When the Def Leppard summer tour kicked off Monday in West Valley City, Utah, Def Leppard fans in attendance were among some of the first to see the brand new Jackson X-Stroyer guitar, custom built for lead guitarist Phil Collen. Collen decided to showcase the new guitar during the band’s 2014 summer co-headlining tour with KISS.

Collen’s original guitar was popularized by the iconic Def Leppard music videos for the hit singles, “Rock Of Ages,” “Foolin’” and “Photograph”. Collen plans on playing his new, custom Jackson during those songs while on tour.

When asked about his new Jackson X-Stroyer Collen stated, “This guitar isn’t an exact carbon copy of my Ibanez DeStroyer; it’s aesthetically based on the one I played in Def Leppard’s classic videos "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", and "Foolin"’ in the 1980s. Somehow that guitar seemed to take on a life of its own with the fans when they saw it in the videos. However, my new Jackson PC X-Stroyer is the exact opposite with regards to the body outline/perimeter. The X-Stroyer has a mahogany body with a maple top that looks solid black from a distance. But then when you get up close you can see the beautiful wood grain of the Trans Black finish. It has DiMarzio pickups, a Floyd Rose tremolo with FU Tone titanium block and saddles and a Jackson Sustainer/Driver pickup same as I have in my Jackson PC1s. My X-Stroyer has a very thick neck, which also helps the tone. This guitar feels and sounds expensive. The intent while building the new instrument was to have a body shape that invokes the ‘spirit/enthusiasm’ of my classic model, but with a twist. Mike Shannon, Jackson senior master builder, really went overboard for me on this one and I think it’s the best Jackson guitar I’ve ever played.”

Jackson has announced plans to release another Phil Collen signature model that will be available to the public in August. The Jackson PC1 Stealth, a limited edition model from the prolific guitarist’s PC line with Jackson, will have two versions of this limited edition model manufactured with only 25 of each currently being built in Corona, CA.

Tour dates:

June

25 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
27 - Ridgefield, WA - Sleep Country Amphitheater
29 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheater

July

2 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
3 - Wheatland, CA - Sacramento Valley Amphitheater
5 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6 - Chula Vista, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
9 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
12 - Austin, TX - austin360 Amphitheater
13 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
15 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
16 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
18 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood
19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
20 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
22 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheater
23 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater
25 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
26 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

August

1 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
2 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
3 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
5 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
6 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
8 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
9 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
10 - Hartford, CT - The Xfinity Theatre
12 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
13 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
15 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theater
16 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
17 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center**
20 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena**
22 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
23 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
24 - Burgettstown, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
26 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
28 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
29 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
31 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

September

4 – Mexico City, Mexico – The Sports Palace (without KISS)
6 – Nuevo Leon, Mexico – Monterrey City Festival, Parque Fundidora (without KISS)

Check out a tour commercial:

Check out 40 minutes of footage from the press conference announcing the tour below: