British guitarist Sophie Lloyd has launched a signature guitar, which features in the new music video for Lost, a track where Canadian shred superstar Cole Rolland joins her. The SL6 is a new, permanent addition to the Kiesel catalogue and the first signature guitar from a female artist for the prestigious Californian guitar builders.
“Working alongside Sophie Lloyd will always be an experience that pushes me past my creative limitations,” Cole told us. “The energy and enthusiasm that she brings to everything she’s involved in are both inspiring and refreshing. Lost is the climactic release of a long-awaited original collaboration between us that I’m so glad we took our time with.”
Lost is taken from her upcoming debut solo album, which is still a work in progress. “I knew I wanted at least one instrumental song on the album to pay homage to my first EP, Delusions,” Sophie said. “We’d had the basic idea of the song written for a while, but I was struggling to turn it into anything I thought was cool enough – we were actually going to remove it from the album.
“However, I decided to send it to one of the most incredible guitarists I know and a great friend of mine, Cole Rolland. I’d worked with him once before on a Beethoven Goes Metal symphony, so I knew he’d be great. But he completely flipped this song around and gave it a whole new life. He really gave it a whole story without the need for any words and bought a great new energy to it. When we started adding layers and harmonies, we really knew we had something special.”
“My signature model combines all the best bits of my artist series such as the chambered black limba body and 24 fret 14” radius thin neck profile but adds some incredible new features such as a walnut neck, sustainiac pickup option, and gives peoples the ability to customise the guitar to their own taste, choosing their own fretboard, top wood and colour, making each guitar truly unique.
“They are really unlike any guitar I’ve ever played and are sure to enhance and inspire players of every ability.”
Founder Jeff Kiesel is equally enthusiastic. “It’s been such a great time working with Sophie and watching her career continue to thrive. Not only is she a great guitar player, but also an amazing person with a great personality. This signature model marks a first for Kiesel, offering a kill switch and Sustaniac pickup system in her model(s). I’m looking forward to seeing her on stage with them, and also the amazing custom builds from her fans as they customise their very own SL6 signature model to their liking.”
“If you’d have told me when I was a kid I’d have my own signature guitar line coming out, I’d never have believed you, let alone being the first female signature artist for Kiesel,” Sophie said. “Kiesel took me on when I barely had a thousand followers. It’s been amazing to grow with them and become part of the family.
“They are one of the most innovative and exciting brands out there, and their A6 model has become such an extension of me and my playing that I could never imagine playing anything else.”
You can build and customise your own version of the Kiesel SL6, here.
