Ed O'Brien Signature Stratocaster

[BearBoy]

Announced at Summer NAMM:

EOB SUSTAINER STRATOCASTER®: LAUNCHING NOVEMBER 14, 2017 – $1,099.99

Ed O'Brien’s ambient, ethereal and orchestral guitar style is an essential part of the sonic identity of Radiohead. Fender partnered with the groundbreaking player to create the EOB Sustainer Stratocaster — an instrument as unique as his sound. The EOB Sustainer Stratocaster offers a wide palette of tones thanks to its Seymour Duncan® JB Jr. humbucking bridge pickup, Texas Special™ single-coil middle pickup and Fernandes® SustainerTM unit in the neck position. The Sustainer works some technical magic to create near-infinite sustain on one or more strings, making it easy to achieve thick, textured sounds. The Sustainer’s controls include an on/off switch, intensity control and three-position switch to select the mode: Fundamental-only, Harmonic-only or Blend. A mix of modern and classic, this Stratocaster features a 6-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuning machines, a “10/56 V� neck profile, 21 narrow-jumbo frets, a synthetic bone nut and a special neck plate engraved with a custom “Flower of Life� emblem.

LANK

[BearBoy]

Picture:

[benecol]

Strapline "Fun things come in boring packages!".

[BearBoy]

Haha. Yeah, it's dull as fuck to look at but the modifications sound interesting.

[gusman2x]

Dunno, I'm a big fan of white/maple. Think it look fandabby. Might even make this a foray back into the world of strats in a couple of years.

[George]

Strats with different pickups look like dog shit. Almost as bad as Lace Sensors. Sustainers seem like great fun, though.

[Noirie.]

Aren't those SC sized humbuckers supposed to be shite?

[BearBoy]

Dunno, I'm a big fan of white/maple.

I like sunburst Jags so probably shouldn't throw stones about my glass house.

[Nick]

Aren't those SC sized humbuckers supposed to be shite?

I'd be more inclined to trust Ed OBrien on this than the bedroom warriors who write reviews on guitar forums.

That said, the beauty of this model is that they didn't put the switches on the pickguard itself, so if you want a full size humbucker in the bridge, any HSS pickguard should fit just fine

[dezb1]

That's the thing with Strats they're so successful they're genetic and dull but they play and sound great... just so much baggage.

[BoringPostcards]

White on white strats are the most boring of all combinations. That being said, I really like this model. Giving me strat GAS, which for me is an alien feeling.

[paul_]

Aren't those SC sized humbuckers supposed to be shite?

Never heard that before and it isn't any more true than "WRHBs sound shite" or "single coils are for homos lol"
I think a lot of disdain for certain types of pickups comes from some kid buying the wrong guitar and then spending a quarter of its value trying to turn it into something he actually likes beyond its aesthetic appeal. Every attempt that doesn't give you the exact perfect scenario you envision leaves a bad taste in the mouth. My JB Jr made my CIJ Jag worth loving in the first place, personally.

This thing is essentially an electronics-centric overhaul of the Clapton Strats which O'Brien used live for years btw. He outfitted what became his main one with a sustainer, bridge bucker and two switches on the pickguard some time ago. Sounds like they gave it the same soft-V '50s neck profile but went back down to the vintage style 21-fret construction.

So there ya go, another signature-of-a-signature from death-throes Fender. And lol at them still trying to market the "Texas special" pickups of the neck and middle position, aka the ones that are just vintage Strat reissue pickups of no particular distinction since it's only the bridge position ones that are wound notably hotter in the Texas sets.

[singlepup]

Surprising that Ed beat Johnny Greenwood to signature guitar status.

[dezb1]

Surprising that Ed beat Johnny Greenwood to signature guitar status.

Jonny knocked it back a few years ago according to Radiohead nerd HQ.