Ibanez JEM Forum banner

Steve Vai Jackson "Jack Butler" Guitar

54K views 68 replies 29 participants last post by  ibrahimasood 
#1 ·
Hi. I recentley purchased a Custom Shop Jackson "Jack Butler" guitar. The guitar is amazing, but the pickups came with Seymour Duncan JB on the bridge and S. Duncan 59 on the neck which I believe it´s not the pickups which was installed at the Vai´s Charvel Green Meanie. I love the Jack Butler tone and wish to put the right pickups to get that tone. I´ve receive an email from Steve Blucher from DiMarzio saying he doesn´t know what pickups was installed during movie recording.
Anybody could help me ?

Thank you so much

Waverider
 
#62 ·
@Waverider.
Yeah, I guess Steve Blucher, Larry Dimarzio AND Steve Vai can't be wrong. :D
@Linux
I wouldn't ask Steve or Larry at Dimarzio. They are probably quite nauseated by the frequency of this question. :D

Damn if it doesn't sound like a PAF Pro though. Maybe its the movie mix or Steve's amp. I don't know.
 
#64 ·
This guitar is not a dk2m or any other Jackson existing model. This guitar was constructed for the movie. Many years ago I got some emails from Arlen Roth about the movie and this guitar. He told me that he, Steve and Grover Jackson toke various guitar parts to build that one.

I had the opportunity to talk to Steve Vai about this pickups and he told me that was PAFs and not the PAF Pros.

Also Steve Blucher from DiMarzio wrote me some messages saying it was not PAF Pros. See:

Following this comments from DiMarzio Tech support and Steve Blucher also, saying that they do not believe that pickups were Paf Pros.

Steve Vai say to me that pickups were probably PAFs and no PAF PROs also.

Thanks

-------------------
From: Steve Blucher
Subject: RE: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?

Sorry, but I can't. It sounds too warm to have been a PAF Pro, but a Super or X2N could have been used, depending on the amp and overdrive pedal he might have used.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 5:12 PM
To: Steve Blucher
Subject: RE: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?


Thank you due to your answer. Do you belive, hearing the recording that pickup could be a Super Distortion or a Paf Pro or even a X2N? You probably have the greatest hears for this at the entire world... Can you give me a suggestion ?



Thank you so much

--- On Fri, 6/4/10, Steve Blucher <> wrote:

From: Steve Blucher
Subject: RE: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?
Date: Friday, June 4, 2010, 5:51 PM

It isn't possible to identify the pickup from the movie. We didn't work directly on this guitar until the first David Lee Roth CD, and that took place after the movie was done.

-----Original Message-----

Posted At: Friday, June 04, 2010 4:34 PM
Posted To: Tech
Conversation: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?
Subject: RE: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?

Ok, thanks. Is it possible to try to identify the pickup by hearing it from the movie? Any chances to be a Super Distortion or other pickup?

In this webpage http://www.jemsite.com/jem/model/charvel2.htm is said that the Green Meanie has "custom shop DiMarzios". What should be this pickups ?

Is it possible to ask Steve Blucher about this? Maybe he can know what was the pickups used...

Thank you so much

--- On Fri, 6/4/10, DiMarzio Tech <tech@dimarzio.com> wrote:

From: DiMarzio Tech <tech@dimarzio.com>
Subject: RE: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?

Date: Friday, June 4, 2010, 1:01 PM

I'm sorry, but we don't know. It isn't likely that the pickups were PAF Pros, and there was an X2N in the bridge position of this guitar at one time, but I can't verify that this is the pickup used for the recording of the movie soundtrack.

-----Original Message-----
Posted At: Thursday, June 03, 2010 7:14 PM
Posted To: Tech
Conversation: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?
Subject: What pickups in Steve Vai´s "Green Meanie" guitar on 1986 Crossroads Movie ?

Hello DiMarzio !

Ok. I know it could sound like a nonsense question, but it´s important to me. I have a Jackson Custom Shop "Crossroads" model, with same spec as that one Steve Vai used on 1986 Crossroads movie. Since that red Jackson guitar was just a prop and Steve uses his Charvel Green Meanie for recording it, I will appreciate SO MUCH if you could tell me what the exact pickup models Steve uses on that time in Green Meanie guitar.

I LOVE the tone Steve got on that movie. I know maybe it´s not a simple question, but I intend to put the right pickups on my guitar in order to get the same tone.

Someone says it´s a Super Distortion, other says it´s a X2N on bridge, Pafs and other says it´s a Paf Pro. So.. I´m confused. I really appreciate if you help me.

For reference, the tone that I´m talking about is this:


Thank you so much

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top