Ernie Ball Music Man

One of my favorite instruments, this Silo Special is customized with a scalloped fretboard (thank you John McLaughlin and Ritchie Blackmore) and Duncan Pickups.

• A Custom Custom for the bridge, for a great chunky early VH sound.
• An Alnico Pro II for the neck like in my Brian Moore. It is a low output pickup with a great low end and singing sustain. It really lets all nuances come through. I use this pickup most of the time.
• It is all connected with a 5 way switch. The guitar is now wired like their Axis Super Sport model, with the extra positions using the 2 inside coils or 2 outside coils. I built it on the new pickguard and connected a Molex connector that Ernie Ball sent me, and it snaps right in.

Scalloped fingerboards are something of a mystery to guitarists. True, they are not for everyone. It is just something different. It is not the same as big frets- people who say that have no experience with both big frets and scalloped boards. Or maybe they are a repairman trying to talk someone out of it because they don’t have the skills to make one. Who knows, I just know it feels very different. You have to develop a light touch or else chords will go out of tune. You never feel wood under your fingers. I play lightly anyway so this isn’t a problem. Bending strings the normal way is easier because you can really get your finger under the string, and you don’t run into the ‘hump’ of the middle of the fretboard. It is a non-reversible modification, but I love it.