Eric Johnson Strat: good buy?

[coldsteal2]

Good photos. Its hard to get that 1/4 sawn grain to show.
How was the factory setup?

Its the purdiest neck i have seen in a long time!
i thought curly maple was nice but this looks better
i think!

The setup was a little off for my liking i had
to raise the pickups and lower the strings a little
i also put .09'-42' Blue Steel strings on and
now it plays like a dream!
I also reajusted the poles on the pickups there was
some dead areas from the stagerd hight having a flat
neck they should have flattened the poles. After straitening
the poles out, it plays alot more even now

The guitar UNPLUGED is incredibly nice acousticaly

[gooman]

I am gettin mine out tonite ............Gary

[10-15-14]

I can safely now answer my own question from when I started this thread. Yes it is a good buy! I thinks it's the first guitar I've owned that I care enough about to wipe the strings down when I finish playing and put it back in it's case.

[Direstraits]

Coldsteal / anyone: can you clarify "readjusting/straightening/ flattening the poles out" ? I didn't think you could mess with the pole piece heights on a single coil without damaging it.

Edit: after a number of attempts I found a thread on this:
http://www.thefenderforum.com/forum/...ole+adjustment

[coldsteal2]

Well i have been doing it since the 60's and never
hurt a pickup as long as you are careful there is no
problem moving them. Actualy i have never heard of
anyone hurting a pickup moving them, unless they
are using a hammer and nail to try to move them hahaha.
I always just use the end of a pair of needle nose on a
flat surface they are kind of tough but once they start moving
its easy

I have always found "Dead" places using a fender pickup
the way it is set up at the factory, the B pole especialy
and the D and G to prominant
And having a "Flat" fingerboard there is actualy no reason
for stagering the poles

[SkylerJames]

"The guitar UNPLUGED is incredibly nice acousticaly"
Very resonant. Thats the first thing that hooked me.

I'm not sure I like the bridge pickup the way the tone pot is wired.
It cuts the volume too much when you turn it down.
May just take some getting used to.

Other than that I'm really lovin this thang!

[coldsteal2]

Im going to change the way the pots
are wired also, it does cut the volume.
Probably put in an orange drop instead
of the choclate drop, a very easy fix.

[JM3]

the black finish is really nice

i have the sunburst.Love it

[Kap'n]

Well i have been doing it since the 60's and never hurt a pickup

Congratulations. You're pretty lucky. Sandcast magnet rods aren't exactly the smoothest things in the world. Plenty of folks have snagged the inner winding.

[coldsteal2]

Im going to change the way the pots
are wired also, it does cut the volume.
Probably put in an orange drop instead
of the choclate drop, a very easy fix.

I put in a new TBX pot for the bridge
pickup, it really opend up the pickup,
the way they were wired was bleeding
off the same Capacitor for both the neck and
bridge pickup so when you turned it towards bass
setting the volume decreased in half.
also the quality of the pots were below par also.
Put Dimarzio pots in the volume and also put
a Sprague Vitamin Q cap for the neck pickup. Now when
i use the tone the volume stays the same and the
tone is great, not mud, and with the TBX theres that great
Treble increase on 10, as well as the smooth bass seting on 0.

NOW its perfect

[SkylerJames]

Thanks for posting Coldsteal2.
The way the gtr is now the bridge p/u is unuseable.
I like rolling the treble down on the bridge p/u and use an overdrive for a nice thick lead tone.
I'll probably have a few questions after I open her up.
I have some Gudeman .015 caps I've used in Les Pauls.
Should I track down some Vit.Q's for the Strats?
Thanks

[coldsteal2]

Thanks for posting Coldsteal2.
The way the gtr is now the bridge p/u is unuseable.
I like rolling the treble down on the bridge p/u and use an overdrive for a nice thick lead tone.
I'll probably have a few questions after I open her up.
I have some Gudeman .015 caps I've used in Les Pauls.
Should I track down some Vit.Q's for the Strats?
Thanks

They are easy to find on eBay, Vitamin Q's and
Sprague Filamite F's are also great.
The caps on the EJ that came with it are pretty
crummy, they "look" great and look real Vintage
but you can easily tell there is something not right
about the tone the way its set up. I have heard alot of people
have the same problem with the way the tone is
hooked up on the EJ

but its an easy fix
I love rolling off the treble on my brige pickup also
for leads

[Guitarjb]

I'm getting tired of my EJ strat
.
.
.
.
.NOT BEING PLAYED ENOUGH!

I feel the same. I got a great deal on a used Sunburst EJ in July- $1000.00 plus $35 for shipping. GREAT guitar, just need to make more time to play it.

The only things that I would suggest to Fender to improve it are to properly crown the frets, rather than have them flat. This would also allow them to be a bit taller than they are now, which I would also prefer. Not much, just a tiny bit taller would be great. Also, the very flat radius does feel a bit too flat for me; I'd prefer a 9.5" or 10".

These are minor criticisms, though. The EJ is an EXCELLENT guitar in every way, especially for the price- and DOUBLE especially if you get a deal on an almost-new used one. I actually love the fact that the thin finish is a bit delicate; it facilitates REAL relicing just by using it, rather than a phony-looking relic job.

I would recommend the EJ to anyone looking for a truly great off-the-shelf Stratocaster. Spectacular look, feel, sound, and playability.

-Joe

[gooman]

I was looking at my ej today and the white blond finish seems to have a blue grey tint to it in sun light.other white blond strats dont seem to be this shade anybody else notice this?.............Gary

[Stonefreefuzz1]

I know what your talking about Gooman...maybe its because Ive seen more EJ white blonde strats than normal white blondes...hmm...or maybe I'm off my rocker

[10-15-14]

They always looked that way to me too. I like it! I was going to buy one before I bought my sunburst EJ, simply for that reason. (the sunburst was a way better deal, and deep down enen though I think there are too many sunburst's out there, I've always wanted one) The white colour on the EJ has this "primer coat" look to it, which I think later down the road as the guitar ages and gets played it will look like a real player.

[coldsteal2]

the original blonde strats and tele's in the mid 60's
looked like that to, they wear down real nice

[10-15-14]

Well I almost put my first official ding in my EJ. Was very surprised nothing happened. I was standing next to an open door in my house and swung around not realizing the door was there and...WHAM!! The top of the headstock slams into the edge of the wooden door. Felt a sinking feeling for a split second because the first thing I saw was the dent in the doors edge, then I tipped my strat over to see what damage I did, half closing my eyes. Then confusion struck. Not a dent or even a scratch on the guitar. Some paint flakes from the door were there but easily brushed off and no damage to the finish on the neck. Damn this is a good guitar. Wish I bought a lottery ticket today!!

[rob's strat]

coldsteal, that's one BEAUTIFUL guitar!

[coldsteal2]

Im amazed it took me so long to find out about the
EJ guitar, i would have gotten it last year instead
of my 60th aniversary, but im glad i finaly found out
and picked one up.
I love the little guy thats on the neckplate also

[gooman]

Coldsteal that guy on the neck plate is a little gay dude from new mexico kokopenio

[coldsteal2]

Coldsteal that guy on the neck plate is a little gay dude from new mexico kokopenio

hes a cool little guy, i have seen the cave
paintings of him with a flute

[deepblue1963]

The only, ONLY thing that stops me from owning an EJ is the frets.
They are far too flat for my playing style. If Fender installed 6105 fret wire id have one tomorrow. I actually bought one thinking I could get used to it, but I could not...so I took it back. Its a shame because its a great sounding guitar. But as we all know it has to feel right in your hands.

[Doc W]

The only, ONLY thing that stops me from owning an EJ is the frets.
They are far too flat for my playing style. If Fender installed 6105 fret wire id have one tomorrow. I actually bought one thinking I could get used to it, but I could not...so I took it back. Its a shame because its a great sounding guitar. But as we all know it has to feel right in your hands.

This is a really good point. I have whined about such things before (maybe even in thread but I'm too lazy to check). Why can't Fender offer a guitar for working musicians that gives real players a number of key options such as fingerboard, neck profile, radius, frets, body wood, pickups, and maybe a few others? I don't care that much about the cosmetics. Why do we have to go to the custom shop to get the right mix of this very, very basic stuff? And when you go to the custom shop it costs an arm and a leg just to get a decent player.

I have said it before, but Fender seems to be most interested in selling to shoppers and collectors and NOT ordinary pro players.

[69strat]

I agree, that'd be awfully cool to order up a Fender like that.

The flat frets, thick finish is what I don't like about the EJ neck. Oh, and could do without the cheezy trendy neck plate!

[coldsteal2]

its totally a players guitar, i never played
a strat with such great tone and sustain,
the size of the neck, the finish all contribute
to the sound.

[gooman]

Coldsteal2 I discovered that a lot of sound is going thru the springs(you guys probably already know this.this is the first strat I have spent quite a bit of time with) When you hold the guitar out in front of you and strum it it sounds like a mini amp from the back probably more so on the EJ since there is no cover.This is neat and might explain why the EJ gets that ringy squeel at times thru the amp or harmonics,maybe someone could explain this further.Thanks Gary.....

[coldsteal2]

Coldsteal2 I discovered that a lot of sound is going thru the springs(you guys probably already know this.this is the first strat I have spent quite a bit of time with) When you hold the guitar out in front of you and strum it it sounds like a mini amp from the back probably more so on the EJ since there is no cover.This is neat and might explain why the EJ gets that ringy squeel at times thru the amp or harmonics,maybe someone could explain this further.Thanks Gary.....

He actualy mentioned that when he used a
distortion pedal that with the back plate
off it got more sustain, Eric said on the video about his guitar "you probably
think im crazy but i can tell a difference"

[phantomman]

This is a really good point. I have whined about such things before (maybe even in thread but I'm too lazy to check). Why can't Fender offer a guitar for working musicians that gives real players a number of key options such as fingerboard, neck profile, radius, frets, body wood, pickups, and maybe a few others? I don't care that much about the cosmetics. Why do we have to go to the custom shop to get the right mix of this very, very basic stuff? And when you go to the custom shop it costs an arm and a leg just to get a decent player.

I have said it before, but Fender seems to be most interested in selling to shoppers and collectors and NOT ordinary pro players.

Yunno, there's a way around that, Doc. I been doon it for a coupla years now an' some of the old hands here on the TFF have been doon it for way longer than that......

Build your own!



(or find a guitar that can be modded to suit your purposes)

If'n you can use a screwdriver an' a soldering iron, all you need to do is find a good luthier to do the really "heavy lifting" (frets, nuts, neck angles, etc) an' you're off to the races.

I'll never buy another off-the-rack guitar again.

HTH

[Stonefreefuzz1]

VERY Nice Roger, Is the Maple Necked Sunburst your Numba 1?

[deepblue1963]

The ONLY thing I didnt like about the EJ was the flat fret wire. Im feeling way too much wood under my fingertips. If that model came with a nice set of 6105 fret wires then id have one.
Id like a Rosewood fingerboard option as well....but hey, its his model not mine.