Great Guitar, But Will It Make You a Chick Magnet?
Written: Jan 14 '06 (Updated May 26 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great sounding, great looking axe at a reasonable price
Cons: Unclear how much more value it delivers than the cheaper American models
The Bottom Line: This is a very nice, well designed and manufactured Strat. It's a pleasure to play and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with it.
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| buffoonery's Full Review: John Mayer Stratocaster |
Especially if you’re a girl, which will create an interesting situation.
Anyway, the latest addition to Fender’s signature artist line is the John Mayer Stratocaster, named after and designed to the specifications of the blues playing teen heartthrob himself (or maybe thirty-something heartthrob, judging by some of the serious looking women I saw crowding the stage on his recent Soundstage concert special). This is a beautiful player’s Strat that will deliver a multitude of tones. I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra $300 or $400 that it will cost you above an American Standard (this lists for $1,309 at Guitar Center, so just ignore the list Fender price of $1,999), but it’s certainly a very nice instrument.
The Mayer Strat is available in three colors, the Shoreline Gold with Red Competition Stripe African Rosewood that I tested, the Charcoal Frost Metallic with Inca Silver Competition Stripe African Rosewood (limited to 100 instruments so order NOW), and the 3-Color Sunburst African Rosewood model. Frankly, I’m not a big fan of the somewhat sparkly pick guard on the Shoreline Gold version but the guys at Guitar Center liked it. Mayer’s signature is also on the reverse of the headstock.
I’ve already written three reviews on various Strats (see below) so I’ll concentrate on what separates this version from others (as opposed to repeating my self on the general characteristics of a Strat). The guitar is designed to for a vintage 60’s look, with vintage Fender synchronized tremolo bridge with five springs and Gotoh tuners. The guitar is shipped with the trem plate removed (Eric Johnson thinks that creates superior tone) but it’s packed with the guitar.
The body is adler, the neck a slightly fatter “C” shape maple, and the fretboard a 9.5” radius rosewood with 21 Dunlop 6105 frets. The reverse of the headstock has a satin urethane finish and the front is gloss. The neck is buffed and tinted. Included is an Incase touring bag with back pack straps and other cool stuff.
Electronics include three Big Dipper single coil pickups, one master volume and two tone controls, and the usual five-way switch. The Big Dippers are intended to heighten treble and bass response and roll-off the mid-ranges. The string tree is a little closer to the nut than usual. The guitar is well manufactured and I did not see any construction defects or detect any problems with setup or the fretboard.
The first question is: how does it play? The answer is, well: great. This is a really well produced Stratocaster at only a marginally premium price, $300 less than the Eric Johnson model (which I admit I like a little more) and much cheaper than a custom shop model. The Big Dippers deliver big, bassy and trebly sounds that are great for a wide range of blues, country, rock and rhythm. The neck is fast and the frets great for bending. You’ll have a riot ripping off your own variety of soloes and chunky chords.
The second question is: should you buy it? While only you can ultimately answer that, I will make a few comments. First, this probably has more collecting value than an American Standard or Deluxe Strat. Second, the construction is very high quality. Third, the pick-ups can create some distinctive sounds that some players may find desirable. If you don’t find these characteristics important, stick with the lower priced but still terrific American models.
FYI, Mayer is on tour right now but he’s using a bunch of other axes besides his signature. He’s playing them through two Two Rock Custom Reverb Signature 100W amps and a Fender blackface. His pedals are just a vintage Tube Screamer and a Robert Keeley Katana Boost.
You may find some of my guitar reviews interesting:
Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom
Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Epiphone G-400 SG
Fender Classic 50s Esquire
Fender Cyclone
Fender VG Stratocaster
Fender American HSS Stratocaster
Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster
Fender John Mayer Stratocaster
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster
Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster
Fender 57 Stratocaster Reissue
Fender 50s Telecaster
G&L Legacy Strat
Gibson ES-5
Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster
Gibson ES-165 Herb Ellis
Gibson ES-175
Gibson ES-333 Memphis Style Hollow Body
Gibson ES-335
Gibson ES-335 1959 Reissue
Gibson ES-350T
Gibson ES-350T
Gibson Les Paul Classic Custom
Gibson Les Paul GT
Gibson Les Paul 1957 Goldtop
Gibson Les Paul Studio
Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Classic Ebony
Gibson SG 61 Reissue
Gibson Super 400
Gretsch Electromatic G5120 Hollow Body
Gretsch White Falcon II
Ibanez Artcore AS73 Semi-Hollow Body
Joe Satriani JS 1000 Solid Body Guitar
Ibanez Steve Vai Jem7
Martin D-28 Acoustic
Ovation VXT Acoustic Electric
PRS McCarty
PRS Single Cut
PRS Santana SE
Schechter Diamond C 1
Variax 700 Acoustic
Other amp reviews from buffoonery:
Crate Acoustic CA30
Crate Power BlockFender Blues Deluxe Reissue
Fender Cyber Twin
Fender DSP 65
Fender 64 Vibroverb Custom Blackface
Fender Super Sonic 1x12 Combo
Fender MH 500 Metalhead
Hughes and Kettner Switchblade 50 Combo
Line 6 Spider II Head
Line 6 Flextone III Plus
Line 6 Vetta II Combo
Line 6 Spider III 75
Line 6 Spider Valve 2x12 Combo
Marshall Super 100 JH
Mesa 5:25 Express
Mesa Stiletto Ace
Mesa 5:50 Express
Mesa Dual Rectifier Roadster
Mesa Stiletto Deuce
Mesa Triple Rectifier Head
Mesa Lone Star Combo
Peavey JSX Joe Satriani Signature Head
Peavey Classic 30 Combo
Peavey Triple XXX Head
Peavey Penta Head
Roland Micro Cube
Vox Valvetronix AD60VT
Vox AD50VT-XL 50 2x12 combo
My effects and stomp box reviews:
Boss AC-3 Acoustic Guitar Simulator
Boss BD-2 Distortion Pedal
Boss ME-20 Guitar Multiple Effects Processor
Boss GT-8 Multi-Effects Processor
Boss GT-10 Multi-Effects Processor
Boss ME-50 Multi-Effects Processor
Digitech RP50 Guitar Effects Processor
Digitech RP80 Guitar Effects Processor
Digitech Brian May Red Special Overdrive Pedal
Line 6 POD X3 Guitar Multi-Effects Board
And you may also be interested in a few books such as:
Hugo Pinksterboer – Tipbook Amplifiers and Effects
Ritchie Fliegler – Amps: The Other Half of Rock and Roll
Michael Ross – Getting Great Guitar Sounds: A Non-Technical Approach to Shaping Your Personal Sound
Nick Freeth – Classic Guitars: Identification and Price Guide
Recommended:
Yes
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