Gear: EP Yosemite Strat Custom
His informal mission statement was “affordable guitars, made for you.” The idea behind it all was the fact that although many musicians have a good idea of what they would like their dream guitar or bass to look, feel and sound like, they are restricted by their budgets and simply can’t afford buying them even from the second hand market. But truth be told, I think the main reason he dived into it all was quite simple: because he loves to craft.
His first work was another Strat, followed by a Tele featuring a painting of his on the body and I must admit, even those two were easily above the league of standard entry-level guitars (think of Squier bundles) despite the relatively cheap components. Both had been set up expertly, had a really great sustain and were very comfortable to play. Yes, it did cross my mind that one day I would order a guitar from him, but in the end it was his idea to make a guitar for me - a custom Strat.
As opposed to the musicians described above, I never really had a solid idea of my dream guitar, I would normally just fall in love instead. Needless to say, I didn’t make his job easier, so he went and listened to some of my music, and tried to define what he though would suit it best. The only thing I knew (more or less for sure) that I wanted it to be dark burst and have a similar feel to that of my Telecaster. I also ordered a set of Yosemite pickups for him to swap them with the standard set he normally works with, although at the time they weren’t built into any factory-made Fender guitars to the best of my knowledge, so I didn’t really know what to expect.
As it was wintertime, he had ample time to plan, design and experiment with the pain job and my only other request: making the fret as silky as my Telecaster. Let’s just say he probably sighed a few times, as this required the him to emery the frets slightly, but credit to him, he nailed it.
And the result? As you would imagine, quite outstanding. Undeniably, the Fender pickups certainly elevate it to another league, but the level of detail as well as the quality of assembly exceed that of my factory-made guitars from a much more expensive range. It has a well articulated and sharp tone, interestingly with quite a lot of highs in the neck pickup and relatively a fat bottom in the bridge. I think I read somewhere that Yosemite Strat pickups are a bit in your face, which is true, but when mixing it, the only thing I hear is that it’s rich and lively. As you would expect from a true Strat, if you play it right, you can get a vide variety of vibes out of it, from smooth and mellow to hard rock.
As for the assembly, it plays really well, stays in tune (even after travelling 2,000 miles in the cargo hull of a plane), and it’s perfectly set up - more than what can be said of my Fenders I am afraid!
Hands on heart, all the instruments he made so far are well above what you would expect for the price in terms of sound and playability, and the thought and care he put into making them certainly do show, and this one is no exception. Of course, a lot depends on what ingredients you cook with, but you can’t deny the fact that a small manufacture, like his workshop is, will always be able to provide that little bit of extra that can make your guitar special, at a considerably lower price than what you would pay for this level of quality in a factory-made instrument.
Oh, and a few weeks after I finally managed to lay my hands on my custom Strat, Fender introduced the new American Performer Stratocaster for around £1,150, and guess what pickups they come with.. :)
So I now have a custom guitar, a one-of-a-kind, that truly sounds and plays like a dream. Would you like one too? Here you go. You are welcome :)
EP Yosemite Strat Custom Dark Burst
- Fender Yosemite pickups
- Fender 5-way pickup switch
- Internal copper shielding
- Rengas body
- Maple neck
- 12” radius Amarath fretboard
- 22 frets
- Scale: 648mm
- Nut width: 42mm
- Double-action truss rod
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