Tweet
Hello all here at JCF. I am involved in researching the 1985 San Dimas Charvel Strat Head Dinky custom made for Steve Stevens by Grover and the team. This guitar was used by SS for virtually every recording he was involved with from 1985 onwards until final retirement in 1993.
This amazing guitar was all over Whiplash Smile and toured with Steve for that tour in 1987 which is where I first saw Steve/Idol and that guitar. The tone of this guitar when I first heard it at the Philadelphia Spectrum was just incredible and was something that has been permanently burned into my memory banks ever since.
One of the unique qualities of this guitar is that it was a key aspect of Steve's live sound as well as being his main recording guitar. This truly represents a Charvel at it's best, just a fantastic well built versatile working guitarists main tool in his arsenal!
Another facet of the guitars history is that it is not well known just how significant this San Dimas birthed monster has been in rock music.
Among the highlights would be it being the guitar Steve used in the Top Gun sessions, which he participated in while in the middle of the Whiplash Smile recording session. Everyone has heard this tune the Top Gun Anthem in fact it won a Grammy for Steve and Harold Faltermeyer.
Also it was in the studio with Micheal Jackson and Bubbles the chimp for the great track Dirty Diana. Steve's brilliant project in my opinion The Atomic Playboys which he initiated post his leaving Idol after the Whiplash Smile tour.
The album has Glow all over it. Steve was involved in many many sessions for people as diverse as Rick Ocasek, Robert Palmer and The Thompson Twins.
What many metal/rock fans would have heard this beast on would be the legendary album with The Vince Neil Band.
Released in 1993 this record Exposed is regarded by many as one of the zeniths of recorded Super Strat humbucker Original Floyd Rose Marshall Plexi TONE!
After many years of touring the guitar was 'retired' then, SS using primarily the EB MM EVH guitars given to him by close buddy Edward Van Halen on the tour they jointly did in '93.
Also in all of the videos of Steve, whether with Idol, Playboys, Top Gun, MJ, he is seen playing his signature Hamers SS-2 and SS-3's.
In reality, the Charvel was the guitar recorded with..
The Glow was the direct inspiration in fact for the bolt on neck Hamer SS-3 and the 1993 Washburn Steve Stevens Signature SS80 and SS100 guitars.
You can read all about it in the history of the Washburn Steve Stevens guitars that I wrote in 2010 featured on the website Vintage Washburn.
Here is the link: http://www.vintagewashburn.com/Elect...veStevens.html
That site has really gone viral with huge view numbers and I am really proud that I was able to present the story of these guitars which are even more unknown than the Glow as they basically were only made for a few months in 1993.
The configuration of the guitar is reverse angled single coil in the neck and reverse angled humbucker in the bridge with pickup mounting ring.
The hardware is in black, with of course Steve's favorite (and many others as well) top mount Original Floyd rose which is slammed onto the basswood body literally!
Also the original pickups were provided by Seymour Duncan, a SSL type in the neck and a JB in the bridge.
Currently the guitar has awesome Bare Knuckles pickups fitted with cream colored covers. These were specially wound for SS by Tim Mills around 5 years or so ago. Details of the pickups I will reveal in the future.
Steve used Glow on one track of his last solo album Memory Crash as well.
I am in contact with Charvel for information and would appreciate any stories old photos, ect. related to the guitar
Thanks
Dave
This amazing guitar was all over Whiplash Smile and toured with Steve for that tour in 1987 which is where I first saw Steve/Idol and that guitar. The tone of this guitar when I first heard it at the Philadelphia Spectrum was just incredible and was something that has been permanently burned into my memory banks ever since.
One of the unique qualities of this guitar is that it was a key aspect of Steve's live sound as well as being his main recording guitar. This truly represents a Charvel at it's best, just a fantastic well built versatile working guitarists main tool in his arsenal!
Another facet of the guitars history is that it is not well known just how significant this San Dimas birthed monster has been in rock music.
Among the highlights would be it being the guitar Steve used in the Top Gun sessions, which he participated in while in the middle of the Whiplash Smile recording session. Everyone has heard this tune the Top Gun Anthem in fact it won a Grammy for Steve and Harold Faltermeyer.
Also it was in the studio with Micheal Jackson and Bubbles the chimp for the great track Dirty Diana. Steve's brilliant project in my opinion The Atomic Playboys which he initiated post his leaving Idol after the Whiplash Smile tour.
The album has Glow all over it. Steve was involved in many many sessions for people as diverse as Rick Ocasek, Robert Palmer and The Thompson Twins.
What many metal/rock fans would have heard this beast on would be the legendary album with The Vince Neil Band.
Released in 1993 this record Exposed is regarded by many as one of the zeniths of recorded Super Strat humbucker Original Floyd Rose Marshall Plexi TONE!
After many years of touring the guitar was 'retired' then, SS using primarily the EB MM EVH guitars given to him by close buddy Edward Van Halen on the tour they jointly did in '93.
Also in all of the videos of Steve, whether with Idol, Playboys, Top Gun, MJ, he is seen playing his signature Hamers SS-2 and SS-3's.
In reality, the Charvel was the guitar recorded with..
The Glow was the direct inspiration in fact for the bolt on neck Hamer SS-3 and the 1993 Washburn Steve Stevens Signature SS80 and SS100 guitars.
You can read all about it in the history of the Washburn Steve Stevens guitars that I wrote in 2010 featured on the website Vintage Washburn.
Here is the link: http://www.vintagewashburn.com/Elect...veStevens.html
That site has really gone viral with huge view numbers and I am really proud that I was able to present the story of these guitars which are even more unknown than the Glow as they basically were only made for a few months in 1993.
The configuration of the guitar is reverse angled single coil in the neck and reverse angled humbucker in the bridge with pickup mounting ring.
The hardware is in black, with of course Steve's favorite (and many others as well) top mount Original Floyd rose which is slammed onto the basswood body literally!
Also the original pickups were provided by Seymour Duncan, a SSL type in the neck and a JB in the bridge.
Currently the guitar has awesome Bare Knuckles pickups fitted with cream colored covers. These were specially wound for SS by Tim Mills around 5 years or so ago. Details of the pickups I will reveal in the future.
Steve used Glow on one track of his last solo album Memory Crash as well.
I am in contact with Charvel for information and would appreciate any stories old photos, ect. related to the guitar
Thanks
Dave
Comment