Valhallen

Sorry to hijack this thread, I just wanted to share a story (it really doesn't go anywhere nor it's that interesting, you've been warned!). I've been a Maiden fan since 2003 and playing guitar since 2004. It was a logical choice for me to get a Strat, but I sure as heck didn't have the do-re-mi for the real thing (Fender) nor for the wee bit less real thing (MIM, Squier). So I got this really cheap Encore Strat, it was (still is) so bad, you couldn't do harmonics with it. Anyway, on one fateful day I was surfin' the web and stumbled upon an old Adrian Smith image. It was this picture (although the one I saw was in higher resolution and better colors): It was one of those moments where it was appropriate and expected that a choir of angles would descend and start singing "HALLELUUJAH". This was the guitar I wanted. Of course I couldn't just go out and buy it, I was a 17 year old kid with no money or the means to get any money. But I did manage to convince my mom to get me one of the pieces from that guitar, it was the humbucker pickup. At that time I didn't know jack about anything, I just wanted a black humbucker to stick on my cheap guitar. So it was only by chance I got her to get me the exact same pickup Adrian (and Dave) used in Maiden in the early days, when they were still using guitars with humbuckers (of course they used them later too, Dave still uses them but in SC size). I just chose a random pickup (Dimarzio DP101 Dual Sound, it's the same as DP100 Super Distortion but with split coil option) which seemed to be good because it cost much (129.74 USD to be exact, it cost more than in the US because of the whole Europe and dealer thing). I did the reading on their site and thought "Screw it, let's test this sucker out". It took some time getting here and by the time the pickup arrived I decided I'd better not waste any money on this Encore Strat so the pickup was put aside until 2007, when the guitar I'd dreamed about, was finally built. Alas, not by me but by a local respected guitar luthier. I did my fair share of research for this guitar (the guitar on the picture) and found out that this was a Jackson, obviously a custom. I don't know if they called it San Dimas back then. The guitar had HSH combination of pickups, 2 pots (starting from the usual first tone postion) with some non-Fender knobs, a switch, front routed jack, Original Floyd Rose, a black pickguard probably with only 1-2 layers or all black layers. It was a bit harder edged than your usual Strat and also seemed a bit thicker. No idea on the back contour, but it had one on the front side. At some point I dwelled deeper and found that Adrian used PAF type humbuckers so I set after DiMarzio DP103 PAF and finally got one from a BC Rich guitar. My guitar was finally completed in the summer of 2007 and I got it. This isn't a 1:1 copy, because I was a bit strapped for cash and just let the luthier use a Strat body and neck (with Squier/Strat '70s size headstock) he was already making for someone who dropped the order (this is why my guitar's body was initially routed for SSS). The boby is thicker than a regular Strat, it's about the same as Adrian's Jackson. The body is not as rounded as a regular Strat but it's still quite round. The neck has 22 frets too, but it has rounded edge, unlike the square edge Adrian's guitar has. I didn't want HSH so I got HH instead. I researched the question of OFR vs Schaller made Floyd and found that Schaller made OFRs at some point and that their own are somewhat superior, sound wise. The usual consensus was that OFR and Schaller FR didn't differ that much, since Schaller was simpler to find I got their 1370 (the same as 370 but black). For the tuners I got Schaller M6 Minis. The pickguard is 3pc ply.I also used Fender knobs for the potis or rather one pot, since I still haven't gotten the electronics properly soldered and use one pot. I will in the future, this will give me split coil feature too. This is my guitar (due to lighting, the colors a wee bit off): ------------------ Now. I wanted to add a couple of my thoughts on the 2008 Jackson San Dimas. They basically stayed true to the original concept of the white and black strat. I don't know if this is a coincidence but the 2008 SD was built when Maiden was doing the Somewhere On Tour thing, you know, their Early Days pt2. An era when the original white-black Jackson was used by Adrian. The new SD differs in some ways, first of all there's a totally white alternative, with a different neck, but that's not important. On the second version, first of all, there's the HSS combination. Looking at the specs, Adrian still wants DiMarzio's DP100 Super Distortion in the bridge while having Fender's default single coils in the middle and neck positions. Notice how the input jack has been moved to the bottom side of the guitar. The body also seems to be a bit more rounded, but I may be wrong here. The are 2 pots, again, without the Fender knobs and 1 piece ply black pickguard. Adrian played the San Dimas guitar on the 2008 tour and in 2010. What is interesting though, is that it seems he may have used the original white-black on the recent tours as well. Here's a rather new picture of him playing a guitar which obviously isn't 2008 SD. This could've been a prototype for the 2008 but look at the fretboard, bad lighting or not, it looks as it has gotten its share of heavy wear. ---- Fhew. I'm spent, I wonder how Ed Romain keeps churring up **** like this day after day? We want to see how the project went on!