Its hardly WAY less at the current going rate. You could get a low end custom shop for a similar amount si should think. I got a used CS strat from 2000 which was way less than either, but to be fair the dollar was down at the time and the market was a bit in the buyers favour at the time due to financial crisis. But still - they're out there from time to time in roughly the price range if you look ...
Love my Rosewood EJ for most of the reasons covered. Also, I chuckled when John said an actual Fender guitar with Fender pickups tends to sound more “Stratty” than a lot of other guitars “for whatever reason.” 😂
Nice. I actually have John Cordy's old black and maple Eric Johnson Strat you see in some of his old videos. Lovely guitar. The only thing I changed was to float the trem.
Got my EJ 2006 in tobacco burst scratch free in 2012 for 900 bucks . Keeper for life and it's definitely a guitar that makes you work to get the best out of it
I have a 2006 EJ Strat in blond. I have own=d a 71, 78 and a MIM strat. Sold them all after getting my EJ. and never looked back. All the details just seem correct. No string tree, light weight, great sounding pickups, perfect neck shape. A great example of a 57 Fender Stratocaster. Now if I could only sound like EJ. :)
You have never sounded or played better! You really brought the legato. I have a very similar strat, and I installed a dummy coil which I can blend in, which subtly darkens the sound and adds hum-cancelling, but that bridge pickup sounds sweet and midrangey too!
Ah, wish the rosewood models didn't have the neck binding and had standard 60s custom colours. I would definitely had a lake placid blue or fiesta red one if that were the case. Can't understand why they haven't had those options for some of the years of production
@@tonystartup3817interesting. That is what got me to pick that specific guitar (the details and binding, the color, the neck profile snd the pickup). . I got 3 other Strat. This is my more « luxurious » one. Plays great and pickups are my favourite of all 4.
Those have the BEST necks that Fender makes, IMHO. Great pickups as well. And if you can find the semi-hollow model, they are typically right around 7lbs. Fantastic Strats!!!!
It's an Eric Johnson Strat except that the pickups have been changed and the saddles have been changed and the trem block has been changed and it has stainless frets and the neck has been changed 3 times and it's had two bodies. Let's be clear, it a Tony From Up The Road Strat.
The one thing about that guitar that ive never been able to mimic on any other strat is the number 2 position with the tone rolled down to 7 creates a convincing humbucker tone. This was part of the design. Still baffles me how good it does that. Give it a shot John.
Have several Fender Stratocasters (Custom shop, Vintage Reissues, Mexican Roadworn etc) but the downtime during the pandemic got me into partscasters and pursuit of super lightweight Stratocasters. My lightest Strat is 5.5 pounds and has a Redwood hardtail body, roasted neck and Fender Customshop Fat 50s pickups and is wonderfully resonant. Another killer hardtail that weighs just under 6 pounds has a roasted one piece pine hardtail body from MJT and a roasted flame maple neck from Warmoth. My 5 lb 11 ounce telecaster has a Paulownia wood body from MJT and roasted Warmoth neck and sounds awesome so am now looking for a suitable Paulownia Stratocaster body for a future project. I am lucky to be able to collaborate with an expert local luthier near by who can put the parts together in a magical way...Fender does make Ultra Light Paulownia bodied Strats but have not had the luck to try one locally...
Steel block in this one is a Callaham one. Has the ptfe insert where the bar screws which helps stop some slop. The original block is nice but i already had the Callaham one sitting around and that insert and the fact that the Callaham arms don't bend make them better
I had one off of the first runs, with maple neck. I ended up selling it, couldn't get away with the neck, especially it was so sticky and the 12" radius with low frets didn't help either. but I really liked the looks and it sounded very very nice, very resonant, lot of sustain, and a lightweight guitar.
@@KajHeGeHaggman for substitute I got myself an american pro II. I also wanted to change the looks, but the am pro II is much more comfortable and easy to play. the sounds are quite on par, only the sustain and resonance was bigger on the EJ.
Never played one but they have reputation as the best production model Fender . Dweezil Zappa loves them , one fitted with a Trem King unit . If I was paying 2k for a guitar i wouldn’t be shelling out more to mod it . 🎸
They work pretty good, but you still need a well lubricated nut a wound round the posts correctly. Full on dive bombs still slip on a few strings at the head end, but anything less than that they work great
Your intro Tracks are more and more becoming songs, not sure if that’s something you have been working on? But anyway, gave me an idea for a topic only you would know how to cover. What makes someone an ‘artist’? So much material there surely when you start to dig in to it surely. Anyway really enjoyed the intro, look forward to the album on day..
Years ago I was trying out pedals at a shop. They handed me a new EJ strat and plugged me into an AC15. I said this isn’t fair, anything would sound good with this! That guitar was so easy to play! I bought the pedal, never did like how it sounded with my amp at the time, sold it later, probably should have kept the fulltone distortion +
@John Nathan Cordy You should try a Nash S63…. They’re really great guitars typically having Lollar pups, great CTS electronics, quality hardware and thin nitro finishes. 10inch radius boards make them similar to the Kline. But a different flavor all together. Also if you can find a Fender CS strat 64 reissue for a good price…. I think that’d prob become your favorite strat.
My 57 Reissue Strat is old (89 neck.90 body) and it sounds and feels wonderful, but is very heavy. I never noticed this in the time where light-bodied guitars hadn't come into fashion, like PRS's. I have one of those as well ( a CE ) and it is very light, and yet still sounds good, so weight seems to be irrelevant to the sound of the instrument. Probably the " too heavy " thing is influenced by old rockers with Les Paul back strain after years on the road. For a younger person, weight shouldn't matter in a guitar, and in my early seventies I have no trouble lugging a heavy strat or my cheap Tele copy, which is the heaviest guitar I've ever picked up, but it sounds so good I have no trouble with that even after a long time. It's just a matter of learning some way to subconsciously adopt attention to good posture and lift with your legs rather than your back. It's not rocket science. You just adapt and become immune to the lesser issues of guitars. As long as the neck feels good and the neck and body are well balanced and the guitar SOUNDS good, that is all that should matter in music as a recreational artform that entertains.
Got my first one in 2006, white blonde, used but like new. Loved the neck, the fretboard radius, and the pickups. Only negative for me was the out of phase wiring of the neck and middle pickups. It's interesting, but not something that I'm into all that much. Plus I can't play that well anyway! Nevertheless, the guitar is still one of my favourites. So much so, I got the EJ Virginia strat recently and I love that one too.
The out of phase neck and middle isn't standard wiring on the original signature model. I suspect a previous owner did that themselves after learning that EJ did that on Virginia.
Would love for you to demo a John Page Classic Ashburn; S-style guitar. Classic & modern features, same price range as an EJ Sig. Curious what you’d think about them! I have three of them! Similar to K-Line or Suhr, etc.
I don't think so. I've tried several and I really wanted to like it, but their main drawback is that the frets are too low. The Last one I tried had frets that were 0.036 in height.
Eric spec. stuff is for ERIC, myself having had a few different Strats. over the years, i played more 7.5 radius necks so I prefer those with taller Thinner frets. Best one I ever had was a 71 last of the 4 bolt necks, and no ugly Bullet nut, It played like dare i say it BUTTER. Wish I never sold it, it was lighter weight to. Someone put one of those 70's car type finishes on it, light blue center with like lace light gold deco the outer was a purple sunburst, it sounded so Good i would never even tamper with the Finish, and the finish made it unusual, kind of like having a Paisley strat. The finish was very Satin no Shine.
😀Beautiful pure Strat tone. Glassy neck pickup. The Lincoln Brewster signature is an awsome guitar. But it also has all his mods. Signatures tend to be overpriced to me, but I guess you are paying for something out of the norm of production.
A white strat "needs" a 3-ply white pick-guard. The pick-guard on this one would look a little better if it was beveled. Maybe Eric prefers the tone of a non-beveled single-ply pick-guard. :) :) :)
I kind of agree but then it wouldn't be '50s spec. The signature model was based on a '57 and with that you just get a flat plank of plastic. I do kind of not like that it's yellowed at the same rate as the paint and you can't really see the contrast between them. Just have to wear that paint down quicker!
For the new price of an EJ Strat, I think K-Line is still my preference. They’re not that far apart in price(USA) and you can find a used K-Line Springfield for less than a new EJ if you wanted to go that route. I prefer a lighter weight body, push-in tremolo arm, French-polish(non-sticky) back of the neck, 10” radius and 6105 frets. The K-Line won’t hold its value in the same way a Fender will, but it will be a “better” guitar made to your preferred specs by a master builder that you can speak to on the phone. So if you plan to play it and keep it, K-Line is the way to go.
That's a good way of going. I bought this second hand when prices were pretty low. Well under £1k. I've played a few of John's k Lines and really it just comes down preferences over specs. They're all great guitars if you get them at the right price
Very good guitars but everyone I've ever played had string tension like suspension bridge suspension cables. Nigh unplayable for me. Jeff Beck sig production strat and the Kotzen tele are my fav Fender production instruments
During the 70s, it seemed like lots of changes were coming out of the 60s via the Beatles. Music from Pink Floyd, Elton John, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac. Then it was killed when Disco arrived. Then Punk fought back! Then MTV showed us that video bands were more important than music bands. The Buggles? Really? That's the best music MTV could release?
Not underrated -- people pay $2450 for it, which is too much for a factory guitar IMO. But I prefer your K-Lines. For one thing, I know who made those !
Sorry John, can't agree it's underrated. It's a fine guitar and one of the better ones Fender USA makes but this guitar has been the go-to for a value Fender on the higher end for as long as I can remember. But, ultimately there's still some obvious cost cutting going on with it (Ive owned more than one and played close to 10, every single one of them had noticeable overspray on the frets). Re the lighter wood, probably a combination of overforresting and Fender shitting out guitars the past few years.
But the over spray is vintage correct. That's how they were done. I can understand people not preferring it but it's not a sign of quality control as it was intended that way
@@tonystartup3817 the guitar isn't a vintage reissue, Eric's personal guitars have the frets cleaned up, and it makes the guitar straight up better. The tone controls arent vintage, the fretboard radius isnt vintage, the extra hot bridge isn't either.
I have one and wont sell it, its a greqt guitar. But for me it just has 0 mojo or vibe. Neck feels way too modern and the flatter radius is hard to bend. It had horrible overspray over the frets, so when it had to have a fretjob it was a hassle. The lack of stringtree is also a minus. Dont know why the neck is so orange also. Pickups are ok, nothing special. Its an ok guitar. Ive had 2. but to each its own. Just know if you like more vintage feeling and sounding guitars this is probably not for you
Are you ever concerned with having electromagnetic devicesmounted close to your skull? Is this a microphone? If so, it may not be a good idea to use this system for too long. Over the years, it may contribute to a blastoma type tumour, such as those caused by cell phones in the head on the side normally used for non speaker listening. Just a thought ; there are ( literally) thousands of studies showing this to be a dangerous way to use devices close to the brain. Don't want to freak you out, or sound alarmist, but over time there is no doubt this is a risky process.
Bro that guitar costs 2.4k. At that price point, its definitely not "underrated" lol Also, doesn't sound much different from your other guitars. Just sounds like you. And it sounds like Helix tbh. Helix reign is over I think, it has too much of a characteristic sound that doesn't let one have our own sound, because Helix tone corrupts our REAL tone. My Helix makes my HRD sound like shit. Even with everything off, just straight into amp Input. It completely changes its character. Helix is not there anymore. Maybe Fractal. At least sounds more realistic, does it feel like that too? On the other hand, this guitar is a billion times more classy, stylish and beautiful than the awful, ugly and plastic looking SilverSky. That's one of the ugliest most bland guitars I've seen in a while.
Really great guitar but not worth the premium. Way too far into the land of diminishing returns without any real justification. If you just can't live without one, buy it used. Don't reward Fender for greed and incompetence. Let them drink Bud Light, lol.
Ok the wear has been enhanced. I own a 2017 EJ Strat. It has TONS of hours on it and it doesn’t look like that one. I’ve played for 40 yrs and repaired guitars for 20 yrs. The guitar has been reliced. It’s ok. Don’t bs people here
This one is 11 years older than yours. It hasn't been reliced, it does get wiped clean with a micro fibre cloth fairly often when it gets sweaty and sticky. There's a video of John playing this guitar almost exactly 2 years ago and you can see the wear on it then and compare to the wear now. On the one from 2 years ago you can see the lighter white colour on front of the body where it was nearly through the paint
@@JOAQUINARMIJO yes, certainly the top coat. Think the pore filler might be poly based - like was standard from the 60s on, but not technically correct for a '57 which this is based on. Or at least that's my understanding
Played one in a shop - sounds really good and plays so easily - very even and similar feel throughout the fretboard.
Watching and listening to this video is gonna cost me $2K.
Thinking the same thing.
I got one from 2007 in a trade a couple years ago and Its a keeper for life. Its basically a custom shop Strat for way less.
Its hardly WAY less at the current going rate. You could get a low end custom shop for a similar amount si should think. I got a used CS strat from 2000 which was way less than either, but to be fair the dollar was down at the time and the market was a bit in the buyers favour at the time due to financial crisis. But still - they're out there from time to time in roughly the price range if you look ...
I've got a 2005 EJ , black with maple neck . I love the pickups and neck profile . The flat radius took some getting used to .
Love my Rosewood EJ for most of the reasons covered. Also, I chuckled when John said an actual Fender guitar with Fender pickups tends to sound more “Stratty” than a lot of other guitars “for whatever reason.” 😂
I’ve had a handful of Strats and my Thinline EJ Strat is the only one I wanted to keep.
Glorious sounding!
Nice. I actually have John Cordy's old black and maple Eric Johnson Strat you see in some of his old videos. Lovely guitar. The only thing I changed was to float the trem.
Yeah he's mentioned the old black one a few times to me
Got my EJ 2006 in tobacco burst scratch free in 2012 for 900 bucks . Keeper for life and it's definitely a guitar that makes you work to get the best out of it
I have a 2006 EJ Strat in blond. I have own=d a 71, 78 and a MIM strat. Sold them all after getting my EJ. and never looked back. All the details just seem correct. No string tree, light weight, great sounding pickups, perfect neck shape. A great example of a 57 Fender Stratocaster. Now if I could only sound like EJ. :)
You have never sounded or played better! You really brought the legato. I have a very similar strat, and I installed a dummy coil which I can blend in, which subtly darkens the sound and adds hum-cancelling, but that bridge pickup sounds sweet and midrangey too!
Great playing as usual. I have a 2023 lucerne blue with rosewood neck at 7.5lb. Super happy with it.
Ah, wish the rosewood models didn't have the neck binding and had standard 60s custom colours. I would definitely had a lake placid blue or fiesta red one if that were the case. Can't understand why they haven't had those options for some of the years of production
@@tonystartup3817interesting. That is what got me to pick that specific guitar (the details and binding, the color, the neck profile snd the pickup). . I got 3 other Strat. This is my more « luxurious » one. Plays great and pickups are my favourite of all 4.
Actually, I think you can get fiesta red with rosewood used. Not all years have the same offering. Regards
@@JazzTheMusicCat I get that, but I've got no rosewood neck Strats, I'd want one that at least looked typical 60s
Got it.
Thanks for the review. It's great you put the "audio processor" and preset in the corner of your video. and. ... She's so cute!
I love mine. Would love to see Fender doing a telecaster with similar specs.
Those have the BEST necks that Fender makes, IMHO. Great pickups as well. And if you can find the semi-hollow model, they are typically right around 7lbs. Fantastic Strats!!!!
💯 great neck, light weight, staggered tuners etc
It's an Eric Johnson Strat except that the pickups have been changed and the saddles have been changed and the trem block has been changed and it has stainless frets and the neck has been changed 3 times and it's had two bodies. Let's be clear, it a Tony From Up The Road Strat.
Lovely playing as always.
The one thing about that guitar that ive never been able to mimic on any other strat is the number 2 position with the tone rolled down to 7 creates a convincing humbucker tone. This was part of the design. Still baffles me how good it does that. Give it a shot John.
Check into a Lincoln Brewster signature Strat. It can be dialed into a nice humbucker tone as well.
Have several Fender Stratocasters (Custom shop, Vintage Reissues, Mexican Roadworn etc) but the downtime during the pandemic got me into partscasters and pursuit of super lightweight Stratocasters. My lightest Strat is 5.5 pounds and has a Redwood hardtail body, roasted neck and Fender Customshop Fat 50s pickups and is wonderfully resonant. Another killer hardtail that weighs just under 6 pounds has a roasted one piece pine hardtail body from MJT and a roasted flame maple neck from Warmoth. My 5 lb 11 ounce telecaster has a Paulownia wood body from MJT and roasted Warmoth neck and sounds awesome so am now looking for a suitable Paulownia Stratocaster body for a future project. I am lucky to be able to collaborate with an expert local luthier near by who can put the parts together in a magical way...Fender does make Ultra Light Paulownia bodied Strats but have not had the luck to try one locally...
Steel block in this one is a Callaham one. Has the ptfe insert where the bar screws which helps stop some slop. The original block is nice but i already had the Callaham one sitting around and that insert and the fact that the Callaham arms don't bend make them better
I tried the Callaham trem. Changed the sound too much for me. I am using the Callaham base plate, which is the only part I changed, otherwise stock.
@@rjake61 the original EJ block is a nice solid cold roll steel block so there really wasn't much difference in tone
@tonystartup3817 can you give me the details on that pickguard? Did you paint it?
@@lyricbread pick guard is just the bog standard original. It's just changed colour over the last 19 years or so
I had one off of the first runs, with maple neck. I ended up selling it, couldn't get away with the neck, especially it was so sticky and the 12" radius with low frets didn't help either. but I really liked the looks and it sounded very very nice, very resonant, lot of sustain, and a lightweight guitar.
Exactly how I felt about my EJ Start and what I did!
@@KajHeGeHaggman for substitute I got myself an american pro II. I also wanted to change the looks, but the am pro II is much more comfortable and easy to play. the sounds are quite on par, only the sustain and resonance was bigger on the EJ.
actually amazing intro
Never played one but they have reputation as the best production model Fender . Dweezil Zappa loves them , one fitted with a Trem King unit . If I was paying 2k for a guitar i wouldn’t be shelling out more to mod it . 🎸
Thinking about putting the same locking saddles on my EJ thin line… would love to see a video with some deep trem use with those😁
They work pretty good, but you still need a well lubricated nut a wound round the posts correctly. Full on dive bombs still slip on a few strings at the head end, but anything less than that they work great
I recently played the EJ Virginia model. Great guitar, but the standard EJ with maple neck is pretty awesome anyway.
I've also saw gorgeous quartersawn maple on this series
Your intro Tracks are more and more becoming songs, not sure if that’s something you have been working on? But anyway, gave me an idea for a topic only you would know how to cover. What makes someone an ‘artist’? So much material there surely when you start to dig in to it surely. Anyway really enjoyed the intro, look forward to the album on day..
Years ago I was trying out pedals at a shop. They handed me a new EJ strat and plugged me into an AC15. I said this isn’t fair, anything would sound good with this! That guitar was so easy to play!
I bought the pedal, never did like how it sounded with my amp at the time, sold it later, probably should have kept the fulltone distortion +
@John Nathan Cordy
You should try a Nash S63…. They’re really great guitars typically having Lollar pups, great CTS electronics, quality hardware and thin nitro finishes. 10inch radius boards make them similar to the Kline. But a different flavor all together. Also if you can find a Fender CS strat 64 reissue for a good price…. I think that’d prob become your favorite strat.
2:05 - 2:20, lovely!!!!
My 57 Reissue Strat is old (89 neck.90 body) and it sounds and feels wonderful, but is very heavy. I never noticed this in the time where light-bodied guitars hadn't come into fashion, like PRS's. I have one of those as well ( a CE ) and it is very light, and yet still sounds good, so weight seems to be irrelevant to the sound of the instrument. Probably the " too heavy " thing is influenced by old rockers with Les Paul back strain after years on the road. For a younger person, weight shouldn't matter in a guitar, and in my early seventies I have no trouble lugging a heavy strat or my cheap Tele copy, which is the heaviest guitar I've ever picked up, but it sounds so good I have no trouble with that even after a long time. It's just a matter of learning some way to subconsciously adopt attention to good posture and lift with your legs rather than your back. It's not rocket science. You just adapt and become immune to the lesser issues of guitars. As long as the neck feels good and the neck and body are well balanced and the guitar SOUNDS good, that is all that should matter in music as a recreational artform that entertains.
Best neck. I got some extra part out necks after playing the first one.
If Fender made this with a contoured heel it'd be perfect
And locking tuners, better bridge, Plek'd SS frets, no stupid vol knob position. Or you can just buy a Suhr.
Got my first one in 2006, white blonde, used but like new. Loved the neck, the fretboard radius, and the pickups. Only negative for me was the out of phase wiring of the neck and middle pickups. It's interesting, but not something that I'm into all that much. Plus I can't play that well anyway! Nevertheless, the guitar is still one of my favourites. So much so, I got the EJ Virginia strat recently and I love that one too.
The out of phase neck and middle isn't standard wiring on the original signature model. I suspect a previous owner did that themselves after learning that EJ did that on Virginia.
Hi John, you should try this pedal for leads "VOLTA" - 1987 PRO PLEXI DISTORTION in combination with clean amp( Fender, Boogie)
great review ! sounds incredible !i´ve seen there is a Black "Version" ... do you know if the specs are identical with the blonde one?
Yes they are
Nice! what pickups are on this guitar?
It’s as good as my 57 CS RI. Maybe better!! Love mine
Was this sound from Helix Native? What patch/amp model etc? Its a very different tone than I am used to hearing you play John...inspiring!
what preset are you using on this one?
Would love for you to demo a John Page Classic Ashburn;
S-style guitar.
Classic & modern features, same price range as an EJ Sig.
Curious what you’d think about them!
I have three of them!
Similar to K-Line or Suhr, etc.
I have one in white. It’s a steal for the price. My only complaint is it’s super heavy. Feel wise is awesome!
Really? I thought they chose a lighter piece of alder for the EJ. Mine is light.
@@rjake61 just weighed it. 7.95 pounds and my Japanese strat with a v shaped neck is a smidge over 6 pounds. It’s very noticeable
I don't think so. I've tried several and I really wanted to like it, but their main drawback is that the frets are too low. The Last one I tried had frets that were 0.036 in height.
Eric spec. stuff is for ERIC, myself having had a few different Strats. over the years, i played more 7.5 radius necks so I prefer those with taller Thinner frets. Best one I ever had was a 71 last of the 4 bolt necks, and no ugly Bullet nut, It played like dare i say it BUTTER. Wish I never sold it, it was lighter weight to. Someone put one of those 70's car type finishes on it, light blue center with like lace light gold deco the outer was a purple sunburst, it sounded so Good i would never even tamper with the Finish, and the finish made it unusual, kind of like having a Paisley strat. The finish was very Satin no Shine.
Next demo, Lincoln Brewster Strat!
Owned six...they are not bad...lol
what kind of neck is that ? That gives it that "sticky" feeling ?
Standard maple/nitro. Not sticky at all. Certainly not now the nitro is nearly 20 years old
What’s up with the saddles on that thing?!
They're Wilkinson WLS130/s saddles
@@tonystartup3817THANKS!
😀Beautiful pure Strat tone. Glassy neck pickup. The Lincoln Brewster signature is an awsome guitar. But it also has all his mods. Signatures tend to be overpriced to me, but I guess you are paying for something out of the norm of production.
Nice!
A white strat "needs" a 3-ply white pick-guard. The pick-guard on this one would look a little better if it was beveled. Maybe Eric prefers the tone of a non-beveled single-ply pick-guard. :) :) :)
I kind of agree but then it wouldn't be '50s spec. The signature model was based on a '57 and with that you just get a flat plank of plastic. I do kind of not like that it's yellowed at the same rate as the paint and you can't really see the contrast between them. Just have to wear that paint down quicker!
For the new price of an EJ Strat, I think K-Line is still my preference. They’re not that far apart in price(USA) and you can find a used K-Line Springfield for less than a new EJ if you wanted to go that route.
I prefer a lighter weight body, push-in tremolo arm, French-polish(non-sticky) back of the neck, 10” radius and 6105 frets. The K-Line won’t hold its value in the same way a Fender will, but it will be a “better” guitar made to your preferred specs by a master builder that you can speak to on the phone. So if you plan to play it and keep it, K-Line is the way to go.
That's a good way of going. I bought this second hand when prices were pretty low. Well under £1k. I've played a few of John's k Lines and really it just comes down preferences over specs. They're all great guitars if you get them at the right price
True, but you can find used EJ Strats for well under $1500 USD if you’re diligent. Haven’t seen a used K-Line near that price in some time.
@@tonystartup3817 Nothing wrong with owning both! 👍
Bridge saddles are not the originals. I have same guitar and also same colour. Great feel
Very good guitars but everyone I've ever played had string tension like suspension bridge suspension cables. Nigh unplayable for me. Jeff Beck sig production strat and the Kotzen tele are my fav Fender production instruments
Nononono! I haven’t bought one yet!
It’s the best strat for the money, especially if you snag one second hand
I wish I was 16 in 2005. Nah actually scratch that, I experienced the 70s, 80s and 90s
Totally agree mate! Being a teenager in the early 70s was a great time for music.
During the 70s, it seemed like lots of changes were coming out of the 60s via the Beatles. Music from Pink Floyd, Elton John, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac. Then it was killed when Disco arrived. Then Punk fought back! Then MTV showed us that video bands were more important than music bands. The Buggles? Really? That's the best music MTV could release?
@@loopie007Yeah well Van Halen had an answer for that.
Not underrated -- people pay $2450 for it, which is too much for a factory guitar IMO.
But I prefer your K-Lines. For one thing, I know who made those !
Again, in New Zealand, the Eric Johnson Strat is the equivalent of about £2000,500.
Sorry John, can't agree it's underrated. It's a fine guitar and one of the better ones Fender USA makes but this guitar has been the go-to for a value Fender on the higher end for as long as I can remember. But, ultimately there's still some obvious cost cutting going on with it (Ive owned more than one and played close to 10, every single one of them had noticeable overspray on the frets). Re the lighter wood, probably a combination of overforresting and Fender shitting out guitars the past few years.
But the over spray is vintage correct. That's how they were done. I can understand people not preferring it but it's not a sign of quality control as it was intended that way
Isn’t lighter wood more coveted?
@@eric2892 I think he means that's why the lighter wood isn't being used anymore
@@tonystartup3817 the guitar isn't a vintage reissue, Eric's personal guitars have the frets cleaned up, and it makes the guitar straight up better. The tone controls arent vintage, the fretboard radius isnt vintage, the extra hot bridge isn't either.
@@TCMx3 no but it's based on Eric's mods too his vintage guitars, hence the blend of vintage and modern specs
Truss rod adjustment fail.
yeah but it's correct for a vintage inspired instruments.
Honestly, the neck is so stiff it never needs adjusting
I have one and wont sell it, its a greqt guitar. But for me it just has 0 mojo or vibe. Neck feels way too modern and the flatter radius is hard to bend. It had horrible overspray over the frets, so when it had to have a fretjob it was a hassle. The lack of stringtree is also a minus. Dont know why the neck is so orange also. Pickups are ok, nothing special. Its an ok guitar. Ive had 2. but to each its own. Just know if you like more vintage feeling and sounding guitars this is probably not for you
Lacquer over spray on the frets is vintage correct. Even if it does look a bit naff
I traded a Eric Johnson strat for a D'Angelico because I'm a twat
lol what the heck is john mayer baggage
Nah, it’s the Lincoln Brewster strat.
Yeah that’s another one with crazy good specs for the price. Love the gold one.
I have an EJ strat. A Lincoln Brewster Strat will be my next purchase. The gold version is on sale right now since the Olympic pearl released.
@@BrBOGO Awesome! Enjoy bro!
Are you ever concerned with having electromagnetic devicesmounted close to your skull? Is this a microphone? If so, it may not be a good idea to use this system for too long. Over the years, it may contribute to a blastoma type tumour, such as those caused by cell phones in the head on the side normally used for non speaker listening. Just a thought ; there are ( literally) thousands of studies showing this to be a dangerous way to use devices close to the brain. Don't want to freak you out, or sound alarmist, but over time there is no doubt this is a risky process.
It is a microphone, lavier type
Bro that guitar costs 2.4k.
At that price point, its definitely not "underrated" lol
Also, doesn't sound much different from your other guitars. Just sounds like you. And it sounds like Helix tbh. Helix reign is over I think, it has too much of a characteristic sound that doesn't let one have our own sound, because Helix tone corrupts our REAL tone.
My Helix makes my HRD sound like shit. Even with everything off, just straight into amp Input. It completely changes its character.
Helix is not there anymore. Maybe Fractal. At least sounds more realistic, does it feel like that too?
On the other hand, this guitar is a billion times more classy, stylish and beautiful than the awful, ugly and plastic looking SilverSky. That's one of the ugliest most bland guitars I've seen in a while.
Really great guitar but not worth the premium. Way too far into the land of diminishing returns without any real justification.
If you just can't live without one, buy it used. Don't reward Fender for greed and incompetence. Let them drink Bud Light, lol.
I bought this one for about £820 second hand. Barely looked used
@@tonystartup3817 Thanks again for loaning John Great GEAR!!!
Ok the wear has been enhanced. I own a 2017 EJ Strat. It has TONS of hours on it and it doesn’t look like that one. I’ve played for 40 yrs and repaired guitars for 20 yrs. The guitar has been reliced. It’s ok. Don’t bs people here
This one is 11 years older than yours. It hasn't been reliced, it does get wiped clean with a micro fibre cloth fairly often when it gets sweaty and sticky. There's a video of John playing this guitar almost exactly 2 years ago and you can see the wear on it then and compare to the wear now. On the one from 2 years ago you can see the lighter white colour on front of the body where it was nearly through the paint
Are the EJ strats Nitro?
@@JOAQUINARMIJO yes, certainly the top coat. Think the pore filler might be poly based - like was standard from the 60s on, but not technically correct for a '57 which this is based on. Or at least that's my understanding