Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple

The Fender Eric Johnson Strat is a guitar that was designed between fusion guitar master Eric Johnson and Fender. Eric has long been known for his endless quest for tone and the late fities Strats that he has played for years are a focal point. For many years people aspired to get that classic EJ "violin" tone, and now with his signature model you can get that next step closer. It features an alder body, a quartersawn maple neck and fretboard with 21 frets, Kluson tuners, a vintage style tremolo unit with larger tremolo block and 5 springs per EJ's spec. The pickups are Fender made and were designed by Eric and Michael Braun to get the vintage and clear tones that work for the "violin" sound as heard in Cliffs of Dover. It's wired to a volume, dual tones (neck and bridge) and a 5 way switch. Built in the USA.

UTILIZATION

The design of this guitar is pretty ergonomic for sure. The body is extremely contoured just like the real old Strats, and it's also quite light. The quartersawn maple neck feels very nice. The one major issue I have with this guitar is the glossy neck finish which gets quite sticky and annoying, so much so that I have turned down buying one for that reason alone. If the finish was satin, it would possibly be the perfect non Custom Shop Strat. The upper fret access is quite nice though which is good, and the tones are just stellar from this instrument. It's very resonant unplugged, and when put through good tube amps it's really a thing of beauty.

SOUNDS

The tones out of this ax are pretty amazing. The custom designed Fender pickups are just the perfect blend of that old world Strat tone brought into the modern context. They're extremely awesome and glassy sounding. Through a nice clean Fender like a Twin they just sing with bell like qualities. Whether you're doing jazzy chords, harmonic based passages or lead work a-la the master, the tones are right there delivering purity of sound through and through. Switching over to a drive sound brings this guitar to a whole other level. The punchiness of the pickups really comes through well and it's just awesome to use for blues, rock, or even some heavier tones if you want that bright sound. It's a pretty quiet instrument as well which is a nice plus.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Fender Eric Johnson Strat is awesome. People say it's probably the best non Custom Shop Fender made, and I'd have to agree. Other than the overly glossy neck, it's nearly perfect, and short of having a custom Suhr or Fender made, I'd argue that for the dollar you can't get better. The look is classic, the feel is very vintage, and the tones range from pristine to pretty raunchy and it does them all convincingly and with power. For about $1,900 new this guitar is a great deal and well worth looking into if you need a killer Strat.

Model Name: Eric Johnson Stratocaster® Maple
Series: Artist

Body: Alder
Body Shape: Stratocaster®
Body Finish:
(0117702803, 0117702806, 0117702809, 0117702801)
Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck

Neck Shape: Soft "V" Shape
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
Fretboard Radius: 12" Radius (305 mm)
Neck Material: 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Neck Plate: Custom 4 Bolt Neckplate
Truss Rod Nut: Original Vintage Style
Electronics

Pickup Configuration: S/S/S
Bridge Pickup: Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickup with Countersunk Mounting Screws
Middle Pickup: Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickup with Countersunk Mounting Screws
Neck Pickup: Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickup with Countersunk Mounting Screws
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Hardware

Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Bridge Cover/Tailpiece: Includes Chrome Bridge Cover
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Switch Tip: Parchment Switch Tip
Tremolo Arm/Handle: American Vintage Tremolo Arm
Tools

Saddle Height Adjustment Wrench: .050" Hex (Allen) Wrench
Miscellaneous

Strings: Fender® USA Super 250R, NPS, (.010-.046 Gauges)
Unique Features: 12" Radius Fingerboard, Countersunk Holes in Pickguard for Pickup Mounting Screws, Height Staggered Vintage Style Tuners which Eliminate the Need for String Trees, Vintage Tremolo with Silver Painted Block and '57 Style String Recess (No Paint Between Base Plate and Block), 5 Tremolo Springs and No Back Tremolo Cover Plate
Accessories

Case/Gig Bag: Deluxe Blonde Hardshell Case with Black Ends (Black Interior)
Included Accessories: Deluxe Blonde Hardshell Case with Black Ends (Black Interior), Strap, Cable, "Ash Tray" Bridge Cover
Control Knobs: Parchment Plastic

UTILIZATION

Whether one is a fan of Eric Johnson or not, this Stratocaster is phenomenal. I daresay it is the finest Strat I've yet played. There are so many small details that Eric thought of to make this a perfect Strat. A few of these seemingly minor features include staggered tuners, to make string trees unnecessary; no finish underneath the pickguard, to keep the body resonant; no back plate, to assist in resonance as well as making tremolo adjustments very quick to make. The guitar plays like a dream, sounds wonderful, and looks like a million bucks.

SOUNDS

Anything one would expect a great Stratocaster to do, this does it. The pickups remind me a lot of a friend's old early 60s Strat - they have a nice brilliance to them, with the utmost of clarity even at the most distorted of tones. This guitar would be great for all but the most brutal of metal tones.

OVERALL OPINION

As far as Strats go, this guitar is utterly perfect. It does not get better than this for a Stratocaster. Perfect 10.

I suppose there are enough Eric Johnson fans out there that want his fender Stratocaster guitar. Fender has produced a number of these in different models and colors. They are great guitars and not really any different that a standard Stratocaster. It has a signature print on it that changes but there really isn't anything to jump up and down about. you are going to sound like Eric Johnson with this guitar any more than you wouldn't with a standard Stratocaster.

If you are a fan of the 60's neck then you probably won't jive with the feel of this guitar. This is modeled after the '57 neck specs and has a bit more rounded and beefier neck shape. You will get used to it but if you switch over from the 60's profile you will have to readjust you hand positions.

UTILIZATION

Neck
Neck Shape: Soft "V" Shape
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
Fretboard Radius: 12" Radius (305 mm)
Fretboard: Maple
Neck Material: 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Neck Plate: Custom 4 Bolt Neckplate
Truss Rod Nut: Original Vintage Style
Electronics
Pickup Configuration: S/S/S
Bridge Pickup: Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickup with Countersunk Mounting Screws
Middle Pickup: Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickup with Countersunk Mounting Screws
Neck Pickup: Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil Pickup with Countersunk Mounting Screws
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Hardware
Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Bridge Cover/Tailpiece: Includes Chrome Bridge Cover
Tuning Machines: Staggered Vintage Style Tuning Machines
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Switch Tip: Parchment Switch Tip
Tremolo Arm/Handle: American Vintage Tremolo Arm

SOUNDS

These guitars are great guitars ad I suppose they are built a little better than a standard but you would need to A?B then to get a feel for that. The guitar has a great sound and a polished tone for blues and lead /rhythm playing. They work well with just about any amp that you have and especially well with a Fender amp of some kind. they also sound phenomenal with a Marshall or Bogner amp to which Eric Johnson has been know to play both amps. I guess I like it best with a good sounding Bogner XTC. Something about the dark qualities that make up the XTC really fit with this type of guitar shape and pickups. They blend better with each other than same a Fender Twin Reverb or some of that nature. The Bogner and Fender Strat are a great macth.

OVERALL OPINION

At new you can find these guitars around the price of $1899, which isn't bad of a price but certainly not worth paying an extra $$800-900 more for the signature guitar. I would save that extra money and put it towards some other piece of gear that you need. unless you are a die hard Johnson fan than this is a miss of a buy.

I would only recommend this guitar to the Eric Johnson fanboy out their who wants anything he has his name behind. You are going to pay more for that name and that better count for your extra money.

I think the Eric Johnson Stratocaster is what the modern standard Strat should be. Eric Johnson got Fender to make him a guitar with all the old features that effect the tone but with new modern features that improve playability. Starting up top at the headstock the tuners are staggered to eliminate the need for string trees. This greatly increases the tuning stability. The neck itself is a 1 piece quartersawn piece of maple with a nitro lacquer. The fretboard has a flatter radius that you would find on any vintage Stratocaster and the frets are larger. The neck profile has a soft V shape which blends well with your hand. On the back of the body there is no spring cover plate because you dont really need one. It has 3 special Eric Johnson single coils with a 5 way switch. The controls are a Master Volume with a tone control for the neck pickup and a tone control for the bridge pickup instead of the middle pickup.

UTILIZATION

These guitars play very nicely. With the flatter fretboard and the larger frets you can get a very low action on these guitars. The back of the neck is sanded and super fast. With the staggered tuners you do not need string trees and this stops the strings from hanging up on them and makes your tuning stability a lot better. Everyone takes off the trem plate anyway so why bother having one thats just extra screws to lose and some people including Eric says it sounds better without them.

SOUNDS

The Eric Johnson pickups in this guitar are pretty hot but have a super smooth tone. The tone control on the bridge pickup is something I think every strat should come with. You need a tone control on the bridge position of a strat most of all because it can be so trebely at times. With the tone control you can dial off some of the high end so it doesnt bite your head off and get a really smooth tone. The neck position is buttery smooth as you would expect with this kind of out put. They Eric Johnson pickups ring out well and have lots of bite but with a smooth edge.

OVERALL OPINION

The Eric Johnson Stratocaster is a great mix of vintage and modern. Eric did not limit himself to vintage concepts when coming up with this guitar. He took the good Stratconcepts from all eras and put them together. This guitar is helping to evolve the stratocaster. There is no reason for a guitar in this day and age to come with string trees of all things. Staggered tuners have been around since the 70s. With this guitar you get the best of the best with great playability and great tone. If you are looking for a strat that comes with neat features top to bottom but still looks the part the Eric Johnson strat is a good deal.