in addition to Manabe recently getting his own model custom guitar, Sawao recently purchased a Gibson Flying V (which he uses in the New Animal PV), and Shin got himself a new drumset.

Jun probably didn't get anything because he's not a real member lol.

[quote="Marekenshin"]in addition to Manabe recently getting his own model custom guitar, Sawao recently purchased a Gibson Flying V (which he uses in the New Animal PV), and Shin got himself a new drumset.

Jun probably didn't get anything because he's not a real member lol.[/quote]

No, Jun probably didn't get anything because they don't let him have any money.

I lol'd.

Manabe got a custom guitar? Sweet.

Poor Jun, you think he would deserve some credit after all these years.

Forgot to say, apparently the Flying V is the Micheal Schenker model.

I was joking about it being a Schenker model (the finish is very similar). The headstocks are different so I'm guessing it may be a Gibson V (the truss rod cover is plain and I think he probably painted over the logo since I can't see it on the headstock) that he had re-painted with that pattern finish.

And here's the specs on Manabe's custom btw: http://www.sago-nmg.com/artist/artist.htm
This one had to have cost him a pretty penny because their prices appear to be very expensive (pick-ups alone are way more expensive than some boutique pick-ups).

?

I saw the Schenker thing on Mixi. It looks pretty similar to it, but I haven't bothered looking closely.

[quote="Marekenshin"]?

I saw the Schenker thing on Mixi. It looks pretty similar to it, but I haven't bothered looking closely.[/quote]

Actually I don't even know for sure, it may have been inspired-by since Schenker had this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mando_gal/498256380/
and it matches Sawao's exactly. However this photo was from 1988. The production models for Schenker now look like this: http://www.singingchicken.co.uk/usrimag ... om-01a.jpg

I'm not entirely familiar with Michael's guitars so I don't know if he modded his old ones (like in the first photo) himself or if they were production models by a company. So either Sawao bought one (in which case was probably very expensive) or he was inspired by Michael's and had one painted to look just like it.

That's a freaking sweet picture of Manabe on the guitar site.

Actually, it looks like it could be this:

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/allmusic/10000805/

I'm leaning more towards he was inspired-by and had it painted to look like it.
1. That one has block inlays while Sawao's are dots.
2. Looking closer it appears that only the top is painted. So under the white side it's still black. That one appears to be painted all the way on both sides (though I could be wrong on that one).
3. The pick-ups are different, Sawao's are all black while that one has a zebra pick-up in the bridge. Also Sawao's look more like p90s than humbuckers.

Or for all I know it could be a mix of things. X_X;

EDIT: Scratch #2, the reflections threw me off, it's painted all the way. So it might be Edwards then but maybe a lower end model.

Definitely not p90s, look at about 0:36 in the PV. He may have simply requested to get it with all black for the pickups.

edit: the inlays, you're right, are different.

it wouldn't be a lower-end Edwards; it looks like they only do flying v's in that color for that model.

[quote="Marekenshin"]Definitely not p90s, look at about 0:36 in the PV. He may have simply requested to get it with all black for the pickups.

edit: the inlays, you're right, are different.

it wouldn't be a lower-end Edwards; it looks like they only do flying v's in that color for that model.[/quote]

Yeah you're right they're humbuckers (barely just caught it since at 0:27 and 0:37 they show a close-up). I definitely need the FQ version soon though lol, the resolution is just horrible on the youtube version since the humbuckers definitely look thinner and p90 shaped in other shots besides close up. Well we're back to square one then since the inlays are different.

I dunno, I wouldn't be surprised if he custom ordered it to get the inlays and pickup colors he wanted. Other than that, it all looks like that Schenkr copy.

Well then at least I wasn't far off when I thought it looked similar. But yeah it might have been a custom order then. Either that or a Gibson V he had painted (V's do have the dot inlays and all black humbuckers).