The Polyphia virtuoso has been spotted playing what looks to be a signature version of the radical Ibanez Xiphos for a playthrough of his Bloodbath solo. Noticeably, it appears to be modded with some modern accoutrements.
First introduced in 2007 as the successor to the Axstar of the '80s, the X-shaped instrument oozes heavy metal panache. The mods on the LePage model, then, are very interesting – and it's hard to look past the ivy-like inlay design that adorns its 24-fret fingerboard and its sleek, Polyphia-flavored finish.
The presence of a second toggle switch – alongside the standard pickup selector – for selecting different voices further solidifies that assumption, with one knurled Master Volume dial the only other control jutting out of the body of this ultra-clean axe.
(Image credit: Scott LePage YouTube)
It's also apparent that LePage has opted against the original's Floyd Rose tremolo in favor of what appears to be a Gotoh T1502 bridge, which can be found on his existing Ibanez signature, the KRYS10.
LePage doesn't utter a word during the video but gives viewers a good eyeful of guitar to whet the appetite.
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The guitarist’s love affair with the Xiphos can be traced back to the music video for Polyphia's Steve Vai-propelled track Ego Death from 2022’s Remember That You Will Die. However, that model boasted a reverse headstock – a detail LePage has forgone with this ghostly creation.
There are no further details about LePage's mystery Xiphos, but rest assured Guitar World will share any forthcoming updates when they arrive.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
