MJ Guitar Engineering Mirage Classic

Features as described in the previous review. Mine is bone-stock, except for the sun/moon&star/saturn inlay they put on for me at a very reasonable price.

I like it for blues & rockin' blues. It's not a bright guitar. Instead it's really fat. Plenty of bass, but not overbearing. Lots of punch on the attack. It's very resonant, and produces a sort of throbbing vocal sound. Full up, it's a tad mean and snarly, but has a very nice smooth 'jazzy' tone when rolled back a bit. If you wanted brighter, I'll bet swapping the pickups with something like Lollars would do it. The sound of the wood & strings definitely comes through, very 'organic'.

It's got P90's, so it humms if you're near a noise source. But no more than other P90 guitars I have.

It looks really nice. No visible imperfections to my eye. The finish is done beautifully, but is fairly thick. Some might not like that, but it doesn't seem to damp the vibrance of this guitar, which feels and sounds really alive to play.

The neck is wide/very-thin. Make sure to let Mark know if you need a meaty neck, because his standard shape is really thin. I wouldn't mind a bit more wood on the neck, but I wouldn't change this guitar (I like it too much the way it is!).

I think it has 12" radius, so bends are easy. Frets and action are a bit low. I'm kind of a heavy-handed picker, so I wouldn't mind bigger frets and a bit higher action. Mark will make it that way for you if you ask. When I got this, I was under the delusion that low action was better so that's what they made for me.

The wood quality seems good. Mine's built with light mahogany, the whole guitar weighs about 7lbs. I got a braz fingerboard as a freebie. Thanks, MJ!

I would prefer a gibson 4-knob setup as opposed to the 3-knob vol/vol/tone that it has. But it does work nicely the way it is.

One thing that bugs me a tiny bit is that the headstock flairs quite rapidly. So if I'm sliding down the neck, my hand can bump into the corner of the headstock.

The tuners are very stable, as is the bridge as far as I can tell. I do a certain amount of bending and use 11's, but it keeps tune.

Upper fret access is surprizingly good. Balance is perfect. I find it very comfortable to play.

I've had mine for 10 years now. I've had no trouble with it. It looks as good as new, except for some fret-ware (sigh...) and fingerboard grime. I've been a bit nervous about neck stability due to the thinness of the neck and the fact that it's slab-sawn, but it's stayed put.

I sort of think that MJ should work out a way to use quarter-sawn neck wood (maybe they have by now, it's been a long time!). I'll bet they could work it into their design.

They're really friendly & nice. I visited the shop several times, and was made to feel like a welcome guest. They took as much time as I wanted to show me around, talk about the product, and just hang out.

This and my other MJ were my first electric guitars (aside from an earlier one that I didn't like). I got them 10 years ago now. I now also have Gibson, PRS, Thorn, Hamer. I guess this and my Thorn are my favorites, I go through phases you know... My kids also like this one the best. They both hope I'll give it to the some day. What really stands out is its vibrance and throaty voice. Well, the looks of any MJ is also a standout. Guitars designed by Klingons, but with class!

The only thing about this design I'd warn you about is the headstock flare. If you don't do slides down to open position, you'll not care though.

Make sure to tell Mark how you want your neck, frets, and action, and you'll get what you want. Otherwise (unless he's changed his style) you'll get a wide thin neck with low action. Which is great if that's what you like!

This is a special guitar. When I bought it, Dierdre said "This is a really nice one, it's got the tone!". I'd certainly try to replace it if it got away from me. I own two MJ's, and have often thought about buying another. It puzzles me why one doesn't see more of them around!?!

Thanks, Mark, Dierdre, Ethan!

First i have to say that a lot of companies say that they make hand made guitars in the custom shop. B.S! Don't believe it. Gibson, PRS, all use CNC machines even their top $5,000 guitars.

Mark Johnson does all of his guitars by hand. Really a truly HANDMADE GUITAR. Hand Carved and Finished. 100%.

I also have a 95 Black Standard Mirage and ordered a Mirage Custom.

I believe this guitar was made in 2005. I bought it new 2 months ago from the web site. mjguitar.com .It was made in California. But they have since moved to Bozeman MT. It is a 22 fret, 24 5/8 scale guitar. 6150 frets. Slightly smaller scale than a Les Paul. Absolutely wonderful feeling. I use 11-56 strings and with this scale and it's perfect.

The body Style is like a PRS/Les Paul/Strat love child. You would have top see it. Single wraparound bridge. Adjustable.

This guitar and all the Mirages they make is hollowed out. Very light weight and very lively when strummed acoustically. It all Mahogany Body and neck with a maple top. Rosewood fingerboard and abalone inlays that looks very good. Gold Top painted that is very rich in color. Natural Mahogany back and neck finish. The Mahogany is so 3d that I catch myself just staring at it with amazement. The head stock is a head turner. It looks like a tuning fork with a steel plate holding it in place. You have to go ands see the web site to see this. Really neat. The controls are no B. S. 2 volumes and 1 tone. 3 way switch. All top quality.

2 Seymour Duncan's P90's came with the guitar. Great sounding. But I never have been a fan of a p90 bridge pickup. So I changed it to a Custom made P90 shaped humbucker. Kept the neck a P90. Came with a G&G case and all kinds of eye candy. Extra strings, picks. Very cool.

I am very diverse in styles I like to play. One moment it's Blues, the next is Pop, then I am down tuning to Slipknot ferociousness. I need a guitar that can let me do it. This one can handle it very well. I USE A LINE 6 HD 147 for my main amp with a 412 cab. In stereo. I used to be tube guy but this thing smokes. Tube purist can stick your nose up all you want. I play 3 nights a week and this thing kills every time. The neck pickup is absolutely juicey. Sweet cleans and nasty overdriven blues a plenty. Very clean leads from this. The humbucker 90 bridge is meaty. It will go from sweet Clapton tones to Hetfeild's Master of Puppets crunch. I think this guitar being hollowed out makes it a monster tone guitar. It's very alive. I love everything about it.

Very Rare but almost flawless. Pickups adjusted to my taste. Neck is perfect.

Live playing = yes, very good = 10
Hardware = 10
Finish = 10
Dunlop Strap Locks = 10
Dependable = 10
Use it with no back up = Yes but I always bring 3 guitars.

Mark, Joan, Deirdre are absolutely great people. This is a family run, owned, & operated buisness of 3 people. They will help you get what you want. Here's the best. You want one of there guitars but don't have $3,000 sitting around to get it. That's ok! They will sell it to on payments. Give them the first months payment and your guitar is shipped to you! About $200 per month depending on what guitar you buy. No credit nessasary. Lifetime warranty with them. Great Company. No one like them in this buisness.

I have been playing guitar for about 13 years. I have owned everything from PRS to Strats to Washburns. This is the end of my guitar searches. Except more MJ's. I have a Mirage Standard too. And as I type this, my Mirage Custom is about to be delivered. These are the best. Great Guitars, Great Company, Awesome Tone! Get One! Or Two! Or 3!