No video
The Story Of The BLK1 - John Mayer's Number One Guitar | A Complete Documentary
Рет қаралды 55,220
11 ай бұрынThe BLK1. The guitar that is synonymous with John Mayer. Since it was created in 2004 this guitar has made it's name being "the Continuum guitar" and up on stage for countless incredible performances. This documentary will tell the full story of the BLK1 Strat: its creation, studio use, various modifications and theories around it's specs, insane tones and performances, and a ton of other moments of John with this guitar.
I hope you enjoy what is the biggest video I've ever done for my channel.
Special thanks to Tommy for his knowledge and assistance in the making of this video:
@tommyguitars
...
Thanks as well to Alejandro for the archival footage: @JohnMayerGear @JohnMayerHDVideos
Connect with me on Instagram: @justinjeskeguitar
/ justinjeskeguitar
#johnmayer #johnmayergear #fenderstratocaster #johnmayerlive #blk1 #stratocaster #mayer #continuum #sobrock #guitar #stevierayvaughan
@henrykobee 11 ай бұрын
I can hardly understand how much effort you did put into this. So… this video is amazing. Nothing else to say but great job!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Thank you so much! It was a lot of work I won't lie but everyone seems to be really enjoying it so that makes it all work it
@gmel1084 10 ай бұрын
@@JustinJeske hear me out. I have a wild theory. The uniqueness of the blk1 tone comes from the dummy coil situation! The tech put it in. From my research, you lose some output volume from doing so, and it maybe even changes the tone as well losing some highs (sounds like johns tone to me). This is why I think John’s pickups were raised so high to compensate for this. Those pickups were modeled after the Texas specials apparently (like SRV). So since the dummy coil lowers the output on the pickups already, he raises the pickups to his liking to bring back a little highs. Now the question is how the tech wired the dummy coil. In my research I’m guessing he just put it in between the switch and the volume like I’ve seen others do! What do you think? Love your videos. Please shout me out if you make a vid on this! I’m gonna experiment with this theory
@jacobmiller3427 10 ай бұрын
@@JustinJeskedo u have one on his summer of love strat? The hendrix one u see him play live for slow dancing?
@fenderstrat2017 11 ай бұрын
64 will always be my favorite. Was glad I got to see it in 2019 in Kansas City :) Also recently rewatched “Someday I’ll fly” documentary about JM. If you haven’t watched it…it’s phenomenal!
@Giballi24 11 ай бұрын
KC represent!
@hangingchad_ 11 ай бұрын
KC forever!🤘
@BrandonMarsella 11 ай бұрын
A true love letter to one of the most iconic guitars in history. Thanks for putting this together. 🤘🏼🎸
@lebethonii6683 11 ай бұрын
Ahaha😂
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Thank you 🙏🏻
@milespenucevski2190 11 ай бұрын
Absolutely unbelievable amount of effort, Justin. And I speak for everyone when I say, we appreciate it! I hope it means something that you managed to keep a drummer, such as myself, watching a video about ONE guitar for an hour and a half! I loved every second of it, so, so good!
@Connorlholcomb 7 ай бұрын
Got to see BLK1 on the Continuum night at MSG in 2019 and it’ll be a night I never forget. Have seen him at least half a dozen, or more times since and the only Fender to make an appearance was his ‘72. Both beautiful guitars, but the BLK1 will hold a special place. Hope he brings it back out one day and keeps it out.
@DaveTriesToPlayGuitar 11 ай бұрын
Dude you don't know how in time this upload is. I am currently just so fascinated about the Black One that i have been searching all around for the history of it. Thank you for all the hard work you have put into this.
@michaelpacinus242 11 ай бұрын
It’s some shitty guitar that a date rapist cringe artist got a hold of😊
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
@DaveTriesToPlayGuitar I'm glad the video arrived at the perfect moment for you! 🙏🏻
@whitesco1 11 ай бұрын
Fantastic video Justin. The attention to detail and the level of research is above and beyond.
@nickhembro 11 ай бұрын
Just a side note for 32:12 when discussing the pole pieces and them getting pushed down vs changed- while I agree with you that it is indeed more likely that the pickup was changed, I can say from personal experience that pole pieces can and do get pushed down- especially in the case of falling off a wall hanger- without much more damage to the guitar than chips in the paint. I had to push the pole pieces of my bridge pickup of my main guitar back out after it was vibrated out of a wall hanger by the subwoofers at a venue right before a show.
@alexandrepalet9601 9 ай бұрын
Finally is there a dummy coil or not?
@jeffboles2470 11 ай бұрын
After watching this video I listened back thru Continuum. It’s not a gear theory but I am just about 99.9% sure the female vocals on the end of Gravity are Alicia Keys. I’d love to hear Justin’s thoughts.
@evemaphone 8 ай бұрын
You’re correct it is her. I think this was already known but was confirmed by John last week on his SiriusFM channel
@jeffboles2470 8 ай бұрын
@@evemaphone I know right!?! I felt so vindicated when I heard him mention this on channel when he debuted the Gravity demo.
@IreneGoodwin-js3sb 3 ай бұрын
I am not a musician, never picked up a guitar let alone played one, but I am here because I love your love of JM and his skills. You explain everything so clearly and enthusiastically. I went to John's Solo tour in Paris and he played Gravity on THE BLK 1! 🖤 John Mayer is phenomenal as your clip at 1.10.36 demonstrates ❤ Thank you! ❤
@Alemski 11 ай бұрын
Body resonate without lacquer.. and how about now with his silver sky.. Did he chnaged his mind? or did he wanted relic Strat?
@spaghettimeatballswow 11 ай бұрын
PRS himself dislike relics
@keithremedy 11 ай бұрын
Stayed up super late it’s 6 am & I see this pop up on my feed. First thing I look at is the time stamp and i see it’s a 1:22:00 video. I about busted in my pants Black one definitely deserves this hour 😂
@daanmulders8731 11 ай бұрын
HAHA dudeeeee
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
When I started scripting I thought it might be comparable to the 64 video for runtime, then I quickly realized it would be waaaaay longer haha
@fenderstrat2017 11 ай бұрын
John Cruz seems like a character
@janjakovljev 11 ай бұрын
Justin my man, I’ve been following your channel for a while now and the amount of effort you put into your videos is trully inspiring! Keep up the great work 🙌🙌
@billyruegger 11 ай бұрын
This video is unbelievably well done! Really enjoyed watching this.
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Thank you 🙏🏻
@stevepurdie3889 11 ай бұрын
This is an incredible video. I’m 3 quarters of the way through it. You pay a lot of attention to detail!
@louisthomass 11 ай бұрын
Amazing video! Thank you so much! Would love to see one on the Clapton Strat!!
@yinanzhou662 11 ай бұрын
Watching this video makes me feel like I own the BLK1. Thanks so much!
@nimitz1739 11 ай бұрын
When John tells the freezer story it’s hilarious because it’s not a good look for the Fender custom shop that they sent him this top-of-the-line custom shop guitar that didn’t work because it was wired wrong. Nice job Cruise 😂
@fives. 11 ай бұрын
They threw themselves at the lore of this guitar in spite of it which is a ballsy way to save face in the era when John Suhr etc. were starting to put out insanely high-quality production-model Strats
@Snek03 11 ай бұрын
And yet, it was just another lie.
@nimitz1739 11 ай бұрын
@@Snek03 exactly why would he say that. Specially, when he would get more custom shop guitars from Cruise
@Snek03 11 ай бұрын
@@nimitz1739 Who knows. He lies all the time. Maybe because he thinks it makes a good story, or maybe he’s a pathological liar. He lied about his first SRV having broken pickups, not wanting his black1 to look like SRV’s Number 1, the black1 pickups being wired wrong, and his black1 pickup poles unstaggering themselves because he dropped it. 😂 And that’s just guitar related lies.
@nimitz1739 11 ай бұрын
@@Snek03 I like the part where John Cruz said, legally they couldn’t make a black version of the SRV guitar. So instead, they made a black version of the SRV guitar. 😂
@tiagoulart1 10 ай бұрын
Great video, man! Thanks for this, I'm sure had so much effort searching and recording. Please keep going, we've learned so much about John's music and tech through you. Greetings from Brazil!
@admarhermans1 11 ай бұрын
Great video! I play bass. I hope one day somebody will do an in depth video/ interview on Dela (David LaBruyere), his time with John Mayer and his gear. For me, he was the best bassplayer to ever play with John! I still love his playing, tone and his style the most! When ‘Heavier Things’ came out, my band was doing an album in a nice studio here in The Netherlands. I tracked almost all the bass parts. Then there was this little interview with David in Bassplayer Magazine. He talked about his gear too. His point was that he was using this tube SIB pedal called the FatDrive both live and in the studio to get his tone. Well, I got the pedal from the US and redid all of the bass parts on our than album with it. The engineer/ producer loved it! 🖖
@stryguy 11 ай бұрын
Call it bias, call it placebo, call it what you may - Not in any way dismissing the that he's achieved glorious tones countless times since - BUT...whether you want to call it "grit" or "gusto" or whatever, I can't help but claim the BLK1 just has way more BALLS than most of his other guitars (or at least he pushes it there) certainly more than the SS. I love plenty of his other tones - '64, Hardtail, JM Sig, SRV Sig, Monterey, Sonic Cruz, Hendrix...Call me nostalgic but to this say the BLK1 Mayer is still the single most iconic and aspiration-worthy tones he's ever put out there (fully acknowledging his amps, pedals and playing are all critical components, too) but that "Continuum era" and the decade or so he used that guitar will perpetually remain my personal aim in the way of guitar tone 🙌
@couthlazer 9 күн бұрын
Hey Justin, I was wondering if you could do a video on eric clapton's blackie strat, both clapton and mayer are big influences on me and love their black axes that they used and favoured
@marklawson443 11 ай бұрын
Fantastic. Love anything about that guitar. Great job .
@Snek03 11 ай бұрын
Yesss! Just the video I has been wishing for! Thanks!
@TheSavagederek 11 ай бұрын
When i was young i saw Jimi and later Clapton with Stratocasters and i was hooked . My first electric was a red Strat copy, a Jim Deacon Strat. It took me until 1999 before i got my Olympic White US Standard Stratocaster. I still have it and its the best guitar I've ever owned and ive had more than a few . Im 49 now and still love Strats .
@diogolpo94 11 ай бұрын
Great video Justin!!! alot of research and a complete and enlightening stuff from this iconic John Mayer guitar. Thanks for this video and kep doing youre stuff.
@ron980 11 ай бұрын
Hey man, great job as always! Just a conspiracy theory…if you look at the footage at 2:00, it appears that John is spraying black onto a relatively bare Strat body. However, the actual black one has a yellow undercoat (mimicking a Homoclad undercoat?) that is very visible around the forearm area and with the checking around the guitar. If I recall correctly, JM and some of the FCS staff signed the inside of the cavity too. My thought is that John Cruz stripped the body, aside from the cavity, and then repainted it with a yellow undercoat and black on top, and did the relicing after that with his stencils and other techniques. JC has gone in the record that JM didn’t do that great of a job painting the body, in his opinion. What do you think about this?
@RichTones 5 ай бұрын
at 10:30, shows a closeup of the bridge, the saddles look very odd in their placement, and I'm wondering how its intonnated? Also appears. to be sleeves over the E
@lt.reubenrozeyt5716 3 ай бұрын
When was playing the BLK1 live at LA, you could see how the guitar and John became one entity.
@nimitz1739 11 ай бұрын
So John went to John Cruz and ask for the black version of the SRV guitar. Legally Crus couldn’t do it so Instead, he made the black version of the SRV guitar. 😂
@findingthattone 11 ай бұрын
What a great job on this video!!!!! Thanks for all your effort man... ❤
@swingarm2012 11 ай бұрын
Amazing video!!! Really enjoyed this!! So much time and effort into this video, great job!!!
@bryana.a9770 11 ай бұрын
An amazing guitar. An amazing documentary. Sad that Fender wouldn’t take another idea from John and he walked away from Fender.
@ZukieBear 11 ай бұрын
Justin, this is such a comprehensive and great video. Thanks for all of the hard work on this and your contributions to the JM gear community. Just one quick question: does the BLK1 have Big Dipper pickups?
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
😂 you're welcome, and I really appreciate that 🙏🏻
@ewfunnell 11 ай бұрын
Great job Justine!
@alexanderroy5713 11 ай бұрын
Bro yessssss. Justin you knocked this out of the park. Killer video. Thanks man :)
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Thanks so much brotha 🙏🏻
@VeniceKing1 11 ай бұрын
Usually don't comment but had to say thank you for this!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
That is very appreciated 🙏🏻
@danielcgomez 11 ай бұрын
I finally got around to watching this video ...thanks Justin! ...Great job putting it together!
@benok6643 11 ай бұрын
im 8 days late but your channel always amazes me with your dedication to john's journey! BLK1 will always be the holy grail mayer strat tone for me. Amazing video yet again 👌🏻
@JustinJeske 10 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
@ajaygattu 10 ай бұрын
Great stuff Justin, appreciate the time and effort you put in towards researching accurate information, the next guitar if you may please, would be the John cruz racing stripe Stratocasters, the charcoal frost metallic and specially the silver one with burgundy stipe from "bigger than my body'.
@gabrielmwangi6576 11 ай бұрын
Sir you just keep gifting us with these great videos keep em coming 👊🏽
@brendanmaher8267 11 ай бұрын
The BLK1 will be played at Crossroads, I'm calling it now.
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
I hope so, I really hope so!
@19guitarshredder 11 ай бұрын
Amazing video, man!! So much that I didn't know, reigniting my love for this guitar. Well done!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you 🙏🏻
@ShaKimono 4 ай бұрын
This was absolutely amazing to watch being a big fan of that guitar many beautiful blessings to you
@boe466 2 ай бұрын
Just watched this video again. Brilliantly researched as always and I really appreciate you digging past rumours commonly states with absolute confidence on forums. Do you know if anyone has the DC resistance readings from one of the 83 black 1s? I am considering ordering the radioshop black one pickups that are based on those, but I am a bit sceptical that the bridge and neck output measurements are reversed from what you would normally find on a strat.
@zacheatsworld 7 ай бұрын
The amount of time and effort put in this video is amazing! Great video man
@willudallmusic 11 ай бұрын
brilliant video mate, what really stands out to me is how 'flutey' it gets on the B string around the 12th fret' i really haven't heard that on many strats before, black1 always got there.
@alexanderroy5713 11 ай бұрын
Had to comment twice because it’s such a raw video 🤌🏼🥵🔥
@Urmom-vy3pm 11 ай бұрын
Great video man!! ❤❤❤
@arthurvonderschulenburg8807 11 ай бұрын
Awesome video man!! Thanks a lot for putting this together 😊
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Anytime, thank you 🙏🏻
@itsallblues9621 11 ай бұрын
A crazy level of detail here. Especially all the neck changing stuff. I'm not sure I want to contest this level of geek-ship ;-) but I remember JM saying that he had the fingerboard changed to Brazilian Rosewood on the BLK1... I'm assuming from the original Indian rosewood? Am I imagining this?
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
That was the Monty! He switched that one over to Braz 😎
@robmeeks8114 11 ай бұрын
I love the deep dive videos on John's guitars. Keep them coming 😊
@travismangrum6100 11 ай бұрын
Amazing job on this video!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Thank you 🙏🏻
@BetoVelandiaOriginal 11 ай бұрын
@Justin Jeske: great vid, so I just heard John Cruz saying Mayer's own BLK1 DOES have big dippers but the ones made after don't, wouldn't that prove that his guitar DO have big dippers ?
@math001 11 ай бұрын
Thanks man for clarifying the crack video. Never really knew the history of that guitar post WTLI and thought that this video would end with that and how John never used it again after
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Ha, it's what I do! Thank you 🙏🏻
@thiagocesaro 11 ай бұрын
Thanks for the amazing work, Justin!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it 🙏🏻
@amphimrca 7 ай бұрын
Is this channel about John Mayer's guitars ??What about John Suhr signature trans red ? I would like you to review Suhr. Thanks
@martinferrer3197 11 ай бұрын
So cool, i search so many info on john’s gear ! That’s a dream tanks !
@zitnbit 11 ай бұрын
This video should be on the JM textbook. Thanks for uploading it!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
I would love to write a JM Gear book like Kentaro did for John Frusciante one day, would be super cool.
@TommyFedak 11 ай бұрын
Wow! That was fun! Thank you!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Glad you liked it Tommy!
@Snek03 11 ай бұрын
What is the dummy coil underneath the pickguard thing and what does it do?
@christianboddum8783 11 ай бұрын
A dummy coil reduces hum.
@RobertJSedky 11 ай бұрын
Incredibly detailed video. 🙌🏼🎸
@shalukawijesiri9292 11 ай бұрын
Great job man
@germanmartinez1994 11 ай бұрын
Im gonna make some popcorn for this one!
@hard8core 11 ай бұрын
This is what we've been waiting for
@berniesmith8089 10 ай бұрын
Awesome video. Pause the Rig Rundown video where Caesar is holding the guitar with the back facing the camera. There are clearly holes drilled in the body for a backplate.
@JustinJeske 10 ай бұрын
Yeah that’s one just dumb mistake on my end ffs 🫠
@N_g_y 11 ай бұрын
Very interesting. Thx for centralizing the content
@JarnoDamWichers 11 ай бұрын
Hi Justin, is the Silver Sky the guitar closest to the BLCK1? Because John made it after his favorite startspecs? Like the pick-ups are special made, maybe a copy of the black1 pu’s?
@DaveRodriguez 11 ай бұрын
The Silver Sky are said to have pickups modeled between a '63 and '64 Strat. However, the pickups have also change since the release of the SS.
@matguerra333 11 ай бұрын
Gary Clark Jr. and Mayer playing "Born under a Bad Sign" was a "what a fkng tone!" moment for me and that was apparently a replica 4/18/2013
@onepopbandcdo 11 ай бұрын
Good job sir !
@bowarren 11 ай бұрын
Quality work, man! Great job!
@Giballi24 11 ай бұрын
Fantastic work my dude 🔥🔥🔥
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Thanks brotha
@grantabernathy 11 ай бұрын
So if I understand you correctly...that neck broke live on stage! THAT'S CRAZY!!!
@JustinJeske 10 ай бұрын
😂
@TempleOfTheMartyrs 5 ай бұрын
THIS GUY IS THE REASON WE ARE A BAND
@themandohunter3969 9 ай бұрын
Seeing John soloing over to Infinity isn’t something I knew I needed
@guim4g 10 ай бұрын
What a video justin! 😮 Goat
@lebethonii6683 11 ай бұрын
Congrats, well done man
@marc2423 10 ай бұрын
great stuff! Justin you deserve to have one of the 83 imho🧐
@JustinJeske 10 ай бұрын
Ha, thank you… maybe one day!
@davemish4163 11 ай бұрын
Justin, since we know the Black 1 didn't have the Big Dipped pickups, what pickups do you recommend for Continuum tones?
@fernank017 11 ай бұрын
johns fingers.
@pontus268 11 ай бұрын
Fender Pure Vintage '59 will probably get you quite close I think
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
@davemish4163 I am just starting to do a bit of a deeper dive into pickups myself personally. The Foley or Genesis BLK1 clones would be my suggestion though as they are replicas of the pickups in the 1/83 BLK1's. Pickups aside, if you are able I'd seriously consider a Two Rock if those are the tones you are truly after. Those amps are a bigger component of that sound that'll get you a lot closer than a pickup swap.
@Dad-Gad 10 ай бұрын
@@JustinJeske I've had Mark Foley pickups , CM Daugherty's , Alexander Pribora , CS 65s , C's 69s , but the closest I've ever got to SRV ( which Mayer was chasing ) and I wish I'd never sold them were Dominger Hippie Pickups , absolutely hands down GREATEST I've ever owned imo 👍
@martinpre7572 11 ай бұрын
thanks for this video amazing work
@lucasgonzalezdealedo8556 11 ай бұрын
Great Video, same as always! keep going mate!
@freddyfriis305 11 ай бұрын
GJ m8 and ofc we will see it again live might not Be on John but like on mr hammer greeny who knows thx for video and all the work :)
@gregmartz4901 11 ай бұрын
Justin - great video very well done! Any chance you can do a deep dive on John's gear used at a Viper Room gig he played circa 2004? The gig is on line and has been floating around for years, is one of John's best tones in my opinion.
@scottcasciato4027 10 ай бұрын
Awesome video. I was at the 2019 show in PIT and after this went back to see the video of Gravity that I recorded that night. So super cool! Rare that there is an instrument this iconic and in his hands it’s just legendary. Thanks for the video!
@stephenrdecker 11 ай бұрын
Hi Justin. Great video. I’d like to connect with you about a time where I met John in 2005 and was able to play the BLK1. (Too long for a comment thread). Where’s the best place to send you a DM?
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
DM me on Instagram @justinjeskeguitar ! I'll keep an eye out for it!
@ratuldevel4985 10 ай бұрын
Insane efforts!!
@jacobselfridge 11 ай бұрын
I don’t have the time stamp but early in the video when you said “and don’t worry we will talk about this a little later” I was like.. yeah no we are going to talk a lot
@lakervoxx597 11 ай бұрын
Great vid... Perhaps not a full conclusion on what pick-ups are in it tho? It's a real rollercoaster ride of a theory that there's big dippers in there.
@conorgallagher6139 11 ай бұрын
Insane video!
@itsyaboyboba 11 ай бұрын
@JustinJeske I see that Order 66 hat bro! Love it!
@JustinJeske 11 ай бұрын
Ha! Had to get this one for the Ahsoka show! I'm glad someone noticed it 😆
@alexv2762 11 ай бұрын
Incredible 🙌🏻
@IanHarsh 9 ай бұрын
I wanna know more about this dummy coil! Any ideas what it was specifically?
@rydoggsc2 3 ай бұрын
It didn't happen more than likely. Nothing to discuss.
@Njserrano 10 ай бұрын
Where can I find that intro video of him playing live? Those licks and chops were sick!
@3v3ryDayGam3r 11 ай бұрын
Hi Justin! Simply amazing video, your stuff is fantastic as always. I have a quick question regarding Mayer's driven tone, as of late. Any time I go back and listen to a recording from 2021 onwards, especially with D&C, it sounds like his driven tone has some sort of filter on it that gives it a more scooped sound of some sort. Do you know what could be contributing to this? Maybe the EUNA? I'm assuming that it's a combination of multiple pedals since I haven't heard this sound being produced in isolation from any given pedal. Thanks for all the hard work you do for us nerds! Cheers
@michaeldschutte 10 ай бұрын
Bit late but I think you are referring to the TS10 and Klon combo
@manastiwari4305 8 ай бұрын
i really appreciate your hard work bro btw he recently used it in msg
@caras830 11 ай бұрын
I never thought that it had Big Dipper pick-ups.... it sounds so similar to SRV's #ONE that it couldn't have them.
@bradyhouk7166 4 ай бұрын
Black1 siting, March 22 2024 in Amsterdam!
@glennmartin4232 11 ай бұрын
Great video.
@aznsensation44 11 ай бұрын
It's because Mike Eldred has said on numerous occasions that the BLK1 DID have Big Dipper pickups, so what John Cruz said in the video, and what Mike Eldred, head of the Fender Custom Shop at that time said, seems to be contradictory, which is why you still have lots of confused people over what the BLK1s actually have.
SiriusXM
Рет қаралды 315 М.