FEATURES

Introduction

I think most of
us have some degree of captivation with an era, whether it’s the 50s, 60s, 70s,
or deeper into history with the art and ‘age of enlightenment’ of the
Renaissance (or Ritchie Blackmore’s obsession with the Medieval and Dark Ages).
This sense of belonging or interest likely has much to do with the uniqueness of
a time and its apparent identity or characteristics with art and culture.


I have a certain fondness for British Victorian times, both in terms of
craft and intellectual stimulation, as well as the decorative Baroque era (I
couldn’t get enough Vivaldi and Bach in my teen years). However, I mostly
appreciated those dark rich dens of wood desks and leather armchairs of the
Victorian times and how they co-existed with the naturalist attitude of
collecting and studying specimens of nature as Britain expanded its empire and
expeditions afar, stimulated greatly by Darwin’s voyage to the Galapagos. And it
was around that time that Britain was evolving through the industrial age of
sweat and steel.

Stephen Casper (of Casper Guitar Technologies out of
Florida) created two incredible guitars for me in the not so distant past, and
it was time for a third go-around with an axe that offered more ‘edge’ in
appearance and tone than the first EVH-style guitar he built me originally. I
also wanted to combine certain Victorian elements (nature and modernistic
machinery) into one lavish guitar that also would have a sense of Baroque
ornamentation – it would require rich colors, but with an aura of both
decorative nature and modern sculptured materials.
The basic design concept
was an easy decision. For the past few years I’ve been longing for a Vai JEM;
the overall shape and monkey grip appeared slick and sleek. But rather than buy
stock, I decided to go with this custom project since I wanted to take the JEM
concept to new heights; also, I wanted more of a personal and customized guitar,
including metallic paint, a smaller neck size, custom pickups, and a ‘vine of
life’ inlay that would be stunning and highly decorative. This was to be no
ordinary guitar, but a masterpiece that would hold its own against any JEM or
other guitar on the market in terms of quality of detail and
craftsmanship.




The Details

The
ebony fingerboard – a wood that out-wears rosewood, holds frets better, and
inlays invisibly – showcases beautifully the exquisite detail of the vine of
life inlay, courtesy of Luthier Supply. This inlay is made of select shells from
around the world, with each piece and each inlay component hand-made by a
company in Korea (products sold both in Korea and the Oregon, USA). The founder,
Andy DePaule, has been building guitars since 1969 and created this family-run
business with his sons.



Having searched the Internet
for a vine/tree of life inlay, most were basic and typical of Ibanez origin…
however, the quality and detail of DePaule’s work is second-to-none, and the
cost almost ridiculously low! In fact, more cost is in the luthier having to
scroll cut the design out of the fingerboard and to inlay the work, but as Buddy
Lee DePaule (Andy’s son) stated, “all a person needs is little patience and
anyone can do it.” As well, the selection of fretboard, headstock and pickguard
inlays by the DePaule’s is enormous, and so I encourage the reader to check out
the www.luthiersupply.com website.

Not to be outdone, the
autographed/inscribed headstock (Stephen Casper’s signature in silver paint) is
a beautiful creation itself. The black lacquer paint contrasts beautifully with
the metal truss rod cover, with Vai’s logo hand engraved by www.eddyshandengraving.com. Stephen Casper fabricated the
truss rod cover plate from scratch, from a piece of 16-guage steel, which then
was engraved and chromed accordingly.