Lzzy Hale Signature Gibson Guitar
Summary
“"Lady Evil, my signature Gibson Explorer out now. My goal in this endeavour is to reach and encourage all the young freaks out there. Rock is not dead. It never has been, nor will it be. Being a girl i feel like I have a responsibility to also send a message to my young ladies out there. I am living proof that through determination and blind faith in yourself that you can achieve anything you want in this life. Rock n roll has no age, and it has no gender. It chooses you, and you must follow through at all costs. Thank you all as always for allowing me a space in this kingdom. Go forth and Rock on my friends, rock on!” – On her Instagram this is what Lzzy Hale said her aim was in releasing a commercial version of her on stage signature guitar. [1]
The ‘’’Limited Edition Lzzy Hale Explorer’’’ (or Lady Evil as Lzzy Hale calls it on her social media) is the signature Gibson Guitar of Lzzy Hale, lead singer, guitarist and keys player of the American Hard Rock band, Halestorm. The guitar was designed by Hale based on her custom Explorer, also made by Gibson, which was made for her back in 2010. As said by Gibson – “ [Lzzy’s] very individual style and attitude demand a guitar that makes an equally bold statement—which the new Limited Edition Lzzy Hale Explorer from Gibson USA delivers in spades” [2].
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For her personal stage guitar Hale can be found in many interviews as saying that her aim for this guitar was to create a very classy guitar out of, what is seen to be a shape more often associated with metal due to its rougher more jagged shape. One of the inspirations for the guitar is the Gretsch White Falcon. The influence is obvious in the colour scheme of the guitar in that have a white body with the hardware in gold. The design was something Gibson hadn’t really done before and it is therefore a truly unique piece. In an interview with Total Guitar on YouTube she said, “They made the explorer into a classy" guitar [3]. Her stage guitar also features a name plate and has her signature on it. She felt the guitar should be classy as even though she’s in a hard rock band “with a bunch of smelly boys 24/7, [I’m] still a girl and it’s got to be classy.” [4]
The limited edition explorer is similar to Hale’s stage guitar but not entirely the same, so her stage guitar is still a one of a kind piece. The signature guitar came about when Gibson approached Hale at the NAMM convention in Anaheim, California. Hale was shocked at the proposition. In an interview with The Hub website she said having a signature model was something she had wanted from a young age. She was excited at the prospect of being able to do what she wanted with the look of the guitar and have something that was uniquely designed by her.
Hale was told by Gibson to “Take a couple of weeks and figure out what you want to do, and send us some ideas.” As Hale had had something in mind for a while she sent them ideas the next day. She wanted “something simple.
[She] wanted to do an Explorer, because that’s become [her] go-to guitar in all
situations. I love the shape of it. I love the feel of it. When you have it on, it just feels like it's a part of you.” [5] The guitar got a fantastic response at Halestorm’s live shows with many people asking Hale where they could get their own one.
The reason Hale choses Gibson over other manufacturers is that “they don’t feel like toys.” On more than one occasion Hale has praised Gibsons for sounding better once they’ve been abused. She is also attracted to the classic look of them. Also in an interview with American Musical Society she said “I like to feel the vibrations in my pelvis. To play a Gibson is a sexual experience.” [6] Hale’s favourite guitar is her signature. She again said how she loves the classiness of the guitar and also “It's like that bad ass metal babe that'll rock you all night, but leave a nice love note in the morning.” [6]
Specifications
Body
For the body of the guitar is solid Mahogany with a 7-ply binding and Franklin Titebond 50 adhesive. The body is made in the same way explorers have been made since 1958
Neck
The neck is also made from Mahogany with Franklin Titebond 50 adhesive. It has an .800/.850 profile and the truss rod is explorer. It has a fairly slim neck which allows for a smooth feel and fast movement around the fretbord.
Neck Fit
The joint used is Mortise and Tenon again with Franklin Titebond 50 adhesive
Fingerboard
The finger board has been made out of Rosewood with 22 frets down it. The inlays on the fret board are acrylic block. The radius is 12”. The fingerboard also has a white binding matching that of Hale’s stage model. Hale's personal model, in contrast, has an ebony fingerboard.
Headstock
They headstock is that of a traditional Explorer with the Gibson logo printed on in gold. The truss rod cover is a white bell hot with Lzzy’s signature stamped on in gold. Hale's personal model has a gold truss rod cover in contrast.
Tuners
The model of the tuners is, Locking MINI Grover™ with Perloid Buttons and gold plating. The tuning ratio is 18:1.
Bridge
The bridge type is a Tone Pro locking Tune-O-Matic made from Zamak with a gold plating.
Tailpiece
The tailpiece type is a Tone Pro Stop Bar again made from Zamak with a gold plating.
Hardware
The knobs are Gold Speed Knobs differing from those on Lzzy’s stage model. On the stage model Hale uses golden knobs with pearl tops. The pic guard is made from gold plastic. The strings that come with the guitar are .009 - .046. The Jack Plate a gold plated steel and the buttons for the straps to attach to Brass End Pins.
Pickups
The pickups neck position is ’57 Classic and the bridge ’57 Classic Plus giving the guitar PAF-style humbucker tones. The coil wiring is machine wound.
Electronics
The potentiometers are 2 volume controls and 1 master tone control, type 500k Non-linear. The switch a three-way switchcraft and the output jack is a traditional ¼”.
Finish
The finish on the guitar is Alpine White with Nitrocellulose Lacquer sealer with a 7-8 mils process.
Accessories
The commercial version of the guitar also comes with a hard shell historic brown case with “Gibson USA” in the bottom left corner. A truss rod wrench and a Gibson USA Owner’s manual are also provided.
Stage
Bound neck, double bound body inspired by Les Paul look, gives it a chunkier look
TV appearances
Lzzy Hale wowed the country audience when she played with Eric Church at the 2014 Country Music Television Awards 2014. She played That’s Damn Rock and Roll with country superstar Eric Church as a dual force both singing and playing guitar. For this performance she was playing her signature. [7]
Video appearances
Due to when Hale got the guitar all the music videos it has featured in have been from Halestorm’s second album ‘’’’’The Strange Case of…’’’’’ Hale can be seen using the guitar in the video for the album's second single ‘’I Miss The Misery’’. This video is a mixture of both live footage and also some footage filmed specially for the video. The guitar is featured in live shots throughout. [8] She is also seen using it in the video for another single called ‘’Freak Like Me’’. The video has footage from Halestorm touring in the United States, the UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Russia and Japan. In it and Hale can be seen using the guitar both onstage, practicing and warming up throughout the video. [9] The guitar is also used in the video for ‘’Here’s To Us’’ the last song on The Strange Case Of… where the band are seen playing but at different stages of ‘rock history’ e.g. Grunge and Glam Rock. Hale is seen with the Explorer in the modern day version of the band as it accurately represents what Halestorm is today and how that guitar has become something of an icon that represents Lzzy Hale. [10] The most recent video that Hale can be seen playing the guitar in is the video for the most recent single from ‘’The Strange Case Of…’’ ‘’Mz Hyde’’. Again this is a video made from live footage. This footage was collected on Halestorm’s 2013 tour supporting Alter Bridge in Europe. [11]
References
1. http://instagram.com/p/uT9Lwxo36L/?modal=true 2. http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Explorer/Gibson-USA/Lzzy-Hale-Explorer.aspx 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEQCWJv5mOE 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQdnZAW6gkQ 5. http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/artist-interviews/halestorm-s-lzzy-hale 6. http://www.americanmusical.com/content--name-lzzy-hale-interview 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRd3V0t2BUE 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpJAmlnBxoA&list=UUjPsvugkwOr9oOk8D7icstQ 9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sXoA7B5yJo&list=PLWf29sMBi0ui9cz-4qKKkEJe-N_oXUb0x 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0DNLDXJW8&list=PLWf29sMBi0ui9cz-4qKKkEJe-N_oXUb0x 11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2OD-dV7j_I&list=UUjPsvugkwOr9oOk8D7icstQ&index=6 12. http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=14090915144832
External Links 1. www.halestormrocks.com 2. www.gibson.com/ 3. ericchurch.com/