Eric Kirkland has shared a story via Guitar World on the epic 20-year quest to find the red Jackson guitar legend Steve Vai played as Jack Butler in the 1986 movie, Crossroads. Following is an excerpt from the tale.

Kirkland: "When I began writing for Guitar World in 2001, the job expectedly required a great deal of research, fact checking, etc. And the internet was really only a few years old. As I searched for details about various gear and artists, I frequently saw fans passionately arguing over the Jack Butler guitar. I couldn’t believe how many divergent opinions were shared about who built it, what happened to it, the likely specs, which pickups were in it, etc.  Suffice to say, the online fervor rekindled my own passion for the instrument and began a mild-mannered pursuit that quickly morphed into a monstrous 20-year quest.  

It seemed logical to start my search with the one person most likely to know the guitar’s history and progression of ownership: that’s right, Steve Vai, aka Jack Butler, himself. Of course, It wasn’t as simple as just picking up the phone, and I was keenly aware that leveraging my probationary position with the magazine – under the guise of writing an article that was not yet approved or even pitched – placed me on shaky ground. This wasn’t quite as dishonest as it sounds, because any good journalist is going to research stories that might not be accepted/published. That was my prepared response, but I knew that if anyone actually bothered to call my bosses, it would be readily apparent that my venture was as much personal as it was professional.

Undeterred, I eventually found my way to Vai’s manager and carefully crafted a letter that I hoped would spark his interest. Approximately a month passed and I sheepishly followed up by email several times. Then, one day, I opened my inbox to see that Vai had replied to my query. He couldn’t have been more kind, basically saying he had no recollection of what he did with the guitar after shooting and couldn’t begin to speculate on its whereabouts. In later communications, he said Grover Jackson gave him the guitar prior to being cast in the film and that he brought it to the set thinking that its red sparkle color and style would suit the theme and character.

As we exchanged a few more emails, he said he’d be happy to do a short interview about the movie and even offered to personally go through his vault in search of the guitar; Vai’s own curiosity was admittedly piqued.

On the suggestion of (guitarist) Arlen Roth, I contacted a well-known Jackson collector in Southern California who proved to have a great deal of knowledge about all things Jackson Guitars. He was certain that either Grover Jackson or Mike Shannon built the guitar; Shannon was one of Grover Jackson’s original employees in the heyday of Charvel SuperStrats and is most noted for building Randy Rhoads’ offset Concorde V.

He said Mike was still building guitars, then for the Fender Custom Shop, and that I should also consider contacting a Jackson aficionado in Sweden, who was known to have one of the most extensive collections of rare and obscure Charvels and Jacksons. I emailed the collector, but after several months of waiting, I didn’t receive a reply."

Read the complete story here.

Back in March, Vai posted the following message on social media:

"Thirty-five years ago today (March 14th, 1986), Crossroads was released and Jack Butler came to life! Special shout out to Arlen Roth, Ralph Macchio, Ry Cooder and Walter Hill for making this such a great experience for that 23 year old Steve Vai. His 60 year old self is grateful."

Crossroads is a 1986 American coming-of-age musical drama film inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. Starring Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz, the film was written by John Fusco and directed by Walter Hill. It features an original score featuring Ry Cooder and guitar, and Vai on the soundtrack's guitar as well as performing in the movie as metal-blues guitar master Jack Butler, who sold his soul for musical ability.