john is completely transparent putting out these videos...and as Clapton says's "he is a master." If I ever reached this level of guitar playing I hope I would be as cool and open at sharing my gift as john is. He is truly one in a million. He had no choice in what to do with his life. The rest of us dwindle as to what are calling is. Thanks John, cant describe my appreciation to you. Talent like yours is tough is deal with, especially at a young age and has a very high price. You're a daily inspiration as to what I do for a living. The tones you find truly find my feelings. You have every reason to be confident, I would only say that none of us do it alone, and to acknowledge those that contribute to your success. No bigger fan, Trent
SRV took what Hendrix was doing and mastered it. John Mayer is just another in a long line of guitar players who takes obvious influences and makes them their own. That's music. That's Rock and Roll.
Specs out $10,000 Strat... custom shop forgets to ground the wiring. LMAO. Whoever’s job it was to check that guitar before it went out got the sack. In defense of the Fender Custom Shop, they do make fantastic instruments. Sh*t even happens to John Mayer 💩🤷🏼♂️
Mix Better Now NO WAY That, ( looks fucked up, for a 63' strat.) NOT Hand made, Neck & Body, CNC'd then, Hand sanded, cost that much ! I Sold Master built strats. I OWN a Real 56 an a 61 Blonde Slab board. & they cost me less than 2k TOTAL! & I Play the Shit out of them ! I have an EJ that is Great ! ( One of the Best new strats Available.) & Again, I got it cheap. I'm NOT lucky, Iam looking in all the right places.. all the time. Make luck happen.
+Matt Campbell You would think the guys at the Fender Custom Shop knew how to wire together a strat. Or that they would at least check the guitar before shipping it out to such a high profile customer....
Really love this guy's candor. I actually did expect him to go on and on about how he opened the case up and was completely blown away instantly by how magically super-perfect the guitar was. It sounds like shit and he's heartbroken... gets desperate and puts it into an environment with as extreme a temperature difference as humanly possible... it does NOTHING. No magical miracle stories. And it turns out there was FAULTY FUCKING WIRING on the custom, mega-artist-series for fender's posterboy.
Having the occasional bad solder joint or mistake is one thing, but shipping it that way is another thing entirely. That's what quality control is supposedly for. This makes you wonder if anyone at the shop actually plugged it in, because it seems unlikely (not impossible) that the wiring failed during transit.
@shechshire, yes, the Tele is known for "twangy" but it can do more than that too, that's why Kieth Richards,Chrissy Hynde,Joe Strummer and Graham Coxon use the Telecaster. I just think the Strat has a thin brittle sound to it no matter what type of amp you use.
60 years? damn I wonder how battered this thing will be then. SRVs strat "Lenny" sold to guitar center for over 600 grand. If Mayer can continue to grow his guitar legacy then his guitars will be a goldmine in a matter of years.
you are right. it's not hard to learn but it's another story having the creativity to create those sounds. take bb king, almost everybody can learn his licks, but applying them the way he does it's what makes this guitar players great
It happens. I had a Masterbuilt done for one of my customers which took 3 years, when it finally arrived, it wasnt even built to spec, no painted headstock, wrong colour pick guard and wrong wiring.
@minhdiszles Not every song that John does can be a "Bold As Love" or "Who Did You Think I Was". Heartbreak Warfare is an amazing record... You just have to listen to it with a truly open mind.
@platodane there actually is a cheaper version, but its not a relic. Now it's not REALLY cheap, but it is cheaper. Could find it on the fender website I'm sure.
he did not buy this guitar fender most likely gave it to him to get more publicity to the Fender Custom Shop. Cool video with a sweet story behind the infamous "Black One"
fuckin awesome watchin him play gravity and remembering exactly how he played it on the album. These pickups are remarkable, I have a nice strat but I can't get a tone this beautiful no matter how I try. guess i need to buy em :p
No theory other than wanting to see if something happens to make it awesome. It's a creative persons way of attempting some form of magic, because it can't be explained.
listen to some of mayers earlier tone before he had the black one. He still sounds like John Mayer, and just as impressive. So as many have said, the tone is in his hands and fingers.
I agree, and if anyone thinks Mayer's tone is generic then they need to train their ears. I personally find Mayer's tone harder to replicate than even Hendrix or SRV, and it's all because of his hands!
