This guitar is bloody perfect. I know that what I’m about to say is a wild line to lead with, but this is hands down the best guitar that I have ever had the pleasure of playing.

 

The Murder Axe is a 7-string Crescent model - a guitar that I immediately fell in love with the second it landed in my lap. We took what was already perfect, and simply made some savage tweaks to help this guitar evolve into a true killing machine - both onstage and off. 

 

For me, there isn’t another instrument on the market that has the same level of upper fret access for shredding - but this guitar also has brutally pummeling rhythm tones to match. That’s what makes The Murder Axe a shredder’s dream, and a rhythm guitarist’s nightmare …both, good things in this case. 

 

From the criminal level of detailing that goes into this custom blood spatter paint finish, to the supremely flawless fretwork and electronics - this Axe literally has it all.

Legally speaking, I’ve been advised not to divulge whether or not this is my actual blood that’s been spattered onto these guitars - so I’ll let you be the judge of that. 

 

Actually, I would prefer if the legal system didn’t get involved in any of this at all, so please don’t be the judge. No judges please. 

 

Together, we designed it to be the perfect guitar for being both an onstage touring machine, and the perfect weapon for when you’re in the studio. With over 2 years of writing, recording, and national/international tours on this guitar - I can assure you that we executed everything; not everyone. 

 

        The Official Murder Axe comes with a 1-piece swamp ash top & body for the ultimate murderous tone - bringing you that brutal low end, plus the midrange teeth that slice right through the mix. The upper end on this guitar is both bright and warm. All thanks to my favorite neckwood combinations of the flamed maple fretboard and neck streamers for that brightness + snap, plus the warm boldness of the walnut + purple heart. The lead tones from this beast sound so sweet you’d think my name was Sugarman… wait?

 

To take things to the next level, I went with an antique swamp ash treatment to really give this guitar that decrepit “burnt barnyard in the middle of nowhere” feel… the perfect canvas to spatter a body’s worth of blood. 

 

To really lean into that burnt barnyard imagery, I went with a blazingly fast 20” radius roasted flamed maple fretboard… get it? With a crescent moon inlay at the 12th fret to really bring the spooky, and staggered dots finish out the rest of the fretboard. 

 

To help you overcome your fear of the dark, we used glow-in-the-dark luminlay dots as fret-markers. A literal lifesaver when you’re in a blackout moment onstage. This Axe also comes with highly polished stainless steel jumbo frets, which truly make this guitar RIP. 

 

        The Murder Axe also boasts an antique ash headstock that is a total DNA match to the body, smothered in that good blood. It has a reverse inline headstock for a more stable tuning, as well as more low-end tension and a better tone on the heavy side of your strings; with an easier time bending on the upper strings. It’s literally the best. I don’t know why it took me so long to find out why this particular headstock layout was so superior to the others that I was so used to. Lesson learned. 

 

Flip the body over, and you’ll see a tung oiled 7-piece neck made of Walnut, Purple Heart, and Maple. It has 2 carbon fiber truss-rods running through it, resulting in the sturdiest and most stable neck that I have ever had the privilege of abusing on tour. I haven’t dealt with any neck warp issues since my relationship started with Kiesel, nearly 6 years ago. When I say that this guitar stays in tune - I mean it. 

 

The neck is attached to the body in an industry changing “set-thru” method - yet another amazing Kiesel game-changer that is a blend of both a neck-thru, and a set-neck. Giving you the resonance and sustain of a neck-thru, plus the snap and attack of a set-neck. All this voodoo magic is going on while the neck is also the thinnest and most buttery neck option that Kiesel offers.   

 

When it comes to the electronics, that’s where this guitar gets interesting. We’ve removed the tone knob, moved the volume knob out of the way, and loaded this beast with one Kiesel Polarity pickup.

Why does it only have one pickup? Simple - cut out the excess, and make this the most sharpened blade that it can possibly be.

 

        I’ve played a countless number of shows in my lifetime, and no matter how many that I’ve played - hitting my pickup selector or tone knob accidentally, and sounding like a fool, was just a part of it. By removing the option for that, my onstage confidence changed forever. 

I’ve also noticed that whenever I’m watching another guitar player live, I can usually only ever make out the details of what's going on in the mix when they’re using their bridge pickup. It comes down to the science of what goes on in a full spectrum live mix… but effectively, when you hit that switch and go to a middle or neck position, you are quite literally going to a prefabricated EQing that a pickup company did for you. It was designed without putting any special care into your specific performance, or in-studio needs.

This guitar always cuts right through the mix, and if you have a good sound guy or live rig setup with FX changes happening through automated MIDI switches, then you can program moments in your set or solo to have a prefabricated EQ that works best for you, in whatever situation you may find yourself in.

        Last thing on the pickup choice - I’ve recognized that so many players use their neck pickups as a crutch, masking accidentals in their playing in the process. I want to force myself into situations where improving is essential, so that’s just another odd reason why I went with one pickup.

It may seem like it limits your options, but in reality it helps you see how many other options are really out there - all while keeping accidental switching and tone-knob twisting out of your way.
 

To really send this guitar over the top, we went with Kiesel Polarity pickups - which are the first pickups to my knowledge that have a full-sized motherboard in the back of the guitar helping to run the compressor when switched into the “active pickup” position. The standard downward position is set to be the passive pickup, and when you pull the volume knob up, it activates the onboard compressor - resulting in the kind of sound you actually want from an active pickup. The passive & active tones coming from the Polarity pickups are some of my favorites that I’ve ever been lucky enough to find. If you’re a tone hunter like me - then you know exactly what I mean.

 

The tone coming from this guitar is fully present, detailed, and in your face. There is a terrifying fatness to them, while also finding a way to be tightly balanced & focused in the midrange. Perfect for anything heavy or metal, and even more dynamic playing. All thanks tto the amazing design and sensitivity that these pickups bring to the table. If you’re riffing to kill, or simply want to arpeggiate some pretty chords to lull someone into hypnosis, The Murder Axe has your back.

        Now - why does this guitar have no tone knob? Because I’ve never once in my life actually meant to use the tone knob on purpose. If I do hear a different type of tone that I want to bring out in a song I’m working on, then I’ll fine tune that in DAW rather than baking it into a dulled tone that I’m stuck with. If I want to change my sound onstage, these pickups are so dynamically responsive, that I can simply change how I play - resulting in the tone I’m after. 

 

Why did I move the Volume Knob? I’ve been known to abuse my whammy bar quite a bit… Not only was it common for me to accidentally hit the pickup selector or tone knob - but sometimes I would even bring my volume down! By moving the tone knob slightly behind where the hipshot bridge sits, I’ve removed yet another problem that plagued me. 

Because of how specific I am with the way I wanted this guitar to feel, I’ve also managed to go quite possibly a step too far. I was a Floyd Rose addict for years. The feel of the arm-bar was perfect, and I thought at the time the bladed Floyd Rose couldn't be beat. That was until Jeff Kiesel introduced me to their new Hipshot using a pivot-pin technology that has a bell like chime to it, and whammy bar action, control, and tuning stability that I’ve never experienced. 

 

Lastly, this guitar comes with Kiesel Ultimate Soft Case - the exact one that I’ve used countlessly for overseas travel. The kind where your guitar is thrown like a football… The case worked perfectly. It’s the best body bag your money didn’t have to buy - because we’re throwing it on for free when you purchase your very own Murder Axe. . 

 

Considering this guitar has a body count - The Murder Axe is literally to die for.

Get yours now.