About 7 years ago my wife & I had an appointment that we were quite early for. Since we had 40 minutes to kill, we headed across the street to my local Guitar Center. I was curious about V-necks and asked the salesman what they had, as I'd never tried 1 before. He brought me a Clapton signature strat, a 57' AVRI strat and a white blonde Eric Johnson signature strat (just like your's). After playing them all for a bit, killing time, my wife turned to me as I played the EJ and said, "you are not leaving this store without THAT guitar! I have never seen or heard you play that effortlessly or that well". I was completely surprised b/c that is the LAST thing I expected my wife to say, but she was good to her word - she's a keeper! It's an absolutely amazing instrument that is a joy to play. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.
Thank you for this review and demo. It helped me with some details that were not apparent in the product description, and pointed out a few things I hadn't noticed (like the tuners and lack of string stray). You also play it very well, obviously.
I received mine today straight from Fender and and am thrilled (who doesn't love new guitar day). Just some quick impressions in case it may help others shopping this model (my production date is November 2024). - Beautiful guitar and case with eye candy like hang tags and certificates. 7.8 lbs. I chose the sunburst finish. - Virtually flawless. No broken strings...it even arrived in perfect tune! - Only nit is the pick guard is slightly bowed in one spot (I did a search and this is not uncommon). - The maple neck is lovely. "V" profile is a misnomer - to my eye, the profile looks more "C" shaped to me. - The fresh glossy maple neck finish is nice to look at, albeit sticky. Unlike a reliced model, you get to apply your own wear and tear. A few brush strokes with 800 grit paper helped. - The vintage style tremolo is 6-point. The tremolo bar is threaded, not friction. - As stated in the video, the tremolo bridge comes firmly decked with 5 springs, so it is not usable unless you decide to float it like described in the video. Lots of info online if you want to compare decked vs. floating. - The action is fantastic, right out of the box. No fret buzz and no fret issues that I can detect. Honestly, I would leave the action alone if I weren't already planning to make adjustments to the bridge.
Dear Brett! I am happy to have come across your review, I have listened to it quite a few times. Yes, this Strat sounds like a Strat should! Thanx for showing this guitar to us!
Great Demo Brett! I've had mine since 2017, it's the only non-custom shop guitar that I own, and I love it! It just sounds like what a Strat should sound like (in my head anyway). I did swap the neck plate out for a blank Callaham (wasn't crazy about the Kokopelli), and my tech left the 5 springs in + set the trem floating, it almost has the trem tension of a Bigsby that way, which I use on a lot of my Gibsons, so between that and the 12" radius, it always feels familiar when switching quickly. I might experiment with taking some springs out for a looser feel myself... Looking forward to your follow up video! Sounding great as always!!
Congratulations Mr. Kingman 😃👍👍 Johnsons innovative headstock shaving is BRILLIANT. Did I detect some tips o' the hat to Martin Barre in your licks...? Beautiful sounding and looking Stratocaster. It's been on my wish list too long🙄😉👍 😎✌👍❤🖖
I used to own a brand new two tone sunburst Eric Johnson maple Strat from the first production year of 2005, the serial number of my guitar was 25. It was the lightest and the most resonant strat I have ever played, because it was the first run of that model, the pickups were hand wound by Fenders Abigail Ybarra ( who I believe has retired from Fender after working for that company since the fifties ), I loved that guitar until I started to notice that the frets started to wear out like crazy. I’m not a working professional musician, I played at home only because I love to play the guitar since I was a teenager. I was unhappy with the worn out frets and made a bad decision to sell it to the same store I bought it from. It never occurred to me that I could have re-fretted that guitar. After few days passed by, I realized the mistake I’ve made and went back to the store, hoping to buy it back…. It was too late, it was gone ! Years later I saw Eric Johnson talk about how he made a mistake of selling his original 1954 Strat ( he called it Virginia, Fender makes an updated version of that now ), that he used on his landmark albums. I felt much better after hearing that story from a true guitar legend like Eric, we all make bad decisions in life regardless of our knowledge or the level we are in. I always hope that someday I might get lucky again in finding another one like that,….it’s out there ! Anyway, I’m glad that you like your EJ Strat, it’s a great guitar. Keep it, Enjoy it, and Rock ‘On brother ! 🎸🇺🇸
Brilliant guitars! I have a 2007 2-tone sunburst from new. Neck was a little sticky at first, just played it until it wasn’t (no sand paper, no steel wool). Properly set up, plays and sounds amazing. Don’t need to get another Strat; this one does everything I want a Strat to do. An amazing “lifetime” guitar!
Yeah, that is a real beauty. A bit bright sounding for my taste but I can see the appeal and it would certainly stand out in a mix. Congrats on the new axe, Brett.
Is that brightness from the guitar or from the amp? I figured it had more to do with his amp and any EQ or signal processing (perhaps to emulate EJ's sound), but I don't know.
The only issue I have it 21 frets. I know it's the vintage spec and I have several Strats with that but when I look for something new these days it has to be 22 (or occasionally 24). Which is no criticism just a personal preference. Great demo as ever, I hope it serves you well through the rest of the tour.
I hear you re the 22 fret thing, but I'm so OCD that it looks wrong to me so I always defer to the 21's just because the look is correct. Crazy, I know.
Brett, a few questions: 1. Did you have to adjust the truss rod when putting the 10s on that EJ? 2. Did you have to widen the string slots on the nut when you went up to 10s? 2. Have you tried the EJ Virginia model? 3. How do you like the neck profile as opposed to a modern C?
1. No, it factory ships with 10s and the neck is dead straight. However, I anticipate a slight adjustment once I set the bridge up to float and equip it with slightly higher tension EB Paradigm 10-46. That's no biggie, because the quartersawn necks are usually pretty stable once they've settled in. 2. No, it's cut for 10s at the factory. 3. No, not yet. 4. I prefer the EJ neck profile as there's more to hold onto so less longterm hand fatigue if I've got to play it for 90 mins a night.
I've wanted a white strat since I got my black one. Then a red. I have a sb 3 tone 60s as well so I'll try for a 50s Even classic Vibe would do. Hehe. Very nice here Brett!
I've been looking at another strat or suhr classic s , but , having watched and listened to your demo I'm kinda inclined to go try one of these out . Luckily, the local shop has a used one at half the price of a used suhr ! Guess which one I'm going for? Great demo!
These Strats used to have a weight limit. Looks like Fender decided to cut corners eventually and not make em light like they were when they first came out.
About 7 years ago my wife & I had an appointment that we were quite early for. Since we had 40 minutes to kill, we headed across the street to my local Guitar Center. I was curious about V-necks and asked the salesman what they had, as I'd never tried 1 before. He brought me a Clapton signature strat, a 57' AVRI strat and a white blonde Eric Johnson signature strat (just like your's). After playing them all for a bit, killing time, my wife turned to me as I played the EJ and said, "you are not leaving this store without THAT guitar! I have never seen or heard you play that effortlessly or that well". I was completely surprised b/c that is the LAST thing I expected my wife to say, but she was good to her word - she's a keeper! It's an absolutely amazing instrument that is a joy to play. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.
What a great story and thanks for sharing. All the best.
Great story! Enjoy that guitar :)
My wife bought me mine new for Christmas in 2007. Have loved and played it ever since. Great guitar!
Oh that soft V 👍
Thank you for this review and demo. It helped me with some details that were not apparent in the product description, and pointed out a few things I hadn't noticed (like the tuners and lack of string stray). You also play it very well, obviously.
I received mine today straight from Fender and and am thrilled (who doesn't love new guitar day). Just some quick impressions in case it may help others shopping this model (my production date is November 2024).
- Beautiful guitar and case with eye candy like hang tags and certificates. 7.8 lbs. I chose the sunburst finish.
- Virtually flawless. No broken strings...it even arrived in perfect tune!
- Only nit is the pick guard is slightly bowed in one spot (I did a search and this is not uncommon).
- The maple neck is lovely. "V" profile is a misnomer - to my eye, the profile looks more "C" shaped to me.
- The fresh glossy maple neck finish is nice to look at, albeit sticky. Unlike a reliced model, you get to apply your own wear and tear. A few brush strokes with 800 grit paper helped.
- The vintage style tremolo is 6-point. The tremolo bar is threaded, not friction.
- As stated in the video, the tremolo bridge comes firmly decked with 5 springs, so it is not usable unless you decide to float it like described in the video. Lots of info online if you want to compare decked vs. floating.
- The action is fantastic, right out of the box. No fret buzz and no fret issues that I can detect. Honestly, I would leave the action alone if I weren't already planning to make adjustments to the bridge.
I didnt think I wanted another guitar ....... but that EJ strat. Ohhhh man.❤
Dear Brett! I am happy to have come across your review, I have listened to it quite a few times. Yes, this Strat sounds like a Strat should! Thanx for showing this guitar to us!
That’s my guitar! I have a 2007 and it’s aging amazingly - the nitro finish really does the right thing
It just goes creame and age very beautifully indeed!
I've always wanted one of those. They look stunning in person.
That's a great colour to go with a maple neck. And it sounds pretty darned sweet too!
Great review!! Thanks for taking the time. Enjoy your tour!!!!
Happy New Guitar Day! She’s a real beaut!
wow!! what a beautie guitar!!!
Awesome playing Brett and beautiful Stratocaster 🎸 ❤ 🔥 🔥 🔥
Sounds fantastic!!!
Great Demo Brett! I've had mine since 2017, it's the only non-custom shop guitar that I own, and I love it! It just sounds like what a Strat should sound like (in my head anyway). I did swap the neck plate out for a blank Callaham (wasn't crazy about the Kokopelli), and my tech left the 5 springs in + set the trem floating, it almost has the trem tension of a Bigsby that way, which I use on a lot of my Gibsons, so between that and the 12" radius, it always feels familiar when switching quickly. I might experiment with taking some springs out for a looser feel myself... Looking forward to your follow up video! Sounding great as always!!
Oh, Eric.
I would give everything just to be like him.
Nice demo Brett. I have 3 EJ models, a thinline, one with a bound rosewood neck, and a Virginia. I love the soft-V necks.
Great review Brett.
Thanks, Chris!
That's a beautiful guitar and north of $6K here in little ol NZ. Beautiful playing Bret, as always.
Congratulations Mr. Kingman 😃👍👍
Johnsons innovative headstock shaving is BRILLIANT.
Did I detect some tips o' the hat to Martin Barre in your licks...?
Beautiful sounding and looking Stratocaster.
It's been on my wish list too long🙄😉👍
😎✌👍❤🖖
Thanks, Richard. With all due respect to Martin Barre, I don't think I own or could identify a single recording by him. I will investigate.
@@BrettKingman
It was a lick @4:34.
Wasn't a long lick, but it reminded of Barre😉👍
Again...Beautiful guitar Mr. Kingman 😎👍👍
😎✌👍❤🖖
I want one !!!!!!!!!
I used to own a brand new two tone sunburst Eric Johnson maple Strat from the first production year of 2005, the serial number of my guitar was 25. It was the lightest and the most resonant strat I have ever played, because it was the first run of that model, the pickups were hand wound by Fenders Abigail Ybarra ( who I believe has retired from Fender after working for that company since the fifties ), I loved that guitar until I started to notice that the frets started to wear out like crazy. I’m not a working professional musician, I played at home only because I love to play the guitar since I was a teenager. I was unhappy with the worn out frets and made a bad decision to sell it to the same store I bought it from. It never occurred to me that I could have re-fretted that guitar. After few days passed by, I realized the mistake I’ve made and went back to the store, hoping to buy it back…. It was too late, it was gone ! Years later I saw Eric Johnson talk about how he made a mistake of selling his original 1954 Strat ( he called it Virginia, Fender makes an updated version of that now ), that he used on his landmark albums. I felt much better after hearing that story from a true guitar legend like Eric, we all make bad decisions in life regardless of our knowledge or the level we are in. I always hope that someday I might get lucky again in finding another one like that,….it’s out there ! Anyway, I’m glad that you like your EJ Strat, it’s a great guitar. Keep it, Enjoy it, and Rock ‘On brother ! 🎸🇺🇸
Such a great and honest post. Thanks for chiming in and giving the video a look. All the best to you. 🙏🏻
@@BrettKingman Thanks, love your playing by the way…🎸👍
Brilliant guitars! I have a 2007 2-tone sunburst from new. Neck was a little sticky at first, just played it until it wasn’t (no sand paper, no steel wool). Properly set up, plays and sounds amazing. Don’t need to get another Strat; this one does everything I want a Strat to do. An amazing “lifetime” guitar!
I have this guitar, it's awesome, I got it new for $1,700, it's definitely an affordable custom shop.
I own 8 EJ’s and the prototype Thinline that EJ owned. It’s my favorite guitars and I own a real 59 strat so that’s saying something.
Awesome man! Enjoy that sweet guitar collection 👍😎
@@eddaymusic thank you! Would love to team up with Brett and send him one to review.
@@BossHossStudios I just checked out your White Wedding video and subscribed. Cool stuff man! Have a good weekend! Keep it up 😎
@@eddaymusic THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Im working on some new stuff.
Yeah, that is a real beauty. A bit bright sounding for my taste but I can see the appeal and it would certainly stand out in a mix. Congrats on the new axe, Brett.
Is that brightness from the guitar or from the amp? I figured it had more to do with his amp and any EQ or signal processing (perhaps to emulate EJ's sound), but I don't know.
I have the sunburst version. Best strats for the money
Sounds good.
Burgs bound rosewood vs maple. Dont leave us hanging
Maple for me. I own both but Mr Maple gets the most love.
looks and sounds amazing! my only doubt is about the neck, is it sticky because of the paint? to much lacquer? How do you find it? thank you :-)
The only issue I have it 21 frets. I know it's the vintage spec and I have several Strats with that but when I look for something new these days it has to be 22 (or occasionally 24). Which is no criticism just a personal preference. Great demo as ever, I hope it serves you well through the rest of the tour.
I hear you re the 22 fret thing, but I'm so OCD that it looks wrong to me so I always defer to the 21's just because the look is correct. Crazy, I know.
Brett, a few questions:
1. Did you have to adjust the truss rod when putting the 10s on that EJ?
2. Did you have to widen the string slots on the nut when you went up to 10s?
2. Have you tried the EJ Virginia model?
3. How do you like the neck profile as opposed to a modern C?
1. No, it factory ships with 10s and the neck is dead straight. However, I anticipate a slight adjustment once I set the bridge up to float and equip it with slightly higher tension EB Paradigm 10-46. That's no biggie, because the quartersawn necks are usually pretty stable once they've settled in.
2. No, it's cut for 10s at the factory.
3. No, not yet.
4. I prefer the EJ neck profile as there's more to hold onto so less longterm hand fatigue if I've got to play it for 90 mins a night.
Does the back of the neck have a sticky finish opposed to a smooth satin finish?
Thought you had an EJ back in the day ?
looks and sounds great. which Fuzz Face are you using there Brett?
This one. 👍🏼wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Drive_block#FACE_FUZZ_.28Dallas-Arbiter_Fuzz_Face.29
Is there any indication that its USA production?
I've wanted a white strat since I got my black one. Then a red. I have a sb 3 tone 60s as well so I'll try for a 50s Even classic Vibe would do. Hehe. Very nice here Brett!
良い音！
What kind of pedal board is that?
It would have been nice to hear some clean tones out of it.
Noice 🎸🎸🎸
I've been looking at another strat or suhr classic s , but , having watched and listened to your demo I'm kinda inclined to go try one of these out . Luckily, the local shop has a used one at half the price of a used suhr ! Guess which one I'm going for? Great demo!
Im an sg guy however that is a beautiful strat.
The closest I've heard someone get to his tone. A lot of clowns make bold claims about their tone being spot-on like Eric's, but you are on target.
These Strats used to have a weight limit. Looks like Fender decided to cut corners eventually and not make em light like they were when they first came out.
The EJ strat is the best one to get, no contest