After John Mayer got him hooked on single coils, the Grammy-winning Soulive, Lettuce and Tedeschi Trucks Band guitarist spec’d his new signature model with custom Seymour Duncan ‘Strat in Humbucker’ pickups
(Image credit: D'Angelico Guitars)
D’Angelico has partnered with Grammy-winning Soulive and Lettuce co-founder Eric Krasno for his own Deluxe Brighton signature guitar.
You might think you know what to expect from Krasno’s take on D’Angelico’s classy double-cut design, but its tones will surprise you – the guitarist collaborated with Seymour Duncan’s USA Custom Shop to develop a set of pickups exclusive to his signature model, and they ain’t humbuckers.
Last year, Krasno told us he fell in love with single coils again after John Mayer sent him one of his PRS Silver Sky models, and it appears that renewed affection found its way into the Lettuce man’s own signature guitar, which features a custom set of Seymour Duncan ‘Strat in Humbucker’ Alnico V pickups.
As you can hear in the demo video below, it makes for an intriguingly snappy Fender-style tonal response that belies the more Gibson-esque aesthetic, particularly when combined with the guitar’s swamp ash body and C-shaped maple neck.
Those pickups are bolstered by ’50s-style wiring, promising vintage-voiced tones that capture the best sounds from Krasno’s favorite single coils, although they’re controlled via a three-way pickup selector rather than the five-way switch typically found on Strat-style models.
Elsewhere, the guitar features a 24.75” rosewood fingerboard with top-drawer hardware, including Jescar 47/104 nickel silver frets, Grover 509 Super Rotomatic locking tuners, a Tusq nut and tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece.
It’s a looker, too, with that black finish accented by gold hardware and tortoiseshell pickguard.
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Krasno has already used the guitar with Lettuce and Marcus King, who are fans of its slinky tones, and it’s set to appear on the new Derek Trucks record, too.
“I’m always looking for new guitars that inspire me – it’s a certain vibration, it’s a certain connection, it’s a certain channeling that happens with all of the right elements combining together,” says Krasno.
“What we achieved with this guitar is a new guitar that’s going to bring all of those things to the table and inspire you to play better and with more soul. You’re gonna be able to sing on this guitar.”
The Deluxe Eric Krasno Brighton is available to preorder now for $2,299 exclusively from Sweetwater in the US and Andertons in the UK – just 50 pieces will be produced worldwide. See D’Angelico Guitars for all the deets.
Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.