Jackson Custom Shop has announced a Misha Mansoor limited-edition ‘Surfcaster’. The pioneering metal guitarist of Periphery brought out a range of signature Juggernaut baritone 6-string electric guitars with Jackson Custom Shop just last year. The relationship between Misha and Jackson continues with this limited edition baritone Surfcaster.
Jackson Custom Shop says the Surfcaster, available in a striking Army Drab Green Nitro-Relic finish, was born from the mind of Misha and brought to life by Principal Master Builder, Pat Campolattano.
The guitar doesn’t just look cool though; it should sound the part, too. Loaded up with Bare Knuckle Juggernaut Pickups for loads of high-output grunt with punchy low-mids for a “tight, aggressive, yet balanced tone”. Jackson says the pickups provide low notes that thunder, chords that articulate, and highs that cut straight through the mix like a "recently sharpened machete".
Also on the spec sheet is a 30” baritone scale length to accommodate thicker string gauges and be tuned down, commonly used for playing metal or djent.
The body is roasted ash, while the neck is quartersawn maple with the wood grain running perpendicular to the fretboard for excellent stability, warp resistance and “enhanced resonance”. The neck also sports a caramelized flame color, oozing character and adding to the aged relic’d vibe.
But the hardware is anything but old school – the Baritone Surfcaster boasts stainless steel frets, a Hipshot fixed bridge, locking tuners, a 3-way pickup switch with phase switching and Luminlay Position Markers on the fretboard.
The extended fretboard has a 20" radius which is considered to be almost as flat as a table. This will be perfect for fast shredding and technical playing. Notes also have significantly less risk of 'fretting out' when playing high up on the fretboard because there's very little curve in the neck to block the strings when they're bent.
In a video posted by Jackson, Misha talks passionately about the new guitar, saying, "I’m really glad I was able to work with Pat on this. I feel like he’s able to take my crazy ideas and bring them to life." He goes on to say, "the guitar had to exist between two worlds," referring to its aged, old-school aesthetic and modern hardware and capabilities, and that it's turned out to be a bit of a "sleeper" for shredding.
He goes on to explain, "This is a very different guitar from what we usually do, I usually do my super strats." Misha experimented tuning the low E string down to a ridiculous B-flat and says "it shouldn’t be audible, but it’s something we worked on and it is – the clarity out of this thing is kind of insane!"
Misha revealed that a "substantial" amount of the upcoming Periphery album was tracked using the new signature Surfcaster due to its low tuning capabilities and reliability. He adds, "I didn’t expect it to inspire me so much", and that fellow bandmates Jake and Mark also couldn't help but experiment with the guitar, too. The album, A Pale White Dot, is due to be released on May 15 on 3DOT Recordings.
The Jackson Custom Shop USA Signature Misha Mansoor Baritone Surfcaster is available to buy now, but you'll need deep pockets as it has an RRP of £8,099 or about $9K. Though Misha reassures, "This guitar is rare. This guitar is going to continue to be rare because this is a master built custom shop run" and urges anyone with the opportunity to check it out and he hopes it will end up in the hands of people who will play and be inspired by it.
