Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien’s main instrument since 1996 was an Eric Clapton Strat. But when the band began moving towards a more electronic sound with 2000’s Kid A, O’Brien
Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien’s main instrument since 1996 was an Eric Clapton Strat. But when the band began moving towards a more electronic sound with 2000’s Kid A, O’Brien felt keyboards were replacing his beloved 6-string and sought a way to “make it not necessarily sound like a traditional guitar.” To that end, he and his tech installed a Sustainer unit, and the modified Strat—which has been creatively employed on In Rainbows, Hail to the Thief, and The King of Limbs— inspired Fender’s new Ed O’Brien Sustainer Stratocaster.
The EOB is a handsome instrument, blissfully devoid of any indication of the artist’s ego on the front. Only the custom “Flower of Life” logo on the back—representing distances between the heavenly spheres as identical to those between whole and semi-tones—gives any indication of its signature status.
Lacking massive paws, I usually don’t take to beefy necks like the EOB’s, but somehow found this one quite playable, perhaps due to the excellent setup and fretwork. The JB Jr. pickup in the bridge position offered a combination of punch and clarity, much like its namesake Jeff Beck, while the Texas Special middle pickup serves up classic, if underused, Strat middle pickup tones. Still, it’s the Fernandes Sustainer Single-Coil Driver in the neck position that sets this model apart. As a “normal” pickup it may not be strictly vintage, but it is identifiable as a Strat neck pickup, and will produce the traditional tones thereof. The sustainer part of it is controlled by an on/off toggle, and a 3-position switch that offers Harmonic-Only, Fundamental-Only, and Blend positions.
The EOB’s Fernandes Sustainer Single-Coil Driver in the neck position provides three flavors of feedback sustain: Harmonic-Only, Fundamental-Only, and Blend.
To quickly clear up a couple of misconceptions: a