Ibanez UV77MC Universe Multicoloured Swirl (1991)

At the end of the 90s 7-string electric guitars were suddenly all the rage after years of niche existence. Although Jazz guitarists had already come up with the idea of using additional strings on their guitars to play either deeper bass lines or higher melodic runs much earlier, it was the Rock guitarists of the late 80s and early 90s who are credited with launching the 7-string. No other guitarist is as strongly associated with 7-strings as Steve Vai with his legendary Universe guitar. The famous protégé of Frank Zappa was already responsible for the design of the well-known Superstrat called JEM in 1987 and was thus involved in the meteoric rise of the Japanese manufacturer Ibanez. In 1990 his Universe guitar appeared as the world's first in series produced 7-string guitar. It's most sought-after variant is this multicoloured swirl version with three-color pyramid-shaped fingerboard inlays. Basically a 7-string version of the JEM with DiMarzio 7-Pole pickups in HSH configuration, the voicing was precisely tuned to ensure that the additional string did not lead to any tonal imbalances. Painted in an elaborate dipping bath process by the American artist Darren Johansen, inventor of this so-called multicolor swirl finish. Only 1083 examples of the multicolor Universe UV77MC were produced until 1993 with each Swirl guitar being an individual one-off. The Universe here also impresses with top playability thanks to the pleasantly flat Universe neck profile, the detuning-free Floyd Rose "Edge 7" vibrato system and an ideal weight of 3995 grams. The sound is of course typical Steve Vai - snappy, perfect for fast, dynamic and differentiated Rock and Metal sounds. As great as the guitar looks on the cover of his 1990 album "Passion and Warfare", so is its sound. "Erotic Nightmares", "For the Love of God" and "The Animal" - that's the sound of this Universe! We are delighted to be able to offer you this gem in top condition.

• Including case, spec sheet, article from "Gitarre & Bass" 04/1995
• Weight: 3995 grams