Mikael Akerfeldt Designs Signature Guitar Through PRS Guitars

Band Photo: Opeth (?)

Opeth front man Mikael Akerfeldt has issued the following update about appearing at the NAMM convention and designing a signature guitar with PRS Guitars:

"Hello! It's been a while huh? Merry Christmas & a happy new year and whatever. I survived! Did you? I'm not gonna ramble as much as I usually do cause this time I actually have an agenda...something IMPORTANT I wanna tell you about! Here goes: Tits! I love them!

"Secondly: I have my own signature guitar coming out!!! I will be at NAMM in a few days introducing it + it looks like me and Fred might do some type of session as well where we go through a few licks and pretend like we could actually ‘teach’ you something. Might be fun, but there's a risk it might be completely un-fun too (cause I'm gonna be nervous!). I'll just talk shit and Fred can show some licks. Deal?

"Anyways, if you like guitars (which I know you do) I just wanna brief you on what my own signature guitar will be like. Kinda...I haven't played it yet myself but designed it from scratch together with the lovely development team at PRS guitars. I based the whole design around the red Modern Eagle custom 24 that I used here and there in the ‘Roundhouse tapes’ DVD. It's also the one that we used for pretty much all the solos on the ‘Watershed’ record, and the only guitar I've ever brought to our producer Jens Bogren that he liked. Yes, it's fucking amazing and the best guitar in my collection without a doubt.

"This model (simply called Mikael Akerfeldt SE) will be available soon. I don't have the retail price as of yet, but since it's a SE model it's not going to be that ‘bad’. (EDIT: THANKS! Somebody got the link for me!) It will be single cutaway mahogany body with a flamed maple top, neck will be of the wide-fat type and made of 3 piece maple that also goes around to the front of the headstock. Sweet! Ebony fretboard and 24 jumbo frets with extra large side dots for the 5th and 12 fret (I have fluorescent tape on my other guitars so I can sing and still see where I'm at while playing, this will look better!!). There will be the old style PRS bird inlays on the fretboard. One HFS and one Vintage bass pickup thrown in with a 3 way toggle switch. PRS style tremolo and all the hardware all will be gold (Bling! Well...it's fool's gold or something but whatever.....). The main finish is called Tortoise shell but it might be available in more, I don't know yet. The whole guitar will be high glossed up apart from the back of the neck which I've requested to be satin matt, which is so much better for me at least. I think there will be a nice little Opeth ‘O’ logo under the bridge as well. Comes with a gigbag. I've only seen pictures of it so far but I can't wait to play it. I think I might spend the LA nights with it....yes...kinky! I think it looks stunning, oh yes I do!!

"Anyways, just check it out will ya? It's insanely BIG for me to have a thing like this happening. I never thought there was a chance in the world that I'd have a guitar with my fucking name on it, but now I do. I had to make sure it's all clean and hunky dory from my end and this is a guitar that I would use myself. It has all the specs that I'm looking for personally and is made for allround guitar players, songwriters, leadplayers, vocalists/guitarists...you name it. It will cover a lot of ground I think. Lo and behold...been rambling again...fuck off, I know!

"Anyways...demoing a new song...sounds good! Check out the films ‘Sexy beast’ (Ben Kingsley....how the fuck can you be THAT good?) and ‘Inglorious basterds’. Tarantino has redeemed himself since that piece of shit-film called ‘Hellride’! Woo-hoo! Good-bye...for now!"