Whoa... Now THIS I will want to check out...Originally Posted by Marcondo
Whoa... Now THIS I will want to check out...
Lionel
www.soundclick.com/demioblue
Wildwood has a bunch of these online now. Very nice guitar and I always liked the bound neck version of the Strat - definitely not every many's thang but.......the price is pretty steep! Man, you can get a very nice custom shop guitar for that price - not that it is a bad guitar but there are CIJ Strats with a bound neck that go for just a little more than the regular Japan reissues. Seems it is a bit too much to pay for basically a 62 AVRI with a bound neck and a 12" radius.
The colors are OK and not far off from some traditional Fender colors - seem to be variations on Shoreline Gold, Daphne Blue and Lake Placid Blue with the Dakota Red one as a traditional color
Now if it cost say USD 100-200 more than an 62 AVRI, it would be an OK deal I guess.
This guitar costs USD 900 than a '59 Thin Skin reissue (also on the Wildwood site) and the '59s have nice chunky necks, CS 50's pickups and otherwise a very similar feature list. The only thing different is again the bound neck and the 12" radius. I do not see the value here and actually I see it as quite a rip off.....
"Sorry" - John Belushi as he smashed a guitar in Animal House
To offer a bound RW neck as an option on the orig. EJ's (along with introducing new color options) for a couple hundred more would have made much more sense. The price difference between the orig. and these new models is way steep.
"If you're cool, you don't know nothin' about it. It just is...or you ain't." - Keith Richards
I had a buddy that picked one up for $999 that GC was blowing out last year...No case though, LOL. Great guitar for that kind of money, but he sold it (because he didn't like the 2 tone burst) and bought a 63 AVRI. Nice guitar too but to me the EJ felt, played and sounded much better (and I like a 2 tone burst MUCH better than a 3!)
I'm not crazy about the bound neck. It just don't look Fender to me. That and the price difference will definitely keep me away from the new one.
...and on the 8th day, God created the Super Reverb and there was ROCK, and it was GOOD!
I just checked out the price on the new EJ. I assumed it would be pretty much the same as the previous one but, WOW, was I wrong. It is no longer a deal. More bullshit from Fender. Add binding and a rosewood board and make it MUCH more expensive. Yah, right. You could get a modest custom shop Strat for less money.
"The beauty and profundity of God is more real than any mere calculation."
Yep...over $2K here in Canada....They can keep it.
dang it now I got the wants AGAINand I just bought a new amp
gonna be a hell of a year at the homestead
I liked every original EJ i played, now to search the web for a blow out price.
peace
Until I read about the new EJ RW Strat I never ebn knew Fender EVER made Strats with a bound fretboard.
What years did Fender originally make Strats with a bound fretboard?
Joe
'65 through '67, according to period literature. But they're very rare. I've only personally seen one in my entire life -- it was a LPB '65 model with gold hardware that I observed in '66. There's a well-published photo around that shows Ry Cooder playin' what seems to be a SB '66 Strat with the bound board. An' in the few years I've been "ebaying" I've seen one original bound '65 model (in Oly White) up for auction. I'll be curious to know if Fender actually builds these neck in Corona or -- like the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass -- farms them out to Allparts in Japan. Of course Fender-Japan offers a re-issue bound-neck Strat in their "Premium Vintage" line. I have one of these guitars, plus the neck from another (mounted to a MIM Robert Cray body). Best Fender necks I've ever owned.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I just noticed this: Binding, round lam fretboard... spaghetti logo?!
That would be a deal breaker for me. As I said before, it looks too much like some kind of mongrel or Franken-Strat.
Indeed, Robert. It does seem to be a polyglot of mixed-and-(mis)matched details from a number of different eras. But I'm sure it will find its fans. Somewhere......
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Hey, are the countersunk pickup mounting screws a feature borrowed from the MIJ strats? I have to say I really like that approach. I know next to nothing about the ins and outs of strat details. But I have an MIA, an MIM and a mid 80's MIJ. There are certain areas on the MIJ, back of the headstock, those pickup screws for instance, that to me, are a better way of doing it.
Just an observation!
Counter-sunk pickup mounting screws (and those for the switch as well) were another idea "light-fingered" from the vintage Strats. Prior to around '81 or so, all screws on the pickguard were the recessed oval-head variety.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
"You are correct, sir."
When I saw the price I spit pepsi all over my screen. Mark is selling some custom shop les pauls for less money, by comparison the custom shop strats he is selling seem like a steal.
Especially with the useless frets? I mean, I would have to have this guitar refretted immediately, so there goes the resale AND I have to spend some extra cash on top of a rediculously expensive guitar (for a noncustom artist series) for it.
Personally I thought the original EJ strat was pretty good value for money (not great, but adequate if you like those features) at its better prices (at 1000 dollars, if you have the money and are looking for a new strat and dont buy it you should be shot, just as much because you could just hold on to it and sell it for 500 more on craigslist instantly) were definately worth the price.
But this, I wonder if this is a joke or if its just hyper inflated since its brand new. Either way there is no way this guitar will be 2500 in a year, no way.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Bought an EJ, played it for a week. Took it back. It was Olympic White. Not enough magic there for the money at $1700. If you can get a blow out at $999 then that is a bargain. For the same money however, you can get a Strat Deluxe which is twice the guitar in the $1000 range. That's what I ended up with.
Strats are hard to pick. You need to have a good selection of maybe 10 or more to make a good decision. Two models exactly the same color and features can sound dramatically different.
Maybe the new ones arent up to code?the EJ i have is the highest quality
Fender i have put my hands on in decades
the examples of EJs I have played lately have been quite nice, but they definately arent for me. They dont really fit my mold for some reason but I cant knock the guitar itself.
You know, Ive had opportunities in the past to buy prs guitars at some very nice prices. I happen to think the world of them, and I do think they are lovely guitars, but Ive never gone through with it because Ive never heard one speak to me personally.
And yet I hate gibson as a company, see many inherit flaws and limitations in the les paul and stratocaster design (relative to their modern counterparts), but on the occasion a guitar does call out to to me it always seems to be a stratocaster or a les paul, and I cant put my money, no matter how much or little, into a guitar that I dont like.
Well thats a touch off topic even if it does adress cold and middle's statements.
Getting back to the new EJ, will fender continue to produce the old version? I hope so, I know some guys who love that model.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
How are Medium-Jumbo frets useless? I'm assuming you mean for your own use. I'm guessing that medium jumbo frets are probably the most used type out there for Fenders.
I prefer the tiny 'vintage' frets, personally, and know I'm in the minority in regards to that, but that doesn't make them useless. And if those frets are useless, than why consider that guitar as something you'd purchase. Even hypothetically, if the frets are useless, than the guitar is useless (for you).
Kind of an odd way to look at this.
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
In addition, I don't think that a refret would devalue a guitar that much, if at all. Not nowadays, anyway. They do technology on them & it's better than the old ways.
Well I can unnerstan' the lad's frustration. They's very little bein' made by FMIC that innerests me these days despite the aura (more like hype IMO) that the company's PR muh-cheen tries to create for each new "artist" or "custom" model. I am doubtful that any of these premium, limited-edition guitars will appreciated in value significantly as the years progress -- not to the extent that we've seen with true vintage instruments. In any case, I like to tear sh*t up an' put it back together so I'd rather jus' build somethin' myseff. Then it's a true "custom" guitar (made to my specs, not some zoot-suited ding-dong in a walnut-paneled office in Corona).
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
phantom, I don't know why you are so down on the EJ. Most "artist" models are just another guitar but with a name stuck to it. However, Johnson took the time and effort to try to get a good guitar in the hands of players not collectors, and a decent price. The original EJ was a damn good guitar at a damn good price. This new version should just be a few options on the basic model, but it isn't AND it is way overpriced. I have to agree with you on that one.
Personally, I couldn't care less if a guitar appreciates in value since I buy them to play them, not as some kind of investment. And if a guitar I like DOES appreciate in value (like my old 345), I am still not selling it, simply because I like it.
Having said that, if I had a 59 Les Paul and some whackjob offered me 300K for it, I would sell it in a heartbeat (Gruhn currently has one for 325K, reduced from 350K. Gee what a bargain).
"The beauty and profundity of God is more real than any mere calculation."
I have 6100 on all of my guitars. I had no problem ripping the frets out of a cheap strat or my beat up les paul, but I would hate to take the axe to a brand new guitar.
I can play on small frets, but it makes it a lot harder to have the level of control that you get with big ones, and I dont have a neck I can scallop seeing as if I dont like it Ive just toasted a neck.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Gotcha...just wanting some clarification on what you meant.
I like the tiny frets because it causes me to focus on my touch more than with bigger frets.
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
Heres one of the new ones in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NYIrjvhCfE
Like redb, I prefer the smaller frets. One of the best and fastest guitars I ever had was a Tele with small neck dimensions and low frets. That's the one that got away...
Me too, Willie.
I'm one of the heretical wankers who prefers the vintage frets an' original-radius fretboards. Tha's the configuration I grew up on......(back around the time that Vox's Super Beatle was a brand new amp).
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Just a note mate, 6100 frets are MASSIVE. They are the type you get on charvels and esps. Counterintuitively, the guitar you had probably had 6230 fret wire.
And Im watching the EJ clip, not digging the tone. EJ normally has some of the best and this is pretty good but Im not sold that its an improvement from what he was getting when I was in diapers.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Heretical Wankers would be a great name for a band, btw.Me too, Willie.
I'm one of the heretical wankers who prefers the vintage frets an' original-radius fretboards. Tha's the configuration I grew up on......(back around the time that Vox's Super Beatle was a brand new amp).
I've heard some good things about the new EJs. I wish they made it in a lefty. Frankenstein or not, I dig it.
Feel free to......"indulge" yerseff.
I think the EJ will make somebody an excellent guitar.
Jus' not me......
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
its really its the closest thing to a 57 Custom Shop
reissue without paying another thousand dolars
for a Custom Shop decal
I guess I am not dialed in to the folklore enough to understand all the debates. So, I don't know what is heretical and what isn't. Some folks think it is heretical to want a 12 inch radius; some think it's heretical to want 7.25 inch radius. Is the 9.5 inch radius heretical or not?
I can't keep up, but I can say that I really like a 12 inch radius on a guitar neck. I have not been a Fender player my whole life so I don't feel I have any particular version to defend. If it is a question of authenticity, then I suppose everyone should play a '54 style Strat.
A guitar isn't necessarily a good one just because it has some artists name on it. But it also isn't necessarily a BAD guitar because it does. What about all those Chet Atkins models? Heck, what about a LES PAUL?
And as I said before, from everything I have read and heard, Eric Johnson seems to have made a serious effort to create a good instrument at a decent price (at least for the original model). I think he deserves some credit for that.
"The beauty and profundity of God is more real than any mere calculation."
This is the info that first sold me on it, and of course
the first time i played one.
.................................................. .............
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster
After years of painstaking research and design, the Eric Johnson Stratocaster has finally arrived. Designed with Eric by Custom Shop guru Michael Frank-Braun, this beauty is based on a '57, and combines the best of vintage design with modern electronics technology. The '57-style, 2-piece alder body has an ultrathin, Custom Shop-quality nitrocellulose lacquer finish that results in better resonance. Johnson opted for a one-piece, quartersawn maple neck with a 12" radius that's finished with a thin-skinned glossy lacquer and vintage tint. 19 prototype pickups were created before Johnson found the tone he was looking for. The Custom Shop-modified single coils use a new wire material for the magnets. Johnson and Braun also included one of Eric's most famous Strat modifications by wiring the tone controls to the neck and bridge pickups, instead of the standard neck/middle tone configuration of most Strats. This guitar is tonal perfection thanks to the discerning ear of one of the best players to ever pick up an axe. And it's pleasing to the eye as well, with it's large arm contour, '57-style pickguard and shallow pickup cavities, plus thin headstock with vintage staggered tuners that eliminate the need for a string tree. Unbelievable Custom Shop quality in a production axe.
For the original, absolutely. For the new one? absolutely not.
I look at it this way. For a custom shop les paul you pay nearly 2000 dollars to get a flamed top and medium jumbo frets and possibly, though not gauranteed, a slightly thinner neck if you move from the 1958 plain top to the 1959, or from the plaintop 1960 to the flame top 1960. Essentially, you are paying for the top to have flame. However, for gibson USA models this is only a 200 dollar upgrade. Therefore, I feel this constitutes a ripoff that even BMW couldnt imagine. (Not that it would stop me from buying what I wanted, but I certainly would not be happy about it. Of course, I own an ipod, which I feel is a ripoff, a hd monitor, again I feel it was a ripoff, etc, etc, etc.)
The NEW EJ strat is a ripoff like that. The OLD one was an EXCELLENT value. Thats the difference here. The other things are just features that may or may not be to people's liking.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Yea i was refering to the original EJ, i havent
tried one of them, not really a rosewood neck
fan for fenders
Thanks for that. Inspirational.
I played one of these new EJs last night with the white bound neck. It felt weird. A Gibson neck kind of feel on a Strat body with the EJ sound. Disorienting but nice sounding. Not sure I want one at the end of the day.
I had an early two tone burst model, body dated December 2005 and neck January 2006, and I wasn't impressed either.
The neck never did lose its nitro tackiness, even after 14 months out of the case in a multi-guitar stand. The most stubborn Gibsons I've had lost that tackiness within 6 months when left outside the case.
I actually did like pups though and am using them in my '84 CAR Tokai two piece Alder body. That guitar body is far more resonant than the EJ ever was.
Could've been one sorry EJ or could just be a remarkable Tokai, but I haven't missed that EJ since I parted it out.
It wasn't that the EJ was a bad guitar per se, but mine certainly wasn't as good as GC or Sam Ash pricing would imply. For the money there are lots of guitars out currently that do more for me for less $$$.
I got mine for the price of a Standard,
it was an open box deal frorm Musicians Freind
i would never had been able to afford them at
regular price
Last edited by coldsteal2; 02-15-2009 at 06:13 AM.
Looks like he is playing 2 Silverface Deluxe Reverbs as his amps (one a dripedge). Guess Silverfaces are slowly becoming cool - at least the early ones and the ones that were not tooled with too much.....
"Sorry" - John Belushi as he smashed a guitar in Animal House
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