SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
For years, I have lusted after a two tone '54-'56 style Strat with a maple fingerboard. Originals were out of the question. I have not liked anything I've seen in the Player or Vintera series, and the only offerings that remotely sparked my interest were Squires, and they were also out of the question for me. I did see a few used anniversary models on Craigslist, but they were too far away to check out.
A couple of years ago, Fender put out yet another Eric Johnson model that really tickled my fancy. It was modeled after Eric's original '54 Strat named Virginia that had been bastardized, because Fender was looking for some guitars that could be part of a "Stories" series. His guitar definitely fit into the story part.
I had been looking around the local shops to try to play one. I was always checking everyone's websites to see if anyone had one in stock. It almost seemed to be a story that the guitar model actually existed. Finally, this past June, Sweet H2O got four in stock. Since you get to choose your actual guitar, I went for the one that looked like it was a one piece body, and it just happened to be a full two pounds lighter than any of the others. So, I pulled the proverbial trigger and bought it.
I found it to be quite nice out of the box. The fretwork is amazing. It's actually finished, and done well. Unlike the Player Series Strats that tried slashing my fingers with the sharp fret ends. It played well, and did basically everything a new guitar should. I love the chunky V shaped neck. The Sassafras body does appear to be one piece. I can't find a seam anywhere. And it is pretty light, at 7 lb. 13 oz. I played it quite a bit at home, and also at Tom's the past few weeks. Now that I've played it at loud volumes, I have to say it is a really nice guitar. The neck feels nice with the slightly meaty V shape and the 12" radius fingerboard. I guess during a fret job, Eric wanted the fingerboard made like his SG and ES-335. They bill the guitar as "The Gibson Player's Fender." I can see why. The neck and middle pickups sound great. I'm not really use to the "out of phase" wiring when you use those two together, but that's the "Eric" sound. The DiMarzio HS-2 with half the stack wired in the bridge position sounds real good. It could be a bit louder, but I have not touched the guitar for adjustments. I've just been playing it, trying to get use to it.
Now that I've had it a few months, I'm glad I bought it. Especially since I've played it loudly, and it fits right into the way I sound and play. Even Tom and Ritchie thought it sounded really good, and Tom has seen me go through years of trying to make a Strat work for us.
A couple of years ago, Fender put out yet another Eric Johnson model that really tickled my fancy. It was modeled after Eric's original '54 Strat named Virginia that had been bastardized, because Fender was looking for some guitars that could be part of a "Stories" series. His guitar definitely fit into the story part.
I had been looking around the local shops to try to play one. I was always checking everyone's websites to see if anyone had one in stock. It almost seemed to be a story that the guitar model actually existed. Finally, this past June, Sweet H2O got four in stock. Since you get to choose your actual guitar, I went for the one that looked like it was a one piece body, and it just happened to be a full two pounds lighter than any of the others. So, I pulled the proverbial trigger and bought it.
I found it to be quite nice out of the box. The fretwork is amazing. It's actually finished, and done well. Unlike the Player Series Strats that tried slashing my fingers with the sharp fret ends. It played well, and did basically everything a new guitar should. I love the chunky V shaped neck. The Sassafras body does appear to be one piece. I can't find a seam anywhere. And it is pretty light, at 7 lb. 13 oz. I played it quite a bit at home, and also at Tom's the past few weeks. Now that I've played it at loud volumes, I have to say it is a really nice guitar. The neck feels nice with the slightly meaty V shape and the 12" radius fingerboard. I guess during a fret job, Eric wanted the fingerboard made like his SG and ES-335. They bill the guitar as "The Gibson Player's Fender." I can see why. The neck and middle pickups sound great. I'm not really use to the "out of phase" wiring when you use those two together, but that's the "Eric" sound. The DiMarzio HS-2 with half the stack wired in the bridge position sounds real good. It could be a bit louder, but I have not touched the guitar for adjustments. I've just been playing it, trying to get use to it.
Now that I've had it a few months, I'm glad I bought it. Especially since I've played it loudly, and it fits right into the way I sound and play. Even Tom and Ritchie thought it sounded really good, and Tom has seen me go through years of trying to make a Strat work for us.
:dood:
