Jackson Adrian Smith San Dimas DK

July 2009 Guitarist 87
JACKSON/FENDER IRON MAIDEN SIGNATURES
£1,139-£1,799
ELECTRICS/baSS
“I’m always experimenting
tonally,” continues Smith. “For
example, with different
tunings, guitar synths and
various guitars. Lately I’ve been
trying out the classic Fender
neck pickup sound. That really
sounds different to what the
other guitarists [in the band]
are doing.”
An original Floyd Rose is the
obvious choice of bridge, as
Smith is adept at incorporating
subtle vibrato as well as precise
dive-bombs into his playing,
while the maple and ebony neck
– with 22 huge frets and a
conical radius – is a rock-
player’s dream.
Sounds
The guitar’s main voice,
perhaps unsurprisingly, is a
full-on rock tone and, using a
Marshall JVM401C combo, the
tone is full, distinct and dark.
It’s more difficult than usual to
describe here, but imagine an
imposing wall of sound that
nevertheless comprises six
distinct strings and you’re
most of the way there to
getting just how huge the
guitar’s rock tone is.
The combination of both
coils of the hot bridge
humbucker with a single-coil,
as selected by the second
position of the five-way here, is
always an inspirational one as
you get the best of both worlds
– a cool level of fat, middly beef
that’s encircled by some
Fullerton-flavoured sparkle.
It’s versatile too, with the
neck pickup allowing for
numerous traditional clean
and crunchy tones. And we’re
glad to be able to report that we
can see the potential of the
guitar’s adaptability in the
hands of many players. Sure,
Run To The Hills sounds
brilliant, but this is certainly
no one-tone pony.
The ultra-low action enables
you to pull off all manner of
speedy solos and the overall
Ibanez JEM VWH
£2,299
One of the most successful
signature models ever is still
going strong, and no wonder –
it plays exceedingly well and
sounds great. The features
may be more widely available
now, but it remains at the top
of any rock guitarist’s wish
list, not just fans of Steve Vai.
Vigier Excalibur
from £1,800
This excellent yet criminally
underrated French model ticks
all the boxes. With a lovely
neck, low action and fulsome
DiMarzio or EMG-driven tones,
there’s a model for everyone.
Also, a zero-fret is standard on
all Excaliburs.
Suhr ‘Landau Spec’
Classic
from £2,220
This is the epitome of a
souped-up double cut. The
alder body, sixties-style ‘C’
neck profile and a trio of Suhr
pickups give a traditional feel
mixed with a wonderful
selection of tones. And, as
Suhr remains a custom
facility, the sky’s the limit
as far as spec is concerned.
The Rivals
The chrome pickup surrounds add some rock ’n’ roll bling to the Murray Strat
GIT317.rev_fender 87 20/5/09 6:12:48 pm