Paul Gilbert Owned Guitar Fundraiser #4, Legendary Plywood Sustainer Prototype!

INTRO

This is #4 of 7 guitars being listed. Please check them all out! (Update- 3 Sold!)

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of Paul Gilbert’s iconic, personally owned, one-of-a-kind, custom designed, handmade-in-USA guitars that he used extensively for touring and recording. Because they were custom made expressly for Paul, they never come up for sale to the general public! These guitars are amongst the rarest of Paul’s guitars in his 31 years as a premier Ibanez signature artist- a decades long collaboration that ranks just behind George Benson’s and Steve Vai’s in length and success. Thus each one of these guitars listed are deserving of a special place in the pantheon of rock guitar history!

Paul collaborated with the legendary Tak Hosono (founder of Ibanez’s equally storied LA Custom Shop) in designing and building each one to his custom specification. It's important to note that these are not merely ‘artist owned’ rare production models, but rather represent the pinnacle in handmade, one-of-a-kind works of art that exist in the world.

Notably, each guitar is in incredible, immaculate condition as shown, and remain exactly as recieved from Paul- including the original cases and even the original strings. A vintage, Mr Big era guitar pick used by Paul will also be included with this guitar. These are the very last Paul-used Mr Big picks that I have.

100% FUNDRAISER

I work as a commercial photographer/director, and Paul has been a good friend and collaborator for nearly 3 decades. Together we made the majority of his most recognizable, iconic images and visual assets, spanning many albums to his gear endorsements. Consequently I have also had the good fortune of hand selecting and owning some of Paul’s most rare and coveted personal guitars, which are now the very same ones offered here!

The sale of these guitars is entirely a 100% fundraising effort. My partner Elma and I have a sweet Greyhound pup named Noi (pronounced 'noey' and affectionately known as Snowy Snowballs on social media) He is our world, and like a son to us! Many of you know over the years that our Reverb.com store is named after him, and he’s the cute little shredder in the store photo as well!

Unfortunately Noi has developed mitral valve disease, and  desperately needs to get open heart surgery in Japan to save his life. We have maxed out what we’ve been able set aside on our own for Noi’s steep ongoing medical costs, and we’re hopeful that this sale can help Noi reach his goal. With surgery Noi will continue to live a healthy and happy life. He is a very sweet, gentle pup, and has brought great joy to many. He deserves a chance to live, and we’re doing everything we can to save his life.

All of the proceeds from this sale will be donated to Noi’s active GoFundMe, which can be found there by searching 'NoisBigHeart'

Should the buyer choose, the donation will be made in their name. We want to honor that, and it’ll be verifiable and publicly viewable.  

By buying a guitar, you'll be a real life hero, and play a huge part in saving a life. Oh, and you'll receive a breathtaking, historic guitar for you to enjoy.

A true win win win.

Also, even if you’re unable to purchase a guitar, please consider donating to Noi’s cause. Any amount helps tremendously, and we appreciate every contributor immensely. Please consider joining Team Noi! More info on Noi and the fundraiser can be found at the GoFundMe website-

Please search 'NoisBigHeart'

We are incredibly appreciative of your consideration! Thank you!

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING AN OFFER!

We will entertain all offers but ask that you please keep in mind this is a fundraising effort to save a life, and every dollar is much needed and will go entirely toward that effort. As mentioned- If the buyer chooses, we will donate the proceeds of sale in the buyer’s name which can be seen publicly in the list of donors. This is a list of selfless heroes and we will be honored and humbled to see your name there.

PAUL'S GUITAR #4 OF 7, THE LEGENDARY PLYWOOD GUITAR!

As mentioned, this is a custom, one of a kind guitar made by revered master luthier Tak Hosono at the Ibanez’s LA Custom Shop. It features a custom Fernandes sustainer unit built in which works to perfection and just sounds incredible. This is perhaps the most historic guitar being offered in this collection, and has been referred to at length in forums etc. It has seen many world tours and amazingly, remains in nearly perfect condition. Paul takes care of his guitars!

From Paul himself-

"I had been collecting weird-looking, junky old guitars and fixing them up. I had a Telestar, a Goya, an Alamo, a Mazda, etc. When I put decent pickups in them, some of these guitars sounded really cool. I noticed that a few of them appeared to be made from plywood. You could see the texture of the layers through the finish. I thought, "No one has ever made a plywood guitar with a CLEAR finish!" So I called up Ibanez and asked them to find a piece of plywood that was OBVIOUSLY plywood. I told them to look for something that had industrially stamped words on it, knot-holes, and whatever else would give it the ply-wood look. So Ibanez made one. They actually used a piece of real wood in the middle and laminated the ply-wood on the top and back. The guitar doesn't sound like my old junky guitars, but it does sound really GOOD. I used it on a bunch of Mr. Big tours.

Ibanez later released the PGM800 which had a natural finish inspired by the ply-wood guitar.”

A NOTE ON THE SHIPPING ESTIMATE

This guitar will ship in it’s original case as shown and will be meticulously packed. The shipping cost is just an estimate, and reflects the UPS estimate for a high value guitar shipped and insured within the continental US only. Other arrangements can be made for delivery or pick up. International buyers are welcome, and shipping will be adjusted accordingly. I will work with the buyer and the Reverb team to ensure the logical, smooth and safe transfer of the guitar to the buyer. Any overcharge on shipping can be refunded.

TEAM REVERB.COM

Incredibly, as lifelong animal welfare advocates, the team at Reverb.com have generously gone to bat and are making an incredible ongoing effort to support and promote this sale, and we want to acknowledge that. We are truly grateful to them for it. Kudos to the them!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your consideration everyone!!

Team Noi