Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar Dakota Red

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

Experienced Club player, Semi-Pro. I like this guitar a lot. Has become my main goto Strat. I didn't care for the stock trem with the screw in arm. Replaced with modern six screw Wilkenson with push in arm, now all good. Also added a back trem cover, just looks naked without it . . IMO
The neck on this baby is beautiful. My hand tends to cramp after long sessions with my standard American Strat, but not here. Also play Les Pauls so I'm more comfortable with a fatter neck.
Also like the staggered tuners, no string trees and string opening on top of the post. Makes string changes a breeze . .

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

To some it up great Strat !! Love the sounds and the looks. Build quality is solid. This certainly won't be the first guitar I sell if I needed cash. If you like a sweet start and If you are ok with high gloss finishes on the back of the neck, your not likely to be disapointed.
In general I am happy with this Strat. Personally, in the price range, I would like to have gotten locking tuners, but the press realease talks about Eric's input into the headstock and lack of string tree's. This was actualy the 3rd one I ordered. I ordered a "mint" used from "another store". The neck was so poorly offset the e-string wasn't even over the neck. I sent it back any the local store ordered me another. That one showed up, in the wrong colour. This one from MF was a better price for this color and arrived in good shape. I like the shape of the neck. It has that high gloss "sticky" finish on the back though. I can't bring myself to scuff it. I was hoping for more of a satin feel. But that's why they call it the Eric Johnson, and don't name it after me !! Maybe favourite feature by far has to be the pickups, great balance for clean or dirty.
The setup on mine seems to be good. After everything I read about these models having such great quality, I guess I expected more. My Highway One Strat setup by me, plays every bit as good. Maybe the guys that were working on these a few years ago make EVH's now.
Value is subjective I guess. If you can afford this, you will love it. It is again modeled after a classic based on EJ's taste. For this amount of coin, if I was to do it again, I would want to look at strat's with more modern touches. Satin neck, locking tuners, variable radius fretboard, maybe even HSS configuration. I might still chose this one, just wish I had a chance to try others. This is better than my H1, just not sure about twice as good, as reflected in the price.

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

I was really attracted to the white binding and rosewood fretboard of this guitar. I am also a huge Eric Johnson fan so I ordered a Dakota Red version. This guitar sounds incredible and is very well made. The paint was perfect and the pickups were very well balanced. But I have to say that I absolutely could not stand the neck design and had to send the guitar back. I am a Strat player and own several of them. The neck is far from any other Strats I have ever played. And I think these guitars are overpriced. I ordered an American Standard Strat instead and I love everything about it, and I don't have to worry about the paint and extreme temperature changes. All I can say is that the Eric Johnson Strat is beautiful and sounds as good as it looks, but the neck simply was not for me. I would highly suggest playing the Eric Johnson Strat before you order one. The neck was really fat and uncomfortable, what works for Eric does not work for me. Thanks again to Musicians Friend for allowing their customers to send a guitar back. If I had purchased this from my local music store I would have been stuck with it. Musicians Friend has earned my trust and my business.

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

My wife had got me this guitar for a early wedding gift. I have been playing guitar since the 60's and have own quite a number of guitars in my life from Hagstrom of the 60's and a Gibson Les Paul Custom. First off the overall workmanship is seem throughout the guitar my guitar is in Dalota Red and the color is beutiful the neck with the inlay plays very comfortable and fast. The guitar new as it was, was set great the string action was nice and low and the intonation was set perfectly. The pickups as were voice by Eric are fantastic. From the neck giving me beautiful lows and the bridge giving me very pleasant highs. I highly recommend this guitar for anyone. The quality and sound will give a guitarist all he needs to perform. Thank you fender and Eric for producing a very beautiful guitar. Which is now my main guitar for all that I do.

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

I've been playing EJ's for four years now and overall they are the top of the production line for quality and tone. However I must say I've sent back four EJ RW firemist strats for loose neck pockets and the #1 e string not staying in the nut when you do a bend around the third fret.I wonder if Fender's Quality inspection team are actually testing every EJ that leaves the production line or are they just inspecting every 5th or 6th EJ that comes off the line. What's up Fender?

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

I got my EJ for a trade in and $100. I have the two color burst, first year they came out. Playing it darn near daily and have not had one problem what so ever! I think I play it more unplugged than plugged in. When the upper bass bout is pressed into your body you feel a resonance that I have never felt in any other solid body. The neck is the most wonderful part. The wood selection is mind boggeling, flecking is truly hypnotizing, with a lil flame here and there. It was a little sticky when new, but if you can't take 30 sec. to wipe it down before you play, I will go out on a limb here and say you are proly not in the market for this particular guitar. 2nd pos. neck/bridge is my fav. It is the only strat on a wall of high end guitars, and the only one that gets played daily, and has for years. This will never leave my hands. Not very hip they have no burst finish options for the new rosewood model. My Maple neck really looks flip'n cool all broken in with finger rub wear on the fret board. I love this guitar! One more thing, I had no idea who Eric Johnson was when I got this. Iam very thankfull he is so particular about how they will build something with his name on it. Thank God the dorky EJ coco pelli logo is on the neck plate out of site, and no embarasing signature on the head stock. Get one, even though they raised prices, they are still the only sleepers out there.

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

I've been searching for my "Holy Grail" of Strat tone for years. I've had a MIJ model, American '62 reissue, American '57 reissue, and currently have a Clapton that I've loaded with a new pickguard, Suhr pu's, and custom wiring. I've been wanting another RW Strat. I also own a PRS McCarty. (another outstanding guitar) The EJ rosewood is the best Strat I've owned, or played, including some custom shop and vintage models. Didn't think I'd like the binding till I saw it...beautiful and still vintage looking (albeit very rare mid-60's vintage). Wasn't sure about the 12" flat board and larger frets. Now I wouldn't play anything else. Tone, great when unplugged and outstanding plugged in. From lush classic Strat tones to biting overdriven blues/rock tones. Beautiful thin finish (Palamino) that I found out was another of the 60's Dupont car finishes that Fender liked to use. Did I mention the TONE!!! All 5 pu settings are great. Clear, deep bell-like tones in the neck end, great quack in-between, and clarity near the bridge. In fact, the middle position that I never used on other Strats is one of my favorite Strat sounds ever. It was expensive, but I'll never part with it. If I could only have one electric guitar...this would be it. Oh yeah, it sounds GREAT!! (no, I don't work for Fender)

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

In 2005 I bought an EJ Strat with a maple neck, and its been my favorite Strat ever since (own 7). Last week while I was screwing around in my favorite music store I noticed that the EJ Strats now had rosewood necks. My first impression was "good god these guitars are ugly." I spent the next 1/2 hour playing a red one, and discovered the beauty was on the inside. Wow, did that guitar have tone! My EJ Strat is magnificent sounding, but I think this one sounded better. Of course I was playing it through one of the store's Marshall amps, not my Marshall. So its impossible to get an exact comparison. Just the same I was highly impressed with the guitars tone. Very full and bluesy sounding. Also the action on this particular Strat was very nice. Just when I was thinking I found my next Strat, I turned over the price tag and nearly pooped. Yea these guitars are expensive, but I always think you could be hooked on Les Pauls. Les Pauls make even the most expensive Strat look almost reasonable. I'd of bought that EJ Strat with the rosewood neck right then and there if I had the money. This guitar was so sweet I even toyed with the idea of trading in some of my least played Strats to afford this one. I couldn't do it for sentimental reasons. Enough about me. If you're looking for a Strat with tone to spare this is the one, but be prepared to for sticker shock.

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

I first would like to tell you wrong mapleEJ's review is. To each his own I guess. This guitar is fantastic! The best Strat I have ever heard. The pickups are voiced so perfectly. Tone for days. I actually prefer maple necks on Strats but after hearing and playing this guitar I had to pull the trigger. This guitar will be a classic.I own a recording studio and keep a few of the best guitars money can buy to offer my customers options. This guitar is one of those.

Comments about Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster RW Electric Guitar:

If youre looking to own a super-nice vintage style Strat, you really should take a look at the Eric Johnson Sig. The quality of the wood, finish and details is simply outstanding for a factory built instrument and I take seriously the rumors that these things are turned out by the Fender Custom Shop. Fender and Eric hit the nail on the head.On the other hand, not all EJ's are created equal. The first one I purchased on a wim and it had a loose neck pocket, the neck needed a reset and the plank that the neck was milled from was rather "unspectacular", to say the least.Fortunately, that one went back to Fender and was replaced by an identical Blond EJ, thats one of the finest Strats that I've ever seen and through my botique tube amp, it sings like a Blue Angel!The message here is to play a few EJ's before you buy one. Make sure it's as perfect as you want it to be. look for good reflective grain, make sure the necks straight and look closely at the neck/body pocket. Some EJ's come through with missaligned necks and loose pockets. No kidding.Other than for those possible flaws, I would happily buy another EJ and I keep thinking about doing so but then again, I already own one!Lastly: Fender's execs should be ashamed of themselves for hiking the prices of these guitars. Are they worth it? Well, they WERE worth it, but just because you CAN raise prices is no reason to do so. It just makes these harder for deserving players to purchase. OTOH, if you don't own one of these, pay the price. Theyre that good.PS Fender: The colors that you picked for the Rosewoods make no sense what-so-ever and thats the reason why I dont own one. The bound neck Strat that Ry Cooder plays is gorgeous, so give us some vintage colors to accent the vintage vibe of this wonderfull guitar. Please?Heres my promise to you... Change the color selection and I'll be write you a check!!