Fender John Mayer Signature Stratocaster Electric Guitar (with Case)

The Fender John Mayer Stratocaster is made to Mayer's exacting specs, with 3 Big Dipper single-coils voiced with scooped mids to let your vocals cut through.

Overall User Ratings (based on 41 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(41) (see rating details)
Submitted January 14, 2014 by Cody M in Lock Haven , PA

"Round Peg, Round Hole. "

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I was going to wait a little longer to write this review, I wanted to wait until I found something that I don't like about the guitar.. if I end up finding anything, it will be very minuscule. I have been playing guitar on and off for about 7 years now, I graduated high school last year and finally have time to pursuit it full time. I have gotten quite good over the years, I mostly write my own material. It's fun playing other artists material, but we only have a short amount of time during this life, and I want to make my experience as organic as possible and try to leave something behind for others to enjoy when I go. I have always played acoustic.. have owned several, prices ranging from 200-2500, and I never found ONE that I REALLY liked. Taylor, Martin, Takamine, Revival, Guild, none of them suited my taste. I was convinced that I was an acoustic man though, was never interested in electric. Funny enough, the very first thing that ever drew me to guitar in the first place was a Fender Squire that my Grandmother purchased for me at a flea-market in Philadelphia, I was about 11 years old if I remember correctly. I didn't know how to play the thing, I just wanted to strum some strings, and that's exactly what I did. Then I got a little older, started taking it a bit more seriously and became dead set on getting an acoustic. Eventually I got one, and never looked back at electric's. Years went by, and that entire time something was always never quite right about the tone of the instrument I was playing but I always made up an excuse; "I'm just not happy with the sound because I'm not good enough yet", "It's just the quality of my guitar, I need a more expensive better sounding model", etc., etc., etc. Before I purchased this JM Signature Strat, I was about to order a Taylor 314ce, but fortunately the order had some delays (which were my fault, not zzounds) and I ended up just canceling the order. I did some consideration before I made a new order, and thought, "I have owned sever acoustics, and every time I get one, I play it for a while and get sick of it because I end up not liking it". I started looking at some of the electrics, and naturally drifted towards the legendary Fenders. It was a toss up between the American Deluxe, and this JM sign., but after checking out some reviews on Youtube, this JM SIgn. was clearly the winner in my book. I placed the order Friday, didn't expect to receive it until Monday so I went out of town.... got a call from my roommate Saturday telling me the guitar arrived (such quick shipping) so I rushed home and tore right into the box not even thinking about having to return it.. pulled out the beautiful case it comes with, pulled out the strat, plugged her in, tuned her up, started playing, and the rest is history. I haven't put it down for two days now practically. Today I sat and played for 5 hours and didn't even realize it, I felt so out of it when I finally did realize though (like that feeling you get when you have been staring at a computer screen for hours). I changed up the compositions in some of my instrumentals because of the available tonal capabilities of this guitar. I have a lot of options than I do with an acoustic. I am still getting used to playing it, but the transition is much easier than I expected. I really enjoy the c shape neck john chose for this. I find you have to change up your right hand positioning a bit, but it's somehow a lot more comfortable than any other neck I have played. I am extremely relieved to say that I have finally found a guitar that sounds right to me, and that I really enjoy playing. No longer trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. (acoustics lol) I am using a Fender 15g Front Man right now, obviously it's not the best amp in the world, but the guitar still sounds better than anything I have previously owned using it. I plan on trying to make a trade in deal for a decent amp at my local shop, but I'm not complaining with what I have now. If you have any doubts about this guitar, forget them, it's a stupendous guitar, and at a reasonable price. I think the guitar could easily be a couple hundred more. You've heard Mayer's signature sound in his songs, you love the tone, and if you purchase this guitar you can have it yourself.

Musical Background:

7 years, Electric, Acoustic, Piano, (about to add violin to this list)

Musical Style:

percussive/inventive fingerstyle, classical, blues, etc.
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Submitted November 10, 2006 by a customer from aol.com

"BEST guitar for price and sweet, smooth modern Blues sound"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I cant see myself playing any other guitar as my primary.
Sound
I have played 100s of guitars on severl different types of amps including Fender, Gibson, PRS etc.. This is the best sounding guitar I have ever played! The tone is so sweet through my Marshall DSL 100. Sat down with it and played it through a fender vibrolux and that was all i needed to hear. Formerly a Gibson guy, Fender has lured me back. Thanks so much for offereing a guitar that has helped me end my search for the perfect tone.
Features
Great custom pickups, great hardware, tuners. The ashtray cover is also a nice feature as well as the awesome case.
Ease of Use
Plug it into a tube amp and you are set!
Quality
Fantastic finish, sound, playability. Action was perfect right off the shelf.
Value
This guitar could easily be priced thousand bucks more. Plays and sounds SOO much better then the custom Gibson i traded in for it.
The Wow Factor
This is the guitar for me period.

Musical Background:

Active Musician

Musical Style:

Modern Blues, Pop, Rock, Alternative
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Submitted July 29, 2014 by Sebastian C

"This is the definition of a classic, warm-toned Fender Strat"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I'd like to start off by saying I used to be primarily into playing metal. My setup before buying this guitar was an LTD M-1000 with active EMGs into a Peavey 6505. But in recent years, my tastes have evolved, as well as my playing. I hadn't planned on getting this guitar, in particular. But instead just a mid-to-upper value Fender strat. And I would've ended up getting a more generic Fender if a friend hadn't convinced me that this would be the best value for the price. Ironically, what increased my want for a strat tone to the point of fully deciding to buy one was listening to John's "Where The Light Is" live album. I was blown away by the nice round, smooth tone he was getting and I needed to have it. And this guitar absolutely NAILS it, no imitation whatsoever. I decided to suicide it and buy one of the "slightly used" models from this site without ever having played one, but heavily researching it online. I was a bit afraid of not having my expectations met (especially for buying a used one), but the day it came in the mail, it looked as if it came straight from manufacturing with a couple small smudges on the body. And the sound matched how polished it was. I'm confident that I've found the guitar for me. This thing has brought me so much joy for playing in the month that I've had it, that I know It'll never be for sale. The way I'd describe it to someone would just be "classy". It's built like a classic Fender strat should be and plays accordingly.
Sound
I really can't compliment the Big Dipper pickups enough. They take you from sparkly cleans, to grimy blues, to overdriven rock and I feel great knowing that they are custom and only exclusive to this strat. I can only speak from my personal somewhat limited experience, but every guitar I've had hasn't had a full range of use for every position on the pickup selector, but this guitar does. My personal favorite is the fourth position which splits the neck and middle pickup. It's just the right amount of smoothness and strat twang to produce an absolutely satisfying tone for bluesy cleans. The only thing i don't like about the pickups is that the first postion (bridge only) is a little too bright for me at least on the clean channel, but that is subjective and can change with whatever amp you're using. I usually have to get a blend of the middle pickup to get the tone for me.While this guitar specializes in cleans.. If paired with a high gain amp or overdrive pedal, it can really scream almost as much as a guitar with humbuckers, if you push it hard enough.
Features
Hands down, my favorite feature of this guitar is the maple neck. It is the smoothest and most natural feeling neck I've ever had on a guitar I've owned. Some people say it's pretty thick, but I honestly don't feel like it's clunky at all, it feels just right for me.I also love the vintage style tuners. Changing strings has gotten a lot more swift and I I've literally only had to retune a couple of strings after the initial stretching period about twice. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the truss rod at the base of the neck and the lack of access to it.. There's pretty much no way to get to the bolt with the neck still on as the pick guard and body covers more that half of it. So, I took the neck off last time I restrung and sanded down body and pick guard near the neck pickup to allow myself access to the rod for adjusting while the neck is on the body.
Ease of Use
When I first played it upon arrival, I used my old little Peavey Rage 158 practice amp I got when I first started playing about 13 years ago. And the cleans sounded fantastic. I was very surprised. It's exponentially better if you play it though a high end amp, but good tone is still possible while playing through a cheaper amp.
Quality
It's one of the most well built guitars I've played. I believe that with the proper care, every component on this will last a very very long time. As far as cosmetically, I think John designed it to wear with time, much like the Black1 he plays. I'd like to keep it looking as fresh as the day I bought for as long as I can. But even if it does wear down, the sunburst finish is made to look badass with a bit of road rash.
Value
This is my first Fender strat, so I can't speak with too much authority. But I can say that I believe I got everything and more that I paid for. They didn't cheap out on any aspect or feature when making this guitar and it will speak for itself.
Manufacturer Support
Everything was delivered safely and packaged well. No issues at all.
The Wow Factor
As I've said before, this thing just screams "class". I always find myself staring at the sunburst design when I walk in the room. The colorful pick guard, white pickups and knobs, with a natural wood grain neck are all tied together in such a beautiful package that I consider it a serious work of art. And with a warm tone that compliments the sleek look; I'm very sure that I've found MY guitar.

Musical Style:

Metal, rock, blues, a bit of reggae.
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Submitted May 21, 2012 by alex p

"Couldn't be any better"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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The reason why I found myself buying this guitar is because is quite simply the best Stratocaster I've ever come across to. As simple as that. A few months ago I stepped into a huge guitar dealer in Northern Italy where I live, just to "take a look" around. After many years of playing and trying guitars I was not 100% excited about, I had in my mind to buy "the guitar" once and for all but I was going to have it only if it's well worth it, no hurry; it had to be a Strat for sure and I absolutely wanted a maple neck, possibly loaded with locking tuners and two-fulcrum non-vintage tremolo and whatever; the guy at the shop, who already knows me and understood the tone and feel I was searching for, came to me with this axe and told me: forget about the other guitars and try this beauty, trust me; I plugged it straight into a Marshall and, no kiddin', after the first few strums I was completely done!! Now, I always say that guitars and instruments in general are like women and also wine; it's personal, it's a special alchemy; I stopped valuating guitars based on the brand, the features or anything; all you have to do is going into a shop, grab the instrument and feel it. I could barely remember who on earth this John Mayer was and it's certainly not for the signature that I bought this guitar; anyway, I finally found "the guitar": This is it.

Musical Background:

amateur, semi-professional

Musical Style:

rock, blues, pop, classic, jazz, folk, metal, funk, almost anything
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Submitted November 9, 2014 by Brian Baratta in El Dorado Hills, CA

"Its as good as you could ever hope"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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The JM signature strat arrived in 3 days. I stood over the case thinking "this is it" I slowly opened the case and was in awe with the gleaming new sunburst work of art that was now in my possession. This thing is beautiful. Hands down the coolest looking and sounding guitar I have ever owned. I am 53 years old and have been playing since i was 13. I have guitars lots of them. I haven't put this JM Strat down since it arrived. I love JM's playing and song writing, He has a sound and this guitar allows you to have the same tone, Hands down best buy ever ! Thank you zZounds for the 12 payment plan, it made this purchase possible. Brian Baratta El Dorado Hills CA

Musical Background:

Professional Musician

Musical Style:

Rock Blues Pop
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Submitted April 4, 2014 by Andy B in Independence, MO

"John Mayer Sig Strat"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I looked long and hard at strats at my local guitar shop before I settled on the JM strat. I played a clapton( hated the neck shape), EJ sig, a Am. deluxe player, and a mayer. Out of all of them the mayer had the best pickups for my playing style. The model I played had a twist in the neck so it was almost playable...but very tough. Even with that issue I could still tell that if it was straight, the thick C profile would have been a perfect. I was so impressed that i went home and ordered one from zzounds that night! Figured if I liked one with a twisted neck, I would fall in love with one that was straight...and I was dead right (thank god!) The finish was incredible, like a mirror. Tuners are nice and tight and stay in tune for hours of playing at a time. Like others have said, this guitar is all about the neck and big dippers.....position 2 and 4 are heaven! Bridge p/u is a tad week but not a deal breaker. All in all this is the best strat I've played in 20 years...feel, sound, and looks. The African rosewood fretboard on mine is so dark it looks like ebony. Sad to see that it doesn't come with an incase bag anymore, but the G & G h/s case it comes in is very nice. Love the vintage classy vibe of the black leather ends and black/grey tolex of the case...very fender blackface. Inside of the case its plush blue/black color and it comes with tags, cord, strap, bridge ash tray cover and whammy bar. If you play blues, or hendrix, or srv...then this is the guitar you want/need. I love this axe, and will never part with it, perfect neck and sound. If your on the fence about the cost like I was do the 12 month easy pay like I did...much easier to digest.

Musical Background:

Playing solo for 20yrs

Musical Style:

Mainly blues, and rock
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Submitted October 23, 2013 by Christian Tillery

"Legit.....Best guitar I have ever played. Period"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I have had my eye on this guitar for a while in addition to Mayer's famous tone. never made any moves on it. my wife actually bought me this guitar as a surprise present. I was a little worried at first being that I had not really played it or tested it out. It arrived at my house in excellent time, thanks ZZounds.com, I opened the box up and the first thing i saw was the sick Fender hard shell case. Every review I read said it came with a soft shell case but they must have upgraded it because wow! Super nice case. I continued to inspect and play the guitar and wow.......I have played guitars from gibson to walmart guitars, $8,000-$20 guitars and this guitar stomps them all. Not only is it goreous but the custom neck fits in my hand like a glove. It feels so good. The Dunlop 6105 frets help sustain and make playing my style of music (blues/rock) very easy and smooth. The intonation was set well, the finish didn't even have a finger print on it! it just felt "Right" in my hands. i do not know how else to describe it. Now to get to tone........The best features on this guitar are the tone of the Mid scooped pickups and the neck. These pickups sounds straight up sweeeeet. They have that perfect blues tone in addition to being very clean and smooth. These are not just meant for blues though, these are very versatile pickups. I can play any type of music with these and this guitar can contribute unique characteristics to any genre thrown at it. All in all it is an amazing guitar. Great job to John Mayer for honing and molding such a great tone. Great job to fender and a definite AAA+++++ to ZZOUNDS.COM for fast shipping, great customer service and pretty fair prices. -Christian Tillery

Musical Background:

9 years

Musical Style:

Blues-Rock-Contemporary
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Submitted February 26, 2012 by Chuck P in Hartland, NB

"Best sounding Fender Strat to come along in years"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I've played several Fender Strats, even custom shop and owned a 72 Strat but this Mayer strat is the best of all those. The tone that comes out of this guitar is nothing short of bone chilling perfect strat chime with a clarity and punch unsurpassed. The build quality is excellent and the maple neck and african rosewood is superior looking wood to most strats below custom shop. Probably the best investment I've made in many years.

Musical Background:

43 yrs classical guitar and electric guitar . Guitar teacher and performer

Musical Style:

Rock, Jazz and Classical
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Submitted February 3, 2006 by a customer from verizon.net

"John Mayer's Strat..."nothings missing""

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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She is a keeper!
Sound
Excellent vintage "hollow" sound. Sounds even better though a TS-9!
Features
Included Fenders typical stuff, (strap, mist and wipe, cable, ash tray cover).
Quality
Excellent build quality. Perfect paint. I would take this Strat anywhere. The only thing I don't care for is the INCASE gig bag, I would have liked a G&G case instead.
Value
It is spot on with other guitars in this price range. Maybe even a bit better.
Manufacturer Support
I have not needed any help on this Strat, but in the past I have delt with them. Fender is tops in customer service in my book.
The Wow Factor
From the day I saw this Chorcoal Frost Strat in the store, I had to have it! Thought about it all day at work before I went and picked 'er up!

Musical Background:

Active

Musical Style:

Modern worship
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Submitted April 1, 2012 by Tom Bradshaw in Newtown, PA

"John Mayer Strat"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Hey! I'm really please with my purchase here, so I thought I'd write a small something. I used the 4 payment installment plan, which I haven't seen you can do anywhere else and actually get your guitar right away. The Strat itself is awesome. It really shouldn't be hard to please me b/c this is the first decent guitar I've owned, but I will say I played an American standard strat at a guitar center the other day and it didn't come close to feeling like the mayer strat.

Musical Background:

Been playing guitar for 7 years, mostly just jam at home.

Musical Style:

Blues, Rock, a little jazz/
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Submitted July 29, 2014 by Tommy Fargo in Rome, GA

"BEST STRAT ON THE MARKET !!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I have been searching 20 years for the perfect guitar for me I have owned just about everything you can think of and built them all . If you want a guitar that simply works right out of the box this is the one .No upgrades or mods needed on this sweet guitar its perfect

Musical Background:

I have been playing for over 20 years

Musical Style:

rock, hip-hop, country, blues, Christian, electronic, chillwave ragtime, Balinese reggaeton...ALL OF IT
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Submitted May 8, 2017 by Rick Foxx in Olympia, Wa., WA

"Awesome guitar"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I bought this beauty right before Mr. Mayer left Fender and this was the last new one available. I Respect Mr. Mayer as a musician but have NEVER liked his music. So, to say the least I was apprehensive about even playing one of his signature guitars... but that soon dissipated once this baby was in my hands. I have been playing guitar for over forty years and spent half of that on one stage or another and am currently teaching guitar. I have yet to find this guitars equal... I have not seen or played a fender stratocaster this good in many, many years... This is the best one out of the other 10 fenders I own. I only wish fender would keep this level of quality on all there made in the U.S. guitars under 2k. This guitar has perfect weight, an excellent feeling fret board and even though it uses many of the same vintage style hardware it rarely goes out of tune. I have played dozens of custom shop stratocasters and find this one to be equal to them if not superior. I could not be happier with this guitar save one item...I am not a fan of the big dipper pups but that's an easy fix.

Musical Background:

I have been a professional musician for forty years

Musical Style:

I play anything and everything but love the blues.
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Submitted March 26, 2010

"The guitar that rules them all."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I will be satisfied forever!!
Sound
After owning Epiphones, ESP LTD and a fender MIM I deciced to buy an american made Fender. Naturally being a John Mayer fan I always dreamed of buying one, but it has been out of my price range. Finally I bought it at a local store on special. The sound is just that sound that every guitarist wants (excluding metal). It can almost do anything on it, even make mistakes, and it will still sound great. I believe this is the best guitar I will ever play. Hard to imagine anything better. Other fenders I tried, and I tried allot, just didn't play as well and their sound didn't even come close to this.
Features
The guitar comes with everything you would expect. In the beginning I thought the case was a bit of a gimmick, but now I love it. Compact with enough space to put everything I need. Even a dedicated mac book slot. If I could buy another case like this, I would. The components so far are excellent. Keeps tune even after weeks of not playing it. Yes it is always in tune!!!
Ease of Use
Even someone that has played for a week would probably get a good sound from it. I don't think the guitar is cable of not getting your sound.
Quality
Excellent quality!
Value
This guitar is far too cheap for what it is. Compared to other american fenders this is in a class of its own. Unfortunately I can't compare it to other signature models, but it is way above the standard fender.
Manufacturer Support
Don't need support as it will never break unless you really don't look after your guitar. I have no doubt it will last me forever.
The Wow Factor
It oozes sex appeal.
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