Misha Mansoor is having a clear out, but unlike most of us it's not junk he's offloading. On the contrary, there's a lot of stunning Periphery gear going up for sale in his forthcoming Reverb store that fans will be surprised to see him part with. Including some droolsome custom electric guitars.
“Over the years, I’ve collected a number of rare guitars and interesting pieces of gear,” says Misha. “Some of these pieces have been used on the upcoming Periphery album, most of them have been used on previous albums, but all of this gear has mojo. These are the pieces I kept for myself. Now I’m hoping other players can be inspired by, and create with this gear.”
The Official Misha Mansoor of Periphery Reverb Shop goes live on 3 August and will include Misha Mansoor's original custom Blackmachine B6 guitar (pictured above). Blackmachine models rarely come up for sale and the order book for London luthier Doug Campbell is currently closed. We're honestly surprised Misha's parting with it.
“Those who know understand the significance of this guitar: it’s the one that started the whole Blackmachine adventure for me,” he explains . “This guitar is a proof of concept for the B6 lightweight philosophy. There isn't, nor will there ever be, another B6 quite like this one – this guitar was used to write and record many songs on Periphery II, and it was used live during that era as well. If there is one guitar here I was genuinely torn on selling, it's this one."
Also up for grabs is Misha's first signature USA Series Jackson Juggernaut HT6 prototype; the guitar model his popular signature Jackson Juggernaut HT6 on. Again, a guitar we're impressed and surprised to see the guitarist part with but a chance for a fan to own a piece of Mansoor guitar history.
“This is a very special, one-of-a-kind guitar, and it was used on Juggernaut live tours as well as in the studio for Periphery III and Periphery IV," says Msiha. "It became a studio workhorse because of how good it sounded and how relatively rare it was."
Another rare bird Jackson is a Custom Shop HT8 eight-string prototype for the limited 30-guitar run of the Juggernaut 8 signature.
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“This guitar was used both on the Juggernaut albums and the subsequent tours,” adds Mansoor. “This guitar became a live workhorse as it was my best playing and sounding eight-string, and anytime I was playing an eight live in that era, I'd be using this."
The Teuffel Tesla six-string in the online store is an eye-catcher. "I love Teuffels, they are funky, unique and actually phenomenal instruments," says Misha. "This Tesla is so easy to play and sounds so good, it puts a lot of competitors to shame. Such an ergonomically considerate design as well. This guitar saw use in the studio on layers for Periphery III, Periphery IV, and the Bulb solo album."
The Fano Custom model here is a reminder that Misha is not just about metal machines. The SP6 design features a P-90 in the neck and a single-coil in the bridge,
“Such a unique guitar with a unique but very sweet voicing," he notes. "I don't think there's another one like it out there. I used this for some clean and mid gain layers on Periphery III and Periphery IV, as well as the Bulb solo album."
The Original Run Ernie Ball John Petrucci Signature seven-string model here is one of the first extended range models Misha ever bought. “I saved up like crazy for this, and then I used it to write and record all of the seven-string songs on Periphery I and it was also used on Periphery II," he says of the Mystic Green model that also has a piezo pickup.
"I also used this on tours around that era, though I was paranoid about taking this guitar out on the road," he adds. "It's so special that I feel a bit worried playing it so now it sits in the case – maybe someone else can put it to good use."
Another sleek 7-string available in the fixed price Reverb store is a Jackson Customized Floyd HT7 built and customized for Mansoor so he could record and perform the song Motormouth from the album Periphery III.
“This was used on the record and for every live performance of that song, as it requires a Floyd to be played properly. This is the only one of its kind, I didn't even have a backup made. I probably should have!"
The Official Misha Mansoor of Periphery Reverb Shop goes live on 3 August and to see a preview and register ton be notified when the store goes live head to reverb.com
Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
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