Show Full Spec Comparison
| Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple | Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Fender | Gibson |
| Year: | 2010 | 2020 |
| Configuration: | SSS | HH |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | United States | United States |
| Series: | Artist | Custom Shop Collection |
| Colors: | White, Sunburst, Black | Gray |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | Alder | Solid Mahogany |
| Bridge: | 6-Saddle American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo | Tune-O-Matic |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | Set |
| Tuners: | Vintage-Style Staggered | Schaller M6 with Large Buttons |
| Fretboard: | Maple | Ebony, with 1-ply White Binding |
| Neck Material: | 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple | 3-piece Maple |
| Decoration: | Black Dot | Mother of Pearl Block |
| Scale Size: | 25.5" | 24.75" |
| Shape: | Fender Soft V | Adam Jones Medium C |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.9'' (22.9mm) - 12th Fret: 0.99'' (25.1mm) | 1st Fret: - 12th Fret: |
| Frets: | 21 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver | 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 12" |
| Nut: | Bone | Bone |
| Nut Width: | 42mm (1.654'') | 43mm (1.693'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | Fender Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | Custom-Wound Seymour Duncan DDJ (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Middle Pickup: | Fender Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | |
| Neck Pickup: | Fender Specially Voiced Eric Johnson Single-Coil (Single Coil / Passive) | Gibson Custombucker (Reverse-Mounted) (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Switch: | 5 Way | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Bell | Speed |
| Pickup Mods: | None | None |
| Volume Controls: | 1 | 2 |
| Tone Controls: | 2 | 2 |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Chrome | Chrome |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple over Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS
Reasons to Get
Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS over Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple
Other Key Differences
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple vs Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS
Shared Features
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple vs Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- 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
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple favors large hands more than the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS.
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple:
Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS:
Beginner Friendliness
Both meet 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
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 Both
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.
Woods Used in the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Woods Used in the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Winner: Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS.
Pickup Configuration
The Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple has an SSS configuration while the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS has HH pickups.
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.
On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
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: Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple.
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
The Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple gives you 5 switch options while the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS gives you 3. This means that the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple.
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 Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple compares to the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS.
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.
In this case, both have Bone nuts. 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.
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.
The Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple's brige is a 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.
On the other hand, the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS's is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
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 Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple's are Vintage-Style Staggered while the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS's are Schaller M6 with Large Buttons
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.
The Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple has 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.
On the other hand, the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple
- Made in United States
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- 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
Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- 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 Tremolo
- 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 Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS, 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.
The Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
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 Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple has a V type of 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.
The Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS, on the other hand, has a C 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.
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.
Both the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple and the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
Fret Size
The Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster Maple's Medium Jumbo frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
