Chris Shiflett has revealed he’s taking a custom Charvel-style Superstrat on tour with the Foo Fighters after being inspired by his podcast conversations with Richie Sambora. While speaking with Premier Guitar, in a video segment documenting his live gear, Shiflett joked that this type of electric guitar was “too illegal” for a Foo Fighters tour, and that having a Floyd Rose-equipped instrument on stage it also pushed him to grow. his Breakout solo with some divebombs.
“I always wanted to climb a Superstrat or something, so I did,” he says. “I brought it to the tournament. I mean, it’s so illegal in Foo Fighters, but I just slipped it in without asking!”
Shiflett was asked if any of his guests inspired him during his Shred With Shifty podcast. Sambora, whom Shiflett interviewed twice, was certainly one of them. The former Bon Jovi guitarist played a Charvel with an upside-down headstock, a familiar model whose name eluded Shiflett, but which must surely be the MusicRadar-endorsed Henrik Danhage Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 . This got Shiflett thinking. He found a handle online. The guitar is said to be 80’s Eddie Van Halen inspired with a Seymour Duncan JB zebra pickup in the bridge and a Floyd Rose and not much else to get in the way. And he contacted Eric Chaz of Ernie’s Guitars in Van Nuys, Calif., to develop the Style S. An interesting detail highlighted in the video is Shiflett’s name on the headstock. The pink relic shell skirt is also beautiful. Now, it’s just a fill-in guitar for the Foos’ live show, but Shiflett says its mandate has been expanded.
“I actually pulled it because there’s a section in the show where Dave introduces everybody, and everybody does a little thing, and I worked that into a kind of homage to some of my favorite players,” he says. “I’m going to be into a little bit of Randy Rhoads, a little bit of Eruption and a little bit of Thunderstruck, AC/DC, and so I wanted to take that guitar with me so I could do a little bit in the tremolo bar and stuff.