Through these years with Music Man, it’ s going on 17 years now, we made some decisions on my model as far as the neck carve, control placement, fret size, fretboard radius, things like that, that carried through on the Majesty, so there is a consistency with that guitar and all the other instruments. we’ d drop them in and play that night. We even just did it recently at Radio City Music Hall. He brought his pickups down, I put them in the guitar and played, and they turned into the new Sonic Ecstasy’ s. That kind of kind of longterm, tonal-pursuit relationship has been with Steve Blucher.
Thinking about my first conversation with Sterling Ball about wanting to do this unique guitar, all the way to seeing the final version being realized, it’ s just phenomenal. Having now played it on albums and on the road, it’ s an unbelievable instrument that I’ m 100 % addicted to. I can’ t go a day without playing it – it does everything! It’ s a player’ s instrument. It gets out of your way, it’ s light, it’ s easy to play, and it’ s friendly. Tonally it has this huge, solid, massive tone with tons of sustain and photo by Nidhal Marzouk clarity, and does everything that I need it to do. I can’ t say enough about it. It’ s [ John ] Well, thank you for saying that. The unbelievable! guitar is an absolute creative masterpiece as far as I’ m concerned. And I don’ t say that as [ CG ] You’ ve worked with DiMarzio for so the designer because I’ m giving credit to Drew long, and as your signature instruments have Montell, Dudley Gimpel, Sterling Ball, and all evolved, you’ ve used different pickups along the people that worked on the Majesty who the way. Give us some of the background about made it into what you see today. I say that that relationship as well as the new pickups with such respect and awe of Ernie Ball Music. and covers. They’ ve been able to create these instruments that push the boundaries of artistry, creativity, [ John ] I’ ve been working with Larry for longer and performance, and that do exactly what I than I remember. There are so many facets to want them to do as a player. That translates Larry himself and our relationship beyond the into other people being able to benefit from pickups. The first guitars that I played had those innovations and loving the instrument just DiMarzio pickups, and when I first started a as much as I do. signature model with Ibanez they had DiMarzio pickups. I met Larry back then.
With the Majesty, the biggest difference between all of the other guitars in my line is As far as the pickups are concerned, the design that it’ s neck-through. All of the other ones are and tone, me communicating what I want from bolt-on necks. The neck-through allowed us to the pickup and them creating something that take the design to a place that was a lot more ultimately goes into the guitars, that’ s more flowing and seamless, and really got all of the of Steve Blucher’ s world. I had conversations curves of the guitar right. It got all of the wood, with Steve for hours, talking about pickups, and any sort of problems that would get in your trying things, prototypes, dropping pickups way, out of the way. That neck-through is huge. into guitars – he’ d come to our shows and
With me and Larry, there is absolutely that aspect as well, but it goes further because, as you know, Larry is more than just DiMarzio pickups. His interest in photography, videography, art, and food – things like that are all ways that we’ ve cultivated our relationship. He’ s a brilliant photographer. He shoots all of his artists, and he has that connection to where he brings their personality out. They’ re his pickups and he’ s also the photographer. It’ s such a unique situation. It’ s the same with the video demos. That’ s all him doing all of that stuff. He’ s actually done the art photo sessions for Dream Theater as well. Any one of these sessions, whether it was some of the first ones I did up through the one with Dream Theater – and all the ones in-between, Larry just has this spirit of enjoying everything in life. He brings in the most amazing food, drinks, and wine, and makes you feel so comfortable and welcome. And our whole Italian connection loving art, beauty, music, sound, pickups – it’ s all wrapped up into one big thing.
The whole thing with the new Sonic Ecstasy’ s and the pickup covers just shows you his whole desire to push the artistic limits and do something different and unique. The straps that we’ ve done together are beautiful – he just has a real eye for art. Working with his family, with Gina and Christiana, it’ s just unbelievable and a really amazing and cherished relationship for me.
24 May � Jun 2017 CollectibleGuitar. com