Paul Gilbert has announced that he will sell a signed version of his rare Ibanez Hoshino 90th Anniversary signature guitar on the official Jason Becker Reverb store, which will help raise funds for the electric guitar god in his fight with ALS.
Included alongside the striking six-string in the package is one of Gilbert’s brand new signature TC Electronic MojoMojo overdrive pedals, which also flashes the Mr. Big virtuoso’s signature.
The guitar in question – a Made-in-Japan Ibanez PGM90HAM – was originally made back in 1998, and was wielded by Gilbert on many occasions, including the 90th Anniversary Hoshino concert shred-fest, at which he played alongside Steve Vai and Andy Timmons.
Vai also received a 90th Anniversary 90HAM model, as did John Petrucci and Joe Satriani. In total, only 337 PGM90HAMs were sold worldwide.
Aside from the factory-fitted specs – which include a basswood body with flamed maple top, three-piece maple/bubinga neck and ebony fretboard – the model has also been custom shop-modded to have dot inlays on the fingerboard.
Other specs include abalone purfling and white binding, 24 Jumbo frets and a Gotoh GTC101 fixed bridge. As for pickups, the axe comes equipped with a pair of DiMarzio Tone Zone humbuckers and a DiMarzio JEM single-coil.
As well as being an aesthetic stunner, the guitar also sounds pretty darn good, too, with Gilbert flexing the model’s impressive sustain and clarity while reeling off a barrage of blazing alternate-picking passages and wailing whole-note-and-then-some bends in the video above.
After giving viewers an up-close look at the elegant model in the video – which was hosted by Herman Li on the DragonForce YouTube channel – Gilbert then proceeds to sign the guitar’s back control plate and the pedal’s casing in silver pen.
“I hope you enjoy this guitar,” said Gilbert. “I’m going to miss it. It’s a beautiful instrument, but sometimes we’ve gotta send things round to bring in some happiness and goodness.”
The guitar is now up for sale on the Jason Becker Reverb Store, and will come with the signed MojoMojo pedal and a couple of sets of Ernie Ball strings.
It is the latest high-profile guitar to be sold in support of Becker, who has been living with ALS for the past 30 years. Recently, it was announced that three of Becker's own prized guitars, including his famed Numbers axe, will hit the auction block on July 15.
