4 Significant Guitars in Steve Vai's Collection
In the flood of Ibanez JEM and PIA models in Steve Vai's private collection, there are four guitars that stand out from the concept of these signatures. An unusual example is the prototype Swiss Cheese Guitar in green lacquer, which was the first instrument to receive the milled "Monkey Grip" handle and can be seen in David Lee Roth's video for Yankee Rose from the 1986 Eat 'Em and Smile album. The Joe Despagni-designed guitar was stolen from a California rehearsal room soon after, and Vai didn't come across it until nearly 40 years later, when Swiss Cheese was found in the attic of an old house in Tijuana, Mexico.
Another prized model in Vai's arsenal is the signature Ibanez John Scofield JSM100 semi-hollow version, which Vai uses in concert in "Little Pretty". Originally built for the jazz great, the signature features special graphics by David Bonvillain and has undergone modifications, most notably a change to the fretboard radius (400mm), new thicker frets, disconnection of the tone pots, and foam dampening of the body cavities to minimize feedback at higher volumes.
The third piece is a 2016 Ibanez Joe Satriani JS2450-MCB prototype (serial no. F1609180), given to Vai for his 60th birthday by his longtime friend and former teacher. Satriani custom decorated this model, fitted with a Sustainiac Stealth Pro neck pickup with active system, with paintings including "Happy Birthday Steve" on the tremolo shaft cover.
"I had a very good birthday one year when my good buddy Joe Satriani gifted me this guitar, and he took it on tour. He played it, took it home and he beat the hack out of it, and then he painted it, "happy birthday Steve", and this is a family heirloom now…," Vai said in an interview.
Of course, Vai's guitar gems must include his first ever Fender Stratocaster, nicknamed "Sticker Strat", which corresponds to the many stickers on the body. The 1977 model with the large headstock was purchased at Matthew's Music in New York, and Vai's mother paid 175 dollars for it when Steve was 16.
The guitar, with which Vai attended Berklee College and gigging stints with Frank Zappa and Alcatrazz, has been modified many times over time, including, for example, the installation of a Floyd Rose tremolo, a bridge humbucker and an Alembic preamp. "Sticker Strat" can be heard on Vai's debut album Flex-Able (1984).
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