The Painted Player

THE STEVE VAI TPP CUSTOM SHOP “FLAMIVERSE”

History

One of the most vivid and powerful guitars that the TPP Custom Shop has ever put together, The Steve Vai “Flamiverse” is a dream guitar brought to life through a unique collaboration with guitarist Carmine Lombardo, a dedicated Vai fan with a flair for the flamboyant.
The design brief was simple, to bring together two of Vai’s most iconic guitars from different periods in his career, namely the Performance Flame guitar and the Ibanez Universe ‘Swirl’ – such an instrument had never been produced before and the TPP Custom Shop set to work custom designing the project from the ground up. The most dynamic elements of each instrument were taken into consideration so that a decision could be made on how this ‘hybrid’ would best be brought together to embody everything about one of the world’s greatest guitarists and his love-affair with jaw-dropping, visually exciting guitars.
The solid Alder body is modelled exactly on our, already popular, Steve Vai Flame “Extreme”, which incorporates a H/S/H pickup layout and Floyd Rose Tremolo System to enhance the overall playability and tonal options available from the guitar - a favoured layout of the legendary guitarist. It seemed that round one had gone to the Flame, so, to further enhance this blending of two iconic instruments, a custom made 24-fret neck with Wizard profile and ‘disappearing pyramid’ inlay fingerboard was produced to exacting specifications, bringing together a body inspired by the Flame and a neck inspired by the Universe - two guitars separated by an era, now working in perfect harmony, producing a guitar that features superior weight distribution, balance and playability.
Do not allow looks to deceive however, the guitar’s design goes far beyond mere aesthetics, featuring a full compliment of Dimarzio USA Evolution pickups with jungle green covers that can be dive-bombed and man-handled to precision thanks to an Original Floyd Rose Tremolo System, itself backed up by Sperzel Locking Machineheads. In every way, this is a guitar that plays effortlessly, commanding any stage through sheer ferocity, high-performance pickups and a comfortable neck make for a guitar that sounds and feels as good as she looks.
Just as the guitar seems to have shown you all she has to offer – just look at her! A stunning custom ‘Swirl’ paintjob adorns the guitar’s incredible hand-crafted body, produced by our artist, this four colour ‘swirl’ of hot pink, jungle green, gloss black and signal yellow combine to create a vivid trip for the senses. Complimenting every element of the guitar’s production and tying in the multi-coloured equipment, the artwork simply brings this guitar alive and embodies everything about Steve Vai’s playing style, his attack, his presence on stage and ultimately, pays unique tribute to a musician that has had such a unique affect on musical history and players alike...

Pricing

Ultimate Edition
Custom Build - (contact us)
Designed and built to Carmine’s exact specifications, this Ultimate Edition instrument features all the original components including Dimarzio USA Evolution pickups, Original Floyd Rose Tremolo System and Sperzel Locking Machineheads. Stunning, demanding, incredible – this is a guitar built for the diehard Vai fan, bringing together unique hand-crafted aesthetics and top-of-the-line equipment and hardware in one beautiful collector’s piece.