I wanted to write a magazine article about the guitar, which was Premier Guitar but they turned me down as it wasn't in their niche, ect.
Their loss, I drove non-stop to North Hollywood in a torrential downpour/flood the whole way there and back, picked up the guitar and got back in my car to drive back again.
Steve had offered to ship it to me but I couldn't afford that so I drove to get it.
St.Patricks Day 2012.
I ended up with it for approx two months then Steve wanted it back immediately.
I had a meeting with Charvel Project Manager Mike McGregor to show them the guitar and learn what else I could from them.
This meeting was last May at Fender's swanky main HDQ in Scottsdale.
They called Mike Eldred who runs the Fender Custom Shop to come to the office wo weigh in on the guitar.
It turn's out he was the one who painted the guitar it's glow in the dark finish.
He said they were in a rush to get it finished and the paint took forever to dry.
I'm sure Mike Shannon carved the neck by hand and I had reached him earlier by phone through a mutual acquaintance.
I never had the intention of them copying it or producing and replica's ect.
I was finally given a copy of the build/order sheet 3 months later, which is a big deal in the Charvel/Jackson world these days.
Steve wanted the guitar back as soon as he heard I went to Charvel which I notified him of in advance.
I said I'm just a fan and doing research for my article on the guitar.
This guitar I saw first in 1987 during the Billy Idol "Whiplash Smile" tour and it sounded unbelievable.
Little did I know all these years later my dreams of playing it and getting a chance to examine it was beyond belief.
Thanks to Steve for the ultimate gesture from a rock legend to his fan.
Those who know me know I am more than just a fan of Steve.
I wrote the history of his brilliant Washburn Guitars without any real input from him and we had been in close communication through open posts and PM's on HRI Huge Racks Forum where Steve posts under his own name.
This guitar was on the '87 Whiplash Smile tour and record.
Also the Grammy winning "Top Gun Anthem", Micheal Jackson's "Dirty Diana" session.on a lot of Steve's session work in the late eighties and was the guitar he used to dial in the final changes on his now being produced, with help from George Metropoulos..SS100 Friedman amp.
The guitar had black SD's originally and just before Steve's solo CD "Memory Crash" he had Tim Mill's of Bare Knuckles Pickups wind a special single coil for the neck and a HB for the bridge.
The bobbins are cream colored as is the pickup ring.
Tim wound these to take in account of Steve's angling of the pickups and are absolutely killer sounding.
I didn't dare take off the neck , I would have known the builder, but the guitar is a relic and had stress cracks in the body only in the finish though from the neck heel area, so out of respect to the owner I would not risk damaging it in any way.
This was a once in a lifetime experience and one of the coolest things that has happened to me.
There have been other few cool things that I have enjoyed but this was the ultimate.
It has the original frets which are in excellent shape.
Steve considers the guitar 'beat up' by his standards but I can assure you it isn't like a Fender Relic or anything.
The neck is the coolest part of the guitar as Steve wanted all his later builders to replicate that nect.
Both Hamer with the SS-3 and Washburn with their SS 80 and SS 100.
Having an exact Hamer SS-3 replica built from specs of the actual guitars and my two dynamite SS 80's which both were built for Steve but never delivered to him.
These necks are damn close to the Charvel but the Charvel is the ultimate San Dimas profile and Charvel Strat heads are pretty rare and anyone who has played one of the mid eighties necks knows what a delight they are.
The head stock end of the walnut skunk strip the wood had settled down slightly that you could feel with your hand.
I had living history in my hands and was excited as much if it was a Hendrix guitar or a Jeff Beck instrument!!
I am preparing all my research about the guitar which is basswood and am not sure how I will release pictures ect.
This is the most un - photographed guitar that Steve has.
There only exist maybe 20 or so live with Billy Idol shots, some pics with Adam Bomb, but that's it.
Google search and try and find some pics.
She now rests securely back in Steve's Batcave or storage facility.
I was really nervous about having such an irreplaceable guitar at my house!
We were in the middle of short selling my last home and my world wasn't in a good place but this did cheer me up.
Unfortunately those who know me know that I suffer from psoriatic arthritis and I didn't have my supply of injectable medicine at the time I had the guitar so my left thumb was swollen and extremely painful, so I really couldn't play the guitar properly when I had it, bummer
Things have become strained between Steve and myself, I can't tell you why as I have always been his greatest supporter.
I took it to Guitar Center one time and the girl checking it in had no clue what I was talking about how famous the guitar was, but that's GC for you.
More soon
yngwie308
