The Altitude Summary

These don't come around very often, let alone with an attractive pattern for the "Mustard, Ketchup, Relish" color scheme.  For this reason, we are stoked to offer this rare and extremely clean Universe MKR in its original Pink-lined Ibanez case.  This guitar is in quite amazing condition for being 33 years old, showing only a couple of small finish cracks/scratches (pictured) and surface scratches from picking/cleaning only visible from certain angles.  Overall, the guitar has no paint chips, no cracks at the neck pocket, and is 100% original.  The frets are clean with no wear or indentations, with a very clean setup that gives that low action and shred-capability to these 7-string monsters.  This rare, original example is a great collection piece or player's dream.

Ibanez UV77 Seven-String Electric Guitar

The UV77 is a seven-string solid body electric guitar model introduced by Ibanez in 1990. It is a signature model of American guitarist Steve Vai and is part of his renowned Universe series. Notably, the UV77 was available exclusively in a distinctive Multi Color finish.

Historical Significance

A prototype of the UV77 MC gained iconic status by appearing on the cover of Steve Vai's 1990 album, Passion and Warfare. This prototype featured a monkey grip similar to Vai's JEM guitars, but the grip was edited out of the cover image. All regular production UV77 models were manufactured without the monkey grip.

Unique Multi-Color Finish

The UV77’s unique multi-color finish is a result of a specialized swirling process. While regular production took place in Japan, the guitar bodies were sent to the USA for swirling by Darren Johansen of About Time Design (ATD). The unfinished bodies were shipped from Japan to the US for the swirling process and then returned to Japan for clear-coating and final assembly.

Early Models and the MKR Series

Some of the initial UV77s were swirled in Japan and are known as MKRs (Mustard/Ketchup/Relish) due to their limited color palette. These early attempts to replicate the swirling process in Japan did not meet Steve Vai's quality standards, leading to the decision to have later models swirled in the USA.

Key Features

• Model: Ibanez UV77
• Introduced: 1990
• Signature Artist: Steve Vai
• Series: Universe
• Finish: Swirled Multi Color
• Production Locations: Japan (production), USA (swirling)
• Notable Appearance: Cover of Passion and Warfare album (1990)
• Unique Identifiers: Early Japanese swirled models known as MKRs

The Ibanez UV77 remains a highly sought-after guitar for its unique finish, historical significance, and association with Steve Vai.