Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW vs Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster
Reasons to Get
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW over Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster
Reasons to Get
Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster over Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW
Other Key Differences
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW vs Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster
Shared Features
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW vs Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster
Common Strengths
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Locking Tuners
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster's 70 score, although not by a lot.
The Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster has the upper hand when it comes to.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW is the better choice.
The Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster meets only 5. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW Overview
- From Fender Custom's 2020 American Custom series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 9.5" to 12" Fretboard Radius
- 2-Piece Select Ash body
- 2A Roasted Birdseye Maple neck
- Round-Laminated Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound '64 Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound RWRP '64 Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound '64 Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo bridge
- 1960 Oval C Bolt-On neck
- 22 Narrow Tall frets
- Sperzel Die-Cast with White Pearloid Buttons tuners
- Compare Specs >
Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster Overview
- From Fender's 2020 Artist series
- Eric Johnson Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- 2-Piece Offset Seam Sassafras body
- 1-Piece Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: DiMarzio HS-2 DP116 (Only Top-Coil Active) (Single Coil/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Fender Original 57/62 Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Original 57/62 Single-Coil Strat (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- 6-Saddle American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo bridge
- Eric Johnson Soft V Bolt-On neck
- 21 Jumbo frets
- Vintage-Style tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.
Woods Used in the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Sassafras is not a very hard wood that is rarely used for guitar building. The tone is similar to Maple, but with a bit more balance.
Winner: Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are SSS. SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.
Pickups Quality
Both come with some of the top pickups on the market. You can't go wrong with either of them. You'll probably never need a pickup upgrade.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster's online:
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Tie.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
They both share the following switching options:
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW compares to the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
On the other hand, the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
Winner: Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
Both come with a similar bridge: Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW's are Sperzel Die-Cast with White Pearloid Buttons while the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster's are Vintage-Style
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster
- Made in United States
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW has the wider nut with 41.9mm (1.65'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 0.6mm (0.025'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster, on the other hand, has a V neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster favors large hands more than the Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Fender Custom American Custom Strat RW:
Fender Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 Virginia Stratocaster:
Fret Size
Both have a Narrow Tall fret size. Their height is very similar to Jumbo frets, but they have a narrower crown. They won't let you feel the fretboard when playing, which will make it easier to get clean notes. However, if you press down too hard you might get the notes out of pitch.
