FENDER JV MODIFIED ’60S STRATOCASTER

87
AUGUST 2022 GUITARIST
FENDER JV MODIFIED ’50S TELECASTER & ’60S STRATOCASTER
6. Just like Jimi Hendrix’s
white ‘Woodstock’
Strat, both guitars
come fitted with slab
maple fingerboards
but also feature 21
medium-jumbo frets
and a modern 241mm
(9.5-inch) radius
7. The Strat, like the Tele,
has extra sounds from its
push-pull tone pot – the
Strat adding the neck
pickup to other switch
settings, and the Tele
putting both pickups out
of phase in both parallel
and series positions
8. Unlike the original JV
series guitars, the 2022
versions sport the more
practical headstock-end
truss rod adjustment,
and both feature 42mm
bone top nuts
Where things get interesting is in the
switching. Positions 1 to 3 are regular
Tele fare – bridge, bridge and middle in
parallel, and neck. Push the switch to its
final position and we hear both pickups
together in series. This is instantly fuller
and louder than the ‘in parallel’ sound,
and would suit fat bluesy solos or, with
the tone knocked back somewhat, a bit
of sleazy jazz. Pull up the tone control’s
knurled knob and the two ‘both pickups
on’ settings get flipped out of phase. They
are not at all Strat-y, though; the ‘in series’
sound is much closer to Peter Green’s Les
Paul (especially with some tone rolled off ),
while the ‘in parallel’ tone is a decidedly
lighter honk, which we could imagine
guitarists such as Joe Perry or Jimmy Page
insinuating into a mix. This is an extremely
cool mix of sounds that you really should
explore for yourself.
Moving to the ’60s Stratocaster, of
course we have heard Strats or Strat-style
guitars with neck and bridge pickups
together, or all pickups on. Both are very
usable sounds, the former a sort of full-fat
Telecaster on its middle setting, and the
latter a strong funky tone that’s great for
clean riffs, clear arpeggios or indeed small
chord funky strumming.
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VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT487.rev_fender.indd 87GIT487.rev_fender.indd 87 09/06/2022 17:5909/06/2022 17:59