Ibanez and Steve Vai Unveil the One-of-a-Kind Hydra Guitar

Steve Vai and Ibanez Guitars have revealed “The Hydra.” This one-of-a-kind instrument is the result of a five-year collaborative effort. It’s a one-body, two-headstock, three-necked beast with 7 and 12-string guitars, a 4-string bass, 13 sympathetic harp strings, half-fretless necks, single-coil, humbucking, piezo, MIDI, and sustainer pickups, floating and hardtail bridges, phase splitters, and a lot more.

Check out the reveal video below, which is set to Steve Vai’s new single Teeth Of The Hydra from his album Inviolate. The Hydra was used to write the new song, which displays its sound diversity.

“I feel this instrument has the potential to be historical,” notes Vai. “It’s unique in various ways and its construction is inspired. And there’s a song that was written on it that honours the potential of the instrument.”

“‘The Hydr,’ as Mr Vai has appropriately nicknamed it, began as a notion that Steve contacted Ibanez with some years ago,” explains Ibanez Artist Relations Manager Mike Orrigo. While we were aware that bringing Steve’s vision to life would be a massive job, we were unafraid of the challenge.