“The most exciting guitar for me in years”: Dweezil Zappa's newest signature guitar is here – and it’s as whacky as you’d expect

Shabat Guitars has introduced a new signature guitar for Dweezil Zappa, and the Lynx DZ is – in keeping with his family’s heritage – weirdly wonderful. 

In its purest essence, the Lynx DZ is a faithful recreation of Dweezil’s heavily modded Shabat Lynx, comprising a body-mounted HSS pickup configuration with a push-pull phase shift for the middle single-coil, a streamlined single-knob layout, and a five-way pickup switch.  

The trusty combination of an alder body and quartersawn hard maple neck translates to this build, which also offers 22 Dunlop 6105 frets and a Vega-Trem VT1 tremolo system as it looks to channel much of the magic of the classic Fender Strat.   

In the electronics department, two Lollar Special S single-coils are paired with a Lollar El Rayo bridge humbucker. Its creators say the humbucker has a “percussive quality” close to that of a single-coil, with increased note bloom and less compression than a typical PAF-style humbucker.   

Of the phase shift push-pull on the middle pickup, Zappa says “you will hear an octave sound pop out and that is super unique… kind of like an Octavia without any pedal”. And he’s right – it’s like having an octave pedal hidden within the guitar’s depths (check out the 6:10 mark of the demo video below). 

Built to a 25.5″ scale length, it features gold hardware and Kluson Deluxe tuners with its body given a gorgeously relic’d nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

There’s also a three-ply parchment/gold pickguard split into two for a really interesting look.

Zappa, who recently revealed he’s still working on his ambitious mega-track What the Hell Was I Thinking, has said the instrument is “the most exciting guitar for me in years”.

“I’ve put a lot of time and effort into thinking about what this guitar could be,” he says of the project, which began when Shabat presented him a prototype out of the blue. 

“It’s got a vintage feel but it’s got personality: You need to be drawn to the guitar. This is the ultimate rock machine where you feel like you can dig in and make this thing scream.” 

Players can build their own spec’d-out Lynx DZ via Shabat’s online form. Prices start at $4,499 and rise the sillier your build gets.

Head to Shabat Guitars to learn more.