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Ibanez launches trio of Steve Vai swirled seven-string guitars to mark 25th anniversary of Passion And Warfare

By Michael Astley-Brown
last updated 6 July 2020

New Universe models celebrate shred icon

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Passion and Warfare
(Image credit: Larry DiMarzio)

Passion and Warfare

We first caught a glimpse of these swirled stunners at Ibanez's spangly NAMM stand, and now Steve Vai's trio of special 7-string guitars are hitting stores.

Celebrating 25 years of Vai's pivotal Passion And Warfare, the three guitars - Passion, Warfare and Silver - are based on the Universe guitars Steve used on the album, and each come with a certificate of authenticity.

The UV77PSN Passion and UV77WFR Warfare draw on the much-coveted swirled patterns found on original Universes, while the UV77SVR Silver reflects the album's silver anniversary and recalls Steve’s custom seven-string used when touring with Whitesnake back in the day.

Head on through the gallery for a closer look, but before you do, we should warn you that these made-in-Japan beauties all retail for around $9,300 ($6,999 street), and we can't even guess what UK RRPs will be just yet.

For now, just stare into those lovely finishes and forget all about the outlay…

Page 1 of 4
Page 1 of 4
Ibanez UV77PSN Passion

Ibanez UV77PSN Passion

  • Neck type: UV 1pc maple neck
  • Body: American basswood body
  • Fretboard: Rosewood fretboard w/ Disappearing Pyramid inlay
  • Frets: Jumbo frets w/ Prestige fret edge treatment
  • Bridge: Lo-Pro Edge 7 tremolo bridge
  • Neck pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (H) neck pickup
  • Middle pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (S) middle pickup
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (H) bridge pickup
  • Hardware colour: Chrome
Page 2 of 4
Page 2 of 4
Ibanez UV77WFR Warfare

Ibanez UV77WFR Warfare

  • Neck type: UV 1pc maple neck
  • Body: American basswood body
  • Fretboard: Rosewood fretboard w/ Disappearing Pyramid inlay
  • Frets: Jumbo frets w/ Prestige fret edge treatment
  • Bridge: Lo-Pro Edge 7 tremolo bridge
  • Neck pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (H) neck pickup
  • Middle pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (S) middle pickup
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (H) bridge pickup
  • Hardware colour: Black
Page 3 of 4
Page 3 of 4
Ibanez UV77SVR Silver

Ibanez UV77SVR Silver

  • Neck type: UV 1pc maple neck
  • Body: American basswood body
  • Fretboard: Rosewood fretboard w/ Disappearing Pyramid inlay
  • Frets: Jumbo frets w/ Prestige fret edge treatment
  • Bridge: Lo-Pro Edge 7 tremolo bridge
  • Neck pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (H) neck pickup
  • Middle pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (S) middle pickup
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Blaze (H) bridge pickup
  • Hardware colour: Chrome
Page 4 of 4
Page 4 of 4
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Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com (opens in new tab), in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe (opens in new tab).

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