“He scoured the globe to find these guitars. I had given many away or sold them through the years, but he tracked them down”: A 1,000-page book showcasing Steve Vai’s iconic guitars has been announced – and it will be joined by a super-limited Ibanez JEM
Wire & Wood: The Guitars of Steve Vai took five years to complete, and tells the story of over 100 guitars in “exquisite detail”
(Image credit: Rufus Publications / Getty Images)
A new book offering a comprehensive view of Steve Vai’s staggering guitar collection has been announced, and a limited run of special-edition Ibanez JEM electric guitars has been produced to mark the occasion.
Wire & Wood: The Guitars of Steve Vai has been a tireless endeavor five years in the making for photographer Michael Mesker and Rufus Publications, and is intended to be “the most expansive creative overview ever assembled of one singular guitarist’s collection of instruments.”
Over 100 guitars have been pictured for the project, which will be released as a two-volume large-format photography book. Across 1,000+ pages, Vai’s beloved instruments have been captured in “exquisite detail” by Mesker.
The photographer is Vai’s long-standing Art Director and has also worked on projects with Tony MacAlpine and Frank Zappa. He is also the Art Director for DiMarzio. Mesker is said to have first marveled at Vai’s practically bottomless guitar vault in late 2002 and was arrested by the history contained within.
The guitars from Vai’s decades of string-bothering are included. Many of the instruments that were first seen in grainy 1980s music videos are now set to be explored in high resolution, bringing their “peculiarities, blemishes, and modifications” to light like never before.
The exhaustive book takes in some of his earliest instruments, including his first Contessa acoustic and his “Sticker Strat”, used while studying at Berklee and later with Frank Zappa. There are also some of his more recognizable instruments, from the Crossroads guitar to the extravagance of his back-breaking Hydra.
What's more, the Ultra Edition of the book will come with an all-new Ibanez JEM 77WFP, which has been treated to a stunning “White Floral Pattern”. However, only 14 will be produced.
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Hand-crafted by the Ibanez Japan Custom Shop, the 77WFP is the first JEM model to come out of Japan in five years. It brings together an alder body, a five-piece neck, and a rosewood fretboard completed with a Tree of Life inlay. Hardware specs include pink DiMarzio Evolution pickups, a LoPro Edge tremolo, and a Cliplock strap.
Each guitar comes with a Vai-signed certificate, and a unique name bestowed by the man himself. Notably, Vai himself will be taking one example on the upcoming BEAT tour later this year, during which he will be performing King Crimson’s trio of ‘80s albums alongside Adrian Belew.
For those who can't afford the $25,350 asking price of the Ultra Edition, there are two other tiers to choose from. The Standard Edition comes in at $400, while the hand-signed Deluxe Edition – which is housed in a special slipcase, and comes with 10 framable prints and unique case candy – rises to $699.40.
“I was approached by Rufus Publications back in 2019 with an interest to create a high-end book of 100 of my most unique and used guitars. I knew there was only one guy that could do this job most effectively and that was Michael Mesker, who was eager to do it.
“There isn’t anyone who knows the history of my guitars, nor has the artistic overview of photography and forensic attention to detail as Michael Mesker does,” Vai enthuses. “Mike spent five years compiling this book and photographing the guitars with a quality technique that will blow your mind.
“He scoured the globe to find many of these guitars, as I had given many away or sold them through the years, but he tracked them down and got the shots. The results are stunning and the book is a masterpiece.
“I didn’t realize how diverse, eclectic, and innovative my guitar collection was until I saw this book. Besides the documenting of various models, this book is the penultimate definitive word on the history of the Jem and the guitars that were part of its evolution. It’s magnificent and I’m blown away.”
(Image credit: Rufus Publications)
“There are few guitarists in the same position as Steve – who designed and refined a guitar that accommodated his own personal idiosyncrasies,” adds Mesker. “From the groundbreaking Ibanez JEM (and by extension, the RG) to the popularization of the seven-string, Vai’s impact on the guitar extends beyond just his playing and musical output.
“And from a visual standpoint, so many of Steve’s guitars have become stand-out characters in the canon of rock ’n’ roll.”
The books are available to pre-order now and will be shipped in late March 2025.
Last year, Steve Vai was reunited with the “Swiss Cheese” guitar he played in the Yankee Rose music video, which was the first guitar to feature a monkey grip. He'd been apart from the guitar for 36 tears.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
