Love Songs as a strong candidate for the pivot, he moved away from being influential as a guitar god/gear innovator and positioned himself much more as a bluesy singer/songwriter, a role he has embraced for the 40+ years since then… ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/54 "2013-04-19T13:58:17Z")
> [@Shooby](#): > > But man, how cool would it have been if Jimi did his own covers of Clapton/Cream catalogue? There are quite a few Jimi versions of [“Sunshine of Your Love”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2v0XCVFFlI) out there. This studio version from 1969 has some pretty exciting playing, although it sounds like it’s waiting for an overdub in the middle that never happened. Hendrix also occasionally jammed on Cream’s arrangement of “Outside Woman Blues” onstage. ---
**Author:** ![Molesworth\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/55 "2013-04-19T15:39:37Z")
Hendrix, by a mile. Most musicians play music. In his best songs, Hendrix creates another world. He was quite simply one of the greatest artistic talents that humanity has ever produced. ---
**Author:** ![Hookit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71e660/32.png) [@Hookit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hookit)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399/56 "2013-04-22T15:29:08Z")
Clapton never did anything even remotely interesting after Cream. He was an important guitarist of his time but not a truly groundbreaking one like Hendrix was. Hendrix had the style, flair and “feel” that old geezer Clapton never had. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-or-eric-clapton/327399.md?page=2)