Eric Johnson

Eric Johnson is the patron saint of tone obsession. The Austin, Texas guitarist removes string trees from his Stratocasters because he believes they kill sustain, can hear the difference between battery brands in his pedals, and has spent decades refining a signal chain so complex it requires a four-amp setup running three separate paths. His 1954 Fender Stratocaster known as Virginia — with its rare sassafras wood body — is one of the most documented guitars in rock. His 1990 album Ah Via Musicom earned a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental and remains the definitive document of what a Stratocaster can do in the right hands.