Babicz Steven Wilson Signature Model 2016/2017 black Limited Edtion VERY RARE

Babicz Steven Wilson Signature Model Guitar Limited Edition. Condition is Pre-owned but pretty mint. Hardly ever touched it. Never left the house.

I have never seen another one of these for sale since it was made. I suspect SW super fans like myself have snatched them up and hidden them away. You will probably never see this model again. Seriously. See below.

I pre-ordered and pre-paid for this baby from Babicz when it was first announced and then I had to hound Jeff Carano for two years to get it. Below you see the email he sent me at that time:

Hi Guy,
I don't think we'll make it in time for your visit here in the states, plus we'll be in Anaheim for the NAMM Show at that time. It looks good for next month and I'll pay for the shipping to Canada.
I'll have an update on this run early next week......again, thanks for your extraordinary patience! This is the very last SW Signature guitar that will ever be built. ~JC

Jeff Carano Babicz Guitars USA Babicz Full Contact Hardware
PO Box 2253 Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Showroom: 268 New Hackensack Rd. Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 [phone removed by eBay]  toll free [phone removed by eBay]



But I have bills to pay and a studio to finish building and so some of the collection must find new homes. Please check out my other guitars if you have the chance.

I will ship worldwide, please contact me for shipping and insurance costs beforehand, but I am NOT responsible for import charges and duties anywhere. Those are the buyers responsibility.


"It's a really beautiful instrument. It sounds good, feels wonderful to play and it looks incredibly striking. I'm very proud to have my name on it"

Steven Wilson • Summer 2016

Steven Wilson - Porcupine Tree frontman, hugely successful solo artist and "king of prog rock"- has long been a loyal and enthusiastic supporter of Babicz guitars, with the revolutionary Identity Series Dreadnought famously being his main acoustic stage instrument for over a decade.

To celebrate, the boldly experimental British artist was invited by Jeff Babicz, one of the USA's most forward thinking guitar builders, to help create a brand new signature instrument.

Based on Steven's preferred cutaway design and engineered to his exacting standards, the result is a striking guitar that combines slick good looks with consummate construction, superior performance and unparalleled versatility, employing the full complement of cutting edge Babicz innovations to maximum effect.

Describing it as "fundamental to the show" this is the exact same instrument that Steven has used in all his live performances since the release of his wildly acclaimed 2015 solo album, the soulful and immersive masterpiece "Hand. Cannot. Erase."
       
       

The Babicz ID Series Steven Wilson Signature Model Features

    Solid Engelmann Spruce Soundboard
    Solid Rosewood Back & Sides
    Solid Rosewood 25.5" Scale Fingerboard
    Steven Wilson Black Face Signature Headstock
    Rounded Body Cutaway
    Babicz Continually Adjustable Neck
    Babicz Torque Reducing Split Bridge
    Babicz Lateral Compression Soundboard
    L.R. Baggs Stage Pro Anthem Dual Pickup/Preamp System
    Gold Auto-Trim Locking Tuners
    Black Satin Finish Top & Headstock
    Black Gloss Finish Body & Neck
    Black Satin Finish Top
    Black Satin Finish "Steven Wilson" Signature Headstock
    Engraved "Steven Wilson" 12th Fret Marker Inlay
    Exclusive "Steven Wilson" Portrait Soundhole Label
    Babicz Custom Arched Top, Hard Shell Case

Babicz Lateral Compression Soundboard

One of the most striking features of the Babicz concept is the manner in which the strings span out from the bridge assembly to attach to the bottom of the soundboard. Of course, it looks awesomely cool, but far from being a mere visual hook or gimmick, the revolutionary idea is entirely functional.

With this design, Jeff Babicz has been able able to achieve a more lateral tension pattern spread over a wider area of the guitar, "energizing" the soundboard (akin to tightening a drum head) resulting in full-bodied sound quality. Another attributing factor to this guitar’s great sound is that with the string tension being disbursed across the soundboard instead of anchored in the bridge, less structural bracing is required inside the instrument, allowing the soundboard to vibrate more freely and produce a purer, natural acoustic tone.
Babicz Continually Adjustable Neck

All Jeff Babicz guitars are equipped with this revolutionary neck joint system, which allows the player to quickly adjust the guitar's string height on the fly, with a simple turn of an included Allen key, to accommodate any playing style required. This is all achieved without knocking the guitar out of tune or altering the intonation. The system allows you to instantly change action for delicate fingerpicking to bluegrass banging to beefy slide action in just seconds, then crank the neck back down in less time than it takes to introduce the next tune.
Torque Reducing Split Bridge

Like the other innovative Babicz appointments, this unique system is strictly functional and serves three important purposes...

    Separated into two pieces ('Bridge' and 'Retainer'), the assembly helps reduce forward rotational torque.
    The bridge is adjustable for intonation because it is not glued to the soundboard but instead attached by special fasteners.
    The retainer serves to keep the strings in perfect alignment to the bridge.​

L.R. Baggs Electrics

The Steven Wilson Signature Model features the incredible Stage Pro Anthem system which combines L.R. Baggs' Tru•Mic Technology pickup and Element™ under-saddle piezo pickup with a side-mounted preamp/EQ. This versatile system delivers incredible Tru•Mic fidelity, along with the presence and snap of the high-quality, award-winning Element pickup.

    Dual Pickup System Includes Tru•Mic Pickup & Element Transducer
    Mix Pickup Blend Control
    Volume, Bass & Treble Controls
    On-board Digital Tuner
    Phase Inversion Button
    Easy Click-lock Battery Access
    Stereo/Mono Output