You will receive a verification email shortly. And while you can already do this latter move on most Strats, via the middle pickup's tone pot, there's a subtle but noticeable difference here: in the standard combination the middle pickup's tone gets rolled off, but here it's the bridge pickup and that creates a tone that's just as thick, but much more defined. "I wanted them to sound like '50s pickups," explains Eric, "with the exception that the bridge was a bit brighter. The neck setting excelled at anything from clean jazz, with the tone knob rolled down a bit, to gutsy blues, with some grind from a pedal or overdriven amp. Otherwise, the Virginia is exacting in its accuracy, right down to the late-’50s-style string tree (which Johnson preferred over the stock circular type) and old-style cloth- covered wiring for all the connections. But it's not all hyper-fat lead; Eric also loves sparkling bridge, classic Texan neck and spanky middle pickup tones, as well as those 'vocal' sounds so ably served by positions two and four. All these sounds are ideal for rhythm and riffs, sparkling clean leads and of course Johnson's legendary chord voicings layered with dreamy effects. A true aficionado of vintage Fender Stratocasters, Johnson is someone who knows better than most how the world's favourite electric guitar could be 'improved'. Although ash was the spec for Fender solid-bodies in the early ’50s, Leo Fender received some boards of sassafras and built a few Strats with it. That might have been the end of the story had it not been for the Stories Collection project. Played acoustically, the Virginia sounds resonant and sustaining, and these characteristics are prominent when it’s amplified. The slinkiness of its polished surface can also make bending a little too slippery with vintage-style 'fine' frets; whatever Eric's intentions in this regard, the result is playing perfection. It’s also nice that a good clean sound is right there when the volume is rolled down. This is the only area where, with Johnson’s approval, Fender deviated by using a Graph Tech saddle with a graphite coating on the surface. What represents the Holy Grail to one guitar star means little or nothing to anyone but the artist's most diehard fans. Eric worked with the Custom Shop to develop pickups that sounded both warm and hot, with a distinct vintage vibe that retained every ounce of tone possible. The guitar arrived with the vibrato adjusted to seat flush to the body with five springs installed. We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, The model is based on Johnson's favourite 1957 sunburst with maple neck. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Not a fan of the tricky-to-negotiate Strat back-plate with its fiddly string-loading holes, Johnson decided it would be omitted from his signature guitar. But the most important weapon in the guitar's arsenal is its pickups and wiring. Michael Frank-Braun of Fender's Custom Shop, who co-created the guitar with Johnson, noted that the guitarist has spent years researching what makes guitars sound good, down to the bobbins and screws. Flawless and featherweight build. Thank you for signing up to GuitarPlayer. Conceived and spearheaded by Fender vice president of product development Joey Brasler, it took on the challenge of recreating Virginia as accurately as possible, based mainly on Johnson’s recollections and the specs he’d kept of the guitar, since the original was not available for Fender’s typically intense inspection. The cellulose finish is totally drag-free and it's one of those necks you can forget is there and just get on with playing. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, "It was my idea to stagger the tuners, then Michael Braun at Fender made it work by skimming the face of the peghead to increase string angle over the nut.". Eric Johnson has done guitar players a huge favor by insisting on this level of quality from Fender. Eric wants to evoke the smooth, singing voice of the violin in his lead passages and so hates sounds that are thin and spiky, preferring thick tones that fall from his guitar like liquid. Of course, on many Fenders this is now possible, but on something as vintage-vibed as this it's a rarity. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, "All my Strats are wired this way," grins Johnson, "I've actually been doing it since the 1970s. He tracked down the owner and worked out a trade for the guitar, subsequently nicknaming it Virginia after finding the name and the date 6-18-54 written on a piece of masking tape inside the control cavity. Action is set dead right - low enough for comfort but with enough purchase under the strings for easy bending. As to how Virginia got into his hands in the first place, Johnson explains that he spotted the guitar leaning against a wall at J.R. Reed music store in Austin, Texas, when he was in his early 20s. To reduce brightness on the high E string, Johnson used a block-type saddle from a ’70s Fender and added a small piece of Delrin where the string contacts the metal. GuitarPlayer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. WEIGHT 8.28 lbs (as tested) CONTACT fender.com "The reason I did this is because the guitar stays in tune better," explains Eric. Receive news and offers from our other brands? Visit our corporate site. And with that in mind he got together with Fender and came up with this very retro-looking instrument. But there's more to it than that. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? But that bridge pickup: knock back the tone by 35 per cent and it sounds like a Gibson SG - we kid you not! Receive news and offers from our other brands? Bath Due to its location, the middle pickup (which doesn’t have a tone control) is a little twangier than the neck unit and another good choice for rhythm work, as is the middle/ bridge combination in position four, which yields a more typical chiming Strat sound. JGT REVIEW: Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Thinline After years of collaboration with one of today’s most respected guitarists, Fender has introduced the Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Thinline. Buyers' guides to all the best music gear, 8 best keyboards for beginners and kids 2020: Start playing today with these top beginner keyboards, The best DAWs 2020: the best digital audio workstations for PC and Mac, Free music samples: download loops, hits and multis from SampleRadar, Bidding starts at $1 million, as Eric Clapton's 1954 Fender Stratocaster ”Slowhand” is up for auction, Arturia responds to Behringer’s KeyStep MIDI keyboard lookalike Swing: “This is not fair competition”, Get funky with this quick guitar chord lesson, Vital is an eye-catching spectral warping wavetable synth plugin that you can have for free. Today's best Fender Eric Johnson Virginia Stratocaster deals. Tested with a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue and a MojoTone BlackOut British combo, the Virginia proved an inspiring guitar that offers cool tones at every notch on the five-way switch. The challenges of reverse- engineering a long-lost instrument are significant, but with Johnson’s assistance, Fender got the details exactly right. Please refresh the page and try again. One of the standout features of the replica Virginia is its two-piece, offset-seam body made from sassafras, an uncommon guitar-building material.
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