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A new Guitar Center opened a few blocks from me, and dammit, I KNEW that place would be 'temptation central!'

Ever since the Eric Johnson strat was released by Fender, I've been intrigued by the perfect features it has, making it head and shoulders above most other strats. Tonight, for the first time, I played an EJ strat with a great factory setup. I couldn't put it down, it played so great, had a perfect neck, and the tone was great. I can only imagine it with a set of Ant. Surfers or Chubtone 63's....my favorite pickups. WHY must it be $1600???? WHY??? Oh yeah, because you get what you pay for, and apparently, the price for a great strat is $1600. Oh well, it looks like I need to sell off a least favorite, add some money, and step up to the best maple neck Strat Fender makes.

Honorable mention for the John Mayer strat too. Those are the best new Fender Strats, IMO. Chunky necks with medium jumbo frets, with all the rest of the appointments being vintage style. 2 Fender Homeruns!
I still want the EJ Model more.

Which has the bigger neck, the EJ or the Mayer?

just listen to Nike, they know what they are talking about...JUST DO IT!!

hahaha

oh and i agree, the mayer strat will be my next fender purchase for sure once i get some other things out of the way.

-Mike

You might have to do something stupid to get you banned from the store for your own good.

Oh yeah......the EJ is just awsome! Played on one for quite a while a month or so ago. But $1600..........???


Originally Posted by Hot _GritsWhich has the bigger neck, the EJ or the Mayer?

I really thought the EJ would be thinner than the Mayer, but they feel pretty similar. I like both almost equally, but the laquered vintage maple with medium jumbos and flatter radius is exactly what every 50's strat lover has ever wanted. Since Eric Johnson knows the strat well, his ideas are perfect, since the neck V's just a bit toward the lower frets, so the whole playing experience on that neck is what you'd expect from a guy who can hear the difference between batteries in a fuzz pedal!

I haven't had the chance to play an EJ strat, but you would have to go some to beat the Mayer strat. I'm anxious to play one.

Yup the EJ strat is something i want to try out bad.... I have always wanted a vintage style USA made strat but with larger frets and slightly flatter radius board.... Besides modding a USA vintage reissue there was nothing i saw close to what i wanted until the EJ start came out.... But saddly what i can afford is another matter.. MIM strats and cheap beer for this guy

The EJ has the smaller neck. The Mayer has a chunky C.

I tried the Mayer and loved it. It was like a tamed SRV strat with some subtle tweaks.

I haven't tried the EJ yet.

I've really wanted one of fenders new sig strats for a while. I've herd awsome things about them, but I just can't keep buying guitars unfortunatly. I got a epi les paul custom, telecaster, strat with hot rails, on my want list right now. If you buy it please post pics

I don't know GJ, at that price you might as well invest one or two hundred more for a Suhr or a Grosh classic strat style and *really* get your moneys worth. I have a hard time believing even the American series Strats are worth a grand now (I remember when they were in the 600-700 range)

Well the highend Fenders are extremely good Chris...
At that end it is just the difference in prefences you are after.
To me it is just quot;boutiquequot; craze at the end of the day.With the high quality, high end Fender, you get a bonifided Fender, and not to take away from a boutique or custom made guitar, but that does make a difference later on. You get the correct Fender headstock, the real decals, and the original look.. What year is EJ's main strat? I was thinking it was a 54, or is it another year, or a composite of years? I think the new signature model is alder, is that correct?


Originally Posted by JumpMarineOh yeah......the EJ is just awsome! Played on one for quite a while a month or so ago. But $1600..........???

I agree. Other than the royalty check to EJ what exactly justifies that cost again? None of those specs would have required new tooling. Surely the bigger fret wire isn't that expensive. The whole endorsement concept is a real sham as far as I am concerned. I guess we should be happy it wasn't EVH model pricing.


Originally Posted by Lake Placid BluesWith the high quality, high end Fender, you get a bonifided Fender, and not to take away from a boutique or custom made guitar, but that does make a difference later on. You get the correct Fender headstock, the real decals, and the original look.. What year is EJ's main strat? I was thinking it was a 54, or is it another year, or a composite of years? I think the new signature model is alder, is that correct?

Unless you are talking about a vintage piece quot;fenderquot; really doesn't mean much anymore. Honestly, for a modern instrument I think the name boutique builders will hold value better than fender.

I want to try one of the EJ models myself. What attracts me to it is the 12quot; radius fingerboard. Perfect. The price will keep me from buying it but then again, these things come out of the Custom Shop, not the regular production line.

I'd still get a MIA Standard even at the price they are at. I love Fenders and to me they are the original rock and roll guitar.

the_Chris, you said $600-700? How does $499 before tax sound for a MIA? That's what I paid back in '94 for mine. WITH hardshell case.

Both the EJ and Mayer are very, very nice Fenders. I don't even blink at the price tags because I've been impressed with the Signature Series guitars since I bought my Clapton in the early '90's. The EJ definitely has the coolest tweaks to it and is READY TO PLAY versus some of the other Fenders that require lots of work out of the box.

My guess is that if you put in some boutique pickups into the EJ (Surfers or Chubtone '63's)that you would have a PHENOMENAL strat.

I agree about the endorsement bumping the price up needlessly, but you just can't beat some of these models. Sure, a person could get a boutique strat, but those don't always translate into 'better.' Fender's best models, over time, will always hold value better than many boutiques, which will someday be considered timely high quality guitars from the early 2000's.

Value aside.....If I could have my way, the EJ and JM strats would have just been the new and updated versions of the 57 and 62, and been American Vintage Moderns, selling for $1250, or something. I would have liked that a lot more than having to find perfection in a signature model. At least those players had the tact to keep their signatures off the top of the headstock, so they look like regular vintage strats.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserI agree about the endorsement bumping the price up needlessly, but you just can't beat some of these models. Sure, a person could get a boutique strat, but those don't always translate into 'better.' Fender's best models, over time, will always hold value better than many boutiques, which will someday be considered timely high quality guitars from the early 2000's.

Value aside.....If I could have my way, the EJ and JM strats would have just been the new and updated versions of the 57 and 62, and been American Vintage Moderns, selling for $1250, or something. I would have liked that a lot more than having to find perfection in a signature model. At least those players had the tact to keep their signatures off the top of the headstock, so they look like regular vintage strats.

I'll get one eventually, when I can nab one at a bargain price, but it's not very high on my priority list right now. I'm kinda drawn toward a black/maple EJ, which is basically a great version of Clapton's Blackie.
What I really want is just the neck off that dang guitar.

I just got back from a shop that had an EJ in stock.After 45 mins of playing it I have to say that it is the best playing strat I have ever played in my life. Amazing guitar.