ESP Sugizo Signature model

Sugizo from Japanese Rock Band Luna Sea joined X Japan last year officially as their lead guitarist. This year, he gets a new signature guitar from ESP. The guitar is essentially the same as his other mix media models but without the Floyd Rose bridge and the single coils. Instead, he has SD Alnico V and P90s added. The new trend of pickups seems to shift towards P90s.

BODY : Alder w/White&Black Ply Binding
NECK : Hard Maple 3P
FINGERBOARD : Rosewood, 22frets w/Whtie Binding
SCALE : 648mm(Long)
NUT : TREM-NUT®
JOINT : Set-neck
TUNER : GOTOH SG360-20 H.A.P.M
BRIDGE : GOTOH GE101TS
PICKUPS : (Neck) Seymour Duncan CustomShop Staple Pickup Repro "ALNICO-V"
(Bridge) Seymour Duncan SP90-3b
CONTROL : Master Volume, Master Tone, Neck PU Mix Balancer
3Way Lever PU Selector Switch, Dummy Mini Toggle Switch
COLOR : BRILLIANT -MIXEDMEDIA-

Sugizo's Brilliant Mixed Media

If you have seen Sugizo's signature guitar it is an amazing piece of Art in my honest opinion. The design of the guitar is an age old design of the Les Paul shape. However, what is interesting in this application from ESP is that the guitar, instead of using traditional wood types for Les Paul (mahogany) utilizes alder as the body wood instead.

What makes it more interesting is the use of 3 single coils instead of 2 humbuckers. This application allows the expression of the single coil tone, yet without the typical strat tones we hear so much from Fender Strats. The neck thru offers superior sustain and the alder wood offers well balance tones compared to mahogany's wall of sound.

Lastly, instead of a standard tune o matic bridge, the Brilliant Mixed Media has a Floyd Rose bridge, either for superior tuning stability or whammy abuse. Either way, this guitar is a good example of wheel reinvention. Different shape with the same design applications.

Luna sea is a famous and popular Visual Kei band from Japan and they are probably most famous for their song "I for You". I've attached a video below for all my readers out there to enjoy. In the video, Sugizo is however using a Strat.

My Pick collection

Like every fan-boys, other than guitars, I too indulge in collecting something associated with the guitar players I like. Instead of owning Gazillians amount of picks, I have instead a number of picks that either came to me by themselves (you are reading this right) or I bought them knowing who actually uses them.

So far,these are all I have at the moment. Top 2 belongs to Hizaki from Versailles a Visual Kei band from Japan. One of them is a souvenir from a friend who went to Hong Kong for their concert. Following on is Steve Vai's limited edition Jim Dunlop pick. Honestly, I've never see him used those at all. I got them while I was still in Japan.

Beside Steve's pick is Sugizo's pick. Sugizo is the new guitarist of X Japan and still is the guitar of Luna Sea. Super big bands from Japan. Second roll. first 4 picks are Steve Vai's Signature pick. As I am a super huge fan of his, I have to have these. The one beside Steve Vai's pick is Yngwie Malmsteen's Signature pick. Now that thing is just FAT. No wonder he can pick with such precision. The pick with a Jem DNA picture was a gift from my friend. My friend saw one of these while window shopping randomly and thought that he might as well get it for me since I am that big a fan of Steve Vai.

Last one is Paul Gilbert's pick. An actual one that landed on my feet when he threw it out. Yes, not that fake Ibanez signature pick which he never uses. However, it would seem that Paul has switch to even a thinner pick. The green one from Jim Dunlop. That unfortunately hasn't landed on my feet yet.