Fender returns to manufacturing bound necks...

[Professor Plum]

thats pretty cool. the EJ strat does sound really good..

[Surfoverb]

Big "guitar player's guitar player."

Many of you are probably familiar with his signature tune, "Cliffs of Dover" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55nAwmVLQSk

For my money, his current signature model is the best guitar Fender is currently producing.  Street price is around $1750.00.  As far as Strats go, it's tops.  Just a very well-done, no-frills take on a late 50's model.  The quality is really superb.

But it has a 12" radius and quarter-sawn neck 

Yeah I think the 57RI is more of an EJ Strat than the EJ Strat is.

[OffYourFace]

Yeah I think the 57RI is more of an EJ Strat than the EJ Strat is.

No, he used to have his vintage Strats modified to have either a 10" or 12" radius... back when they were only worth $5 grand 
I firmly believe Eric Johnson is single handedly responsible for the vintage boom in the early '90s.    From Strats and Plexi's to vintage Marshal cabs w/ original 20 & 25 watt celestions & germanium fuzz faces.
He proved that vintage really did sound better & huge.  I remember when I was in high school I went to see him open up for Joe Satriani & Steve Vai (1990) ....I know, I know....  Anyway,  I couldn't believe how much BIGGER he sounded.

From then on, 'old' became 'vintage'.  During this time he was touring with his '54 Strat.  His '54 Strat is the most valuable '54 Strat in the world...  He's the reason they're worth $100,000 + now.


As far as Tone, technique & articulation, there hasn't been a guitarist better...  BUT he's completely OCD when it comes to guitar, to the point where it ruined his marriage.

[sookwinder]

the strange thing is  I know who Eric johnson is, but have never (to my knowledge) ever heard any of his music...

[Surfoverb]

Yeah I think the 57RI is more of an EJ Strat than the EJ Strat is.

No, he used to have his vintage Strats modified to have either a 10" or 12" radius.

"Rather than alter the vintage fretboard radius, I simply have the frets leveled more in the center so that I don't fret out when bending."
-Eric Johnson

He sets his saddle radius at 10-12" his fretboards are 7.25"

[OffYourFace]

Yeah I think the 57RI is more of an EJ Strat than the EJ Strat is.

No, he used to have his vintage Strats modified to have either a 10" or 12" radius.

"Rather than alter the vintage fretboard radius, I simply have the frets leveled more in the center so that I don't fret out when bending."
-Eric Johnson

He sets his saddle radius at 10-12" his fretboards are 7.25"

Yeah, I've seen that article...  but I swear he did that in the late '80s before the vintage boom.  There's an old article out there somewhere where he says he'd get an old Strat, redo the radius & then refret it...  back when he had the mullet 
I believe he did this to his original '54 he called Virginia...  which I guess he no longer owns...

[Surfoverb]

Yeah, I've seen that article...  but I swear he did that in the late '80s before the vintage boom.   There's an old article out there somewhere where he says he'd get an old Strat, redo the radius & then refret it...  back when he had the mullet 
I believe he did this to his original '54 he called Virginia...  which I guess he no longer owns...

Yeah who knows...I've read that he would spend weeks in the studio just messing with his amp settings for 1 track. Also he prefers the sound of Twin Reverbs without the 3-prong and he mods new Twins to have the 2-prongs. Fender was supposed to release an EJ Twin with stock Webers IIRC, that would have been sweet! (I doubt they would have 2 prongs though) EJ FTW!!!

I wish he'd just turn that damn delay off when demoing that guitar.

[mynameisjonas]

i've never heard of eric johnson before either... i read a thread somewhere about a guy doing a bad relic on a EJ strat, but i never really knew what EJ meant.

[Orang Goreng]

He's one of those guys I only know from guitar mags and the FDP, I guess. There are just some styles of US music that never really made it across the pond. For instance, I've never heard anything by John Mayer (similar guy, right?), and I think nobody I know (except guitarists) has even heard of SRV....

[northern_dirt]

He's one of those guys I only know from guitar mags and the FDP, I guess. There are just some styles of US music that never really made it across the pond. For instance, I've never heard anything by John Mayer (similar guy, right?), and I think nobody I know (except guitarists) has even heard of SRV....

This is the first place.. inside this thread.. that ive heard about him..
Then again Im not much of a guitar player groupie..

[mezcalhead]

I'd never heard of him until a couple of years ago the guys at the local guitar store recommended one of his teaching videos .. his playing is very slick but it was a little overshadowed by the mullet and 80s padded jacket.

[Surfoverb]

He's kind of like a blues-shredder...Take Yngwie sans the classical influence and replace it with blues, add a mullet and a revolutionary war jacket ala Hendrix and you've got EJ. Think Robin Trower meets Jeff Beck meets Hendrix meets Alex Lifeson(Rush)...He's definitley a guitarists guitarist...I like that basically he just plays off minor pentatonic but also does some really complicated/difficult stuff like bending whole notes while playing a chord, weird guitar-nerd stuff.

[JazzBlaster]

This is the first place.. inside this thread.. that ive heard about him..
Then again Im not much of a guitar player groupie..

+1

Never heard of him till here. He seems to be very good technicaly but his music is static and has no life to it. It's like EVH trying to play like SRV, I doubt Eric Johnson knows who he is either.

[IPLAYLOUD]

NIIICE!
If they bind it, they have to use the thick binding from 1966.

There was a factory Sherwood Green '65. Only one I have seen with a small headstock.