The Guitar Player's Resource
Remember when Vernon Reid was redefining what rock guitar could sound like with Living Colour? He needed an instrument that could handle both crushing riffs and experimental textures - this style delivers exactly that fearless versatility.
When Vernon Reid needed a signature guitar, he wasn't looking for something safe or predictable - he wanted an instrument that could handle his genre-defying approach to rock guitar without flinching.
The S2 Vela delivers exactly that kind of fearless versatility. That unique pickguard design isn't just Vernon's artistic signature - it's a visual statement that this guitar doesn't follow conventional rules. When someone's spent their career blending metal, funk, jazz, and experimental noise into something completely original, their instrument needs to support that boundary-pushing vision.
Here's where the specs get interesting: that V-shaped neck profile feels substantial and powerful in your hands, giving you the grip you need when you're attacking complex chord voicings or executing rapid-fire single-note passages. It's not the thin, racing-style neck that some shred guitars use - this one gives you something to hold onto when the music gets intense.
Those dual HFS pickups provide the aggressive firepower that Living Colour's music demands. Whether you're cutting through a dense mix with crystalline clean tones or pushing into full saturation territory, these pickups deliver clarity and punch that serves both melodic passages and sonic experimentation.
The Floyd Rose 1000 series tremolo isn't just there for dive-bomb effects - though it handles those beautifully. It's giving you the pitch flexibility that lets you explore microtonal bends and atmospheric textures that fixed-bridge guitars simply can't achieve.
That mahogany body and neck combination provides the warm, singing sustain that makes both clean passages and saturated leads feel musical rather than purely technical. The rosewood fingerboard with bird inlays adds visual elegance that balances the guitar's more aggressive elements.
This is problem-solving design for a player who refuses to stay in one musical lane. Reid needed an instrument that could handle everything his restless creativity might demand, and the S2 Vela delivers exactly that kind of no-compromise versatility.
BODY:
Body Wood: Mahogany
NECK:
Number of Frets: 22
Scale length: 25
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Neck Shape: V-Shape
Fretboard Wood: Rosewood
Fretboard Inlay: Birds
HARDWARE:
Bridge: Floyd Rose 1000 Series Tremolo
Tuners: PRS Low Mass Locking
Hardware Type: Nickel
