Heavy metal's front man Jeff Waters now serves as lead shredder for Epiphone, who has introduced the Jeff Waters Annihilation-V signature model electric guitar. The bred-to-shred Annihilation-V guitar bows down to Annihilator's guitarist Jeff Waters, who is ranked as one of the greatest, heaviest metal guitarists, ever. Will this new guitar make you sound like him? We're not sure, but it looks cool nonetheless.

The Jeff Waters Annihilation-V features a solid mahogany body in the Flying V shape that Waters prefers, along with a neck carved from another piece of solid mahogany and glued in with a deep-set Flying V neck joint for easy access to the upper frets. A "D" profiled SlimTaper neck combines comfort with the lightning fast speed, notes the manufacturer, while a 24-fret phenolic fingerboard offers a smooth, resonant, and durable surface for shredding and more shredding.

Designed specifically for Waters by Epiphone engineers and made by Gibson USA's pickup division, the "JWT" (Jeff Waters Treble) and "JWR" (Jeff Waters Rhythm) pickups in the bridge and neck positions are said to provide lots of power. Both humbuckers feature 4-conductor wire, and the JWT bridge pickup features a Ceramic-8 magnet for the right combination of crunch and growl, enhanced lows and clear highs. The JWR neck pickup has an Alnico-II magnet that provides vintage tone offering good sustain, clarity, power, and warmth. Together, the two pickups are said to deliver the right combination of crunch and clean.

What's more, the signature model has a simple array of a single volume control with push-pull switch for coil splitting, tapping noise free single-coil tones from both pickups, a three-way toggle selector, and a "kill button" for creating your own radical playing effects. The Jeff Waters Annihilation-V also sports the LockTone Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbard tailpiece, which forms a tight and resonant string-to-body coupling at the tail end, and Epiphone StrapLocks so that you can dive around the stage without throwing the guitar.

The Annihilation-V is available in Pitch Black satin or Annihilation Red gloss, with custom red or silver (depending on the finish) "Annihilation Devil" fingerboard graphics, Jeff Waters' signature at the back of the headstock, and black plated hardware. The guitar comes with a plush-lined hardshell case and Epiphone's Limited Lifetime warranty. The Annihilation-V lists at $1,165.

For more information, please visit epiphone.com.