Guitar wizard Steve Vai was honored with the prestigious Les Paul Award at the 27th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards on January 20th.

The special event took place in Anaheim, CA as part of the NAMM 2012.

The Les Paul Award is an annual prize given to a musician/recording artist whose work has epitomized the marriage of music and technology.

The 2011 honor was co-presented to Vai by Les Paul’s son, Russ Paul, and bassist Billy Sheehan.

Vai joins a lengthy list of music icons who have received the Les Paul Award, including Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Robertson and more.