Fender Artist Series Eric Johnson Stratocaster Electric Guitar  

As far as strats go it's pretty basic, but that's all I need. The tone knobs control the bridge and neck pickups, instead of one controlling the neck and one controlling the bridge and middle pickups. 21 frets, just like the old strats had. A thin lacquer finish, and vintage tuners make this look like an old 50s strat. It also comes in a super high end case that just screams quality.

The pickups are specially voiced to EJ's needs. I like them. They are punchy, but not too twangy. As expected, they sound really good clean but don't get muddy under distortion or fuzz.

The neck has a way more "Gibsonesque" feel. It's slightly thicker than a standard strat neck and has a flatter, 12'' radius. I really like it and it makes bending notes much easier. It's something I've always wanted on a strat neck.

This is my first experience with the vintage style tuners  and I absolutely love them. I'm curious why they aren't on all Fender  guitars. The end of the string stays inside the tuner so there's zero  risk of having the string ends cut or poke you. Looks a lot cleaner too.  They are precise and stay in tune perfectly.

The lack of string trees actually does a good job of keeping the tremolo from getting the guitar out of tune. You can use it way more than you can on a regular strat and it still stays in tune. Another nice touch, plus it makes the headstock look cleaner.

I wish there was an 11 rating. This is by far the most high quality, well made electric guitar I've ever played. You can tell the people at Fender really take their time with this and make sure everything is perfect. The guitar is flawless. The frets are highly polished and don't stick out past the fretboard. The finish is perfect and I love the look, feel, and smell of the thin nitrocellulose lacquer.

Eric Johnson is known to be a perfectionist and it's reflected in this guitar. I've got a lot of respect for an artist who actually takes the time to help construct a guitar he would actually play, not just stamp his name on it to make a quick buck. Kudos to EJ and Fender for building a world class instrument.

The going rate for one of these is a bit on the high side for a lot of people. I seriously lucked out and found one basically brand new at a great price. If I wouldn't have gotten such a smokin' deal on mine I would have pulled the trigger and payed full price. It's well worth it.

It's worth repeating that this is the nicest electric guitar I've ever played. It just feels good. It will make you want to play it more. It's hard for me to look at it and not want to pick it up. Do yourself a favor and just play one. If you're a fan of stratocasters, chances are you'll want to add this to your collection.

you can check out the features on the fender or MF website. I just received this EJ from MF yesterday. I sent my previous EJ 2 tone back because there was an overspray of paint on the front of the body. Both guitars that I have received were set up properly. I checked the intonation, string height and pick up height of both guitars I received  were correct. Of course the sound and looks of the 2 tone models are the best I've  seen and heard for the signature models that fender puts out. I have a fender twin pro tube I bought from MF five years ago and this guitar and amp were made for each other. I will be purchasing the fender blues deville reissue soon to add to my amp collection. I prefer blues only. This will probably be my last strat I will ever buy. If it gets lost, broke or stolen I will purchasing another EJ 2 tone SB.

Maple 12" radius neck is great. They nailed the spray tint color on this neck. Very close to a 57 strat style. The 2 tone body shows the wood grain perfectly.  Tuners are good. EJ pickups are excellent. I would not replace them for any other style of pickup. With the EJ's I've had I have had to dive into why my strings go out of tune when using the tremelo . I don't dive bomb. I've learned alot about this guitar in my research about why strings go out of tune when using the trem. This is a common issue with alot of strats. Most of the time it's the way the nut is cut at the factory. Most of time it's the low E,A and D strings that go sharp. Problable binding in the nut. I use Nut Sauce and this reduces this problem so I know the binding is at the nut. At lease 80% of the binding issue is at the nut. I've set up the tremelo per the fender web site also. Using 4 springs instead of the normal 3 springs in a triangle. This helps bring the E,A and D strings back to pitch when using the tremelo arm. Will probably install calaham saddles only because they really are better saddles because they provide one less friction point for the strings.

The value of any guitar is very subjective. I got this EJ for less money due to a sale last month. Both prices are high relative to 5 or 6 years ago. The price of the sig models are within my reach but the custom shops are not. Frankly I've checked into the materials used in the CS strats and I can't find any real difference between the sig models and the cs models. I guess the reason you pay more for a CS is it is supposed to be made by hand from a master builder. Big Deal !!

Enough said already. It's a great guitar. Go out and buy one. Take care of this beauty and it will take care of you.

This is my fourth EJ in four years. Finally got a good one. When I openned the case and pulled it out I checked out the maple neck and the body. Everything looked great. This guitar was actually set up at the factory. I checked the intonation and it was great. The sound unplugged was absolutely stunning. All my other EJ's did not sound this good.

Well I was plugging the EJ in to check the pickups and noticed an imperfection on the front of the guitar towards the rear. Fender oversprayed some dark brown color onto the light brown color. I was very disappointed. Well I tried to ignore it for a couple of days but could not. I will be sending this one back and exchanging it for the same. I just hope I get another EJ that sounds as good as this one.

Gave a 9 because of the overspray spot,

tone was great !

I have played an Standard American Strat for 8 years and the years of performing by the ocean took it's toll on the tone.     Literally rusted almost all the inner workings of my guitar.     I needed a replacement Strat ASAP and tried out a couple American Strats (specials/highway one/standard) and then tried out the EJ and was sold instantly! What tone and sustain! Thank you Fender and EJ for making this Strat of this caliber affordable to own!

Once set up, the guitar plays great. Good size frets, aid in bending strings, which are harder when the tremolo unit is cranked tight, but at least the other strings stay in tune when you are bending.

I wish the lacquer was thinner on the fretboard. I have always played rosewood necks. I'll probably take care of that myself.

How much do you have to spend to get a decent guitar?