Why does John Mayer hate Fender? Why did he leave Fender? What happened between John Mayer and Fender? Is John Mayer promoting a new guitar company now? If you do not know John Mayer, then maybe you should, as he is one of the best guitarists in these modern times. If you have not yet listened to any of his songs, then maybe you should, and there is a chance you will be a fan of his someday.
So, who is John Mayer? John Clayton Mayer, or more known as John Mayer, is an American songwriter, singer, and above all else, a modern iconic guitar player. He is known for his melodic guitar riffs and solos. He has earned a number of Grammy Awards for his guitar playing in the early 21st century.
John Mayer was born and grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. However, he decided to leave school and agreed to move to Georgia, Atlanta, to pursue a music career. Mayer played in local clubs and was able to garner some following and recognition, resulting in his signing with Aware Records, and eventually to Columbia Records.
Mayer focused on playing acoustic guitars early in his career, but in 2005, he decided to switch to using electric guitars and began performing rock and blues music. He started to collaborate with different legendary guitar players like B.B King, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and many more.
In 2005, John Mayer became a Fender Artist, and the company introduced two signature Stratocaster guitars. A third signature Strat was also introduced within months, but with only a limited number of 100 were made. In 2006, the Series II John Mayer Stratocasters was introduced by Fender, but the most iconic guitar ever that Fender made for him was the “Black1.”
What Is The Black1 Guitar By Fender?
The Black1 is the most iconic guitar that Fender made for John Mayer. Fender’s master builder, John Cruz, was the one who helped him come up with the design. The guitar is all-black and is also heavily relic’d, similar to the guitar frequently used by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
The guitar has a mint pickguard, gold hardware and tuners similar to the Stevie Ray Tribute Strats, and three custom wound pickups, perfect for the way he plays. The guitar was mainly used in his “Continuum” album. All in all, the guitar became an iconic signature guitar because of John Mayer.
What Happened Between John Mayer And Fender?
So, what is the reason why John Mayer left as a Fender Artist? It was in 2014 when John Mayer tweeted that he was not a Fender Artist anymore. In his tweet, he also said that the production of his signature guitars would be stopped as a result. He also reiterated that he still loves Fender guitars and will still continue to use them in his recording and live performances.
The reason why John Mayer left Fender was that he felt they did not have the same vision with the company anymore. Mayer had an idea to modify the Stratocaster into a more futuristic guitar, but Fender dismissed his idea and was not willing to bring his vision to life. This has become the breaking point of John Mayer’s relationship with Fender.
After the company let Mike Eldred go, who was the former head of the custom shop, Mayer felt that Fender also ended the era where artists could quickly come and talk to the company and share their ideas.
As a modern guitar player, Mayer was also an innovator, and he desired to improve the electric guitar for future benefits. However, Fender was not ready yet for this kind of change, which is why they dismissed the idea of modifying the Stratocaster.
So, why does John Mayer hate Fender? John Mayer reiterated that he does not hate Fender; he just wanted that Fender would listen to his ideas in improving some of their guitars, as he thinks that it could also help the company in the future. However, it did not happen, which is why he felt he needed to go to other companies that would listen to his ideas.
Luckily for John Mayer, there was one company who was willing to listen to him and accepted the challenge to freshen up the electric guitar into a futuristic guitar. In 2015, Mayer announced that he would be collaborating with the PRS Guitars.
What Guitar Company Is John Mayer Promoting Now?
As of this moment, John Mayer is collaborating with the company PRS Guitars or also known as the Paul Reed Smith Guitars. A year after Mayer announced that he was collaborating with the company, they were able to introduce their first collaborative project, the Super Eagle.
There was only a limited release for these guitars as there were only 100 that were made. These guitars come with an ultra-grade wood, PRS’ iconic abalone inlay, JCF Audio preamps, and a hand-signed sticker from the renowned glass artist David Smith.
In 2017, it was announced that the Super Eagle II would be revealed, but it would only be limited to 120 guitars only. In 2018, the Silver Sky model, which is the latest of John Mayer’s Signature PRS guitars, was released. The guitar is available in four different colors. In just one look, you can quickly tell that the Silver Sky and Stratocaster are similar to each other, although many are still satisfied with the former guitar’s hype.
In early 2022, PRS announced that a cheaper version of the Silver Sky guitars would be released, the “Silver Sky SE.” The guitars are made in Indonesia, which are priced lower compared to the original Silver Sky. The SE version is perfect for those who want to own a signature guitar at a more affordable price.
So, in the end, why does John Mayer hate Fender after all that happened? John Mayer does not hate Fender, but he just felt that he needed to leave the company as their visions do not meet with each other. As an artist, it is also important that you would feel that the company would listen to you even if both of you do not agree with some things.
