Jackson has unveiled a new signature guitar for Scott Ian that pays tribute to the late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, and finally offers Ian's King V with a Floyd Rose vibrato.
The Scott Ian KVX King V is an X Series version of the Anthrax guitarist’s 2019 Custom Shop model, which he nicknamed the Baldini in honour of his late friend.
Baldini was Dimebag’s nickname for Ian, and their friendship went all the way back to 1986 when they both played Cardi’s, in Houston, Texas. With its green burst figured maple top a tribute to the 'Dime Slime' finishes on Dimebag's electric guitars, Ian’s Custom Shop King V became known as the “Baldini Burst”.
Having created a sensation in the metal guitar community at large, it was a no-brainer to bring that vibe to Ian’s range of more affordable signature X Series models. Not that it was easy, as Jackson’s VP of Category Management, Jon Romanowski, can attest to.
“Taking on the ‘Baldini’ was a tall order,” said Romanowski. “We were essentially working double duty to honour two of the most important players of all time. Everything players have asked for on this revamped model is all there. From the striking finish to the Floyd Rose tremolo that Scott’s fans have been pining for for years, this instrument stands up to the task.”
It sure does look the part. The Baldini King V has a solid nyatoh body that’s topped with figured maple finished in high-gloss Baldini Green ‘burst. Accepting no substitutes here, we have an actual rosewood fingerboard, which is given that high-roller vibe by way of some pearloid block inlays. It has a 12”-16” compound radius as most contemporary Jacksons, and the maple thru-neck is reinforced with graphite rods.
A pair of high-output Jackson-branded humbuckers occupy bridge and neck positions, and these are controlled by volume and tone controls, and selected via three-way switch. Unlike most King Vs, Ian’s Baldini model has a shorter Gibson-inspired 24.75” scale.
But the big talking point here – well, besides that finish – is that Floyd Rose 1500 double-locking vibrato unit. As Romanowski notes above, and as Ian says in the demo video, this is what the fans have been waiting for.
You can watch Ian demo it above with some of his moshpit dynamite riffs, and explain how this guitar, which is “100 per cent inspired by Dimebag” and the ‘Dime Slime’ colourway, came to be, and why it was important to make this design available at a more affordable price point.
“As a guitar player, I’ve always wanted people to feel like what I do is reachable, it’s accessible, and that’s what I want people to feel when they hear or see me as a guitar player,” says Ian. “That what I’m doing, they could pick up a guitar, and with a little bit of work, they could play the riffs that I’m playing. And with a lot of work, you could take it further of course.”
The X Series Scott Ian KVX King V is available now, priced £869 / $899. See Jackson for more details.
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