Our US sibling magazine Guitar World has been covering Vai and Satriani since 1980, long before Australian Guitar broke its first string. As a result, Satch and Vai have appeared on countless issues of that magazine, holding countless different axes, and with wildly different hairstyles.
Here's a look at some choice historical examples, with some details on the guitar featured on each cover.
Interviews: Richard Bienstock
JOE SATRIANI
1. NOVEMBER 1989 Guitar World
Original photographer: Neil Zlozower
What model guitar are you playing in this photo?
SATRIANI: That's my first Ibanez JS prototype, which we called “Black Dog.” It had a Roadstar neck and a basswood 540 Radius body. By the time of this photo it also had a DiMarzio FRED pickup in the bridge and a PAF Pro in the neck. [Luthier] Gary Brawer had done extensive fret and fretboard work as well.
Why did you bring this particular guitar to the shoot?
I started using it live in '88 and used it all over Flying in a Blue Dream and throughout the Nineties. It was one of my favorites to play at that time because it had a very unique feel and tone. Since it was a distressed, plain black guitar, I thought a little artwork would improve the look and give it a cool vibe. It was featured on the back of the Flying in a Blue Dream album, so it only seemed right to bring it to the photo session.
Did you use this guitar on any notable recordings?
The first time I recorded with this guitar would have studio EP. The song, recorded and mixed by John Cuniberti, featured Jeff Campitelli on drums, along with my guitar, bass and keyboard work. It was first released on a Guitar Player flexi-disc! I really got to know the guitar during the album sessions in '89, as it was my main guitar for that album.
