Eric Johnson Strat vs. Eric Clapton Strat
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Elpelotero
Well-known member
in the realm of fender guitars, they are two very different instruments.
each is tuned to the specs of each player. the neck shapes are different, so you have to find the one that fits your hand best. the pickups are also tuned to sound different.
each is tuned to the specs of each player. the neck shapes are different, so you have to find the one that fits your hand best. the pickups are also tuned to sound different.
18&Life
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I hate fender guitars :evil:
ursinus
Well-known member
Elpelotero said:
+1 But, with Fender you have try a few of each to find that "right" one............... 8)
or, you can order a custom Suhr..... :roll:
thanks for all the input. So how do the pickups in the EJ strat compare to the the pickups in the Clapton. I know the Clapton has a boost control. Are the EJ pickups like the holy grail of single coils?
the EJ had 21 frets and the Clapton has 22 :wink: lol I hardly ever use that one anyhow
the EJ had 21 frets and the Clapton has 22 :wink: lol I hardly ever use that one anyhow
wilerty
Well-known member
Peter: You live in a big city. Your local GC will have both of them in stock. I don't think the quality or the tone from each will be your deciding factor ... the feel in your hand will be. The EJ has a pretty large V neck with MJ frets and the EC has a smaller V neck with vintage frets ... they do feel quite different.
For me the decision was to go with neither. I picked the American Deluxe V Neck, which is about the same neck as the EC with MJ frets. I also preferred the more current features like SCNs, S-1, Locking tuners, Biflex truss rod, and the new tremolo.
Demo, demo, demo ...
For me the decision was to go with neither. I picked the American Deluxe V Neck, which is about the same neck as the EC with MJ frets. I also preferred the more current features like SCNs, S-1, Locking tuners, Biflex truss rod, and the new tremolo.
Demo, demo, demo ...
flieger67
Well-known member
Personally, between those two Fenders, I'd pick the EJ. I like the neck better and I definitely prefer the pickups on the EJ over the ones in the EC. As for the neck shape, there's a definite V to the EJ, but I don't find it ridiculously shaped or overly large on the profile. But you really need to try these out and also consider what sort of tones you are looking for.
And if I can also throw another name in for consideration, definitely check out some Grosh guitars. His build quality is impeccable and you can spec out the neck shape, pickups, trem, woods, etc. that you want. I have two of his guitars and I can't say enough good things about them.
And if I can also throw another name in for consideration, definitely check out some Grosh guitars. His build quality is impeccable and you can spec out the neck shape, pickups, trem, woods, etc. that you want. I have two of his guitars and I can't say enough good things about them.
phyrexia
Well-known member
EJ.
scotspine
Well-known member
the ej suited me. love the neck and finish. the pick ups are not as airy as my '63 but they compensate by being punchier while still retaining that 'strat' sound beautifully. it's now my workhorse and i'd replace it if i had to.
A
Anonymous
Guest
personally i go for the maple one piece neck so like the eric johnson model has got. also very nice cause i love the truss rod pin sticking out in the headstock and the fret size is ok with me. though it felt hard to play and bend.
the clapton is nice, yes (also played the real reissue of his strat with even the burned wood under the cigarette tips redone) but did not touch me really
i found the '57 hot rod reissue the best choice. no - absolutely no - humming or buzzing, no sound or volume loss in position 2 (of course 5 way switch original equipment) and finished with thin layers (ok two piece body not so nice) it sounds perfect and balanced like a STRATOCASTER should bell and ring it tones
the clapton is nice, yes (also played the real reissue of his strat with even the burned wood under the cigarette tips redone) but did not touch me really
i found the '57 hot rod reissue the best choice. no - absolutely no - humming or buzzing, no sound or volume loss in position 2 (of course 5 way switch original equipment) and finished with thin layers (ok two piece body not so nice) it sounds perfect and balanced like a STRATOCASTER should bell and ring it tones
scottkahn
Well-known member
We have the 57 Hot Rod in our labs for review right now -- that review will be published in our August update. My initial reaction from playing with it and listening to it (though I'm not doing the actual review -- our guitar editor Derek is):
It sounds very un-stratlike in the bridge position
. The DiMarzio ToneZone gives it balls where a strat usually doesn't have them, but it's still not as heavy as a solid mahogony-bodied Les Paul or Ibanez RG with a full-sized ToneZone in the bridge. It lets my Road King II sound like a heavy dual rectifier, though, where standard strats are just too, um... strat-like (which is great for strat lovers, of course).
The strat that I recently fell in love with (as much as you'll find me loving a strat, anyway) was the Jeff Beck strat that we reviewed last month (see http://www.musicplayers.com/reviews/guitars/2007/0707_Fender_JBstrat.php ).
Its pickups are QUIET (ceramic noiseless) but the custom shop winds them hotter than the stock ceramics. It lets your amp break up more easily than a standard Strat, but isn't as hot as the pickups in the Eric Johnson strat. Those EJ pickups are VERY hot, but definitely not noiseless. I also prefer that the Jeff Beck strat has shaller locking tuners and the modern syncronized tremolo like on Deluxe strat models, and it uses standard five-way switching instead of the more elaborate S-1 switching system.
The other thing I disliked about the 57 Hotrod is that being based on that model, it has string trees and vintage tuners, which aren't that good for tremolo-happy players. We'll see what Derek has to say about it shortly.
Scott
It sounds very un-stratlike in the bridge position
. The DiMarzio ToneZone gives it balls where a strat usually doesn't have them, but it's still not as heavy as a solid mahogony-bodied Les Paul or Ibanez RG with a full-sized ToneZone in the bridge. It lets my Road King II sound like a heavy dual rectifier, though, where standard strats are just too, um... strat-like (which is great for strat lovers, of course).The strat that I recently fell in love with (as much as you'll find me loving a strat, anyway) was the Jeff Beck strat that we reviewed last month (see http://www.musicplayers.com/reviews/guitars/2007/0707_Fender_JBstrat.php ).
Its pickups are QUIET (ceramic noiseless) but the custom shop winds them hotter than the stock ceramics. It lets your amp break up more easily than a standard Strat, but isn't as hot as the pickups in the Eric Johnson strat. Those EJ pickups are VERY hot, but definitely not noiseless
. I also prefer that the Jeff Beck strat has shaller locking tuners and the modern syncronized tremolo like on Deluxe strat models, and it uses standard five-way switching instead of the more elaborate S-1 switching system.The other thing I disliked about the 57 Hotrod is that being based on that model, it has string trees and vintage tuners, which aren't that good for tremolo-happy players. We'll see what Derek has to say about it shortly.
Scott
Rampage
Well-known member
I am not a huge fan of Fenders, but the EJ strats are some of the best playing, best sounding single coil guitars out there.
A
Anonymous
Guest
@ scottkahn - jo can agree in some points. just lost my fender logo on the headstock. was a bit to eager cleaning and saw a corner of the f was missing, the finger nail made it even bigger while trying ;-) so i took it off later (easily) completely.
you missed the outstanding maple neck of the Hot Rod, what is a strat w/out a maple neck?
and there are also other good reasons that the jeff beck is a little bit cheaper priced, or? not only the quiet quiet pick ups ...
you missed the outstanding maple neck of the Hot Rod, what is a strat w/out a maple neck?
and there are also other good reasons that the jeff beck is a little bit cheaper priced, or? not only the quiet quiet pick ups ...
scottkahn
Well-known member
Well keep in my those were my subjective comments -- I'm not personally doing those reviews. I don't like the neck on the 57 because it's got a gloss finish on the neck -- ick! I much prefer natural and oil-rubbed necks, or a satin finish like the one found on the Jeff Beck model.
One contributing factor to the hotrod being more costly is the DiMarzio ToneZone. It costs Fender more to purchase those from DiMarzio than to supply Fender pickups. The nitocellulous finish adds to the cost of the Hot Rod, too.
I'm personally more into modern guitars than vintage. The Hot Rod is definitely more of a vintage guitar upgraded with a modern sounding bridge humbucker. It's a cool package, and it sounds nice -- just not my personal taste.
One contributing factor to the hotrod being more costly is the DiMarzio ToneZone. It costs Fender more to purchase those from DiMarzio than to supply Fender pickups. The nitocellulous finish adds to the cost of the Hot Rod, too.
I'm personally more into modern guitars than vintage. The Hot Rod is definitely more of a vintage guitar upgraded with a modern sounding bridge humbucker. It's a cool package, and it sounds nice -- just not my personal taste.
