I’ve been bitten by the blogging bug lately and this has caused me to investigate all-things guitar once again. I’m very OK with that. Who doesn’t love spending hours surfing the Interwebs looking at guitars? I’m sure that doesn’t appeal to some folks—I like to call those people boring. What is hopefully not boring though is this list of the five signature guitars I wish I owned.
Now to watch the next lotto draw and hope for the best. Or dream. I’m happy to continue dreaming.
Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent
I remember seeing the advertisement for the Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent guitar in Guitar World magazine. I was blown away by the guitar’s body shape. Sexy. That’s pretty much the first word that popped into my mind. From a design point of view it felt like perfection to me. From a hardware point of view it’s not far from perfection either.
There are three mini-humbuckers, five-way pickup selector switch, locking Schaller machine heads, rosewood fretboard on a rosewood neck—which looks very nice indeed—and a custom Music Man tremolo bridge. The guitar comes in two colour options. But for me there’s only one real option to consider. That is of course, black.
Damn this guitar looks fine.
Matt Heafy Les Paul Custom-7
I’ve mentioned the Matt Heafy Les Paul Custom-7 before and tweeted about it a few times in the past year. The Les Paul shape is a classic and adding the seventh string doesn’t do it any damage in my opinion. This is a classy and clever update to a classic guitar. The Axcess neck which provides the guitarist with greater access to those higher notes is impressive and of course the seventh string allows the guitarist to play that lower metal guitar style that is shaking my speakers on a regular basis these days.
I admire Matt Heafy’s approach to this guitar build. He’s built an Epiphone that is within reach of many aspiring guitarists and it’s been built to a quality level that he not only puts his name on, but showcases by playing this actual guitar—not the Gibson equivalent—on stage regularly. Kudos for that.
The pickups in the guitar are active EMGs—707 in the neck and 81-7 in the bridge. A lot of the remaining hardware is all Epiphone. As a current Epiphone owner, I’m quite OK with that. This brand has existed for over 100 years. I’m pretty sure they know what they’re doing.
EVH Striped Series
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to wanting a replica of the famous Eddie Van Halen Frankenstrat. There are three flavours in the EVH Striped Series and although I am a huge fan of black and white, it’s the red, white and black striped version that makes me weak in the knees. The guitar is pretty damn close to perfection for my musical stylings.
One pickup—Wolfgang humbucker in the bridge position—is all you need. Add to that the EVH branded Floyd Rose with D-Tuna bridge, maple neck and single volume pot (labelled as Tone) and you’re set to rock. It’s the bare essentials. It’s an iconic design. It’s a guitar I’ve wanted for over 20 years.
Fender Jim Root Telecaster
I believe Jim Root has more signature model Fenders than any other artist. I can understand why. He knows what is appealing and functional in a working-man’s guitar. Also, he has a lot of black and white going on in this Fender Jim Root Telecaster. Win-win.
There are also Fender Squier models for the entry model guitarists out there—I have the Squier neck on another Squier Telecaster of my own—and although they’re amazing value for their price, if I was being honest, I’d want the full-blown Fender version. It comes preloaded with the EMG 81/60 combo and a sexy set of black hardware. Just like the Matt Heafy Epiphone, this guitar appeals to me through its modern interpretation on a classic guitar design.
It’s a Telecaster. You can’t go wrong.
Schecter Dan Donegan Ultra
The Schecter Dan Donegan Ultra is new for 2016 and it looks hot! It features two Schecter Brimstone-Six pickups, single volume and single tone (push/pull) with Schecter locking tuners. I love Schecter guitars. Bang for buck, I don’t know that any guitar I have is as good. I’d love a higher-end version like this one. Plus it’s Dan Donegan’s signature model. Imagine the disturbed tones you could pump out with this guitar.
I also love that this guitar is not a mainstream design. It’s a very unique style. I think you’ll love it or you’ll hate it. I love it. I feel that makes me right.
#want
2 thoughts on “Five signature guitars I wish I owned”