Paul Gilbert has become the latest high-profile guitarist to donate an electric guitar from his personal collection to help raise money for shred pioneer Jason Becker's medical expenses.
The super-rare signature Ibanez PGM90HAM will go on sale at The Official Jason Becker Reverb Shop to help pay for Becker's medical expenses. Becker, who has had ALS for three decades, was hospitalised earlier in the year in a health scare that had him fearing the worst.
Led by DragonForce guitarist Herman Li, the #ShredForBecker fundraising initiative was launched to support Becker and has seen the likes of Metallica, Joe Satriani, Paul Stanley, Guthrie Govan and Nili Brosh donate rare and signed instruments to the cause.
Gilbert's Ibanez PGM90HAM is very special. Built in 1998 to mark the 90th anniversary of the Hoshino Gakki's founding, the company that owns and makes Ibanez guitars – and also Tama drums – the PGM90HAM was limited to just 337 instruments worldwide. Gilbert, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and then Ibanez endorsee John Petrucci were the only guitarists to receive special anniversary editions of their signature models.
Built for speed, the PGM90HAM has a basswood body with a flamed maple top, white binding and abalone purfling, a bolt-on three-piece maple/bubinga Wizard neck, a 24-fret ebony fingerboard and a Gotoh hardtail. The decorative abalone is reprised on the reverse headstock, and most recognisably it has Gilbert's signature painted f-holes on the finish and the 90th Anniversary inlay at the 24th fret.
Fitted with a pair of DiMarzio ToneZone humbuckers in the beck and bridge positions, plus a DiMarzio JEM single-coil in the middle position, it's well-suited to all kinds of high-performance stunt guitar, and whoever gets this one has a special collector's instrument on their hands. You rarely see these in the wild.
Gilbert, who has just recently released his latest solo album, Werewolves Of Portland, and had a new signature overdrive from TC Electronic, has signed the control plate cover on the rear of the guitar.
For more details on this and the other guitars on sale in support of the #ShredForBecker campaign, head on over to The Official Jason Becker Reverb Shop. Presently listed are stage-played models from Guthrie Govan, Andy Timmons, and Nili Brosh.
