Shergold double neck

Mike Rutherford owned a custom-built Shergold double neck, which is arguably the most famous of the double necks he played with Genesis and the one he played longest.

He had four detachable "halves" of the Shergold (all early Modulator series models) - a 4-string bass, two 12-strings and a 6-string guitar with single-coil pickups. This detachable halves feature was something none of his previous double neck instruments offered. For the bottom half of the Shergold double neck it was usually the bass, while for the top half Mike would alternate between the 6- and 12-string guitars. Mike particularly loved the bass half: "it has the warmth when you want it, but it has the cut and bite as well."

All the Shergold guitars came with a selection of 5 different modules which Mike could change between - including, to name a few, a Module 4 (stereo), Module 2 (phaser) and Module 5 (recording).

Mike debuted with the Shergold double neck on the Wind And Wuthering tour in 1977. Since then he continued to use it regularly for Genesis concerts and studio work until following the Encore tour in 1982. The Shergold's heavy weight could have led to a deep rut in the shoulder if worn for too long, so he tended to alternate between the Shergold and other guitars in concert. By the time of the Mama tour, as Mike's sound changed, he used the Strata double neck instead which was a lighter, carbon-fibre based alternative.

Halves of the Shergold were sold in 2001.

Quotes on the Shergold double neck
"'I tried a Shergold 12-string in a shop, and I liked it very much, so I said 'Do you make basses?' And they said yes, and I tried that. Very nice sound - it had the sort of treble attack I like, and the bass warmth. I said 'Can you do me a double-neck?' I've always had this idea of a changeable instrument, to give me the scope during a live show to swap over easily, and they came up with that.'"