Dave Mustaine Guitars 

Well into the late 1970s and early 1980s, an underground new wave of heavy metal was brewing with some of the most remarkable guitarists, each inevitably ascending to Rock legend status. One of the most notable of the era was a young and energetic Dave Mustaine. Also known for his short tenure with Metallica, Mustaine is revered for founding yet another band of metal’s Big Four, Megadeth.

Throughout the years, Dave has remained not only the band’s frontman and guitarist but also its main engine in terms of composition and image, leaving no room for debate when the band is referred to as his solo project.

Dave Mustaine is best known for playing Jackson King V and Jackson Y2KV model guitars. In 2007 he partnered with Dean Guitars to produce the VNMT Dave Mustaine Signature model, and in 2021 he became a Gibson ambassador, with a full product line of signature Gibson guitars.

GIBSON

In early 2021, it was revealed that Mustaine was teaming up with Gibson for his new signature line of guitars. Once again, the main model is a V-style electric guitar. However, compared to the classic Flying V, this one will have a “6-in-line” kind of headstock, very similar to the one on Gibson’s Explorer model.

It was also announced that Krammer, Now under Gibson Brands ownership, will be included in the product catalog as will Epiphone, each will have its exclusive models. Additionally, Gibson will also release a special single-cutaway acoustic six-string with Mustaine, the CF-1000 model.

Gibson is set to innovate the game along with Mustaine, taking notes and blueprints from his previous signature models over the years, both parties have shared that this collaboration has been a long time coming. Aditionally Mustaine has said in a few exclusive interviews that the reason behind this delayed partnership was due to the fact that when he started, he was running on a humbler budget that prevented him from getting a Gibson. After a few years into notoriety, he had already gone down a different road, but this time it seems that both Megadeth and Gibson have got it all covered, and it is just thrilling to see whats next.

JACKSON AND DEAN

Since 2007, this particular model has become Mustaine’s weapon of choice for basically every studio album and live performance. Although he didn’t entirely discarded the use of his previous Jackson Y2KV models, Dave figured it was time for an upgrade. For the design of this new signature line, he brought in some ideas that didn’t fully come through back in 1999 when he signed off his deal with Jackson, and so this particular V became the guitar that Dave had been longing for since the 90s.

Teaming up with Dean really marked a big change for metal musicians, but this fashion became rather noticeable in the late 2000s. One of the first guitarists to make it trendy was in fact Dave Mustaine along although not a pioneer with Dean guitars, he certainly made it big time when he got involved in creating the VMNT.

This particular model is based on his preferred Jackson King V models from the 80s. However, the main difference in design and specs from the original King V, are the pickups. This time around, Dave had partnered up with Seymour Duncan to release a heavy signature set of humbuckers called Live Wire, they’re rather similar to his previously trademarked SH-4 JB and SH-2N but they come with an active preamp and attack.

As expected and per usual, Dave has various VMNTs in his catalog, some of the most iconic ones are his “Holy Grail” and “Gears of War” custom-painted models, which served as the pinnacle of the series back in 2016 when celebrating 33 years of Megadeth. Present-day, however, has seen Mustaine using mainly his all-black V-shaped Dean and one of his all-time favorite models in a natural Korina finish.

Mustaine used in fact his Korina VNMT to promote Megadeth’s 2020 world tour, as well as for the band’s opening performance in Bloodstock 2017.

After starting his collaboration with Jackson, new guitars started rolling in, including one black King V Custom model in black finish. Made back in 1986, the instrument featured Seymour Duncan JB and Bill Lawrence 500L pickups, as well as a fixed Kahler bridge. Additionally, there was also the JE-1200 active mid-boosting circuitry.

The instrument was also easily recognizable due to the Megadeth logo on the front of the body. The instrument also saw some heavy modifications over the years, including a completely new silver finish as well as a new neck. With these modifications, it later became known as the “Number One.”

It was a part of his regular rig all the way until 1992 or 1993 when Dave got new Jacksons. However, some of these new guitars were practically identical to the original King V, so it’s hard to determine when exactly he started and stopped using it.

Regardless of its siblings and particular use, it’s hard to think of Mustaine wielding something else than a black V-shaped six-string, and that iconic image of this meta god is largely due to this particular guitar. It became even more memorable when it appeared on the music video for “In My Darkest Hour” back in 1988 when Megadeth was rising to prominence and status as one of metal’s big four.

Timetable Showing Each Guitar Dave Mustaine Has Played at Each Point of His Career