The Fender Showmaster is a discontinued model of electric guitar made by Fender , and is characteristic of a superstrat .
31-422: During the 1980s, superstrats were becoming popular amongst the many hard rock and metal guitarists, who needed the modifications to suit their individual playing styles. Soon, many guitar manufacturers began producing instruments with these modifications as standard. Most notable were the manufacturers Ibanez , Jackson / Charvel , Carvin and Yamaha . However, Fender itself had limited success thereabout. This
62-522: A Fender Stratocaster were noisy, and lacked the output necessary to drive an amplifier into hard distortion (characteristic of the Van Halen sound), but the body shape and wide pitch range of the Fender fulcrum tremolo appealed to him. An avid tinkerer, Van Halen assembled a Boogie Bodies Stratocaster body with a thin, 21-fret maple neck and a humbucking Gibson PAF pickup in the bridge slot. This guitar, known as
93-566: A Stratocaster-influenced body shape) or could be regarded as superstrats themselves: for example, the Ibanez Universe , the first mass-produced solid-body seven-string guitar, closely resembles the Ibanez JEM . Jason Ellis (radio host) Jason Shane Ellis (born 11 October 1971) is an Australian radio personality who is best known as the host of The Jason Ellis Show on Sirius XM satellite radio , which aired from 2005 to 2020. He
124-413: A back-routed carved set neck by Gene Baker. Suhr's new company Suhr Guitars actually cut the first 100 bodies for Fender. The Fender Showmaster initially started as a Custom Shop model. It featured a carved maple top with hand scraped edges and cream binding, a set-neck maple neck (bolt-on on some models), a sleek mahogany body (many Showmaster guitars are made from basswood or alder; later models such as
155-697: A co-host of Hawk's Demolition Radio on a part-time basis. He soon became the host of his own show on the network. Following his skateboarding career, Ellis became a host for the Sirius XM satellite radio station and launched The Jason Ellis Show . The show was cancelled on SiriusXM on 11-22-2020, and has since continued as a podcast. Ellis was also the founding member and vocalist for the comedy rock / metal band, Taintstick , which achieved chart success with its debut album Six Pounds of Sound . Taintstick has since become known as "Death! Death! Die!" Ellis co-authored I'm Awesome: One Man's Triumphant Quest to Become
186-571: A graphite nut, no fretboard inlays and Fender humbuckers instead of Seymour Duncan on some variants. The main distinguishing feature of Fender Showmasters—with the exception of the Flat Head—from other superstrats is the luxurious carved (quilted and flamed) maple top with the hand-scraped edges and cream binding. The Showmaster series also included a short-lived 7-string version with a stop-tail bridge that had been introduced around 1999/2000 and discontinued two years later. The most distinct feature of
217-417: A new generation of guitarists that employed fast and complex techniques which demanded thinner and more versatile guitar necks and stable tremolo systems. Some examples of guitars marketed to this specific audience include: During the rest of the 1980s, due to the style's huge marketing success, most guitar companies had at least one model of superstrat in mass production. Makers of superstrat models besides
248-568: A particular model and how it is marketed. With the increased popularity of heavy metal music during the early 1980s, guitarists began seeking out guitars more suited to the new style, both in terms of looks (more "pointy" aggressive designs) and playability (ease of playing and larger tone that sounds pleasant with hi-gain amplification). Guitarists such as Ritchie Blackmore , Uli Jon Roth and Dave Murray had used Fender Stratocasters, but each had minor modifications made to their instrument to suit their individual playing style. Ritchie Blackmore
279-510: A reversed headstock during the band's tours in the mid-to-late 1970s. This guitar can be seen on the DVD George Clinton: The Mothership Connection , which was filmed in 1976. Soon, other guitarists and luthiers would also apply similar custom modifications to their instruments. Many sources cite Grover Jackson as one of the first (and most influential) guitar makers to have crafted custom shop guitars with all
310-481: A single humbucker replacing the bridge pickup) is often called a "Fat Strat." The available Fat Strat configurations as of 2018 are HSS (all models including both Fender and Squier), HSH (Player and MIM Deluxe only) and HH (Fender Player and Squier Contemporary). Modern solid-body electric guitars with seven , eight or more strings often show strong influence from the superstrat (such as extended fretboards, humbucking pickups, rear routs and/or locking tremoloes alongside
341-509: Is also a former professional skateboarder , auto racer, and singer. Ellis moved to the US when he was 17 to embark on a professional skateboarding career, which began in 1985. He retired from the sport in 2006. In 2001, Ellis set a Guinness World Record for the biggest drop on a skateboard, jumping into a 70-foot skateboard ramp. The record was broken by Danny Way in 2006. One of the six Big Air competitors to compete in both 2004 and 2005, Ellis
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#1732898040706372-626: The Stagemaster name due to a trademark claim by Kramer. It is not known exactly how many V4 neck-thrus were made with the Showmaster brand. Superstrat Superstrat is a name for an electric guitar design that resembles a Fender Stratocaster but with differences that clearly distinguish it from a standard Stratocaster, usually to cater to a different playing style. Differences typically include more pointed, aggressive-looking body and neck shapes with increased cutaways to facilitate access to
403-428: The " Frankenstrat " was featured on Van Halen 's 1978 debut album Van Halen , and pictured on the album cover. It was later repainted with a top coat of red, and has had different humbuckers over the years, some of them custom-wound. While many believe Van Halen's 1977 Frankenstrat to be the first Superstrat, Michael Hampton of Parliament-Funkadelic often used a sunburst Stratocaster with 3 humbucking pickups and
434-604: The Elite—were produced in Korea, followed by Squier variants (formerly known as Stagemasters ) featuring a basswood body, a reverse headstock, Floyd Rose licensed locking systems and Duncan Designed humbucking pickups. All Showmaster carved top models featured back-routed controls like most superstrats and came with a choice of bridges, abalone-inlaid rosewood fretboards with 24 frets, Seymour Duncan pickups, locking machine heads, and an LSR roller nut. The Blackout version came with
465-609: The Showmaster Elite, employ more exotic woods such as lacewood and spalted maple for the top and back), HSS or HH pickup configurations which consisted of Seymour Duncan '59 Trembucker humbucking pickups coupled with a pair of Fender Custom Shop Fat '50s single-coils . Other features included a rosewood or maple fingerboard with abalone inlays and 22 frets, as well as a choice of deluxe locking tremolo bridge , deluxe 2-point synchronized bridge with pop-in tremolo arm and stop-tail bridge (some Team Built one-off Showmasters came with
496-766: The Showmaster Elites was the inclusion of a black-painted Telecaster -shaped headstock with pearloid tuner buttons. In 2009, all Showmaster models were discontinued. Squier , Fender's budget marque, also produced the Showmaster. Most Squier Showmasters were made in China and retailed for $ 499. The line included a Jason Ellis signature model. There were Squier Showmasters marked "Crafted in Indonesia" as well (specs: HSS, 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, standard 2-point vibrato). A few Korean made Squier neck-thru V4 Stagemasters were re-branded Squier Showmasters in 2002 when Fender dropped
527-548: The Sweetest Dude Ever in 2013, and The Awesome Guide to Life: Get Fit, Get Laid, Get Your Sh*t Together in 2014. From 2006 to 2012, Ellis was married to wife Andrea Brown. They have a daughter and a son. In August 2017, Ellis married Katie Gilbert. In December 2016, Ellis and Gilbert appeared on the This Life With Dr. Drew and Bob Forrest podcast where he spoke about his past addictions and sobriety, as well as
558-795: The bout via knockout in the second round. Ellis hosts the podcast Hawk vs Wolf with Tony Hawk. In August 2023, Ellis publicly accused Kast Media and its CEO Colin Thomson of non-payment, stating, "If you see Colin Thomson named on any podcast, just know that’s who you’re dealing with. And if you’re a podcaster and any of those guys reach out to you, just know that I haven’t met a bigger piece of shit." Corresponding accusations were originally made by pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette followed by Theo Von , Brendan Schaub , Bryan Callen , Whitney Cummings , and Alyx Weiss, who stated they were owed money by Kast Media, including several six-figure and seven-figure shortages. Ellis launched his radio career as
589-399: The companies mentioned elsewhere in this article also included Fernandes , Schecter , Carvin and ESP . Fender responded to the superstrat fashion in the mid-1980s, producing a number of models based on the standard Stratocaster. Fender also released several superstrat models, such as Talon, under Fender/ Heartfield name from 1989 to 1993. Gibson also produced some models inspired by
620-516: The direction of Dan Henderson , Jason "Mayhem" Miller , and Muhammed Lawal . He also trains with Justin Fortune at Fortune Boxing Gym in Hollywood, California. Ellis made his mixed martial arts debut against Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Tony Gianopulos on 6 February 2009 winning via guillotine choke submission. On 6 May 2017, Ellis defeated Gabe Rivas via an Americana submission, 1 second away from
651-566: The end of the 3rd round. Advancing Ellis to 2-0 in professional mixed martial arts. They fought at 190 lbs (86.2 kg) in San Jacinto, California. For the 2011 season, Ellis raced in the Lucas Oil SuperLite Series for Dethrone. At a number of events, he did his Friday morning radio show from his R.V. After a three-year hiatus from MMA, Ellis returned to the sport on 14 July 2012 defeating UFC veteran Gabe Ruediger via KO in
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#1732898040706682-424: The features of superstrats, doing so as early as 1981. Later all these improvements were integrated in the factory-produced Jackson Soloist model. Starting about 1983–1984, companies such as Kramer , Jackson , Charvel , Yamaha , Aria , Ibanez , Washburn and Hamer started mass production of superstrat design guitars due to growing market demand. The rising popularity of heavy metal music led to
713-455: The higher frets, an increased number of frets on the fingerboard, a contoured heel at the neck joint facilitating easier higher fret access, the usage of humbucking pickups , and locking vibrato systems, most commonly the Floyd Rose . There is no formal definition of a superstrat; the categorization is still largely left to popular opinion and depends greatly on the artist(s) associated with
744-647: The mid-2010s among metal and shred guitarists in particular, and are produced by guitar manufacturers of all sizes. Additionally, some Stratocaster modifications which were strongly associated with the superstrat, such as the Floyd Rose tremolo system and especially the inclusion of humbucking pickups, have become widely available from stock on 22-fret bolt-on neck instruments which are often seen as Stratocaster variants rather than superstrats, including several stock models of official Fender Stratocaster. A Fender Stratocaster mounted with at least one humbucking pickup (usually
775-445: The original Floyd Rose locking system and featured a lightweight ash body and a translucent Amber finish). Later, it appeared as a U.S. Special/Highway 1 model, retaining the set maple neck, Fender Enforcer humbuckers , a special "kill" switch and its traditional Stratocaster headstock (with Showmaster label, respectively), equipped with a Floyd Rose licensed vibrato and a 2-octave rosewood fingerboard. Some later Showmasters—such as
806-470: The second round in a celebrity non-professional boxing fight. Gabe Ruediger has since challenged Ellis to a rematch, citing that he did not take the first fight seriously. After being dropped by Ellis, Gabe lost their rematch to a decision. On 15 October 2016, Ellis participated in a boxing exhibition match against former UFC champion Shane Carwin at EllisMania 13. Per the unique rules, Carwin had one of his arms duct-taped to his body to box Ellis. Ellis lost
837-505: The superstrat: In early and mid-1990s, heavy metal and particularly shredding declined in popularity, in favor of grunge , nu metal , alternative metal and other styles. The popularity of superstrats also declined, in favor of guitars more suited to these new styles. Companies that relied on superstrats as a major part of their target market suffered heavy losses and went out of business or were bought by larger corporations: Nevertheless, extended-fretboard superstrats remain popular in
868-472: Was a design supplied by John Suhr, another Senior master builder during that era. It started out as a US version of the Contemporary Stratocaster and featured two Fender Texas Special pickups in the neck and middle positions, a Seymour Duncan '59 Jeff Beck Trembucker in the lead position, a white pearloid pickguard and a deluxe locking tremolo bridge . Later after Suhr left it was turned into
899-459: Was one of the first to build a guitar with superstrat characteristics. Dissatisfied with the performance of then-available original stock model commercial guitars, Blackmore sought to create a hybrid instrument that would suit his acrobatic playing style as seen in Deep Purple concert photos from Manchester in 1974. Eddie Van Halen was another pioneer of the idea. The stock single-coil pickups of
930-512: Was partially due to Fender's previous CBS ownership, which caused a drastic loss in Fender's quality and market share. The Showmaster was hence its most recent foray into the superstrat niche, and was introduced in 1998. Gene Baker, a master builder of Fender's Custom Shop at the time, was responsible for the creation of this set-neck, carved top version. Early Showmaster models (prototypes) were originally labeled as Stratocasters on their headstocks and are very rare. The Custom Shop Showmaster perimeter
961-559: Was suffering from a concussion in 2005 and didn't make the final, finishing tenth overall. Still involved in the skate community, Ellis has performed skate demos alongside Tony Hawk , is a perennial X-Games competitor in the Mega Ramp competition, and was the host of the annual 'Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huckjam'. Ellis formerly trained in the Team Quest camp located in Murrieta, California under