Spiritbox are the fastest-rising heavy band around right now – and they deserve it. They're happy to blur the genre lines with every new song release, dare anyone try to peg them as a metal band, and and they cover a lot of ground as a result. Co-founder / songwriting guitarist Mike Stringer consistently impresses us with his versatility, and that is reflected in his willingness to push brands into new areas of extended-range guitar building.
He's been roadtesting two new guitar designs on Spiritbox's latest tour in the US with Shinedown and Papa Roach; from Aristides and Jackson. And they're very different but both feature Evertune bridges that Stringer is clearly a huge fan of for their rock-solid stability in the low tunings he plays in.
"My two Jackson Custom Shops showed up the other day," Stringer says of his latest acquisitions from Mike Shannon and his team at Fender's Corona factory in California. "I've always been obsessed with classic vintage looking guitars, (offsets specifically) and wanted to do a modern take based on their classic Surfcaster model. The team at Jackson were super down with the idea, and I got the opportunity to spec out two offset customs. The end result is mind-blowing!"
Both guitars – one relic'd with Fiesta Red over Sunburst finish and the other Cream – are 25.5" scale with Evertune bridges, Fishman Opencore Modern pickups with three-piece bolt-on maple necks, alder bodies, Gotoh locking tuners and ebony fretboards.
We're already seeing future signature model potential here – these really bring a classic, vintage feel to an area of the market often bogged down in monochrome.
In contrast, Stringer's Aristides build looks like something that's out of the future. But they're available to order right now.
The Aristides 070SR features the world's first multiscale Evertune bridge in a guitar, seemingly sparked by Stringer's conversations with Aristides CEO Pascal Langelaar. "I’ve been playing it the last few nights, safe to say it’s a home run, and anyone who enjoys playing a multiscale, and Evertune, needs one," says Stringer.
"It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of everything Aristides does, and of the Evertune bridge in general, so I just wanted to say a massive thank you to both companies for being so forward-thinking, and to Pascal for allowing me to pilot this new project. It is such an honour."
It's impressive to see a player working with innovative companies and helping to drive guitar design into new exciting areas like this. And you can find out more at Aristides.
