Crossroads guitar ... Vai/Jackson !!!!! History

[Emerald]

Photos please...
Emerald 'Scratch'

[tonemonster]

That version posted above is awesome. Now I know how to say "Bet can't play none either" in spanish.

Aunque para tocar no lo nesecitas.

I'm gonna go to Mexico and stir up some trouble at open mic nights.

Don't forget to follow it up with. "uh HUH" when they plug their guitar in

[tonemonster]

I got a boy cuts heads every satruday night name a Jack butler hes discouraged many a up comin young boys

[dvscool]

HATE that movie - LOVE that scene. Thanks for posting its been a while.

Jack Butler should have kicked his candy ass - he shoulda won.

jus sayin

[Ward]

Don't forget to follow it up with. "uh HUH" when they plug their guitar in

I would, but it didn't give the translation for that

[sixx_ gunner]

Sorry Jayster, not trying to hijack your post, but you don't see these often. One for sale in a local pawn shop:

[Jayster]

Ok, first I apologize for the crappy cell phone pics.


I tried to capture a lot of different things in many of the photos, but the clarity doesn't really shine through(So I'll add my interpretations of what I saw).



1st up the headstock:






Remarkably the pointy is intact!!!!! There's a pretty thick shelf on the nut(1/8"-3/16" I'm guessing). On the high E string the machine head gasket/washer between the tuner peg and machine head body is toast completely gone??? In my thinking it's possible that the headstock was replaced after the movie(the very thick nut shelf and new looking truss rod cover could hide most of this, and again the pointy was almost perfect).

[Jayster]

I didn't end up getting a decent photo of the back of the headstock, it's very hard to tell from this one about any repairs done.

[Jayster]

Moving down the neck, the side reference inlays were popping out of the neck 1/32"+ on the lower end and some serious sanding had been done to the neck from the headstock down to approximately the 5/6th fret. This sanding was uneven thicker on the treble side??




On several of the treble side fret ends, they were hanging off of the fretboard 1/32" or so, it would absolutely be un-playable as is....

[Axewielder]

Very cool!

The OFR locking pads are on sideways. Maybe that is why Jack Butler went out of tune and lost at the end.

[tonemonster]

Very cool!

The OFR locking pads are on sideways. Maybe that is why Jack Butler went out of tune and lost at the end.

Science wins again.

[Jayster]

Moving down the neck further ....




The neck pocket was a mess, huge gaps all around. At least 1/32"+ gap on both sides with cracking very heavily present. The treble side being the worst and extending down to the bridge pickup.



The fretboard was very flat....



The treble side body crack goes clear through the body!!!! The mysterious wingnut, I have no idea why this is here(maybe it used to be hung up differently?).

[Jayster]

And moving on to the body ....





Notice the body is cracked on the bass side now from the trem post down.... I found this strange because, IIRC unlike a set neck with wings - this should have been a 1 piece blank???? The writing on the body is Steve's sig, with words - altogether it says "Steve Vai" at the crossroads '85.


Incredibly the floyd was almost spotless clean, in complete contrast with the headstock. The pics didn't do it justice, but it looked to have a years worth of brakedust on it....

[Jayster]

Remeber kids, Steve Vai hates trem plates too!!!!!!

[toejam]

Notice the body is cracked on the bass side now from the trem post down.... I found this strange because, IIRC unlike a set neck with wings - this should have been a 1 piece blank????

Lots of Strats are two- or three-piece bodies.

Thanks for the cool pics!