This is a Schon guitar, produced by the Jackson Guitar Company in San Dimas CA in 1986. Neal Schon of Journey wanted his own design, and funded the creation of this guitar. They only made 186 units of the original run, and these are highly collectible. What makes this guitar much more valuable is this: it was gifted to Jeff Carlisi of 38. Special, by Neal and Jeff played it on the 10th anniversary tribute concert and tour commemorating the 1977 crash that ended Lynyrd Skynyrd. This guitar has been in Jeff’s collection ever since, and has never been offered for sale.
“My Schon guitar was gifted to me by Neal in 1986. His signature guitar was built by Grover Jackson, and there was a production run of 186 units. My guitar is number 148 in that initial run. I took the guitar out on one 38 Special tour to play slide on an intro piece that included Dixie. However, most notably, I appear as a special guest on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Southern By The Grace of God album in 1987. This was a series of live recordings by the reformed band that took place in several different locations. I played on Call Me The Breeze along with Gary Rossington, Ed King, Toy, Caldwell, and Charlie Daniels at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. There is a photo on that album of all of us lined up on stage and I’m playing the Schon. I’ll never forget Neal calling and thanking me for the publicity. A very special and proud memory indeed!”
Jeff Carlisi
Founding member
38 Special
