HerbieBoogie
Active member
Has anyone tried an Eric Johnson Stratocaster? I was thinking about picking one up. Any thoughts?
Zoso1973
New member
Yes! 2 piece body. thinner headstock.Quarter sawn neck, no plating between the block and the bridge plate. Special pickups! fatter neck. Love them!
bish0p34
Member
It was one of, if not the nicest Strats I ever played. Just a beautiful guitar.
The pickups didn't work for me, so I didn't keep it.
The pickups didn't work for me, so I didn't keep it.
E
ewill52
Well-known member
a guitar I wish I had kept. I didn't gel with it immediately and traded it off. Wish I had it.
gbsmusic
Well-known member
Its such a great guitar. Bigger neck but love that but bought a musik Craft Bigger neck. Its as big or bigger then my 59 LP the pickups are to me a great strat set up.
M
mdc1mdc11
New member
just buy a Suhr pro and detail the neck feel. I had one, liked it but, eventually tossed it aside for a simple Suhr Pro guitar and had it pleked well by a specialist. That guitar plays better than most guitars I have, some that are more expensive..including a Standard and Modern I have.At some point however, it is about the skill as we all know..
SavageRiffer
Banned
New member
Yeah. I have one right now. I used to have two, sold one and regretted it terribly, and have kept the other brand new in the case for a few years. I just can't bring myself to play it because they stopped making it in that finish a few years back, and the EJ model is the best production strat they make in my opinion. It's as good as any $6,000 or $10,000 Fender Custom Shop strat I've seen. They're immaculate in every way. The pickups are unique and very, very pleasing to the ear. It's a very fast playing and long sustaining guitar. It's a light body, but not so much that the slightly thick maple neck makes it unbalanced. Well, it's not a thick neck compared to my Warmoths with boatneck, but it's thicker than the standard thin.
The quartersawn grain and tint is perfect. It stays in tune really, really well with tremolo use. Fender seems notorious for charging an arm and leg for marginal differences between models, but they seem to have taken great care with these. The action is superb. No fret buzz and it's set with a very low action, and this is something uncommon with Fenders. I've owned a Closet Classic, a real sweet flame maple neck and flame maple top Custom Shop strat, and many American, American Deluxe, a couple of Japanese models, and none except the Japan strats could near how good the action on these are. They're also setup for .10 gauge strings, and since I like to downtune a whole step, they can give some real deep stratty sounds.
My other favorite artist model is the SRV strat which seems to have better consistency than some of the other artist models. The YJM , Mayer, Clapton, and Beck strats have been hit or miss, in my experience, with things such as loose fitting neck pockets, inaccurate nut setting, fret buzz, etc... I'm no expert, but I have not come across an EJ or SRV strat with any imperfections to speak of, so take it for what it's worth. It would be interesting to know why some models seem to have better quality control than others.
I don't like to rave about gear unless it makes a real good impression on me, so giving the EJ strat high praise doesn't come undeserved. I've seen several with the rosewood necks sell dirt cheap in mint condition lately. There's one at a local Guitar Center for $1100 which is a steal as far as I'm concerned.
The quartersawn grain and tint is perfect. It stays in tune really, really well with tremolo use. Fender seems notorious for charging an arm and leg for marginal differences between models, but they seem to have taken great care with these. The action is superb. No fret buzz and it's set with a very low action, and this is something uncommon with Fenders. I've owned a Closet Classic, a real sweet flame maple neck and flame maple top Custom Shop strat, and many American, American Deluxe, a couple of Japanese models, and none except the Japan strats could near how good the action on these are. They're also setup for .10 gauge strings, and since I like to downtune a whole step, they can give some real deep stratty sounds.
My other favorite artist model is the SRV strat which seems to have better consistency than some of the other artist models. The YJM , Mayer, Clapton, and Beck strats have been hit or miss, in my experience, with things such as loose fitting neck pockets, inaccurate nut setting, fret buzz, etc... I'm no expert, but I have not come across an EJ or SRV strat with any imperfections to speak of, so take it for what it's worth. It would be interesting to know why some models seem to have better quality control than others.
I don't like to rave about gear unless it makes a real good impression on me, so giving the EJ strat high praise doesn't come undeserved. I've seen several with the rosewood necks sell dirt cheap in mint condition lately. There's one at a local Guitar Center for $1100 which is a steal as far as I'm concerned.
Marshall Freak
Well-known member
Have had one since 2006. Best strat made, I love it and I'm not really even a stratocaster guy.
S
Soulstealer
New member
Had a maple and a rosewood. Gorgeous to look at, but did not like playing them. Pickups and neck were not for me.
HerbieBoogie
Active member
Does anyone know if the quality of these guitars have been consistent since they were first produced?
T
thisguy
Active member
I've got one of the original sunburst, maple neck guitars. The neck is definitely different than a lot of strats. It bigger with a flatter fretboard. I'd suggest checking one out before you buy it. I think it's a great guitar.