Is the Squier fender Stratocaster a good Guitar to play john Mayer’s songs?
Ok so i’m wondering.Is the squier fender stratocaster good for playing John Mayers songs? if so how to we get that blues kinda sound on the guitar?
JM’s guitar of choice for most of his blues and electric songs is a Fender Stratocaster, so you’re in the ballpark. The major differences in an American-made Stratocaster and a Squier Stratocaster (Fender’s beginner model) is the quality of pickups, the quality of the tuning mechanisms (how well the guitar holds its tuning) and the wood and workmanship. That being said, a Squier Strat sounds very much like American Strats so you should be good to go. With John, it’s all about tone. He plays a lot on a Two Rock amplifier, a very expensive boutique amp but an amazing sound. Any tube amplifier that would give your Squier a nice warm, clean tone and some reverb will get you close. If you don’t have a tube amplifier and maybe just have a small practice amp, that’s okay too. Pick up an effects pedal or two if you can afford it – An Ibanez TS9 or a Boss Blues Driver would help you achieve that warm crunchy blues tone that he’s known for. I’ve attached a link that shows a list of JM’s equipment. Lots of subtle effects go into his sound as you can see, but it sounds like you’re just starting out and are not quite ready to spend a lot of money on pedals and amps.
So the basics – Play your Squier Strat using the neck pickup, or switch it so that both the neck and middle pickup are both on, and play with your fingers instead of a pick (JM does this a lot), dial up some reverb on your amp and if you have EQ controls, roll the treble down a bit and the bass and mid up to get that warm punchy tone. He never seems to use much distortion – just pedals like the two I mention above to give the guitar more drive and sustain.
Line6 makes some great equipment (amps and pedals) that “simulate” the sound of many boutique amps and effects. They are affordable too – compared to the real thing. Check out this guy playing on a Line6 amp – it’s all about technique:
Best of luck!
Fender American Standard Stratocaster and Telecaster
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