Steve’s longtime guitar tech, Thomas “TimeSpeed” Nordegg, shows us Steve’s touring guitars backstage on “The Story of Light’ Tour.” Video courtesy of CelestionUK.
Ocean Way “Microphone Locker” App
Hey folks, I am thrilled to announce a new app I have been working on with Allen Sides and “Metal Sidecar” app engineers: “The Ocean Way Microphone Locker.” It’s pretty remarkable. It gives stats on virtually every important studio mic there is, the instruments it’s best used on, and how to use it. An indispensable tool for anyone recording anything. Check it out.
http://bit.ly/OceanWayMicrophoneLockerApp
Steve Vai
On iTunes:
This app is an indispensable and vital tool for any musician or recording engineer that is looking for the right microphone for the right instrument and how to use it. Allen Sides is considered the world’s leading authority on vintage and contemporary recording microphones and their uses. Allen owns the world’s premier microphone collection. He is also the owner of Ocean Way and Record One recording studios, is a legendary grammy-winning engineer with close to 40 years of experience, and has worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Green Day. In this app, learn his secrets on how to pair the right microphone with the right instrument with its optimum placement. This app also contains a comprehensive list of microphones and instruments and gives diagrams and specs on each.
Steve’s “Ultra Zone” Emerald Ultra Guitar
Check out Steve’s “Ultra Guitar” that is currently being played on tour through this article on MusicRadar.com. The design of the guitar is based on the Aaron Brown’s illustration for Vai’s 1999 album, The Ultra Zone, which depicts an “alien Steve” playing a futuristic-looking axe. The guitar is designed by Alistair Hay of Ireland.
Photos from inside “The Harmony Hut”
Premier Guitar has published a gallery of photographs from inside Steve’s newly redesigned “Harmony Hut” studio.
Click here for the full gallery.
Introducing Steve’s new “Gravity Storm” Signature DiMarzio Pickups
Steve and DiMarzio have collaborated once again to create a new set of signature humbuckers called Gravity Storm™ pickups. The name comes from a track on Vai’s upcoming album, “The Story of Light” and the humbuckers offer distinct sounds that are unique to Steve’s playing style.
The neck position is described as “throaty…a cross between a humbucker and a single coil.” For the bridge, Steve explained to Larry DiMarzio he wanted it to sound like, “a thundering cloud of ice cream.”
Visit DiMarzio.com for more information on Gravity Storm™ pickups.
Official Vai.com Auction: Steve Vai’s “EAT EM and SMILE” DLR MARSHALL STACK
Steve’s 100 watt Marshall JMP & matching “white face” 4×12 cabinets used on David Lee Roth’s “Eat Em and Smile” record and the 1986-1988 David Lee Roth tour are for sale on the Official Light.Without.Heat eBay account.
The 100 watt Marshall JMP was given to Ted Templeman by Steve Stevens during the NYC recording sessions for “Eat Em and Smile.” The amp was then modded to Steve’s liking by Lee Jackson, famous for performing sought after custom modifications to Marshall amplifiers for top artists in the 1980′s and 1990′s. The 100 watt plexi head features an extra gain stage, frequency adjust control, effects loop & master volume. The head has been well maintained in Los Angeles and features matching Drake transformers, KT88 quad-matched power tubes & hand-selected pre-amp tubes to Steve’s liking.
The twin 4×12 cabinets are outfitted with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers made in Ipswich, England. Both cabinets bear Steve’s signature, certification & are in perfect working order. This is your chance to bid on a historical piece of equipment used by a legendary performer in their international breakthrough role. This is an official Vai.com auction.
All questions will be answered as promptly as possible. A portion of the proceeds will go to he Make-a-noise fund, a 501.3c which provides musical instruments to cultivate and preserve musical awareness, development, and education. For a full gallery & the item listing visit this link.
Carvin Legacy 3 wins “Best in Show” Award – 2012 NAMM
Congratulations to Steve Vai and Carvin for being awarded a Best Of NAMM 2012 award from Gear Gurus.
The VL300 Legacy 3 was chosen as one of the top products of the National Association of Music Merchants Trade Show. The Legacy 3 is a compact 3 channel 100w amp designed by Steve Vai and Carvin’s amplifier engineers. For more information on the amp and a video demo with Steve visit Carvin’s website.
Ibanez JEM 25th Anniversary “Evo” Limited Edition
To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Steve’s Ibanez favorite Jem, “Evo,” 100 highly detailed replicas of Steve’s legendary guitar are available for purchase. Each one features Evo’s signature accents, marks, a special DiMarzio strap, and are signed and numbered by Steve. For more information please visit www.Ibanez.com
Carvin Legacy Amps Steve Vai Festival for Sale
The Carvin Legacy I amps that Steve will be using during the Steve Vai Festival in Holland, have been made available by Mafico BV, the Dutch distributor of Carvin products. The 3 Legacy I heads and 3 Legacy I 4×12 top cabinets will be signed & for sale after the festival! For more information, visit www.mafico.com or www.carvin.nl
Ibanez “Design a JEM” Contest Winner!
Congratulations to Alessandro Serrago on his winning design submission for the Ibanez Design a JEM Contest! Ibanez will be manufacturing two JEM guitars featuring Alessandro’s design– one for Alessandro and one for Steve. Click here to see the top final design submissions from all over the world!
Update: We would like to congratulate Alessandro Serrago for winning the Jem 77,777 contest. Although elements were taken from a free art website, much of the design was based on his ingenuity. There were so many amazing designs & Steve looked at every single one. A heartfelt congratulations to all. Click here for a full gallery of all of the submissions!
Waves invites Steve Vai to the “Waves Artists Family”
“I make music to push my own buttons… I’ve always been driven by an addiction to create sounds that are unique. I’ve been using Waves plugins since they came into existence, on virtually every project I’ve done since. ” -Steve Vai
Visit Waves Audio’s website.
Steve Vai uses the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra
“The flexibility of the Axe-Fx is supreme. I did extensive tone testing with it and found it to be flawless. It’s all I need now. It makes me feel like every day is Christmas. It’s exceptional and I’m grateful..”
Steve explains his setup: “I’m running the send out of the back of my Carvin Legacy II into the Axe-FX and then back out of that returning to two Carvin Legacy heads. Amazing Flexibility. It’s a powerful combination.”
Visit Fractal Audio’s website or Facebook.
Introducing the Ibanez Jem 77 Floral Pattern 2!
The new and highly anticipated Jem Floral Pattern 2 guitar from Ibanez has just been unveiled at Musicmesse 2010 in Frankfurt.
The third “floral pattern” design in the 23 year history of the Jem guitar, the Jem77FP2 features a basswood body clad in actual floral pattern fabric chosen specifically by Steve, and then clear-coated. The guitar features a 5pc maple and walnut neck with a rosewood fingerboard, and vine neck inlay with red accents to match the body design.
The neck pickup is a DiMarzio® Evolution® DP158, middle pickup is a DiMarzio® Evolution® DPS1 and the bridge pickup is a DiMarzio® Evo2™. Hardware is chrome and the bridge is an Ibanez Edge.
For more information about the guitar, visit Ibanez.com! Check back in the coming days for details on how you can win one of these guitars!
Ibanez Universe 20th Anniversary Video!
In 2010, Ibanez celebrates the 20th anniversary of the 7-string guitar and milestone introduction of the Universe Signature model.
The Universe UV77RE 1990 Reissue Multicolor will be available in highly limited numbers. Each swirl finish on these guitars are unique and distinct from each other, and swirled by master swirl artist and original “ATD” swirler Darren Johansen.
The guitar features a 5-piece maple/bubinga Wizard Jem neck and a basswood body with original heeljoint; 24 frets and rosewood board with disappearing pyramid inlays. Pickups are DiMarzio® BLAZE™II Neck, Middle and cosmo black hardware and a Lo-Pro Edge 7 bridge.
The guitar comes in a special silver-lined Ibanez Flight Case, along with a special printed high-quality poster and special certificate.
See the guitar HERE on Ibanez Japan’s special webpage, plus take a journey back in time with the 1987-2010 Jem & Universe Chronicle!
Design A Jem. Win The Guitar Of Your Dreams! ON NOW!
To celebrate the sale of the 77,777th Ibanez Jem guitar, Steve Vai and Ibanez are holding a very special contest that gives you the opportunity to design the Ibanez Jem of your dreams! The winner of the contest will have the guitar made for them to their specifications by Ibanez. Only two guitars will be produced – one for the winner and one for Steve, making this one of the rarest Jems ever produced!
The contest is on now! Visit http://www.ibanez.co.jp/JEMUV/contest.htmlfor official rules, details and your Jem template. Three entries per person are permitted, so go crazy! Contest ends on June 6th 2010.