Chimey EJ clean

[Bill Dennis]

I'm thinking ssl-1's, maybe ssl-5 bridge?

[Lewguitar]

EJ uses alnico 3 Strat pickups in the neck and middle and alnico 5 in the bridge of his signature Strat. He plays through blackface circuit Fender Twin Reverb amps converted into heads into a 4 x 12 Marshall cab for his chimey clean sounds. Not sure of the speakers. There are gear rundowns to be found on Youtube though. Premier Guitar has done several.

Here's the specs: Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Pickup Set | Sweetwater

[ArtieToo]

It's interesting that the Fender EJ Strat doesn't use their own recommended pups. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratEJ54Vrg2S--fender-stories-collection-eric-johnson-1954-virginia-stratocaster-2-tone-sunburst

The Eric Johnson 1954 “Virginia” Strat features Eric’s custom wiring and personal pickup selection, including a DiMarzio HS-2 with an active top coil in the bridge and a Fender-original ‘57/’62 single-coil Strat set in the middle and neck. The HS-2 possesses a clean and crisp humbucking tone, with a more natural quality different from comparable humbuckers, and, in single-coil mode, it has a throwback sound that complements the 1954 “Virginia” Strat’s vintage character. The 57’/62’ Strat set contains period-correct replications of old-school Fender Strat pickups, reverse-engineered from an authentic 1963 Strat. Containing Alnico V magnets with Formvar-coated wire, fiber bobbins, cloth-covered lead wires, and staggered, hand-beveled pole pieces, the 57’/62’ Strat set produces a timeless Fender tone full of glassy highs and rich lows.

[Lewguitar]

IMO, alnico 3 gives both humbuckers and single coils a super chimey clean sound.

I've swapped the roughcast alnico 2 magnet in a neck antiquity humbucker with roughcast alnico 3 and the difference in sound was dramatic. Great for chimey clean and jazzy tones. But not so great for overdriven British Blues tones.

I wound up using alnico 3 in the neck and alnico 2 in the bridge of one of my Antiquity pickup sets. Alnico 3 is weaker than alnico 2. So alnico 3 for clean and chimey neck pickup and alnico 2, 4 or 5 for overdriven British Blues sounds from the bridge pickup is what I liked.

Same thing is true for single coils, which is why EJ uses alnico 3 in the neck and middle pickups but uses alnico 5 in his bridge pickup for those overdriven violin tones he gets.

[ArtieToo]

Same thing is true for single coils, which is why EJ uses alnico 3 in the neck and middle pickups but uses alnico 5 in his bridge pickup for those overdriven violin tones he gets.

And I just discovered there are two Eric Johnson Strats. The other does use those pups. When I found the 1st one, I stopped looking. My bad.

[Mincer]

I even thought there were more than 2. There is the original and the semi hollow one. I seem to remember another special addition one.

[Lewguitar]

It's interesting that the Fender EJ Strat doesn't use their own recommended pups. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...-tone-sunburst

Eric does use a Dimarzio HS-2 as the bridge pickup sometimes. But he uses it as a single coil. One coil is disconnected.

I've owned two Fender EJ Strats with the alnico 3 neck and middle pickups. And I've had an HS-2 in the bridge and used it as a single coil like Eric does.

I'm a big EJ fan. But that guitar didn't work for me. The A3 pickups were too clean for me and the tone of the HS-2 just wasn't a sound that worked with my touch.

I get a better sound just playing in my own style, and using Antiquity Surfers for the neck and middle and a Fralin Steel Pole 43 as the bridge pickup.

But I do love the Hermida Dover Drive pedal. It's a pedal designed with Eric's input that gets that violin tone of his.

When Eric does clinics and doesn't bring his Marshalls and elaborate pedal board he plays through two blackface Deluxe Reverbs and uses that Hermida Dover Drive.

Sounds great!