Together with his band Annihilator, founded in 1984, Jeff Waters is one of the most successful musicians in Canada. Renowned for his tight rhythm and sophisticated leads with light speed, Waters has been relying on his signature model of Epiphone in the studio and on tour for a long time.
With the Jeff Waters Annihilation-II, Epiphone is now presenting a revised signature model for the Canadian Thrasher, which impresses with its rich sound and agile playability. The characteristic mahogany body is smaller than a typical Flying V, which greatly improves handling even during the most violent stage performance. To ensure that the Annihilation-II is also pleasant to play while sitting, there is a corrugated rubber pad on the underside, which effectively counteracts the guitar slipping.
The included gig-bag protects the guitar from damage during transport.
Due to the "deep-set" bolt-on connection, the neck of the Epiphone Jeff Waters Annihilation-II Flying-V offers unimpeded playability over all 24 frets of the Phenolic fretboard. The "1960's SlimTaper D" -profile is extremely comfortable and lets every riff and lick fly from the fingers. Classic dot inlays, complemented by the devilish annihilator mascot in the 12th fret ensure perfect orientation.
For the pickup selection of the Annihilation II, Jeff Water chose the Epiphone ProBucker, which with its powerful sound provides an excellent foundation for juicy metal sounds. The ProBucker-3 in the bridge position impress with its crisp sound, riffs with tighter precision and leads with cutting force, while the ProBucker-2 in the neck position offers warm mid-range and transparent highs. Machine gun-like sounds can be generated using the KillPot in the Tone slider.
High-quality hardware completes the appointments of the Epiphone Jeff Waters Annihilation-II Flying V. The strings are guided from the LockTone Stopbar via a LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge, which ensures a perfect setting of the string action and intonation. The Grover Rotomatics ensure long-term stability.
The guitar has its unique features as Jeff describes in the review video. I like the Annihilator sound and this flying V has it as it is on their best albums. I like particularly the half pick-up feature. In a sentence - it is a lovely instrument which I would never part with!