Being a huge Rush fan, and heavily influenced by "Moving Pictures" it's easy to see why this one is the cornerstone of my collection. Gibson stopped producing these around 2009-10. Finding one of these in decent condition was a  long journey. This is a '94 model. The pickup covers needed to be replaced and I swapped out the black mounting rings and pickguard for cream. Some vintage looking amber control knobs add the finishing touch. 

Built in 2002, this is the only factory custom shop build in my collection. It's an MH body with an ESP F style headstock, neck-thru contruction, bound ebony fretboard, 24 extra-jumbo frets with reverse sharkfin inlays and an original Floyd Rose. Seymour Duncan Hot Rail in the neck position, Cool Rail in the middle and a Custom Custom in the bridge position. The Floyd has a FU-Tone Big Block, Tremolo Stopper, Silent Springs and Pop In Tremolo Arm. 

The AR-2619 is commonly referred to as a "Les Paul Killer" among Ibanez collectors. This is a '78 model that I found in near mint condition. The bridge and tuners were showing heavy pitting, so I replaced the bridge with a NOS Ibanez Gibraltar that matches the original, and some locking Gotoh tuners. The Tri-Sound switches on the AR series, combined with the three-way toggle, can produce a very robust tone pallet allowing for Series, Parallel, and Single Coil wiring modes. 

This is my latest custom build, completed in 2022. The Alex Lifeson influence showed up in true form, and this is my take on his "Hentor Sportscaster", a Fender Strat modified to have Gibson qualities. A Bill Lawrence L500L humbucker in the bridge position really dials in the Moving Pictures tones. This is not an exact replica. In true NightOwl fashion, there are additional mods for my personal playing preferences. You can read more about this build here. 

This guitar was a rare find. I had always wanted a Gibson EDS-1275, and was looking for a good used one when this showed up in my search. It's a 1981 and it is all original, no modifications. Both the 6 and 12 strings have the Ibanez Tri-Sound circuit, and you can get some amazing clean glassy 12 string tone when split to one coil. Ibanez AR series necks are extremely comfortable to play on, bound ebony fingerboards and set-in construction for excellent tone transfer. 

The DK1 was the flagship bolt-on neck model in Jackson's USA Select Series. I purchased this one new in 1998, my first high end "shred machine". It has a beautiful rose colored transparent finish over a quilted maple top. The quartersawn maple neck with bound ebony fretboard is lightning-fast to play on. It has an original Floyd Rose and Seymour Duncan pickups. The Floyd has a FU-Tone Big Block, Tremolo Stopper, Silent Springs and Pop In Tremolo Arm.   

"Picasso" is my first custom build,  inspired by The Ibanez JPM100-P1 John Petrucci signature model. The neck and body were sourced from Perle Guitars. The neck is Brazillian bloodwood with an ebony fingerboard. The body was etched 1/8" deep and wide with the Picasso design. I filled the etching in with black epoxy before painting, which gives the design an inlaid effect. The electronics and wiring match the JPM100-P1 exactly. All hardware is Ibanez original in black chrome.

I had never owned an acoustic 6 string until I purchased this Ovation new in 2000. The Custom Elite series were the top-tier USA made acoustic-electric, featuring a super shallow bowl, the epaulet multi-soundhole pattern, and AAA Sitka Spruce top. The top is bound and has abalone purfling as well. The neck is 5 piece mahogany and maple with an ebony fingerboard. It features the Optima preamp with a 4-band EQ and an XLR output. It sounds amazing when plugged in.

I was very happy with my 6 string Ovation, so I added in this 12 string in 2007, purchased from the same dealer. This model was available as a factory order only, and has all of the top-tier features that the CE-868 does, right down to the abalone purfling and gold hardware. It has an OP-1 preamp with a 3-band EQ. I was surprised at how easy this guitar was to play on the upper frets when properly dialed in. Like the CE-868, it sounds amazing when amped.