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
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.
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.
+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.
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.
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.
@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.
It’s almost kind of sad in hindsight when you hear about how it was always his dream to have a signature strat and working with Fender was a dream come true. It’s too bad Fender became what it did in terms of working with artists. John said it got to the point where he basically didn’t have anyone he could call at Fender and it was like he was just some stranger calling a big corporation. They also weren’t really open to a lot of his ideas moving forward so he went to PRS who allowed him to do what he wanted. It seems like Fender has since changed for the better and a lot of their newer offering seem to be a response to what customers have been asking for years. The Silver Sky is cool but it will just never replace a good ol strat for me
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.
@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.
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"
@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.
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
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!
If another guitarist, or an artist did a session like this. He would be all over the place. - But John, is so laid down, he tells every secret of everything. Who would say that they put their gitar in the freezer? This makes John Mayer human. Or wait; This guy is not human
I love this guitar too! Yesterday a collector let me play his. Now I hate every other guitar I own cuz they don't even compare. He wouldn't sell his black1 for anything less than $44,000!
Not shocked at all that Fender sent John Mayer his "signature" guitar and forgot to wire it. I've got some great custom shop strats and teles but I worked at a music store for a few years and I played some guitars that should've been scrapped instead of being sent out. Also almost every guitar they sent needed a full setup upon arrival. Same with Gibson. Barely a custom shop guitar from Gibson came in even playable.
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.
@minhdiszles meh; yeah i know that battle studies didn't have the same touch continuum had, but it has another feeling to it. i mean i don't trust myself was like woah. but edge of desire is like wow. it has two different ways of wooing you. but i guess continuum is more guitar oriented. but reaally, edge of desire WOW did i piss myself listening to that.
Well when I play my friend's guitar with all his gear I still have a different tone than him, due to the way i personally play being different from his style. Our other friend comes along and sounds completely different also. So it is somewhat in the hands of the player. More than people might think.
John has actually improved over the years. He is great here, but he is a whole another level now.
100% man!
"It's got that sound"... Or it could be the Dumble in the corner..
Oh man I could listen to this guy play for days... Such an amazing guitarist
Lol, I guess Fender expected him to do all the wiring himself, too.
John Cruz said John's tech Rene added a dummy coil and forgot to solder a wire because it was playing just fine before he shipped it out
Watching this man forget one of his most famous licks is so humbling beyond words
Stop it. Musicians forget stuff all the time.
@@fretbuzz59 Exactly. Jeff Beck used to need to relearn the instrument between building hotrods.
Came from the Custom Shop with the wiring incomplete? LOL
That's what I thought. EPIC FAIL
If that’s what John Mayer gets....
Custom shop doesn’t mean what it used to, might as well buy the Chinese copies
John Cruz said John's tech Rene added a dummy coil and forgot to solder a wire because it was playing just fine before he shipped it out
That's Fender for you
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
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.
A lot of really weird comments on this video from people who have some sort of problem with Mayer and his guitar. Weirdos.
That sweet reverb after every strike of a note and that round mellow sound of each string is just amazing.
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.
Spot on !
"I'm not a universally good guitar player" How can you not have respect for this man's respect of the instrument. Did you get that?
Too modest. John's one of the best ever. Even though he'll never admit it.
It’s frightening how much he has improved in the last 10 years
"I'm not a good guitar player"
...
I love to hear him working through the changes - the work is more valuable to me than the finished work
All that work, dedication, stories, anecdotes and gorgeous tone
And now we have the Silver Sky and the J-MOD100.
Fuckin' Hell.
You'd think you would open it up and check the wiring before you freeze it overnight though
+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....
+steffenla4 good point
@@steffenla4 John Cruz said John's tech Rene added a dummy coil and forgot to solder a wire because it was playing just fine before he shipped it out
@@itaintmebabe714 Was it also John's tech who put it in the freezer?
@@steffenla4 No, he put in in the oven.
Legend,saw J.M live in Auckland ,New Zealand about 10yr ago.What a stellar concert
You make me want to be better. I love watching you play.
that dumble steel singer in the background
I think only guitar players can appreciate how awesome something like this is.
"That's just plain sick!" Haha, love the jam at the end and the guy's reaction
Spent ages re spraying/finishing an old strat copy...the paints coming off now I've watched this.
i love hearing him talk. the details are essential
He's the best ever he is still young got lots to look forward to soooooo gooood
The difference between the 4th pickup and the 1st on that guitar is extraordinary!
Someone please breakdown that lick at 7:04
JMBelief1 looks like hes playing at frets 10 and 12 and slides to 9.
Just slow down the video sit with your guitar and work on it... I'm sure you'll get it
Pretty telling that you can be John Mayer, design a Fender Custom Shop guitar, they build it for you, and yet they still screw up the wiring. Heheheh.
2:37 this aged well
Whatttt ..!!! Every strat fan just melted .. such a killer tone.. amazing john mayers
Black 1 made 5 accounts to dislike this as revenge for John tossing it in the freezer.
I've got an '82 Ibanez Roadstar II, just something my dad gave to me, and it resonates enough on it's own.
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.
One day this guitar will auction for crazy amount of money and Ill be the one buying it. Love JM
There was no strategy, he was just pissed off that it didn't work and wanted some miracle to happen.
So crazy how he will start a sentence using words and finish using the guitar and we kind of understand him. He weaves both almost seamlessly
I like how he incorporates blues, the song could be nowhere near "bluesy" but he'll step down and down again and hey.. there it is.
He makes the guitar sound like a voice. Its incredible
"...that's just plain sick..."
well said, fender dude...well said.
i could listen to him playing all day.
he's gorgeous af
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.
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.
I could listen to him jam all day!
@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.
having a masterbuilder not checking a high profile artists instrument for ground issues is a bit scary.
statistics show that 64.3% of the people who see these two videos will put their stratocaster in the freezer
Just threw mine in there
I notice John went on a trance and became one with the black one at the end.. nice solo, typical John Mayer!
0:10 John Cruz punches fist through wall
I did CRYO tuning to my Fender CS strat and results are amazing. sound and feels like an old vintage axe! Recommended!
After all this “Magic”.... he turned as a PRS artist!
It’s almost kind of sad in hindsight when you hear about how it was always his dream to have a signature strat and working with Fender was a dream come true. It’s too bad Fender became what it did in terms of working with artists. John said it got to the point where he basically didn’t have anyone he could call at Fender and it was like he was just some stranger calling a big corporation. They also weren’t really open to a lot of his ideas moving forward so he went to PRS who allowed him to do what he wanted. It seems like Fender has since changed for the better and a lot of their newer offering seem to be a response to what customers have been asking for years. The Silver Sky is cool but it will just never replace a good ol strat for me
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.
@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.
that ehhh in 8.09 is priceless, hes like yeah i doesnt get better than this.
geez that solo at the end was soooo tasty omfg
Reading these comments I realize these old dukers are jealous musicians. I appreciate that John recognizes his own skill
For him thinking he's not a good player, I sure like his style! ...and his taste in tone!
Playing through that Dumble Steel String Singer doesn't hurt either.
John mayer telling his stories is the best...
John Cruz is still mad that John said that about the ground not being connected. He pretty much called him a liar
Everyone F___ks up sometime in their life!!
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"
I agree, my other thing is John didn't realize something wasn't connected. After all he's been playing guitar forever. Kinda strange.
I used to think he was really pretentious. He actually seems like a really cool guy and a really talented musician.
I love when he lets the guitar speak for him.
@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.
I'm so glad someone else heard that. :D
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's amazing that what John calls messing around is what the rest of us say "How is that not a song yet?" to
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!
@Cybergriffey30 Not only that, but all of his amps and how much reverb and just everything he uses on the opposite side of the cable.
@liupot this guitar is a mix between Clapton's Blackie and SRV's ONE... look at them... they t=mixed into John Mayers.
he looks like he's in heaven talking about and playing his guitar.
i go wow for those two and Keith Richards Micawber...since its just my dream guitar.
@paniac5 he had it relic'ed when he made it. the lack of paint and lacquer helps resonate the sound of the guitar.
He’s so good it kinda makes me feel ill
Sick tone ! Thanks for the upload.
I love the guy right at the end when he goes; 'That's just plain sick' :D
Oh John Mayer, don't say you're not good at guitar!
@ottjakeaustin I think more people need to realize that that amp plays as big a role in the sound of that guitar as the actual guitar.
john please just come to terms with the fact that you're the best guitar player/songwriter you've ever heard...
@spastiwasti, no doubt. Especially when you are sending it to John freaking Mayer!!
If another guitarist, or an artist did a session like this. He would be all over the place. - But John, is so laid down, he tells every secret of everything. Who would say that they put their gitar in the freezer? This makes John Mayer human. Or wait; This guy is not human
Sometimes a new guitar has rigid frets has to be broken in. Ive also done the freezer thing, weird. It works.
Can't believe they would sell a custom shop with a malconfigured component.
John’s at the top of the mountain now go babe❤
I love this guitar too! Yesterday a collector let me play his. Now I hate every other guitar I own cuz they don't even compare. He wouldn't sell his black1 for anything less than $44,000!
2:10 nice pick switch!
I’m sure custom shop loved him telling that story of the guitar not even working for their documentary. Lol
does he not? thats even more depressing, i need to toughen up my fingers then.
This guitar is a jewel The Stratocaster is a present from God Leo Fender make a perfect Guitar untill now we still play on it°))))
He was doing for the Strat what Slash did for the LP in the 90's. Pretty stupid from Fender to let it go...
Ha, sometimes you just know when you play something that it sounds awesome, maybe it just happens to the best of us more often.
Not shocked at all that Fender sent John Mayer his "signature" guitar and forgot to wire it. I've got some great custom shop strats and teles but I worked at a music store for a few years and I played some guitars that should've been scrapped instead of being sent out. Also almost every guitar they sent needed a full setup upon arrival. Same with Gibson. Barely a custom shop guitar from Gibson came in even playable.
The whole time I think he's playing through that Dumble SSS to his left?
what a fucking gorgeous guitar!
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.
I like the way this guy plays....
@minhdiszles meh; yeah i know that battle studies didn't have the same touch continuum had, but it has another feeling to it. i mean i don't trust myself was like woah. but edge of desire is like wow. it has two different ways of wooing you. but i guess continuum is more guitar oriented. but reaally, edge of desire WOW did i piss myself listening to that.
Well when I play my friend's guitar with all his gear I still have a different tone than him, due to the way i personally play being different from his style. Our other friend comes along and sounds completely different also. So it is somewhat in the hands of the player. More than people might think.
He looks so proud at the end
I agree with you, imagine if you had waited 2 years for that!! I still want one though lol