Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

[Gearjoneser]

I know, I know, I need another guitar like a hole in the head....but....but...but

Eric Johnson's new Custom Shop signature strat is my dream strat.
I swore myself off any new guitars, unless I sell 1 or 2, but but gimme a break, this is gearjonesing season!!!!! :laugh2:

Eric has finally beat it into the dense heads at Fender HOW TO MAKE a vintage strat RIGHT.......straight outta the box! Plus, his signature isn't on the front of the headstock, so it looks like a NOS 50's strat with modern upgrades, like the better playing 12" radius and medium jumbo frets.
They took everything that sucked about a vintage strat and fixed it, IMO.
I'm seriously thinking of parting with a couple guitars to afford this $1500 price tag.

MODEL NAME Eric Johnson Stratocaster
MODEL NUMBER 011-7702-(Color#)
SERIES Artist Series
COLORS
New!
[Fender Color Chart]
(801) White Blonde,
(803) 2-Color Sunburst,
(806) Black,
(809) Candy Apple Red,
(Thin Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer)
New! [Fender Color Chart]

BODY 2-Piece, Deep Contoured, ‘57 Style Lightweight Alder Body
NECK 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple, Soft “V” Shape,
(Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer Finish)
MACHINE HEADS Fender/Gotoh® Staggered Vintage Style Tuning Machines
FINGERBOARD Maple, 12” Radius (305 mm)
NO. OF FRETS 21 Highly Polished Medium Jumbo Frets
PICKUPS 3 Special Design Custom Shop Eric Johnson Pickups with Countersunk Mounting Screws (Neck/Middle/Bridge)
CONTROLS Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
BRIDGE American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo with “Ash Tray” Bridge Cover
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
HARDWARE Nickel/Chrome
STRINGS Fender Super Bullets 3250 RH, Nickel Plated Steel,
Gauges: .010, .013, .017, .032, .042, .052,
p/n 0733250007
CASE Deluxe Black Hardshell Case (Black Interior)
PICKGUARD 1-Ply Parchment, (8 Hole)
SCALE LENGTH 25.5” (648 mm)
UNIQUE FEATURES 1-Piece Quartersawn Soft “V” Shape Vintage Tinted Maple Neck,
Extra Smooth Neck to Headstock Volute,
Special Neckplate with Engraved EJ and Kokopelli,
2-Piece Deep Contoured ‘57 Style Lightweight Alder Body,
1957 Style Body Cavities,
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),
4 Tremolo Springs and NO Back Tremolo Cover Plate,
WIDTH AT NUT 1.650” (42 mm)
ACCESSORIES Deluxe Black Hardshell Case (Black Interior), Strap, Cable, 5-Position Switch Update Kit
INTRODUCED 1/2005

 

[Curly]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

$1500 is actually less than I thought it would be ...
I agree with you ... when I read the specs, it's like, "check, check, check ..."

the thing I'd like to know about is the pickups, otherwise it looks great ... although I was hoping for Lake Placid Blue

let me know when you get yours, so I can come up and check it out

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

I know, I know, I need another guitar like a hole in the head....but....but...but

Eric Johnson's new Custom Shop signature strat is my dream strat.
I swore myself off any new guitars, unless I sell 1 or 2, but but gimme a break, this is gearjonesing season!!!!! :laugh2:

Eric has finally beat it into the dense heads at Fender HOW TO MAKE a vintage strat RIGHT.......straight outta the box! Plus, his signature isn't on the front of the headstock, so it looks like a NOS 50's strat with modern upgrades, like the better playing 12" radius and medium jumbo frets.
They took everything that sucked about a vintage strat and fixed it, IMO.
I'm seriously thinking of parting with a couple guitars to afford this $1500 price tag.

MODEL NAME Eric Johnson Stratocaster
MODEL NUMBER 011-7702-(Color#)
SERIES Artist Series
COLORS
New!
[Fender Color Chart]
(801) White Blonde,
(803) 2-Color Sunburst,
(806) Black,
(809) Candy Apple Red,
(Thin Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer)
New! [Fender Color Chart]

BODY 2-Piece, Deep Contoured, ‘57 Style Lightweight Alder Body
NECK 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple, Soft “V” Shape,
(Nitro-Cellulose Lacquer Finish)
MACHINE HEADS Fender/Gotoh® Staggered Vintage Style Tuning Machines
FINGERBOARD Maple, 12” Radius (305 mm)
NO. OF FRETS 21 Highly Polished Medium Jumbo Frets
PICKUPS 3 Special Design Custom Shop Eric Johnson Pickups with Countersunk Mounting Screws (Neck/Middle/Bridge)
CONTROLS Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
BRIDGE American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo with “Ash Tray” Bridge Cover
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
HARDWARE Nickel/Chrome
STRINGS Fender Super Bullets 3250 RH, Nickel Plated Steel,
Gauges: .010, .013, .017, .032, .042, .052,
p/n 0733250007
CASE Deluxe Black Hardshell Case (Black Interior)
PICKGUARD 1-Ply Parchment, (8 Hole)
SCALE LENGTH 25.5” (648 mm)
UNIQUE FEATURES 1-Piece Quartersawn Soft “V” Shape Vintage Tinted Maple Neck,
Extra Smooth Neck to Headstock Volute,
Special Neckplate with Engraved EJ and Kokopelli,
2-Piece Deep Contoured ‘57 Style Lightweight Alder Body,
1957 Style Body Cavities,
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),
4 Tremolo Springs and NO Back Tremolo Cover Plate,
WIDTH AT NUT 1.650” (42 mm)
ACCESSORIES Deluxe Black Hardshell Case (Black Interior), Strap, Cable, 5-Position Switch Update Kit
INTRODUCED 1/2005

Lucky for me there's no lefty version of this strat! :dance:

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

You know me bro.....I say go for it man!! I'm not even a Strat kinda dude, but I'd like to have one.

 

[Armotron]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

ya, i saw this Strat in the New Fender Frontline Catalog. Looks pretty awesome.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

ya, i saw this Strat in the New Fender Frontline Catalog. Looks pretty awesome.

Yep me also...Nice strat for sure!

 

[stratsandaks]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

I'm GASing for one too.

With or without EJ's name attached to it, it has some cool specs.

Everytime I talk myself out of putting a deposit on one, my GF says "you know you have to" :smack:

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

Yep, that new Frontline Catalog is very dangerous for me. I saw that EJ strat and flipped. Youngpup's wife had to hide his copy from him! I am jonesing for far too many pieces of gear in the new catalog!

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

Go for it, though waiting a few months to see what pops up s/h may be a good idea...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

The crazy thing is that I swear I've found the perfect guitar for me, a few weeks ago, and bought it....a G&L Legacy Deluxe. That HSS guitar with no pickguard, and one of my Pauls will be my main 2 player guitars for awhile, but I've got a few others that may have to hit the used market. This Eric Johnson strat looks like it'd be my main strat for life.
That's kinda what I'm doing this year, in regards to guitars. I'm going for the last phase of trading up, and getting my lifetime players, which will all be top notch keepers. This Eric Johnson strat is my destiny. ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

The crazy thing is that I swear I've found the perfect guitar for me, a few weeks ago, and bought it....a G&L Legacy Deluxe. That HSS guitar with no pickguard, and one of my Pauls will be my main 2 player guitars for awhile, but I've got a few others that may have to hit the used market. This Eric Johnson strat looks like it'd be my main strat for life.
That's kinda what I'm doing this year, in regards to guitars. I'm going for the last phase of trading up, and getting my lifetime players, which will all be top notch keepers. This Eric Johnson strat is my destiny. ha ha ha ha ha ha

I don't know who to laugh at more.....you and the guitars or Scott and the amps....lmao!!

 

[Cory_Dylan]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

DUUAANG!!! :32:

I've wanted a strat for so long... that one is almost perfect. I used to not be into neck flame, but that looks sweet! I'm tired of flamed bodies.. flame neck n plain body, good thinkin. I like the no string trees business, I hate those.

I would assume a nitro finished guitar would cost a lot more than that. If nitro isn't super expensive, then why the hell don't they start finishing guitars like that all the time again? The only reason fender did it in the first place was because of CBS right? Why didn't they start again when it was over?

oh well, nice strat

 

[JimiHWannaBe]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

wow that looks sweet, to bad I already have more strats than I need now.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

The crazy thing is that I swear I've found the perfect guitar for me, a few weeks ago, and bought it....a G&L Legacy Deluxe. That HSS guitar with no pickguard, and one of my Pauls will be my main 2 player guitars for awhile, but I've got a few others that may have to hit the used market. This Eric Johnson strat looks like it'd be my main strat for life.
That's kinda what I'm doing this year, in regards to guitars. I'm going for the last phase of trading up, and getting my lifetime players, which will all be top notch keepers. This Eric Johnson strat is my destiny. ha ha ha ha ha ha

Are you gonna stand there with a straight face and tell me that G&L won't be replaced by a Grosh, Suhr, fender CS or Anderson sometime in the future?

All this Schecter/G&L stuff smells like 'stepping stone' to me, haha...

The one question I have about the EJ strat is how fat the neck is. Apart from that, it's my perfect spec and very similar to what I use now.

 

[Armotron]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

The one question I have about the EJ strat is how fat the neck is. Apart from that, it's my perfect spec and very similar to what I use now.

It apparently starts at a soft V and slowly becomes a C around the higher registers.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

It apparently starts at a soft V and slowly becomes a C around the higher registers.

Sounds like the neck I'll be putting on my project Strat. USA Customs calls that back profile "The '54"... perhaps it's based on one of EJ's favorite necks from a personal piece? BTW, the thickness on that USAC goes from about .850" at the first fret to about .900" by the 9th-12th, so it might be in that ballpark.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

AHEM! jonesy, if you decide to start parting with some of your guitars, namely Schecters or G&L's, drop me a line. Wallet permitting, I may take one or two off your hands.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

I think that I've found someone who loves EJ's playing as much as I do, huh, Jonesy?

The only change that I would make to the thing is to change the 2nd tone control to control the bridge p'up. Other than that, it's perfect. I think I needs me one, too.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

For $1500, you could build one hell of a nice Warmoth that was pretty much the same, and still have plenty left over. To me, all Strats are the same. They may have a few minor differences here or there, but they are all 95% the same. It's a nice guitar, but I don't see any feature that makes it worth that price tag...

12" radius - Warmoth can do that

medium jumbo frets - Warmoth can do that

no need for string trees - get staggered height locking tuners or a Strat neck with an angled headstock from Warmoth

I don't know if Warmoth offers a one piece neck option, but either way, I'd go for the Warmoth over the Fender everytime.

Ryan

 

[Mincer]

Re: Jonesing Hard for the Eric Johnson Sig. Strat

i saw this in Frontline too- I thought 'how many times can they resell the same guitar to people with minor changes, add a signature decal, and charge $700 more'.

At least the Blackmore strat from a few years ago was a bit of a departure.