Often referred to as “one of the best rock
guitarists ever,” Jason Becker continues to
inspire guitarists and shape their tone even
though hasn’t played a note in years. Becker
shot to fame quickly as a shred wunderkind
and was recording with David Lee Roth by the
age of 20. That’s when he was diagnosed with
ALS and told he had just a few years to live.
Nearly 20 years later, Becker is still releasing
albums and designing signature gear. His
motor skills are long gone, including his ability
to speak, but his mind is sharp. He continues
composing and advising gear designers
through the aid of a computer. Recently,
three new projects have been unveiled: a new
album, signature guitar and signature pedal.
Jason’s new album,
Collection, features
recordings from his time with David Lee
Roth, Shrapnel and Warner Brothers as well
as three new songs that fellow guitar heavyweights
helped him turn into a reality. None
other than Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Michael
Lee Firkins, Marty Friedman, Steve Hunter
and Greg Howe helped lay down the tracks
that Jason was hearing in his head.
Paradise Guitars USA also recently released
Jason’s signature model guitar. It has a
Tung Oil finished Alder body and a maple
neck with a 2-way truss rod. The maple fingerboard
has a 16” radius and jumbo-thin
frets. The guitar has a Floyd Rose Pro Style
floating trem and Sperzel Red Satin Tuners.
It is loaded with DiMarzio pickups, a 500K
volume pot and a 5-way blade. Starting at
$2499 for the Standard Package, the Jason
Becker Signature Model is available for
order now.
Finally, Jason is helping guitarists shape
their tone through his Pro Tone Distortion
pedal (List: $289), which was designed to
help recreate his sound from his solo debut
album, Perpetual Burn. The JB Distortion is
an analog emulation of his British amp with
added gain and a boost channel. It features
Preamp Volume, Gain, Master Volume and
Burn (boost) controls as well as a three
band tone stack. The original artwork for
the pedal was painted by Jason’s father,
Gary Becker.
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The Limited Edition JB Distortion (left), Standard JB Distortion (right)
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A recent development of note: Pro Tone
Pedals is planning a limited edition run of
a special JB Distortion pedal (Direct: $319)
that will maximize the company’s ability to
distribute a share of the profits to Becker.
It features different artwork, a poster and a
few picks. It will be sold exclusively on Pro
Tone’s website, enabling the manufacturer
to pass along a greater share of the proceeds
to Becker with his medical bills.
For more information:
shrapnelrecords.com
paradiseguitarsusa.com
protonepedals.com