Over the last four decades, Eric Johnson has made a name for himself as an exceptional guitarist through his virtuoso guitar playing. During this time, Eric Johnson was on the move in a wide variety of music genres, including Folk, Blues, Rock, Jazz and Country. In 1992, he received the "Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for this. Despite his status as a "Guitar Hero", Eric Johnson likes to pass on his skills to young guitarists in various forums. In this respect, a special Fender "Eric Johnson" Stratocaster Edition from the Artist Series was created in 2020 in close co-operation between Fender and Eric Johnson. This Strat is a unique opportunity for guitarists and fans of Eric Johnson to follow in his sound-wise footsteps.
This "Eric Johnson" Stratocaster from the Artist series comes in the impressive "Tropical Turquoise" color, which is reserved exclusively for this guitar! For this reason alone, the purchase of this extraordinary Strat is worthwhile! Many of Eric's personal specifications and features were implemented during the development process, which make this Strat so unique. A wafer-thin body made of alder, lacquered with nitrocellulose, ensures excellent vibration characteristics. The "Quartersawn" maple neck in "Soft V" style features a rosewood fingerboard with binding and 12" fretboard radius which is significantly flatter than the usual 9.5" radius. This mixture suits Eric Johnson and of course all other Strat players who love fast solos, shimmering vibratos and intense bendings. The "Specially Voiced Eric Johnson" single-coil pickups with countersunk mounting screws were meticulously wound according to Eric Johnson's specifications to create the typical Eric Johnson sound as authentic as possible. A missing tremolo cover plate, so the myth goes, is supposed to improve the sound. So it was consequently omitted here – as with Eric Johnson's own Strats. A very special gimmick adorns the neckplate of the Eric Johnson Stratocaster – an "EJ" abbreviation and a stylized guitarist pictogram – simply unique, just like the entire guitar!
