What is it?

When Neural DSP announced it had teamed up with John Mayer for a plugin, two worlds that probably couldn’t have been further apart were suddenly thrust together. On the one side, there are vintage tube amps, analogue pedals, and boutique single coil pickups. On the other, it’s 1s, 0s, and a pair of studio headphones.

It’s a mind-blowing thing when a guitarist famous for using bespoke Dumble amps announces a digital version of their rig, and with Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X, suddenly, there’s a guitar plugin that may satisfy even the most rigorous of tube amp tone defenders. I can’t have been the only person questioning whether this was the event that was finally going to make me put down my tube amp and go for a full modelling rig.

The plugin models three of John’s favourite guitar amps, with the vibrato channel of his 1964 Fender Vibroverb, a Dumble Steel String Singer #002, and the Two-Rock John Mayer Signature Prototype ‘Signature #83’. His pedals are also present and accounted for, with approximations of a clean boost, Klon Centaur, Ibanez Tube Screamer, and Marshall Bluesbreaker making up the overdrive section.

A filter pedal based on the EHX Q-Tron is available alongside a short, analogue delay for slapback sounds in front of the amp. The 'Gravity Tank' effect combines harmonic tremolo and spring reverb, and you also get an EQ and compressor modelled on units he uses in the studio. At the end of the chain, there's another delay pedal and a reverb pedal, giving you plenty of options for tone tweaking.

Specs

• Launch price: €199
• Type: Amp and FX modelling plugin (hosted or standalone)
• System requirements: MacOS 13 Ventura or higher/Windows 10 or higher, AMD Quad Core R52200G/Intel Core i3/Mac Silicon M1 or higher, 1GB storage space, 8GB RAM
• Formats: VST2, VST3, AU, AAX
• Contact: Neural DSP

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★★½

The Neural DSP John Mayer plugin is arranged very similarly to every other Neural plugin, so if you’ve used one before, you’ll feel right at home. The signal chain is accessible via the top of the window, starting with the ‘pre-fx’ that features a boost, filter, two overdrive pedals, and a delay effect. The harmonic tremolo and spring reverb is next, titled the ‘Gravity Tank’ and interestingly placed before the guitar amp section.

The following section houses the window to select from John’s amps, and even more interestingly, an option to run all three at the same time. The visual shows all of the amps on one stage, and they get blacked-out accordingly depending on which setup you select. With the blend option selected, there’s no option to adjust the cabinet settings however, you can only do this with a single amp type selected.

Each amp has its own control scheme, differentiated by individual designs for each control set. Bright and Mid switches are available alongside the usual EQ controls, with two input types on the Dumble, while the Two-Rock amp features a Bright switch, two EQ types, and a Presence control.

These controls are scaled down from the actual amps Mayer uses, so if any super-fans were looking for exact recreations, they might be slightly disappointed here. Personally, I don't think it hampers the usability of the amps all that much.

Opening up the cab window, it’s the usual fare for a Neural plugin. You can change microphone types with 11 different options, as well as the ability to load a third-party impulse response if you wish. With dynamic mics, condenser microphones, and ribbon microphones available to be selected, each cabinet allows for the placement of these in any way you see fit, adjusting their position on the speaker as well as the distance away from the cabinet. You can also flip the phase between the two mics if you want to create some purposefully thinner tones.

Next up, we have the EQ and compressor section. It’s a wide, four-band EQ that covers lows, low mids, high mids, and highs. You also get additional low and high cut options to tweak things further.

The compressor offers a simple two-knob layout which will be familiar to any guitarist who’s used one on their pedalboard, with knobs marked Input and Output for simplicity. The final section of the app features a Dream Delay and studio reverb, with the delay able to switch between ping pong and regular tones, while the reverb can be set to hall or plate.

There are 18 presets from the man himself, and a full 40 artists have contributed their own presets to the plugin, which is the most I’ve seen in any Neural DSP product. The preset browser finally has a Favourites option, something I’ve been crying-out for over many years using Neural plugins, with presets featuring tags for descriptions and a useful ‘recent’ section to quickly recall your last used settings.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

With a single-coil-equipped Telecaster plugged into my Universal Audio audio interface, I start by clicking through the Mayer presets to see what sounds are available. It’s no surprise to find that these are mainly made up of clean and low/mid-gain sounds, with some specific presets for Gravity, and a tone from the Dead & Company celebratory concerts. If you’re looking for a plethora of song-specific sounds however there aren’t all that many, with the bulk made up of more general-purpose tones.

They respond well to volume knob adjustments, allowing me to clean up the dirtier tones before applying more gain when I want to start playing lead, just like the man himself does. As you might expect, there’s plenty of blues-lead-friendly stuff here, whether you want notes that ring out for days or those edge-of-breakup tones that respond to your picking dynamics.

If you’re not a blues player, there are still plenty of great sounds to dig into here. The quality of the trio of amps is such that you can get bright Fender jangle that can be pushed into a harsher breakup from the Smooth Operator, a more mid-focused tone from the Headroom Hero, or more low-end from the Signature 83. It’s surprisingly versatile, and of course while there’s no high-gain, the combination of boost pedal and two overdrives means things can get pretty saturated when you need.

There’s a lot of fun to be had in the Pre-FX section, and I particularly enjoyed the Justa Boost pedal, which just makes everything sound better and has a switch to add even more gain. The overdrive section does what you’d expect, and the trio of Klon, Bluesbreaker, and Tube Screamer style sounds means you can coax a lot of different tones out of it. The Antelope Filter modelled on the EHX Q-Tron is a load of fun, and the Millipede Delay in front of the amp is great for classic slapback sounds, adding a nice bit of thickness to the tone without being immediately obvious.

I found it a bit of a shame then that you can’t place the spring reverb and harmonic tremolo of the Gravity Tank after the amp. The lack of signal chain maneuverability is something present on all the Neural DSP plugins, but I personally prefer my reverb after my amp. As something of a tone tweaker who spends a lot of time playing guitar ‘in-the-box’, I would love to see the same flexibility you get on the Quad Cortex present in the plugins too.

Verdict

The Neural DSP John Mayer plugin is a triumph in many ways, but mainly in that it’s managed to bring the two opposing worlds of tube amp purists and modelling aficionados to a single, incredibly good-sounding place. It delivers damn good guitar tones quickly and easily, with enough variety to keep players of all kinds entertained.

For those who like to tweak, the lack of signal chain agility could be a limiting factor. It would be nice to be able to move elements back and forth at will for deeper experimentation, and with the three amp setup, I would’ve liked the flexibility of customizing the cabinets of each for super deep editing. I imagine those players are in the minority however, and the ability to instantly get your hands on some of the greatest guitar tones of the modern era will more than make up for the lack of flexibility.

MusicRadar verdict: At the core of the Neural DSP Archetype: John Mayer X plugin are brilliant guitar tones, and I love that you don’t have to be a Mayer mega-fan to enjoy what’s on offer here. Despite not being much of a fan myself, I never felt like an outsider using his signature plugin, because the core sounds are fantastic, no matter what your preferred playing style or genre.

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Hands-on videos

Guitar World

Danish Pete

Rabea Massad

Don Was has seen John Mayer’s command of the electric guitar up close. He was in the control room for 2012’s Born And Raised, its 2013 follow-up Paradise Valley, and spent much of 2020 holed up in the studio with Mayer as he made Sob Rock during the pandemic.

Few producers know Mayer’s playing better. So when Was likens Mayer to George Harrison, citing his gift for crafting sounds out of left field that elevate a song, he doesn’t do so lightly.

“His guitar tones are unparalleled,” says Was, speaking to Tom Butwin of the the Everything Mayer Podcast and YouTube show. “They’re not just evocative, cool sounds, but they’re thick, and they’re warm, and they jump out of speakers, and I’m not sure how he does it.”

How he does it is not just a question of gear. You can have the PRS Silver Sky signature guitar. You could get Mayer’s guitar plugin suite from Neural DSP, the Archetype: John Mayer X, which collects captures of not one but three of his most holy grail tube amps.

But Was argues it’s not the same thing. You need his brain and his hands, too.

“Yes, he’s got the best gear you can have, but I’ve played his guitars and I don’t sound like him,” he says.

Was believes casual listeners might miss some of the subtle guitar details in Mayer’s recordings, but these are exaclty the kinds of sounds that catch the ear of players.

“I think people might take that for granted, but that’s one of the first things I notice when I listened to those records after not hearing them for a while,” continues Was. “It’s like, ‘Holy cow, man!’”

This makes him think of Harrison. But he went further, and says – cautiously – that Mayer could be even better than the late Beatle when it comes to teasing out unique sounds from his instrument.

“George Harrison was good at stuff like that, getting distinctive sounds that you only hear once on a certain song but it makes the song heaven, and that’s a strength of John’s,” explains Was. “He has the same thing. You notice I was loath to say John’s better than George Harrison. I just thought that ain’t gonna sit well with people. But he might be better than George Harrison.”

Comparing guitar players is a dangerous game. There is no better, not really, and even if there is, then you can be guaranteed that no one will agree with you. When Was says that Mayer might be better than George Harrison, he places the emphasis on the might.

What Was is in no two minds about is Mayer’s talent for putting a composition together. That is what sets him apart from everyone else he has worked with, e.g. Bob Dylan, the B-52s, the Rolling Stones, and, yes, George Harrison, like in 1990 when Harrison came in to play a solo on Dylan’s Under The Red Sky.

“I’ve never seen anyone with that many ideas for arrangements. He’s never short of ideas,” says Was. “It’s always, you know, ‘We have to do something in this section here.’ He’ll find 10 different, really elegant ways of of making that section work.

“And my job is never to tell him what to play; it’s to help him sort through the wealth of information that he’s laid down, to choose the most effective. His arrangement skills are incredible.”

John Mayer may have purchased the historic Henson Studios in Los Angeles, but he freely admits he doesn’t know how to use its mixing desk.

That’s what the 48-year-old guitarist revealed in a new video produced by the LA Times that sees Mayer and his partner in the venture, film director McG, explain why they have bought the complex that was once known as A&M studios. As you can see below, Mayer and McG guide the cameras around their new purchase before they arrive in the control room.

“Can you operate an SSL?” asks McG. To which Mayer replies: “No. I know just enough to let the other people do their jobs"

The business partners paid $44 million to purchase Henson, which they have renamed Chaplin Studios in honour of the silent screen legend who first broke ground on the building over a century ago. “In a day and age where people are seeing a lot of things disappear, it’s nice to be responsible for retaining something that’s a hundred years old,” the guitarist explains. “For as much innovation that there is, I like there being a little more preservation.”

The pair’s vision for the studios is for it to be a creative hub for artists. “We’re doing our best to create kind of a Warhol’s Factory thing of like-minded artists bumping into each other to do their best work possible,” McG told the LA Times.

Henson/ A&M saw many many famous albums take shape within its four walls – Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Tapestry by Carole King and Guns N’ Roses’ pair of Use Your Illusion albums, to name just a few. It was also the location for the star-studded We Are The World session in early 1985.

Mayer and McG aren’t the first investors with Hollywood connections to take over a much-loved studio. Back in 2021 it was announced that Brad Pitt had bought Château Miraval, the studio in the South of France that had been used by the likes of Pink Floyd, AC/DC and Sting.

Preserving an old-school facility like Henson in the face of the music economics of 2026 – reduced recording budgets and the shift to home recording - will be a challenge, as the pair admit: “The real estate guys weren’t necessarily saying what a prudent business move this was,” says McG. “But it’s not about the dividend or the monthly spit-out.”

“I love doing things that people tell me aren’t gonna work,” suggests Mayer. “That’s how I know I’m onto something.”

Neural DSP has closed out 2025 with an almighty mic drop, announcing a signature Archetype X guitar plugin suite for John Mayer that captures all of his high-end guitar amps, and the über-rare pedalboard candy that makes his tone a grail for countless players.

This is one for the Silver Sky ownership club. That goes without saying. But there’s a lot of treasure in a bundle that marks Neural DSP’s most high-profile artist collab so far.

Even if there is an actual Gravity Tank device that combines Mayer’s spring reverb and harmonic tremolo in one unit, this plugin is not just for those who spend their Saturday afternoons trying to nail Mayer’s Gravity solo.

Digitally adventurous blues guitar players could get a lot of use out of Neural DSP’s forensic captures of Mayer’s 1964 Fender Vibroverb, a one-of-one Two-Rock prototype Signature tube amps (serial #83), or [drum roll] his Dumble Steel String Singer (serieal #002).

Let’s face it, who but the major league pro has the kind of bread to have that in their backline? And who has the space in back of their car?

Those amps would do a trick for rock, pop, jazz, for anyone looking for those touch-sensitive dynamics. As Neural DSP co-founder and CEO Douglas Castro says, Mayer’s rig “breathes”.

It’s alive. Castro and his team wanted to capture all those nuances in this Archetype X package.

“John’s sound has inspired guitarists around the world, and it was a privilege to work with him directly to recreate the rig that anchors his tone,” said Castro. “There’s an intimacy to the way his rig responds – it breathes, it opens up, it carries emotion – and capturing that behaviour was one of the most meaningful projects we’ve taken on.

“John’s tone comes from a chain of choices made over years of playing and recording. We preserved those choices so players can begin where he begins – with a sound that feels settled, expressive, and familiar – and then make it their own.”

What’s particularly cool about the three guitar amps bundled with this software is the capability to blend them and their associated cabinets (the cabsims are on point here) just as Mayer does IRL

.

“All three amplifiers run at once, routed in parallel; each perfectly matched to John’s exact settings,” says Neural DSP. “Cabinets, microphones, and routing follow the same structure as his studio setup, preserving the interaction that makes the system feel complete.”

Then you have all of his guitar effects, such as the Justa Boost, a capture of his Keeley Electronics boost pedal that’s typically used as an always-on tone sweetener, adding some beef to the snap of his single-coils, though you could of course dime this an use it to push the front end of the amps.

Mayer’s Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron+, as heard on tracks such as I Don’t Trust Myself (Loving You), is digitalised here as the Antelope Filter. There are no prizes for guessing what the Halfman OD overdrive pedal is emulating (but here’s a clue: gold box, oxblood-coloured knobs, the top half of a man, the bottom half of a horse).

The Tealbreaker combines TS-style and Bluesbreaker-style overdrives in one dual-drive unit. And then there’s the Millipede Delay aping the BBD analogue mojo of his Way Huge Aqua Puss delay pedal. And that concludes your pre-effects, the virtual stompboxes.

The post section gives you plenty of tools for gussying up the tone, with the Dream Delay and Studio Verb, a 4-band semi-parametric equalizer, a studio compressor based on Mayer’s own, and the global utilities you would expect from an Archetype package – Doubler, Transposer, guitar tuner, comprehensive preset management, and the promise that eventually this plugin will be able to run natively on a Quad Cortex unit.

The Archetype: John Mayer X comes in 64-bit VST2/VST3/AU/AAX/Standalone. It is priced €199. See Neural DSP for more details.

With its silky Clapton-esque guitar lines, laidback groove and soulful vocals, Slow Dancing In A Burning Room is one of John Mayer’s signature songs and biggest hits.

Unlike a lot of famous songs, however, this one was never released as a single – but that wasn’t enough to stop it from going platinum in the United States, silver in the UK and gold in Denmark.

“Slow Dancing is like the biggest song in the set and it wasn’t a single – it wasn’t anywhere close to being a single,” the American singer-songwriter revealed back in 2013.

Slow Dancing In A Burning Room is a highlight from Mayer’s 2006 album Continuum, which marked a turning point in his career – as he moved away from the contemporary pop sound he started out with and incorporated more of his blues and soul influences.

Lyrically, the song describes a romantic involvement that’s coming to an end. The burning room symbolises the relationship’s doomed fate, while the slow dancing suggests how there’s still a lot of love and affection on both sides.

“This is a song about when you realise that the relationship is coming to an end and one person wants to admit it faster than the other person wants to,” Mayer told a crowd in 2008, while playing a private acoustic show in The Bahamas.

He added: “But you always both know what’s going on… there’s always one person who is a little more vocal about it.”

Stylistically, the song mixes elements of minor blues with country and R&B – which partly explains why it ended up resonating with so many people.

Mayer once noted how songs like Slow Dancing In A Burning Room would never have existed if it were not for Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. This was revealed in a photo he posted of them together in 2016.

“Without this man Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam I wouldn’t be a singer,” he admitted in the caption. “Or a songwriter. I wouldn’t have tried to be as interesting with vocal melodies as he is.”

In the same caption Mayer also acknowledged the influence of Pearl Jam’s guitarist Mike McCready and the song Yellow Ledbetter, which was originally released in 1992 as a b-side to the band’s hit single Jeremy.

Mayer stated: “Without Mike McCready and Yellow Ledbetter there is no Slow Dancing In A Burning Room.”

The song’s opening guitar riff is built around the first position of C# Minor pentatonic on the ninth fret, with some double stops thrown in. The chord movement goes from C#min to A and then E, so it can be considered a 1-6-3 progression. The parent scale of C#min is E, so that would be its relative major.

The chorus sections move through shapes for Badd11, C#min and A – with the last chord substituted for a F#min11 on the second round.

There is also an overdubbed guitar strumming the Badd11 chord the whole way through, with the pinky used to hammer onto the 10th fret of the G-string and create movement on the backbeats.

The first solo arrives at roughly 2:20 and showcases Mayer at his most tasteful, using some subtle and some not-so-subtle bends to add to the story.

“I think if you took the song away, the songwriting is what makes the guitar playing the guitar playing,” he told American radio station SiriusXM in 2017.

He added: “The fact that I’m done singing ‘I’m slow dancing in a burning room’ and people know the arrangement and I’m about to go into a solo is what gives the solo its power.”

In 2012, Mayer’s longtime engineer Chad Franscoviak confirmed the specifics of the gear heard on Slow Dancing In A Burning Room to Sweetwater.

The bulk of the recording was done with Mayer’s original 1964 Fender Stratocaster going into a vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb, closed-mic’d with a Shure SM57 and an AKG C451 condenser, with an AKG C24 used as the room mic.

The main electric overdubs were done with a pair of Two-Rock amps mic’d the same way.

The lead guitars were done through a Dumble Steel String Singer and a Marshall, each close-mic’d with a Neumann U67, an SM57, and a Yamaha NS10 speaker that had been reversed into a microphone.

There were also two sets of room mics for the leads: a pair of Neumann SM 69s and two Coles 4038 ribbon mics.

All of the guitars were recorded at The Village studio in LA between 2005 and early 2006.

Franscoviak added: “It sounds like we recorded the solo in the auditorium on the second floor, using Studio D as the control room. Also, we recorded the pedal steel-sounding parts through an old Pioneer stereo. There were a few other guitar ODs. The main chorus chords were recorded through a Marshall Bluesbreaker. The rest were Deluxes and Two-Rocks. Minor flourish stuff.”

With countless cover versions to be found on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, Slow Dancing In A Burning Room is firmly established as a modern blues masterpiece.

It’s the track that encapsulates Mayer’s approach to guitar and one that inspired him to continue in that direction.

“Slow Dancing In A Burning Room is my guitar style,” he once revealed, adding: “I just have to compose a song to do it.”

PRS Guitars has refreshed the SE version of John Mayer’s super-popular Silver Sky signature guitar with four all-new solid-colour finishes.

You can now get the SE Silver Sky Rosewood in Laurel Green, Derby Red, Trad Blue and Dandy Lion – the latter a bright yellow, fresh-as-a-daisy, and quite possibly this year’s Roxy Pink, i.e. the Silver Sky that everyone is talking about. It just needs to appear in a Mayer video.

And PRS is not forgetting the maple fretboard version. This is now available in Moon White, Stone Blue, Summit Purple and Nylon Blue, all of which were hitherto only available on the rosewood-fingerboard variant. All of these refreshed SE Silver Skies are available left-handed.

The Silver Sky’s S-style electric guitar was inspired by Mayer’s favourite 1964 Fender Stratocaster, and when you think vintage Fender, solid-colour finishes, you think of the colour schemes popularised by Motor City. Guitar makers like Fender looked to Automobile finishes for inspiration. Not here.

Mayer, who’s always well turned out, and indeed has had a long-standing signature collab with Casio’s G-SHOCK line of watches, says these new Silver Sky paint jobs are inspired by “traditional American fashion”.

“These are time-tested hues that have been popular through decades, and I’m excited to share them with the world as the latest SE colourways,” says Mayer.

And with that in mind you could probably imagine these coming from a swatch book from a Ralph Lauren’s look book. Pair these with your preppy Ivy League duds, or not. Maybe you could do as Shinedown's Zach Myers did and relic yours. Either way, this more affordable version of the Silver Sky remains a formidable guitar. It is a lot for the money.

Spec-wise, you’ve got a trio of vintage-voiced 635JM single-coil electric guitar pickups that PRS says will “bark and sing”, all of which are controlled by a five-way blade-style selector switch, with master volume and two tone knobs, one exclusively serving the bridge pickup, the other serving both middle and neck.

These have solid poplar bodies, bolted-on multi-ply maple necks with a John Mayer signature 635JM profile. Whether you go with rosewood or maple, bird inlays are served up as standard, and those fingerboards have an old-school 8.5” radius.

There is a 2-point steel tremolo system, vintage-style nickel tuners, a synthetic bone nut, a multi-ply white pickguard, and it all ships in a padded gig bag.

It’s kind of weird to think of the controversy that surrounded this model when it was first launched in 2018. The Silver Sky is now pretty much a modern classic. You can pick one up for just £/$849 street.

That’s serious electric guitar for under £/$1000. For more details, head over to PRS Guitars.

• “A seductive and affordable version of one of the 21st century's most successful guitar designs”: PRS SE Silver Sky review

Ernie Ball knows a thing or two about making acoustic and electric guitar strings but every now and then it is good to get a consultant in, just to see if it will spark some fresh inspiration, and for its new range of Earthwood strings it brought John Mayer onboard as co-designer.

The Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings, available now in a variety of gauges, are not signature strings. Mayer’s face is not on the packaging – we’re not too sure if his name is even on there, not even in the small print. But he helped steer the design, and is mighty proud of them.

The promo video finds Mayer in typically philosophical form. The strings, themselves, sound great. But then again it’s John Mayer’ playing a Martin guitar and that is always going to help.

Still, Mayer believes you can make your guitar sound divine, too. Maybe it’s all those Grateful Dead songs he’s been playing of late, but he is especially Zen here. This not so much a promo for these new strings as it is a pep talk for anyone pickup up the instrument.

“The only thing you have to feed it are two things, guitar strings and ideas,” he says. “For the most part, acoustic guitars are the great equaliser of ideas. If your idea works here, you can change the world.

“It wasn’t until the last 10 years or so that acoustic guitar has really stood at the forefront of pop culture, of youth culture, of really what I would call like high energy creativity from young people.

“f you pick up an acoustic guitar and you write some songs on it, and you play them for people, there is no stage in the world that's too big for the music that you play on an acoustic guitar. The story begins here, the story is told here, and the story ends here.”

Thank you, John. We needed that. Now, as for the strings, the “Bell Bronze” speaks to the new alloy that they’re comprised of. Forget phosphor/bronze, these are inspired by the same alloys used to make bells and cymbals.

Cymbals? That makes us think high-end musical information. But the frequency profile of the Earthwood Bell Bronze is described as having a similar top end to the 80/20 Bronze set, and a fuller and “richer” low end than the phosphor/bronze without going all dark and muddy on you.

There is a patent-pending on the alloy. But you can grab the Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic strings now. You can get them in all the popular light to medium gauges, from 10s to 13s. See Ernie Ball for more details. See above for your acoustic guitar pep talk from big bad John.

Ernie Ball has unveiled its latest signature electric guitar string set, and has been developed with and for the blues-pop superstar John Mayer that is a first for the brand, arriving in a custom gauge it describes as “unique’.

Now, there comes a time in every guitar player’s life where they begin to question whether their strings are the right gauge or not.

Some players get help from a higher power, such as Billy Gibbons, who was asked by a baffled BB King why he was working so hard. Gibbons duly sized down and worked his Texas sizzle on a set of 7s.

Others try what their heroes have used, such as the Stevie Ray Vaughan acolytes who swear by the super-heavy gauges reportedly used by the late blues guitar icon.

But most of the time it is trial and error and we muddle through trying to find the right balance between a string that is thick enough to have a bit of weight to it and thin enough that we can bend it.

We did not have it on our guitar accessories bingo card that Mayer would have the answer, with a set of strings that might have you seeing your electric guitar in a… new light. Strings that would make you want to stop this train you’re on and head to the guitar store without delay, even if it was, uhh, the last train home.

Okay, you get the picture. The point is that these Silver Slinkys – named after Mayer’s Ernie Ball Music Man signature guitar – run from 10.5 to 47, splitting the difference between heavy and light, with Mayer’s preferred core-to-wrap ratio to give them that primo feel. We’ll have to try them to attest to the core-to-wrap business but the prospect of a set running 10.5, 13.5, 17.5, 27, 37, 47, with reinforced plain strings to stand up to string bends, is definitely worth checking out.

Mayer, of course, is delighted by all this, who leaves no question as to how important the strings are to this whole operation.

“I’ve always said that I don’t play the guitar, I play the strings,” he says. “Having a feeling of fluidity is so important in my playing, and Ernie Ball strings have always given me that ability. With the creation of the Silver Slinky set, I have found an even higher level of expression, and I’m excited to share it with guitar players everywhere.”

You can get the John Mayer Silver Slinkys in a collectible three-pack tin (£44.99/$29), a six-pack (£84.99/$54.99) or as individual sets (£14.99/$9.99). We might try the latter first on for size before committing to a six-pack. For more details, head over to Ernie Ball.

John Mayer’s Strat-inspired PRS Silver Sky is one of the most controversial signature guitars of all time because of… Well, we forget why. Maybe it was the headstock – it’s probably that. But this controversy shows no signs of abating, with Drew Foppe, the guitar tech of Shinedown’s Zach Myers, copping a whole lot of internet heat after posting a pic of his client’s relic’d Silver Sky.

Bear in mind Foppe does not even own this guitar. It belongs to his Myers. And yet Foppe says he receives abuse on a daily basis because of it, with people even DM’ing him their disapproval. Taking to Instagram, Foppe called out this madness – and it is madness – and offered an explainer for the hard of understanding as to the history behind the guitar, and why it is relic'd like this.

“For people who don’t quite understand what a tribute relic job looks like, and just want to talk trash about what kind of wear and tear a guitar should or shouldn’t have… you’re missing the entire point in the first place!” he writes.

As electric guitars go, it is hard to miss. After all, it is a Silver Sky with a hot pink finish that’s been scarred up and distressed to look like Mayer’s black Fender Stratocaster, aka BLK1. You might have seen it in Myers’ rig tour with Premier Guitar from a couple of years back, which caused enough heat at the time. 

The guitar started out out as a black Silver Sky but when it was going through the ageing process Myers wanted it refinished in hot pink (and did so before PRS produced a run of Mayer’s Silver Sky in Roxy Pink).

Posting a picture of Myers’ Silver Sky alongside Mayer’s BLK1 Strat, Foppe set the record straight on this guitar – and argued that people could hate relic’d finishes if they liked but it was undeniable that, viewed side by side, this relic job was on the money with all the details in the distressed finish of Mayer’s original Strat resplendent on Myers’ Silver Sky, only, of course, in pink.

“I get some people don’t like relic guitars, but to talk trash on a really, really good relic job is just ridiculous!” he continues. “Anyone out there who thinks something is over relic’d when it looks almost exactly like the real deal is either completely uninformed or seriously out of touch!”

For the avoidance of doubt, Myers’ Silver Sky is a “tribute” to BLK1, says Foppe – and also, please stop sending him abuse because you don’t like the guitar because that is the definition of crazy. The life of a guitar tech for a touring musician is tough enough. There are a lot of tunings and string gauges to keep track of. Temperatures change and setups are needed. It’s a hard shift. 

On the night of a show, Foppe keeps this relic’d pink Silver Sky in D standard and Myers will use it to play Monsters. That’s it. That’s the job. And yet this… “Some of you people have lost your dang minds to speak on something you know nothing about,” says Foppe.

Will sanity prevail? We can only hope so. Maybe a fitting end to this story would be for PRS to bring two of its longest-serving signature artists together on one guitar by releasing a Zach Myers x John Mayer Silver Sky in a heavy relic Roxy Pink finish, complete with Michael Myers engraving on the truss rod cover. It would sell. 

Annie Clark - aka St Vincent - does not like John Mayer. Or rather, she doesn’t like his song Daughters. Not one little bit, it seems.

In fact, in an interview with Kerrang! in which she picks the ‘the 10 songs that changed my life', Clark proposes Mayer’s song as ‘the worst song ever written’.

“It’s just so hideously sexist but it pretends to be a love song, but it’s really, really retrograde and really sexist,” she says. “And I hate it… It’s so deeply misogynistic, which would be fine if you owned that, but it pretends like it’s sweet.”

Though not a hit in the UK, Daughters won the 2004 Grammy for the Song Of The Year. In it, Mayer warns fathers to be good to their daughters because "daughters will love like you do". In other words, try not to pass problems down the generations.

Perhaps, though, Clark was referring to the middle eight where Mayer does lapse into what you might term old-fashioned platitudes: "Boys will be strong/and boys soldier on/But boys would be gone without warmth from a woman’s good good heart". And: "On behalf of every man/Looking out for every girl/You are the God and the weight of her world."

Clark’s other choices are far less contentious. Her ‘Song that got me into rock music’ is Hendrix’s Crosstown Traffic, her ‘Song that inspired me to become a musician’ is Fire In The Hole by Steely Dan, and her ‘Song that reminds me of my first love’ is Nick Cave’s Into My Arms.

Interestingly, for her ‘Song I want played at my funeral’ ,she picks Sleepwalk by Santo And Johnny. Don’t know that one? Yes, you do:

“I just love that song! It's so beautiful and there’s no words, so people can feel whatever they’re feeling without words telling them too much,” she gushed before taking a sideswipe at a rather more, er, cliched choice: “What gets me is when people pick a song like My Way. All those people who love you are gathered here and you’re just going to take one last opportunity to stick it to them. It’s so crazy to me.”

St Vincent released her seventh album All Born Screaming in April. She’s about to embark on a North American tour that takes her through to mid September. In October she returns to Europe for a string of dates, including shows in Manchester and Dublin.

John Mayer has injured his finger in an incident involving a truck door. But even with one finger down, he’s finding a way to adapt and keep the show on the road.

The guitar icon took to social media on Thursday to post a photo of his hand with his finger wrapped in a colourful bandage. He’d injured his index finger the week before but was adamant he’d play the remaining shows on Dead And Company’s Sphere residency in Las Vegas.

He wrote on Instagram: "Last Thursday I injured my left index finger (truck door), and the first thing that went through my mind was 'I really need that finger in a week.' I need all my fingers, but the left index is the team captain of my fretting hand. It will heal just fine, but will be out of commission for a while. In the meantime, I have spent every day practising guitar using the other three fingers and I think I have it sounding pretty good!"

In the meantime he assured that whilst his playing may sound a little bit different, the show would most definitely go on.

“I’ve always felt like every part of me belongs to these shows, and it’s my responsibility to return to the stage each night without screwing up the equipment, and I’m sorry for the misadventure here. The power of the music and the love for these shows will prevail! See ya tonight ♥️”

In response, John's friend, the US TV host Andy Cohen posted, "See you this weekend. Gonna be GREAT," while fellow songwriter and guitarist May Erlewine offered her sympathies: "I'm sorry! I hope you heal quickly and without consequence. Maybe some new shapes to inspire new songs are the gift."

It’s not long until Mayer can finally treat his hand to a much needed rest. Dead And Company have five remaining shows at the Sphere this weekend and next. The residency has won admiring notices from critics who have praised its use of the venue’s huge 160,000 square ft wraparound LED screen to unleash an assault of immersive psychedelia that reflected the ‘long strange trip’ the Grateful Dead have been on. Two surviving members of Jerry Garcia’s original outfit play on in this successor band alongside Mayer: guitarist Bob Weir and drummer Mickey Hart.

Ticket information about those remaining Dead And Company Sphere shows can be found here.

As you’re learning guitar, you’ll hopefully hear other musicians talking about triads – it means they're privy to a key of chord knowledge that unlocks a world of creativity in your playing. And today you can learn it too.  

Triads are great ways to change up what you do with chords and add a new level of interest to your guitar playing, and in this lesson with chord boxes and video we’re going to dig into what they are and look at three great ways you can start using them today. 

What are triads and how can we get them from chords? 

A triad is a chord that has been distilled down to three notes. The bare essentials of that particular chord. 

In this lesson we’re going to be using an A major and A minor barre chord and extracting triads from these chords:

Even though these are chords that sit across all 6 strings of the guitar, there are only 3 different notes inside of each chord. These notes are referred to by their interval number in music theory, which is 1 3 5 for the major chord and 1 b3 5 for the minor chord. 

The triads we’re going to be looking at are made up of those three intervals. We are going to be removing all the duplicate notes from the chord.

You can find the first major triad that we’ll be using on the D, G and B strings:

To turn this into a minor triad you just flatten the 3rd which in this position is the note on the G string. This turns the triad into a minor triad:

There are also triads in this lesson that sit on the G, B and E strings. In the first triad, the lowest note of each triad is the root of the chord, but in these triads, the lowest note is the 3rd. These are known as inversions. This is when you have the same three notes of a chord but they are stacked in a different order.

All these triads are derived from the 6 string major and minor chords. There are triads all over the guitar, but when you’re new to triads, this is the easiest place to start. Start with triads that come from familiar chord shapes and then as you develop your knowledge, you can expand your triad use all around the fretboard.

1. Using triads to frame existing chord progressions

If you’re writing your own songs, or you play in a two-guitar band, triads are a great way to add some additional layers to your chord progressions.

In the video above you will see a simple chord progression made up of A, D and E chords. This idea applies to any progression regardless of complexity, but when you start integrating triads into your writing process it’s best to start simple to get a handle on the concept.

Using the triads, you can strum the chord progression with triads to add a layer in a higher register, or you can arpeggiate the triads to add some melodic movement over the top of the progression.

2. Using triads for funk 

Triads are perfect for playing funk!

When you start to play funk, each instrument occupies a specific frequency range in the sonic spectrum, while leaving room for the other instruments. The low end in a funk mix is typically occupied by the bass, and the lower mids can be occupied by the brass and horns.

The guitar does not take the lead role in funk, it becomes more of a rhythmic instrument with the occasional single-note line. Most funk guitar players will keep the rhythm tight and choppy without overplaying.

So when playing funk, you want to avoid doing full chords so you don’t creep into the frequency space of the other instruments.

This is what makes using triads an essential part of this style. Start playing funk rhythms with the higher triads on the G, B and E strings and leave the low end for other instruments in the mix. With these triads, you can do a few cool things to spice up your funk rhythms. 

The first is to do a semitone slide into the triad. Wherever the triad you’re playing is, start one fret lower and slide into your target chord on the start of your rhythmic phrase.

You can also experiment with chord extensions by using a free finger to add other notes in and out of the chord as you rhythmically play. There are theoretical ways to work out the correct notes, but in the early stages of using triads just experiment with the idea and let your ears tell you what sounds good.

3. Using triads for Hendrix/Mayer/Frusciante-style rhythm guitar

If you’re a fan of Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer or John Frusciante, you will no doubt have witnessed their approach to rhythm guitar. This method uses triads but with the addition of the thumb playing the root note on the low E string.

This is a great way to add the additional low-end reinforcement of a full chord while still removing some notes to free up some sonic space. The other major advantage to this, similar to the funk approach, is having a finger free to add some melodic lines and extensions over the top.

The triads look like this:

Once you’ve got your hands comfortable with these shapes, you can then use your little finger to start adding notes around the chords from the major or minor pentatonic scales based on the chord. 

This works across entire chord progressions. There is an example piece in the attached video using A, F#m, D and E all played with triad shapes and added lead notes over the top.

• Learn the ultimate Jimi Hendrix rhythm guitar chord lesson

We didn't see this coming but now it's here… well it kind of works! John Priest, owner of UK guitar Peach Guitars, was sent some pics from a customer showing their new mod project; they turned their PRS Silver Sky into a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan's Number One Strat. He's now posted them on his Instagram and it's a dramatic makeover, to say the least.

First up, PRS doesn't currently make a Sunburst version of John Mayer's signature model and this shows it works. There's clearly a demand as some stores in the US are even offering resprayed SE Silver Sky models. But this modded guitar goes much further with a US-made PRS artificially aged with heavy relicing to mirror Stevie's Number One guitar. A Strat he loved so much he also dubbed his 'First Wife'.

But the headstock mod might just be our favourite feature – a lot of effort and care has been made here. 

Even the gigbag has been modded! Whatever you think of the results, the commitment to realising the vision here deserves respect – even down to the Engraving on the back. And do you know what, we like it - Number One was a '62 Strat that was a modded guitar anyway to some extent so it kind of keeps in Stevie's spirit in a way! 

"The reason why he called it a '59 was because of some wiring in it - the back of the pickups said '1959'", Stevie's tech Rene Martinex told MusicRadar in 2010. "So the pickups were a '59, but the body of the guitar was a '62. My attitude was, 'Hey, it's your guitar, you can call it whatever you want.'"

Responses to Priest's post have been pretty positive, ranging from people who love it, people who were surprised they liked it and dyed-in-the-wool relic haters who still respected how well the guitar has been finished. One sharp-minded commenter, Paul Waller of Dawsons Music even dubbed it 'Stevie May Vaughan'. 

Now there's another thought, would John Mayer like it? 

"Is it wrong in every way possible or do you dig it?" John asked his followers. "I think a Sunburst Silver Sky would work nicely."

Surely we can all agree on that anyway. Check out Peach Guitars to buy your own Silver Sky to mod yourself… or leave alone. Your choice!  

In this installment of our signature artist guitar chords series we're focussing on one of the most famous guitar players in the world right now, who also happens to be an incredibly gifted one too. We're honing in on chords that John Mayer uses to enhance some of the greatest songs in his catalogue. 

And like Jimi Hendrix before him, John Mayer is not averse to bringing his thumb in for chord fretting duties.

E Maj9

This particular chord voicing features in the track No Such Thing. John makes use of the open E string, placing the root note an octave below its usual spot at the 12th fret. You can also try alternating between this chord and an A Maj9 by moving the whole shape up one string, then adding your 2nd finger to 12th fret to compensate for the tuning.

B add11

John Mayer often uses his thumb to fret the 6th string, which has a different sound to the 1st finger barre technique. As well as fretting the note, gently touch your thumb against the 5th string in order to keep it muted; this will allow you to strum across all the strings. This chord shows up in ‘Slow Dancing in a Burning Room’ and the open E string adds a colourful ‘11th’ interval to what is otherwise a standard B triad.

D/F#

John’s rhythm style is very much influenced by Jimi Hendrix and this chord from Waiting On The World To Change is a cool example of a Hendrix inversion which brings to mind The Wind Cries Mary. In this shape the major 3rd of the chord is the lowest note, which makes it a 1st inversion. 

Add some extra classiness by extending your 1st finger barre to the 5th string and hammering on with your 3rd finger as soon as you strum.

Dmaj7

This chord shape works well in ballads such as Gravity and features the thumb over the top of the neck, fretting the root note. You may need to experiment with a more blues rock hand angle to become comfortable with this as a straight handed ‘classical’ position will probably feel unnatural. 

You can keep your 1st finger on the 3rd fret throughout, and use 4th finger to hammer-on to the 5th fret, adding Major 6 interval to the G triad sound.

• Learn 4 John Frusciante guitar chords

I’ve always liked that sound, especially the fourth [pickup position on a Strat]. When I was a kid, that was my favourite sound on the guitar; it’s even, it’s smooth, it has chimeyness but it still has bass. It’s the most colourful selection on the Strat." So said John Mayer to us back in 2010, and that leads us to what he considers to be the perfect accompaniment for that kind of go-to tone.

“Sort of in the centre of the fretboard… the one, the two and the five. I think that’s sort of my signature," he says of the three-note inversions that form a key part of some of his most popular songs.  

These triads (three-note chords) above are the kind of approach Mayer is talking about. And there is a slight ambiguity to them at times; a sus2 is neither major nor minor and an Emaj7 could be seen as a C#m9 if played over a C# root.

Whatever mood you're hearing, they'll sound great with a clean tone. 

• Revisiting the John Mayer pentatonic guitar lesson with new notation 

Not only is blues a springboard for many other styles, such as country, rock and jazz, but it can also teach us many things about the art of phrasing in solos.

Often it’s the small technical details like string bends, slides and vibrato that go into making a great solo. The final piece of the puzzle for many guitarists, however, is targeting the best notes at the right moment.

With this in mind, this month we’re focusing on how to further your lead skills through clever use of space, harmony and note choice. We’ve even added an extra jam track for you to play over. There’s no right or wrong but an understanding of how each lick ‘fits’ over a certain chord or part of the progression is the key to improving. 

Of course, learn the licks – if you’re into John Mayer, BB King, David Gilmour, even Guthrie Govan, these will be right up your street. Ultimately though your goal should be to choose some favourite phrases and incorporate them into your own playing.

Blues lead backing track

Mixing majors and minors

We’re essentially borrowing the minor 3rd (8th fret first string and 5th fret third string) from the A minor pentatonic scale and transplanting it into our A major pentatonic lick. It’s a classic trick used in country, blues, rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly and the quarter-tone bends are a great way to hint at the major 3rd in the A7 chord.

Sliding in

Approaching a note from one fret above or below is a classic phrasing idea that’s well used in blues and jazz. You can even slide in from ‘wrong’ notes, but this is the beauty of the idea, as long as you slide to a ‘consonant’ note - that means a note that’s within the scale or chord you’re playing over.

Mixing it up

The Mixolydian mode is the same as the major scale but with a b7 interval, which makes it sound great over dominant 7th chords (D7, A7 etc) - these are major chords with a b7, just like the mode. Mixing nicely with a D7 chord, our opening D9 arpeggio will instantly make you sound more musical. The sliding shape in bar 2 is a nice trick too.

The bends

The opening diad outlines the A7 chord - the C# and G notes are a dissonant b5 interval but sound great because both are in the chord (A C# E G). The challenge is the sliding bend. Pick the first note, bend up; as you release the bend, slide up to the 17th fret and bend the string again. David Gilmour and Guthrie Govan use similar techniques.

Practice plan

1. One minute: Play through one exercise slowly
2. Two minutes: Slow down further and focus on tricky parts such as position shifts
3. Two minutes: Gradually build your playing speed
4. Try out the other examples

This is a creative lesson, rather than a purely technical one so aim to learn these ideas in different keys so that you can use them whenever you want. Obviously you can move the licks up or down the fretboard - that’s easy!

As you get more confident, why not try moving your favourite licks onto other strings? The fret gaps won’t necessarily be the same so you may need to get your thinking cap on! Playing all across the fretboard is a great improv skill to develop though, especially in blues.

• 15 easy blues guitar chords to play now

As guitar players, we can learn so much from our idols. Our ultimate goal is to find our own sound and create something unique, but along the way we can pick up a few helpful pieces of advice from some of the greatest in the game.

In this lesson we’re going to check out five signature guitar techniques that you can learn from five iconic guitar players. Each of the guitar tricks we learn are things that each of the mentioned players have become known for, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them in your own way. Use these techniques and ideas as building blocks when creating something of your own.

John Frusciante funk riffing

John Frusciante is best known for his many tenures as the guitarist in the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Through the bands career, Frusciante has shown many difference angles to his playing, from Hendrix-inspired fuzzy leads to stunning chord work, but what he’s best known for his is ability to hold down a tight funk groove.

This funk riff is inspired by his frantic style of playing. The riff is made up of muted triplets which are broken out of to add double-stop accents or lead line embellishments. 

Before starting this, it’s important to get used to playing the muted triplets as tight as you can, consistent rhythm is very important in this style.

The lead embellishments in this example are simple phrases from the D minor pentatonic scale, you can improve your own licks in this style to give it a different flavour.

 Jeff Beck tremolo slide effect

The late, great Jeff Beck was known for many things, one of those was his expressive use of the guitars tremolo system. This lick is a Jeff Beck-style lick that emulates the sound of a slide guitar phrase.  The bar is used to simulate the sound of sliding in and out of notes, but also moving from one note to another and pitch matching.

The lick, on paper, looks like it’s just three notes, but the finesse comes into play with how you control the tremolo arm.

For the first note, you want to slightly dip the bar and bring it back to pitch as you slide into the 8th fret on the B string, this simulates the sound of a slide going to it’s note. 

The next part is using the bar to move from one note to a set target note. Play the 6th fret on the B and dip the bar slightly until the pitch of the string hits that of the 5th fret.

The final part is a slide to the 7 on the G. You’ll already be in a position with the bar dipped, so jump your finger to the G, slide up and let the bar return to it’s starting position and add plenty of tremolo arm vibrato.

John Mayer triad chords

If you’ve ever felt bored of your chord progressions, this tip is a great one to break out of that box. This is a great concept on how to get more mileage out of your chords. While this is something John Mayer is known for, this can also be considered to be a Jimi Hendrix style technique which is likely where John Mayer got this from.

This approach involves taking your regular six-string major and minor barre chords and breaking them out into smaller, triad chords on the G, B and E strings. This removes the high E and A string from the chord, freeing up more sonic space and just focusing on the key elements of a major or minor chord.

In this approach, you also use your thumb to reach other the top of the neck and play the root note.

Once you’ve got this chord style under your fingers, you can then extend the chord by barring the high E with your index finger, or using your now free little finger to add some melodic notes around the chord. 

If you’re playing a major chord, the notes you can add should come from the major pentatonic, and if playing a minor chord use the Minor Pentatonic scale.

Dave Mustaine spider chords

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine is a thrash metal pioneer. He was one of the earliest archiects of this style of metal and has contributed some of the genres most iconic albums, songs and riffs. This technique is something Mustaine uses to enable fast, cross-string power chord movements without needing to shift your entire hand.

This technique will give your fretting hand fingers a stretching workout. 

Be sure to use your index finger and ring finger for the power chords rooted on the A string. Once you play that power chord, you keep those fingers in place while using the middle and little fingers to stretch over and play a power chord on the Low E string.

This is a really great technique for quick power chord changes across two different strings.

Eddie Van Halen two-handed tapping

This is quite possibly the most borrowed technique from a guitar legend, but it’s an essential one for most rock guitar players to know. If you’ve never borrowed or stolen any tapping licks from the Eddie Van Halen school of guitar playing, now is the time to start!

Two-hand tapping looks impressive and it sounds way more difficult than it actually is. Think of this like an extended pull off. 

Your fretting hand, in this example is just doing a constant pull off from the 8th to the 5th fret of the B string. With your picking hand, instead of picking the string, you’re tapping a higher note from the scale, in this case the 12th and 13th frets on the B string.

The tapped finger pulls off to the fretting hands 8th fret, which pulls off to the 5th fret.

This technique can be used with any scale, anywhere on the guitar, experiment with this and see where it fits your playing style.

Charlie Hunter is a singular guitar player with a reputation that precedes him. But this new interview with Vertex Effects' Mason Marangella seems like the first time we've heard so much from the session and solo man about his work with D'Angelo on his seminal second album, Voodoo, which was released in January 2000

Indeed, a lot of listeners may not even realise that Hunter is the man that plays on the songs The Root and Spanish Joint, and that D'Angelo was already huge fan of his work when he tracked the guitarist down.

As Hunter reminds us, "content wasn't really a word" back then. Few people even had laptops at the time, let alone smartphones – and services like Spotify were a long way off. Which made the enigmatic artist born Michael Eugene Archer's extensive knowledge of his playing even more of a surprise. D'Angelo ended up seeing Hunter performing on a jazz music cable TV channel, and it piqued his interest. "I didn't have a ton of music out at that time… but I had a few records out on Blue Note and another record, but he literally had everything I put out. He had listened to everything too and was making comments on specific tracks and chord changes. I was like, 'Wow, this guy is really a serious brainiac…'"

Voodoo came out in 2000 but Hunter's sessions at Electric Lady Studios alongside D'Angelo and musician Questlove (Ahmir K. Thompson) date back to 1997. He was 30 years old at the time, and things went so well he asked Hunter to join his touring outfit.

"At one point I think he asked if I would like to be in his band and I was really flattered but I had my own career going and I had all these people depending on me. I had to keep that going, so I didn't get that opportunity. I guess I passed on it."

The influence of the D'Angelo-produced Voodoo and its successful blending of neo-soul, jazz, funk and R&B has continued to grow. But for Hunter, there wasn't time to dwell on it: "I don't mean that in a blase way and those [musicians] were incredible, and definitely kicked my butt around the block a few times for sure," he reflects with Mangella in the video above. "And it was a great experience to get to be in their universe for a few days – [I] learned a lot, but late 20s / early 30s you're just so busy all the time. Everything is by the seat of your pants. 

"Maybe I went straight into the studio on two hours of sleep – probably, you never know. You're always boom, boom, boom because that's the tempo that you have to go at. Maybe it's better that I didn't have time to think of it beforehand because I probably would have been like, 'Woah! What Am I doing here!?'"

"Ahmir was in a little drum booth," remembers Hunter later. "And I remember we had to keep taking breaks because there was no ventilation in there." Spanish Joint was done within a couple of takes at most with Hunter using a custom-made eight-string Novax guitar through the studio's '70s Fender Twin. As you'll see in the video above – Hunter's advanced signature technique means he's able to the play bass and melodic parts simultaneously on his six-string fan-fret Novax guitar made by Ralph Novak. Incredible.

Hunter came up with the part that birthed The Root. But the end result was quite different. "D'Angelo was really into what later people would understand to be J Dilla's innovations in how he used time [non-standard quantization] and how he got there. But he was like, 'Hey man, can you play this super behind the beat?' And I said, 'I can try and get there.' So what we did was straight up, how I [am playing it in the video]. Then later on this record came out and a friend of mine said, 'Man – and he used more colourful language – they really messed your s*** up on that record, you should hear it, it sounds terrible, man. I would be mad if I were you.'"

That said, Hunter himself doesn't mind that his guitar work was "pulled back a bit" in relation to Questlove's drums. But Marangella has a lot more back catalogue to discuss with Hunter when it comes to his work – including John Mayer's In Repair, an extremely unusual composition for the songwriter in that Hunter actually composed the bridge part and not Mayer. Amusingly, he hadn't ever heard the final recording until Mangella played it for him on camera!

Check out the full interview above.

John Mayer has got a new electric guitar and it’s not the sort of thing you see everyday. This one is worth taking a look at, particularly if you are an NBA fan and definitely if you are a Knicks fan, because Madison Square Garden reached out to Charvel to build Mayer a guitar out of their old basketball court.

The Garden is the home of the Knicks, and something of a second home to Mayer, who just completed a two-night stint there at the start of October as his solo acoustic guitar tour visited the Big Apple and sold the venue out on both nights. 

To commemorate the occasion, MSG sent Charvel a portion of the Knicks' old basketball court and had them fashion it into a hybrid S-style – a hybrid because it has a six-in-line Jackson-style headstock, that calls to mind the Soloists that Mayer plays from time to time.

Joe Williams, a Master Builder for the Fender-owned Charvel, Jackson and EVH Gear brands, was responsible for the build, and actually built Mayer a Soloist in 2015. If you follow Williams on Instagram you’ll see some ridiculously high-end electric guitar builds (the custom quilt-top Misha Mansoor Juggernaut signature guitar he made for Mike DeMaria of Alustrium is a work of art). 

This Mayer S-style is, however, something special. Williams says he was up against the clock with this project but it turned out very nice indeed, and a typically shreddable design from the Charvel Custom Shop, with a Floyd Rose double-locking vibrato, a Seymour Duncan humbucker at the price, a single-coil at the neck position.

Williams finished the top in Royal Blue and there’s a Knicks logo on the front. We’d love to find out how much it weighs, because there is no contouring on the body – no top carve, no belly or forearm cuts, and they make these basketball courts out of hard maple. 

That’s definitely going to be a heavyweight, and no matter where you stand on the tone wood debate – whether you believe maple will make it sound brighter, or whether the guitar amp and pickups are doing more of the heavy lifting – there is no question that this think will make a squeak if you drag a rubber souled basketball shoe across the top. 

The NBA requires teams to replace their court every 10 years. Maple is the preferred wood because it’s lighter in colour and makes it easier to see the ball. Mayer is currently touring the US on his Solo Acoustic Fall Tour, with just a handful of dates left. He plays the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis tonight. See John Mayer for more dates and ticket details.

• Martin officially unveils John Mayer 20th Anniversary acoustics – and a mahogany-topped D-15E and affordable sapele bodied SC-10E-02 joins them too

John Mayer's triumphant solo tour is reaching new heights; a two-night stand (or sit down) at Madison Square Garden. And to mark the lofty career high that has seen him mesmerising thousands with – mostly – an acoustic guitar and three pedalboards, he brought out Steve Miller for a duet on his classic song, The Joker for night one on 3 October – with great footage of the performance below shot by YouTuber James Liverani.

A grinner, picker, lover, midnight toker, playing his music in the sun… it checks out. Miller – whose distinctive timbre is in remarkable form at the age of 80 – was on 12-string guitar duties with his Eillette Terz while Mayer roughed it on his £20k Martin anniversary OM-45 signature. We really do love that grey sunburst…  

• John Mayer reveals his least favourite album he's made, and the three that he thinks are "front-to-back perfect"

Following his appearances at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival, John Mayer has resurfaced for interviews with chat show activity ahead of his last leg of US and European solo tour dates  – including answering fan questions on Watch What Happens Live with his friend Andy Cohen. One of these saw him revealing the least favourite album from his catalogue.

Unsurprisingly, Mayer has a thought-out line of reasoning for the choice. "It's the one I spent the least amount of time on," he begins. "It's only the least favourite because other ones were just more important to my life. I like some of the songs on this album but if I had to take one out of the discography it would be Paradise Valley."

"I think there are some good songs on it but I remember making that record because at the time I was being made to go on tour, and at the time I thought at that point in my career I should not go on tour without a record. So I kind of [thought], 'Let's make a record,'" adds Mayer of the 2013 record. "I thought I was too young to go on tour without a record and be sort of a legacy act. So that record came together in about three or four months, but it gave me some really great songs I wouldn't want to lose, but compared to the other [albums] that were a little more baked, I would take out Paradise Valley."

It's interesting that in Mayer's world three or four months to make an album is considered a relatively short amount of time compared to other albums. after Cohen praised Mayer's duet with ex-girlfriend Katy Perry on the album's Who You Love, the songwriter noted its importance for what was to follow.

"I'm glad we did that. That was sort of like early Sob Rock prototype stuff. It was just at the point where I was saying, 'Why can't I make music from a different era?" Mayer notes, reflecting in light of his most recent 2021 release. "If I love a style of music and I want to make it – like a genre – why can't I make music that I was pretending was from a different era. That was sort of like a prototype to Sob Rock. I was sort of like an FM-lite radio thing, and Sob Rock is a little more realised.  I listen to that every once in a while and I like that song – I like the way she sounds on that song. She got that way of singing down and met the challenge of that song. It was so much fun."

Earlier in the interview Mayer revealed his three favourite records from his discography, and without any ounce of fake humility. "I think there's three that are like front-to-back perfect," Mayer stated. "Continuum, Born & Raised and Sob Rock – I know it looks like I'm saying my latest record [is great] but in terms of works that are complete from front-to-back, and there's not anything I'd want to take off them – those three."

Hang on John, even Why You No Love Me?!

Mayer also stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform Sob Rock cut It Shouldn't Matter But It Does solo on his stunning Grey Sunburst £20k Martin OM-45 Anniversary signature acoustic guitar.

• John Mayer live, acoustic and alone: our 6 favourite performances

The John Mayer Trio returned for a set at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival in Los Angeles over the weekend with a sub-30-minute set that made every note count.

Mayer's tone was pretty clean for the set, even by his standards, with two guitars used; his Overland Grey / rosewood fingerboard PRS Silver Sky and a Custom Shop Fender Jimi Hendrix Monterey Stratocaster that first surfaced in his hands around 2003.

The latter was used for the Trio's take on Jimi's Wait Until Tomorrow, with the whole set captured by YouTuber and musician Michael Varney. 

Alongside that cover was the Trio's first airing of a Grateful Dead cover – nodding to Mayer's role in Dead & Company. "I thought this would be a collision of worlds in the perfect way," Mayer said introducing They Love Each Other. But that wasn't the end of Mayer's Crossroads appearances over the weekend's sets. 

He joined H.E.R with his Silver Sky for her song Hold On with some extended guitar solo action, and guested with Sheryl Crow for the second time this year, on her hit My Favourite Mistake. Footage here again provided by Michael Varney Music. 

• See Eric Clapton joined by Stevie Wonder, Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to Jeff Beck while Gales, Fish and Kingfish unite at Crossroads Guitar Festival

It takes a lot of hard work, just as much determination, and perhaps a little bit of good fortune to become a session drummer on a high profile gig. So, imagine what it takes to become recognised as one of the first-call drummers for not one, but multiple household name legends. 

Steve Jordan is one such drummer, with a unique feel behind the kit, a dynamic sense of touch, and a deep understanding of the drummers’ place in a song have earned him stage and studio slots with the likes of Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, The Pretenders, Bruce Springsteen, Donald Fagen (to name a few). He was even a weekly fixture on TV via his role in the Late Night with David Letterman house band.

Now, in the wake of Charlie Watts’ passing, he’s taking care of groove for one of the biggest bands rock ’n’ roll has ever seen with The Rolling Stones, a position personally signed-off by Watts himself years prior to his death, telling his bandmates, “Steve Jordan’s your man” if anything should ever happen to him.  

Steve’s success isn’t just owing to his standout drumming style, though. He’s also a dab hand behind the glass as a Grammy award-winning producer. Perhaps it’s this which helps inform his approach to the drums sonically as well as the notes he’s playing, with many ‘Jordanisms’ spurring new trends in the types of gear we play. 

Large hi-hats, stone-dead snare drums, wood hoops? It’d be a stretch to say he invented them, but they’re all often-imitated, close associations. Yamaha even enlisted him to help co-design its short-lived, and now sought-after modern Club Custom range.

Distilling a prolific discography of songs and performances which spans decades into five choices is no easy task, and this isn’t a case of ‘Five best’. Instead, we’ve gone for five songs that hopefully show the diversity and gravity of Jordan’s career. Dip your toe, then dive deep into the career of a modern groove master.

John Mayer - Vultures

We could have filled this article many times over with Jordan’s output with Mayer alone, and we’d say that his performance with the John Mayer Trio from live album Where The Light Is (as well as the studio albums) is not only essential listening, but also provides a pretty comprehensive cross-section of what makes Steve Jordan’s playing so addictive. 

There’s blues, soul, funk and rock, all instilled with his bouncing groove and impeccable drum sounds. That last point is largely why we’ve chosen Vultures (originally recorded for 2006’s Continuum) to kick off. 

On paper, the simple kick-snare pattern is straight out of Drum Beats 101, but the execution and sonics are what elevate the groove that we’ve heard a thousand times to a new level of interest. 

This is quintessential Jordan - oversized, sloshy hi-hats, an intentionally dead snare that’s so fat it’s risking a coronary, but the only pacemaker here is Jordan himself. Together with partner-in-time, Pino Palladino, it’s a masterclass in laying a groovy foundation for a guitar hero to build their house on.

The Blues Brothers - Soul Man

The Blues Brothers released Briefcase Full of Blues before the film came out, and therefore this live album pre-dates the studio-recorded soundtrack. However, it still netted Jordan a Billboard Number One, thanks in part to singles Rubber Biscuit, Hey Bartender and the BB’s version of Sam & Dave’s classic, Soul Man. 

“I was in a gas station, and I heard the original version again and I almost passed out. Because it was so incredible, and Al Jackson was so unbelievable. Our version just paled in comparison…I’m talking about Al Jackson’s groove, his pocket on that is so bullet-proof, iron-clad, compared to what I did which was the contemporary version. It’s almost embarrassing, it was such a lesson in humility.” 

Despite this —which Jordan claims was the catalyst for a more 'humble' change of approach in his playing — we’d argue that Jordan’s version holds up brilliantly.  and is well worth a listen for any covers band player looking to learn the song. 

Elsewhere, the album is a study in soul, blues and R’n’B drumming with Jordan moving effortlessly between straight grooves, gospel beats and shuffles. A must-listen for anyone playing with blues-obsessed six-stringers.

James Brown - Late Night with David Letterman

Ok, so this is a TV performance rather than one of the hundreds of studio recordings Jordan has appeared on, but it’s certainly a career standout. When James Brown came to Late Night with David Letterman in 1982, he performed three songs with ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Band’ — Paul Schaffer (keys), Will Lee (bass) Hiram Bullock (guitar) Sinaclair Pinkney (sax) and Hollie Ferris (trumpet) — and of course, Steve Jordan on drums. 

Ironically, due to the camera work and stage setup, we barely catch a glimpse of Jordan, but that’s made up for by the incredibly tight (and clearly audible) playing. Brown, notoriously tough on his band, specifically drummers, dished out a set of performances for the books, propelled by Jordan and co.’s funky backing. 

Jordan reflected on playing with the Godfather of Soul in an interview with Guitar Center, and it seems that it wasn’t just the audience who were impressed. “The first time James Brown appeared on the Letterman show in 1982, it was incredible. We blew his mind because he didn’t think our band was gonna be like that. 

"We had been waiting to play with James Brown our whole lives…so when we got the opportunity to do it, we were so freaking on it. He couldn’t believe it…it was really an amazing thing.

“After the show, I went back to meet him [to get his autograph]. He was sitting under a hairdryer…Al Sharpton was standing right behind him, because Al Sharpton used to do his hair!

"Anyway, he gets up, he grabs me and he says ‘Brother, you’re high!’ I’m saying to myself ‘I’m not high!’. He goes, ‘You’re high, your energy is high! This is the best show I’ve done in front of cameras since the TAMI Show!”. For him to say that was the greatest compliment that I think you could ever receive.” 

John Scofield - Busted

Blues doesn’t often scream ‘Drums!’, mainly due to the fact that the appreciation lies with the subtleties of the genre. But, it’s a style that we’re all likely to find ourselves playing at some point. 

Steve Jordan has been a consistent ambassador for great blues drumming, accompanying notable blue legends including Buddy Guy, BB King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Robben Ford and more, so if you’re trufflin’ for a shufflin’, Steve Jordan’s swingier output is a great place to look. 

This choice steps slightly outside of the standard blues shuffle style, as Jordan sits in with fusion/jazz/funk/blues shapeshifting guitar virtuoso, John Scofield for an album’s worth of Ray Charles appreciation (That’s What I Say).

Jordan takes the straightforward shuffle of the original and gives it a jazzy makeover with a swinging ride pattern, but it’s mixed with stomped hi-hats, a busy, weaving bass drum and that unmistakeable ‘crack’ and ghost notes from a tight snare. 

The Rolling Stones - Angry

Steve Jordan’s association with The Rolling Stones began in the ’80s after he joined Keith Richards’ project, The X-Pensive Winos - originally devised to pay tribute to Chuck Berry for the Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll documentary and concerts. Jordan produced and co-wrote three albums with Keef, and when Charlie Watts sadly passed in 2021, there was no question within the band as to who could fill the role.

Here, we’re treated to the first single from Hackney Diamonds - the Stones’ first new album of material in 18 years (unreleased at the time of writing). Jordan plays drums on all but two of the album’s songs which are of course, played by Charlie Watts (Mess It Up and Live By The Sword).

It’s a straight-ahead Rolling Stones tune that, like a familiar pair of shoes neither amazes nor disappoints. Instead, it delivers exactly what we’d hope to hear from a band whose career is now into its seventh decade. 

Jordan plays it straight, with a Watts-inspired beat and an incredibly appropriate drum sound, complete with a crystal clear ringing snare. We imagine that playing for The Rolling Stones is likely to keep Jordan busy, but the good news is that there’s plenty more to come.  

Martin has launched a quartet of new acoustic guitars with a pair of unorthodox but unquestionably high-end models to celebrate the 20th anniversary of John Mayer’s OM-28JM signature guitar.

The internet caught wind of these John Mayer models a while ago, and to the surprise of no one, they ain’t cheap, with the OM-JM priced at $3,999, and the judiciously more ostentatious OM-45 a second mortgage job at $18,499. But Martin has some good news for those of us with more modest budgets in the shape of an all-mahogany D-15E dreadnought and the all-sapele SC-10E-02.

Let’s look at this SC-10E-02 first, because for all the argent and aluminium spent on the design of the OM-45, this SC-10E-02 remains one of the most radical – and successful – instruments in the Martin lineup, offering a playability and feel that is more what you might expect from an electric guitar, with its Sure Align neck system freeing up the top end of the fingerboard that is largely inaccessible in most non-cutaway strummers. 

With its offset body shape and that cutaway, the SC-10E-02 is certainly a conversation starter. Here we’ve got sapele all over on top, back and sides, inside of which is braced by Martin’s Tone Tension X bracing pattern.

The High-Performance Taper neck is made from select hardwood – which typically means Martin can switch up the materials depending on availability and quality, and is topped with an eco-friendly Richlite fingerboard. 

We are big fans of Martin’s SC-13E so it will be interesting how this more affordable sapele version compares. Martin says the tone is “ warm, yet crisp”. This sapele model is similarly equipped with a Fishman MX-T pickup and preamp system, and it is priced $999.

The D-15E is a 14-fret dreadnought with an Indian plantation mahogany top, sapele on the back and sides. There is non-scalloped X pattern bracing, a select hardwood High-Performance Taper neck, Martin E1 electronics, and a katalox fingerboard with Diamond and Squares Short inlays. It is priced $1,299.

Now for the Mayer signature models. Feel-wise, both 20th anniversary models should be familiar. There is the same 42.9 nut width, the Standard Taper mahogany necks and 25.4” scale. 

Both come in Gray Sunburst. The OM-45, however, has all kinds of finery bestowed upon it, with the aluminium border of the original Mayer models now silver and extended to the ebony pickguard.

Mayer has signed the label on the inside, and the inlays on the ebony fingerboard are a little more ornate, and there was clearly a little more abalone budget for the purfling. 

The OM-45 has satin-nickel Waverly tuners, the OMJM’s tuners are open-gear nickel.The back and sides of the OM-45 are made from Guatamalan rosewood, with the anniversary OMJM using Indian rosewood. 

These acoustics are all available now, with the Mayer anniversary models only being produced in 2023. See Martin for more details.

John Mayer was weaned on the blues. The trifecta of Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King and Buddy Guy introduced him to blues guitar when he was a teenager, and blues has remained the essence of his style. But even so, Mayer admits he has never learned a blues solo – and has explained why maybe you shouldn’t bother either.

Speaking to Rick Rubin on the über producer’s Tetragrammaton podcast, Mayer recalled how he got started on the instrument, playing on a Washburn acoustic guitar that his parents rented from the local music store, speaking of his incredulity that they would get his brother – his younger brother, no less – an electric guitar before him (his dad said the electric sounded like “dreck”), and how he learned by playing along to records. 

Mentally, he would screen out the guitar and the vocals and use the track as a de facto rhythm section. Didn’t he ever want to harmonise with the solo? asked Rubin. No. Learning the rudiments, the pentatonics, the blues scales, and how they all fit together was one thing but he saw little point in learning another player’s solo, arguing that the magic was there in the room, and there is no way any of us can recreate it all these years later.

• Kirk Fletcher offers a blues guitar lesson on the different ways to start your solos in the minor pentatonic scale

“I never saw the value in learning a blues solo, because I knew how ephemeral they were,” he said. But I saw the value in learning the vocabulary. Here’s the thing about blues soloing: I saw it like, if you sit down and learn every solo, you go like this… ‘Yeah, I know how that goes…’  If you have a pretty perfunctory knowledge of the pentatonic blues scale, and you hear someone play a blues solo, it might sound magical at first. But as soon as you go [hums solo], ‘Got it! I’ve got what that was.’ But that is not what that was! Whatever that was before you heard it is the thing.”

The thing being the magic, the mojo, or whatever the essence was when the solo was recorded and the intention behind it. That, says Mayer, is the important part.

What we should be taking from the great blues solos of our time is the spirit behind them – and of course understanding the notes that made it. Mayer says he would mimic but only to get into the zone and start improvising around it.

“I always would say it is like playing last night’s lotto numbers – the numbers aren’t any good any more,” he said. “They are good if you are in the room. They are good if you are about to play them. So I would always try to go for the thing that made the solo – what’s the scale that makes the solo? And how can I get into that same spirit that the player is in? Now, there were certainly times where I would mimic what I heard, more as a way to get me into the centrifuge, and then start playing.”

If that mimicry was useful to Mayer, helping him develop a soloing vocabulary, it was  when he started playing with his heroes and he felt he got closer to the source that he was able to tap into the essence of what they were playing. Sure, it was an education to be playing along to classic blues records and using them as a virtuoso backing band, but playing with the likes of Buddy Guy in concert, and learning to playing in the moment with him, was like taking the final degree exam.

“It is one thing to play along with a Buddy Guy record from 1972, it is another thing to play in the same moment with the same supply of oxygen as Buddy Guy,” he said. “Because you have a point of reference for the moment the same as he has, so every thing he is playing is in that moment. And that’s the university lesson. That’s the highest. That’s the doctorate. 

“When you hear someone else in that moment playing, you’re grabbing from the same moment, and you hear what they do, that’s the best teaching in the world – not what it must have been like 30 years ago from the time you were listening to it.”

In addition to Guy, Mayer has played with the likes of Eric Clapton, BB King and Chicago blues trailblazer Hubert Sumlin – an experience he describes as “wild”. 

“Those guys were digging something out of the earth when they play, like an oil drill or something, just getting something out of the earth,” says Mayer. 

And when you have these pioneers digging raw materials out of their instruments, they are putting together the foundations for other players to build upon. The blues legends are the reference for us all. Mayer likens them to baseball cards, or wearing a star NBA player’s jersey; you can learn from them, you can pretend to be them when you’re practising, but you can never be them. Authenticity isn’t something that is learned. 

“One thing about me that you’ll never see me attempt is that style of music because when I hear it I go, ‘I don’t buy that for a second, John.’ When I do it, I don’t buy it,” he said. “It’s fun but you’ll never hear me do Blind Blake stuff, or even Lightning Hopkins who I love. I’ll mess with it at home, but there is a line to where I think you should go. 

“I came up with these guys as references; they’re like baseball cards. If you are into the NBA, you wear different jerseys, pretend you’re a different player in the driveway; that’s what I was doing. I did it for a lot of years.”

You can watch the whole conversation between Mayer and Rubin above. And subscribe to Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast here.

John Mayer is not exactly short on backline options but when he answered a last-minute call to support Ed Sheeran at his Gillette Stadium show in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the gourmand of electric guitar tone had to improvise and reach for the digital amp modeller, with reports suggesting that he used a Fractal FM9 for a solo set that was put together in a hurry.

Khalid had originally been scheduled to support Sheeran but pulled out after being involved in a car crash. Mayer had little time to prepare. Also, given that he is on tour with Dead & Company, and had a set the next night in Boulder, Colorado, the chances are his live rig was elsewhere. 

Mayer used a couple of Martin acoustic guitars for his solo set, before joining Sheeran onstage with his Dead & Company prototype PRS Silver Sky signature guitar in hand for a performance of Thinking Out Loud. 

Credit to YouTuber John Nathan Cordy for the spot, but zoom in on the fan-shot footage of Mayer’s support set, and you’ll see an FM9 there. Does this mean Mayer is a digital convert? Maybe. But maybe not.

Mayer has famously enjoyed an on/off relationship with digital modelling tech. In 2015, he had used a Kemper with Dead & Company. In 2018, he revealed that he left the guitar amp at home for studio sessions, preferring his Akai MPC instead. 

And in 2019, he created a storm in a gear forum when used the Fractal Axe-Fx III at Coachella – which is ironic given the circumstances surrounding the 30 June performance with Sheeran, where he was replacing Khalid. At Coachella Mayer was guesting with him.

But Coachella was in the calendar. The Sheeran gig was an emergency. You need something you can throw in a gig-bag and take to the show, and the FM9, billed by Fractal as “the most powerful floor unit ever“ upon its release in 2021, is just that. And if it can get you through a stadium show at a moment's notice, well, maybe Fractal are onto something.

Mayer has always had some love for the Fractal and the amp modeller in general but in 2021 he explained why they have yet to render his collection of dumble tube amps redundant; they don’t understand gain structure. Yet.

“One thing it doesn’t respond to well is the change in guitar volume,” he said. “Because it’s an amp modeller, it doesn’t quite understand gain structure – it doesn’t quite get it.” 

In Mayer’s view then, they also didn’t translate the physical movement of the string proper in the same way as a tube camp, what he calls “the whapoosh of a note”.

“Amp modellers don’t yet know how to take a note and kind of squeeze it the right way and send it out,” he complained. They also got confused with oblique bends. “Like three notes of different harmonic information; it just freaks out,” he said. “But! It’s pretty close. It’s not bad.”

And it got the job done last week. Mayer’s tone certainly sounded pretty darn tubular when he was soloing with Sheeran onstage on his Silver Sky signature guitar. You can check that out above. 

Sadly, no close-ups here to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the FM9 was back in play but it’s a pretty safe bet. Sheeran’s monster looper pedal spaceship obscures all the floor candy on that rotating stage setup.

PRS Guitars has unveiled a refresh for its SE Silver Sky lineup, offering the more affordable version of its John Mayer signature guitar with a maple fretboard for the very first time, and switching up the finish options for the rosewood models.

The new maple-‘boarded SE Silver Sky models arrive in Nylon Blue, Overland Gray and Summit Purple. While the new rosewood models feature muted but classy Piano Black and Storm Gray finishes. These new finishes come with a sting in the tail for anyone who had been saving up for the Dragon Fruit or Ever Green models; these will be discontinued,so if you’ve been eyeing one up and you see one, grab it while you can.

There are no surprises here that these are all solid-colour finishes as per the lineup’s design logic. There are no surprises that the maple fingerboard options would come to the SE range. But that doesn’t make them any less of a big deal. Jack Higginbotham, chief operating officer, PRS Guitars, said Mayer was involved in developing the new colour finishes.

“Adding a maple fretboard option to the PRS SE Silver Sky lineup is an exciting expansion for this guitar,” said Higginbotham. “Players have always enjoyed having fretboard material options for tone, feel and looks. The buzz that the prototypes have created around the office has not been small. Having the opportunity to work with John on some new colours has been a bonus.”

The original PRS Silver Sky was one of the most talked about, most sought-after and most controversial electric guitar designs of this or any other century. That it was controversial at all speaks to the growth of culture culture in the internet era as much as it does the design. 

It's ironic that there might have been less controversy had it been a straight-up Strat-alike copy. Sure, the Silver Sky is a high-end electric guitar inspired by an early ‘60s vintage Fender Stratocaster, but PRS and Mayer put a unique spin on it. The tones, the build, the fit and finish and a host of sweet colour options have helped establish it over the years.

Besides the fretboard material and colour, all these SE Silver Skys share a similar build. They have solid poplar bodies, a bolt-on maple neck, 22 frets, a Strat-esque 25.5” scale, 8.5” radius fingerboards that split the difference between the 7.25” and 9.5” radii commonly used by Fender. 

All are equipped with a trio of 625 JM ’S’ single-coil pickup that are controlled by a single master volume and two tone pots. A five-way blade switch selects your sound. You’ll find synthetic bone nut at the nut, small bird inlays on the fingerboards, and a demo video of the maple-boarded SE Silver Sky below.

For more details, head over to PRS Guitars. You can read MusicRadar’s review of the PRS SE Silver Sky here, in which the biggest caveat was there were no maple fingerboard options yet. 

Looks like we’ll need to go in and edit that now…

Are we about to see an evolutionary leap in the design of John Mayer’s much talked about PRS signature guitar, the Silver Sky? Mayer has been spotted onstage with Dead & Company playing a prototype Silver Sky that augments the controversial but brilliant S-style with a host of new specs.

It is not unusual to see Mayer using a prototype, and that said prototype has offered a trailer of electric guitars to come, but this is more than simply a variation on a theme and a fresh lick of paint to get the internet talking. 

These appointments give the Silver Sky some of the same qualities that Jerry Garcia’s iconic Alligator Stratocaster has, with a brass nut, brass string retainer, and a retrofitted bridge that swaps out the Silver Sky’s vintage-style vibrato for what looks to be a PRS Patented Tremolo with fitted with brass intonation screws. 

What’s really interesting about this is that there are is no back plate, no tremolo springs; Mayer is using this as a hardtail. Again, this is very much in keeping with the whole ‘gator vibe.

Notably Mayer’s new Silver Sky also has an Alembic Blaster output jack, which is mounted to the front of the guitar. This is a buffer/boost, activated via a toggle switch, that can compensates for any treble roll-off when using long guitar cable runs.

It can be used as a straight boost, however, with an internal trim pot that allows you to set the Blaster for between 3 and 14dB of boost. In keeping with the brass theme, the Blaster’s mounting plate is made of solid brass. These Alembic Blaster jack units can be found on Garcia’s Alligator Strat.

In August 2022, Fender launched a Masterbuilt Custom Shop replica of the Alligator Strat, limited to 100 units worldwide. It was Graham Nash who gifted the original to Strat to Garcia, which took its name from the alligator sticker on the pickguard – one of the least invasive mods on guitar that had been Frankensteined over the years.

Back to Mayer’s Silver Sky prototype: Note the Advanced Research Division sticker underneath the bridge in these pics from the John Mayer Gear Instagram page – it’s a little harder to see than on his previous Silver Sky prototypes. 

Other details include a Moc Sand finish that shows you the grain of the body underneath. It looks like an eggshell finish but it is hard to tell from the pictures.

Despite all this, it does seem unlikely that this would become a production model, no matter how many players might declare an interest in owning a hardtail version of the Silver Sky. You can watch Mayer put it through its paces in the video above, as Dead & Company play New Minglewood Blues at Cornell University, New York.

John Mayer broke with the tradition of keeping his solo tour a one-man performance at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on 24 March, but it was for a very good reason – his old friend Sheryl Crow dropped by for a duet.

After an instrumental intro on their acoustic guitars (Crow with her signature Gibson Country Western Supreme and Mayer on an as-yet unidentified 12-string small-bodied model) playing Eric Clapton / Steve Winwood Blind Faith classic Can't Find My Way Home, the pair segued into Crow's Strong Enough from her 1993 breakthrough album Tuesday Night Music Club.

"Nashville, TN - Music City, musical crowd, magical night," wrote Mayer on a Instagram. "The legendary @sherylcrow gave me the honor of a lifetime by taking the stage to play “Strong Enough,” one of my favourite songs of all time. Won’t soon forget this one…"

We're still wondering what that Martin 12-string guitar model Mayer uses here and on performances of Heartbreak Warfare on the tour. We already know the one on the Martin custom double-neck he's using a one-off (or so we understand right now) model that first surfaced at the NAMM show in 2010. 

There's been some other notable additions to the setlist as the tour continues – Mayer opened with Gravity in Cleveland on 25 March and also aired a little of his 2020 earworm comedy song Drone Shot Of My Yacht at the same show after reading a request for it on a fan's sign. 

• John Mayer live, acoustic and alone: our 6 favourite performances

The first night of John Mayer's debut solo tour in Newark, New Jersey on 11 March is getting rave reviews and saw the songwriter exploring old favourites a deeper cuts with acoustic guitar and even piano looping. But the headline news for players is he broke out a uber expensive Martin custom double-neck guitar for the occasion at the Prudential Center.

And there it is for Edge Of Desire – a Tim Teel-built Martin Custom Shop 12-string / six-string combo first seen at NAMM in 2010. The former doesn't come in until the latter part of the song. Isn't there a pedal for that? Oh come on, he's John Mayer! 

Mayer also played a new song for the occasion – joking before he started it that "What if it was Why You Know Love Me?" as a reference to his slightly ridiculously track from last year's Sob Rock that he has no intention of playing live – "I'm never doing it!" he told the chanting crowd before (jokingly?) suggesting that he regrets recording the song to some degree. 

But as for the new one above; it's called Driftin', there's a capo on the second fret and it's Mayer showing how effective he can be with cowboy chords and a catchy melody. No Neon-style fingerpicking acrobatics here – think more Tom Petty Americana.

And on that note, he busted out his much-loved version of Petty's  Free Fallin' – on another Martin. And just to be clear, Mayer only plays Martin acoustics. 

Elsewhere, hardcore fans got a treat with the first live performance of Heavier Things track Home Life since 2005.

Split Screen Sadness from that same album got a rapturous reception too, paired with setlist familiar Why Georgia below. 

Mayer sat down at the piano in the next segment for a snippet of Sob Rock track New Light, The Search For Everything's You're Gonna Live Forever In Me and, most interestingly, a looped piano / guitar performance of that album's Changing…  

The outro to the song saw him pick up an an electric guitar for the first time (his PRS Silver Sky) to solo over the looped piano chords while sitting. It made for an unusual dynamic that the crowd loved – especially when Mayer started mixing piano and guitar simultaneously. What a show-off, eh! 

But what is very clear is Mayer's ability to make an arena feel intimate with his song catalogue and gifts as a musician. It mean he could get away with not playing the song Gravity and it didn't seem to matter. He chose to close the night in classic Americana troubadour style with acoustic guitar and harmonica for Born And Raised. 

• John Mayer live, acoustic and alone: our 6 favourite performances

John Mayer has covered a lot of musical ground since first album, Inside Wants Out. From pop singer-songwriter, to blues-rock guitar hero, Americana songsmith to his retro, ’80s-inspired latest album, Sob Rock. But to many musician-fans of Mayer, some of his greatest work has been with the John Mayer Trio, featuring the heavyweight rhythm section that is drummer, Steve Jordan and bassist, Pino Palladino.

On March 9th, Mayer reassembled the John Mayer Trio for a short, yet exceedingly sweet live set at the Love Rocks NYC charity concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre. 

Introduced by Bill Murray, and Mayer armed with his signature PRS Silver Sky, the set kicks off with the Hendrix-y, Who Did You Think I Was. Next up, Jordan - who has been drumming with The Rolling Stones since August 2021 following the death of Charlie Watts - ushers-in Vultures on a Rogers kit with his unmistakeable groove.

Mayer grabs his Fender Custom Shop Monterey Strat before introducing the band and launching into a set-closing cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Wait Until Tomorrow. 

Incredibly, the John Mayer Trio has never released a full-length studio album, instead recording the live album, Try! released in 2005, along with a set on the Mayer live album, Where The Light Is in 2008. 

Despite teasing a full album, studio sessions featuring the trio line-up as the core band were eventually used as Mayer solo release, The Search For Everything, the 2017 tour for which marks the last time the trio performed live together.   

Mayer and Palladino later joined an all-star line-up of musicians including James Taylor, Warren Haynes, St. Vincent, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr, Pat Benatar and more for the closing of Love Rocks NYC. The collective played an emotional version of People Get Ready in tribute to late guitar legend, Jeff Beck, who passed away in January aged 78.

Love Rocks NYC is a live music benefit - now in its seventh year - run by God’s Love We Deliver, a charity providing support for adults and children living with HIV/AIDS.

John Mayer is going back to the start. "I began my career on stage with only a guitar and a microphone," he said on Instagram announcing his forthcoming March tour. "A lot has changed since then, but I knew one day I’d feel it in my heart to do an entire run of shows on my own again, just like those early days. It took a couple of decades, but I feel it now. I’ll be playing old songs. Newer songs. Songs you haven’t heard yet that I’ll be road testing - all on acoustic, electric, and piano."

While he's become an impressive ensemble player in his own solo bands and Dead & Company since then, he's not been averse to going back to lone rider mode over the years. He's not only a nuanced acoustic guitar player, but his best songs take on new dimensions when stripped back – and these highlights prove it. 

1. Neon (Live At The Nokia Theatre, 2007)

A doozy from the first song on the live set of Where The Light Is filmed at LA Nokia Theatre (which also acts as a great introduction to Mayer World), this is his ultimate betcha-can't-play-this finger-twisting acoustic riff (even Paul Davids struggled with it) but it's an absolute earworm too. 

The heart of the complexity is the 16th note fingerstyle pattern; it's all about the thumb and index finger here.

And never mind the technicality and that breakdown at the end, this is a masterclass in solo performance energy. Just make sure you tune your low E string down to a C before you start on the long road to learning it. 

2. Shadow Days (2012)

The 2012 Born And Raised album aw Mayer grow his mane out and embrace a rootsier sound, but the record never sounded as intimate as this James Taylorish take on its lead single. The energy of his alternate picking on a small-bodied Martin 00-42SC Stagecoach guitar (released as a signature edition in 2013) propels the arrangement forward and highlights the hopeful theme of the song. 

He's using the same kind of technique we heard on Neon here, so good luck learning it, folks! Cover bands must love him… 

An antidote to the ascending celebrity star status Mayer was starting to openly retreat from, there's no gimmicks here; just pure songcraft and musicianship.

3. Man On The Side (circa 2000)

Ignore that unforgiving piezo tone, Mayer is untethered by it on an acoustic version of a song he reportedly co-wrote as a teenager in his dorm room at Berklee college of music in Boston. It was clear early on this was a muso with serious romantic troubadour chops, and he would harness that ability to channel the combination into songs that people gravitate to in arenas.

It dates back to his Lo-Fi Masters duo days with fellow Berklee student Douglas 'Clay' Cook (now in the Zac Brown Band) before he went solo, and that's where the 1999 demo album below originates from. Both Mayer and Cook would drop out of the prestigious college after two semesters to pursue performing as a duo in Atlanta. 

During their time together, guitarist and vocalist Clay co-wrote songs that would be used for Mayer's first two solo albums – including Neon and No Such Thing. When Mayer talks about getting back to his solo performance days, Man On The Side is the kind of material he could be thinking about. It also appears in electric solo on 2002's Any Given Thursday live album, segued out of a performance of SRV's Lenny. 

4. Slow Dancing In A Burning Room

Oh come on, we're hardly going to ignore this one – it's the blues ballad Stairway To Heaven when it comes to guitar shops! But it's so good and works fantastically acoustically. 

One of Mayer's great talents is transposing a riff from his songs into chord voicings –  often using embellished triads – and it's why his music is catnip for us guitarists burned out on cowboy chords.  Here he's on-brand (to be fair he never goes off when he's playing acoustic) playing his other Martin signature, an OM-28JM.

This take on it is from his Martin's Jam In Place livestream during the pandemic and offers the bonus of Mayer wearing some kind of (probably embarrassingly expensive) beret / showercap and somehow carrying it off. Mayer gear fiends will also note the amp setup behind him features a Dumble Dumbleland Overdrive Special on the right just behind him.  

5. Gravity (2022)

This is Mayer truly exposed, acoustic and enjoying every moment – an intimate Hilarity for Charity benefit show on 1 October 2022, filmed from the crowd. Going straight into the Continuum classic with the lead and getting lost in it, it's this kind of thing that is going to make his solo shows truly special. 

He delivers the solo with some improvised edges, looping the chords to play over with a cutaway Martin that we think is likely to be his 000-14 Custom Shop. 

6. 'Why Anyone Has To Go' (2022)

Mayer says he's going to be roadtesting new songs on his March US solo tour, and he has form for it – unusual for an artist of his status but certainly admirable. 

Especially doing it in front of thousands in an arena, knowing it will end up on YouTube the next day – something Mayer alludes to in the intro of the emotive song above.

And he's not averse to leaving great songs off records too, if they aren't quite cooked enough. As he explains to Cory Wong below, and even performs it, one particular example is one called Over And Over and it's from his celebrated Continuum album era. 

 "It was a beautiful song and it would have totally fit the record," Mayer told Wong. "But I didn't understand the bridge. I couldn't get the bridge to work.

"That song was really special," he added. "It didn't get there because the bridge made no sense…"

He teases that the potential wedding dance favourite might get finished for a potential Continuum reissue, and that the album was originally going to be a double. "I don't do songs that are 95% cool," said Mayer. "I can't live with it." But you can hear Mayer playing Over And Over to Wong below – he must like it as he remembers a fair bit of the lyrics and the solo!  

• See John Mayer debut his new replica of Jerry Garcia's Wolf guitar live and reflect on the experience in a new interview: "It's changing the way I play"

John Mayer's Wolf guitar replica got the first chance to sharpen its teeth last weekend, and he put it through a real road test with six sets over the weekend of January 14 at Dead & Company's Playing In The Sand festival in Cancun, Mexico.

Luckily for us, the band made livestreams for their shows with soundboard audio and the first song from each is available to watch for free. John Mayer used Wolf to open all six sets too, and was interviewed by the hosts of the Dead Air livestream ahead of the final set on the 17 January to talk about his Bill Asher-built replica of Doug Irwin's original Wolf guitar, commissioned and used by Gerry Garcia in the Grateful Dead.

"That was commissioned by Doug Irwin, the original builder, which I think is to me why I'm holding it," explained Mayer about his prototype replica in the video above.  "I don't know if it would have made it into my hands onstage if it weren't blessed by the original luthier of the guitar. I was looking at Irwin's Instagram page and I realised his son had DM's me like two years ago, 'Hey reach out – Doug's got a guitar in mind for you.' And I went, 'Ooooh I was late to this DM!'

"I think I was aware this guitar was coming out," continued Mayer. "They wanted to get it into my hands so I went over to [replica builder] Bill Asher's guitar shop, who is a great builder out of LA, and they had it there so I plugged it in and played it and went, 'Well now, here you go, here it is.'

And Mayer should know, having played the original Wolf back in 2019, the same year it sold for $1.9 million.

"It's changing the way that I play a little bit because the way the guitar's constructed, I'm not quite able to do my thing exactly as I want to do my thing, and it pulls me more into playing along with the music more the way that it was written because that guitar is so specific to a certain style of playing," Mayer told Dead Air hosts Lambert and Gans. 

"It's got a very long scale length, so you can't do these wide bluesy bends, you have to be more linear about what you're saying. So it's been really fun for me to crack that code as I play. Because if you're going for the super expressive blues playing, you're not quite going to get there. It's going to come off a little lumpy sounding. And the fun part of a guitar is every guitar a guitar player picks up you go, 'What do you do and how can I make it work?' You can give me any guitar and I can make it work, the question is what am I going to play on it that is going to highlight what that guitar can do."

But during this learning curve, Mayer got to experience more of what the original Wolf guitar would have been like when Garcia first took delivery of it from Irwin. 

"I've been playing and trying these things and finding, that doesn't quite work, then trying these things that are much more linear and stretched out, it's really joyous to play," he explained. "And the secret is it actually plays better than the original because the original has frets that have been worn down over the years with Jerry's playing, and I understand someone might not want to dig into the wood and pull those frets out and put new ones in. But this one is much more playable because it's new.

"If I owned [the original] Wolf I'd be ripping the frets out and putting new ones in because I'm a guitar player. To me that's still a stock guitar. But I understand, people want to keep the sanctity and the pristineness of that instrument. So to have an instrument that plays very, very similar and sounds almost identical, but has frets that are dressed and you can really go up and down and be expressive on it, that's like the best of both worlds." 

Check out the six opening songs from the sets below to hear Mayer and Wolf in action. 

14/1/23: Set 1: Sugar Magnolia

14/1/2023 Set 2: St. Stephen

16/1/23 Set 1: Scarlet Begonias

16/1/23 Set 2: Playing In The Band

17/1/23 Set 1: Cold Rain And Snow 

17/1/23 Set 2: China Cat Sunflower

Read more: John Mayer receives prototype replica of Jerry Garcia's famed Wolf guitar

In 2019 John Mayer was honoured with the opportunity to play Jerry Garcia's Wolf guitar onstage – the custom build by luthier Doug Irwin was sold for $1.9 million in 2017 but was taken back into the wild by the Dead And Company member to honour the music of the Grateful Dead once again. But now Mayer has the chance to use the next best thing every night onstage.

Today (14 January), the songwriter announced he's received the prototype recreation of Wolf built by Bill Asher of Asher Guitars and commissioned by Irwin, using the original luthier's drawings and templates. 

"The result is pretty unbelievable," said Mayer. "How unbelievable? I have to make sure to post this before tonight’s Dead And Company show to make sure people don’t mistake it for the real thing! 

"As someone who was lucky enough to play Jerry’s Wolf guitar for a show back in 2019, I can confidently say Doug and Bill nailed it," added Mayer. "It shall always be played with love for this music and a culture that’s accepted me with open arms. See ya on stage…"

Mayer included a shot of the guitar's internal pots and wiring, and the build for this prototype is dated 2021. Asher confirmed in December 2022 that he'd partnered with Irwin to produce the official limited edition run of 10 Wolf guitars. Unsurprisingly, all are already accounted for by customers.

Wolf was played extensively by Garcia in the '70s and its final appearance with the late musician was in 1993. Irwin has been working for Alembic when he was first introduced to the guitarist/vocalist and ended up selling him a guitar he'd build, an instrument called Eagle. Garcia then commissioned a custom build from scratch, the result would be called Wolf.

Wolf's body is made from amaranth (aka purple heart) with stunning bookmatched curly western maple on the top and back. The neck runs through the middle of the body, constructed from a lamination of fiddleback maple and purpleheart.

The guitar would get its name from the cartoon wolf sticker Garcia added to it, later incorporated by Irwin as a body inlay when he took the guitar in for repairs. 

Wolf was quite a creature for its time in terms of electronic spec – and even now.

"The pickup selector is the five position Stratocaster type. Front, middle, or rear, or combinations of the middle and either front or rear," explained Irwin. "Wolf is equipped with a master volume control, and a tone control for each of the middle and front pickups. The two subminiature switches set side by side are the pickup coil switches. There are two 1/4" phone jacks. One went directly to the amp, and the other to Jerry's effects loop, with the master volume located after the effects loop. 

"There is also a subminiature switch to toggle the effects loop in or out," added the luthier. 

You can check out Mayer's 2019 outing with the original 1974-built Wolf below – the guitar he said "Changed him forever". He'll be using the Bill Asher recreation on the weekend beginning 14 January for the Playing In The Sand festival in Riviera Cancún, Mexico. 

5 songs guitarists need to hear by the Grateful Dead

Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast had an unexpected guest on Tuesday (20 December): John Mayer. And he didn't hold back. 

While he talked dating as a celebrity and played a couple of his hits, there was also some revealing insights into his musician mind. And why he likes to play guitar after sex. 

Pardon? 

“No, I do it after sometimes,” Mayer responded when Cooper asked him if he likes to play guitar before or after. “No, you should never play guitar to have sex with someone, but a little naked guitar playing after is very memorable.”

“With a little gut hanging over, sitting Indian-style on the edge of the bed. It’s nice!" continued Mayer, warming to his theme. "I like seeing the way people fold up all weird when they sit up. No matter who you are, you look weird when you sit up. And it’s cute.”

Ok, too much information? Well he doesn't do many interviews these days so luckily for fans, there's lots more that Mayer revealed in the extended chat. And not in a naked guitar playing way. 

So let's break it down. 

1. Your Body Is A Wonderland is about his first love

"That was about my first girlfriend," Mayer corrects Cooper about his muse for the breakthrough song, when she suggests it was about one of his celebrity girlfriends. "That was about the feeling, which was already kind of nostalgic. I was 21 when I wrote that song and I was nostalgic for being 16.

"I had never met a celebrity when I wrote that song," he adds. And he doesn't even know if his high school girlfriend knows he wrote it about her. Until now. "If you were my one and only high school girlfriend, that was actually about you," he says. 

"I don't write songs about people," he continues, immediately contradicting himself. "I don't write them for people or about people. I might use a relationship that inspires me to write something." 

2. The most important thing in his life are his songs

Not his watches, clothes or many-coloured Silver Sky collection. Mayer is beholden to the 'sanctity' of songs. "The most important thing in my life now are my songs," he says, continuing on the theme of why he doesn't usually reveal who might inspire specific tracks. 

"So when I go play songs now, I see people in the crowd and they're reliving their life," Mayer explains. "It ain't about anyone but the people I'm singing to. It's now about their college years, it's about their sick family member who died, it's about their fight with cancer and how they beat it. These songs now for people are about these waypoints in their lives. They're not about any one person.

"The first three records in my life were just proving, and you should, and then you start hearing people say 'thank you, your music got me through a dark time.' That's so much deeper. I think everyone should have those 'prove it' years and enjoy them. Because I definitely did." 

3. He knows some people thought he was a douchebag

"I got the douchebag title a lot," Mayer acknowledges of his younger years and why some people may have seen him as obnoxious. "And I was trying incredibly hard. But I had been trying incredibly hard, from when I first started playing guitar, to get where I needed to get."

"I had this moment in my [late] twenties where I thought, 'This is where I belong, this is where I should be," observes Mayer later in the interview when he talks about consciously pulling himself back from the limelight in other areas to focus on music. "And obviously it wasn't because I didn't handle it very well. And so that all kind of shut down, and I got the chance to start it up again. And I haven't ever been happier in my life. I'm known for what I do."

4. He reveals the greatest thing about being John Mayer

It's not the money. It's songs again. "Where I am now, the greatest thing is any idea I have I can do," explains Mayer. "I feel like if there was a song idea I had for any musician in the world, I think I'd have a pretty good chance of them at least listening to it. 

"That's really interesting to me. That to me is the greatest thing. The songs I already have I'll take for the rest of my life. But also, any idea that I have, any musician in the world would go, 'I wanna hear what Mayer has for me.' So I feel that the idea that I could bring anything to light that came to mind, that's the greatest thing."

5. He writes songs about his anxiety

"That's where my first three records are from – they're about managing anxiety. Why Georgia, why am I f*****g here? Am I living it right?" Mayer asks, paraphrasing the lyrics to his song, Why Georgia. 

"There's a song Not Myself on the first record, that's all about having a panic attack in front of somebody; 'Would you want me when I'm not myself?' 

He also reveals he's had panic attacks on dates – "for a really long time I would resist going out with anybody because it would make me so nervous my stomach… it would be terrible."

6. The guitar makes him ok with being mega famous

"If I'm having a day when I don't like any of this stuff, I can pick up a guitar and listen to myself play and go, 'That's why you do it'," reasons Mayer. So the fact that it's all linked to something I do objectively well, that I can listen to; I can write a song, I can play a song, I can play guitar – that's what anchors me to all of this stuff. All of this is happening to me because I play guitar, write music and sing in a way that people want to pay attention to. 

"I can't imagine what this would be like if I didn't have that grounding element. And as I get older I have so much empathy for people who are really well know but don't quite have something to hold on to like a buoy. My life gives me this buoy, which is, I can write a song, I can play guitar." 

Lizzy McAlpine's fans got a surprise at her 6 October LA Troubadour show when not only Jacob Collier showed up to guest on their collaboration Never Gonna Be Alone, but John Mayer too. 

It was the first time the their 2022 single has been performed live by the trio, here in a sublime, more acoustic light. 

While McAlpine and Collier played acoustic guitars, Mayer used his relic'd Charvel Custom Shop San Dimas (circa 2017) with skateboard-inspired skull and snake graphics – a personal connection for the guitarist.

The artwork is inspired by a Powell Peralta 'McGill' skateboard deck Mayer owned as a child the late ‘80s. 

Jacob Collier: "I think that unless music is fundamentally simple, it doesn't really move anyone"

John Mayer wound-up his mammoth Sob Rock tour at Boston’s TD Garden last week (May 10) and celebrated by joining support act Alexander 23 for a cover of Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

In a lesson to any gig goers who skip the support bands, Mayer appeared onstage with Alexander 23 to close the latter’s opening set – before his own appearance later that night. Fortunately, one of the 23 team filmed the event for posterity (and anyone who was still at the bar).

“We actually have one more member tonight playing guitar with us,” Alexander 23 says in the footage. “A warm welcome to my friend, John Mayer.”

Mayer appeared with his pink Jackson Soloist, a fan-favourite that has been in and out of his regular line-up since it saw heavy use promoting Thinking Out Loud, back in 2015. 

The instrument also likely inspired the pink finish of the pink PRS Silver Sky that has become synonymous with Mayer’s 80s-inspired Sob Rock material. 

The cover is relatively faithful to the UK synth-pop giants’ original, full of popping palm-mutes and top-y, distorted lead work, but the band still find time to stretch at its edges with a few tasteful exchanges, mostly courtesy of Mayer.

The duo must have done something right as even Tears For Fears themselves have applauded the cover, commenting on the YouTube clip: “Yes!! Honoured to have you both perform this. Incredible job.”

Alexander 23 also later commented on the cover over on Instagram, saying. “Many moments in my life (music related and otherwise) i have thought to myself ‘I wonder what John would say about this?’ I’m grateful to now have that answer just a text away. Tears For Fears on the Sob Rock tour. A fitting end to something I never wanted to end.”

Now Mayer has officially put the Sob Rock US tour to bed (the last four dates having been rescheduled from March, due to Covid), he’s free to focus on the Dead And Company summer tour, which kicks off next month in LA...

John Mayer's thought process is often a fascinating thing to see unfold in interviews. And it took the musician on an interesting tangent recently when friend Andy Cohen was interviewing him about his favourite songs, including Mayer's own highlight from recent solo album Sob Rock.

"It's Wild Blue for me, baby," answers Mayer, who is currently on a world tour in support of the 2021 album. "I just put it on and I can't believe it's mine. Artists aren't really allowed to say that but it is true. There are some songs you do with your left hand and you look back and it and you go, 'That's wild.'"

There's no doubt the track is one of the guitar highlights from the album too, with the longest lead breaks we hear from Mayer on it. Some listeners may liken the guitar approach and tone to Mark Knopfler, but the feel of the song brings to mind a different influence for Mayer. 

"It's reminds me of [Your] Wildest Dreams by [The] Moody Blues," he adds, singing the song to Cohen. Mayer also likens the vibe Sob Rock in general to a 'twirling' Stevie Nicks with added 'dramatic' flourishes, noting that it isn't something he would normally do. And that's when things get interesting…

"Why would you do what you normally want to do anymore?" Mayer muses. "What's normal anymore? I'm now at the point where I'm [asking], why do I even have to like what I'm writing? What if I can write things that I don't even like at the moment?"

Cohen understandably responds by asking Mayer what the point would be of him writing music that even he doesn't like. 

"If you don't like it, it's just that it exists a little bit beyond your own tastes for that moment," Mayer counters, warming to his theme. "That's what happens as a writer; you write something and you go, I bet this isn't any good, but your tastes catch up to it. It's a very complex, kind of twisted thought but why does liking my idea stop me from writing the idea? What you like and don't like right now is not essential…"

It's an interesting thought for all musicians. Are some of us shelving good ideas too soon?

On the subject on songwriting, Mayer also revealed in another clip from the interview with Cohen that a song he's writing about his late friend, comedian Bob Saget, is helping him through his grief following Saget's death in January 2022. 

"I have a song… sometimes songwriters have a song they go real slow on when they write it and it's their pet project," Mayer explains. "And they go through their day and it's like a little empty apple basket and they pick different things; maybe I'll put that in this song. So I have this song that's my friend, it's sort of my little collection plate for ideas and thought I have about Bob and I put it on the plate and I keep working on the song. I work on it in the car if I'm driving, I just know how the song goes.

"The song that I have is very much like this connective tissue to him and I just keep working on it. And I'll sit down and play it on the piano. Just sing it. That's sort of like my security blanket. This song that someday will be finished on its own just through my thinking about it."

6 songs guitarists need to hear by… John Mayer

PRS has confirmed the long-awaited SE version of the John Mayer Silver Sky signature guitar with details of the four launch finishes and specs.

The £849 / £899 model been hoped for since the PRS version was launched in 2018 but brings with it a distinct take on the blueprint. 

Four new finishes are offered for its launch – but sadly no Roxy Pink yet – with Moon White, Dragon Fruit, Ever Green and, our favourite, Stone Blue. The biggest surprise with the SE offering is a distinct change in core spec; an unusual 8.5" fretboard radius compared to the original PRS model's 7.25".

Body wood is poplar with a maple 635JM shape bolt-on neck and rosewood fingerboard. The trio of pickups are again 635JM 'S', with a five-way selector and one volume / two tone controls. The 2-point steel tremolo continues the spec of the PRS version. Tuners are a departure with non-locking PRS Vintage-style this time and a synthetic bone nut is used.

The spec measures up well on paper – we're especially pleased to see a rosewood fingerboard here. 

Revisiting the John Mayer pentatonic guitar lesson with new notation 

It was only a matter of time before two of the finest contemporary guitar players on the planet (and fans of the forth position on a Strat) met in the studio, and when it happened John Mayer and Cory Wong decided to trade signature guitars too.

From the tie dye background we've seen before in his videos, it looks like Mayer may be the host here. Is this part of a studio session yet to be revealed? We're looking forward to finding out, but in the meantime enjoy the sound of Mayer playing a burst of Slow Dancing In A Burning Room on Fender again, via a contemporary Cory Wong signature Strat, and Wong funking on a PRS Silver Sky.  

Classic interview: John Mayer – "It has never changed that joy and passion and chemistry of just picking up the guitar and playing. In fact it's made it more important"

We've written many, many words about guitars this year but we prefer for the playing and people to do the talking. So here's a rundown of our favourite guitar videos of the year – performances, demos and interviews featuring names, including John Mayer, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young, Eric Gales and Rick Beato, that have inspired us. And we hope they've done the same for you. 

Eric Gales let rip with Gary Clark Jr 

Two of the greatest bluesmen around are always going to be a hot ticket, but Gales proves here why he's a player's hero as he's handed the second half of an eleven-minute jam on Gary Clark Jr's, When My Train Comes. And boy, does he run with it. No wonder you placed him high in your blues guitarists of 2021 list.

Eric Gales' 11 tips for guitarists

Rhett Shull's grade A evaluation of the Neural Quad Cortex

Shull is a working player as well as an excellent presenter, and as he gets to grips with the year's benchmark guitar multi-effects and amp modeller over the course of 28 minutes, his honestly and critical, unbiased ear come to the fore. And so does the Neural Quad Cortex's quality. 

Neural DSP Quad Cortex review

Pete Thorn entered Van Halen mode

Thorn sets the benchmark for gear demos on YouTube and Eventide's MicroPitch delay pedal gave him the green light to enter Van Halen mode (Eddie Van Halen used the effect from the 1984 album to around 1997).

What we love isn't just the playing here, it's Thorn's background on EVH's history with the effect that explains its special quality so succinctly. 

But it wasn't the only time in 2021 that Thorn got his Eddie on… 

Eventide MicroPitch Delay review

Nili Brosh, Laura Klinkert, Irene Ketikidi, Anouck André, Lari Basilio and Gretchen Menn united

A Portishead-style backing track provided the perfect foundation for an incredible showcase of guitar talents who collaborated on International Women's Day, with very different playing approaches.

Eric Haugen had a refreshing philosophy on practice

A recent video that really hit us – because Eric has a great, calming approach to things and makes some really important points about practice here that aren't often talked about by guitar players. Check out more of his lessons on the Eric Haugen YouTube channel. 

7 tips for better guitar practice

Cory Wong and The Dirty Loops joined forces

There's in the pocket, and then there's just beyond – pop funky glory from Wong and super Swede trio The Dirty Loops on Follow The Light from their collaborative EP Turbo. Where superlative musicianship meets the sharpest '80s hooks around. Shout out to Henrik Linder here, one of your worthy bassists of the year. 

Watch Cory Wong’s top 3 funk tips for guitarists

John Mayer embraced the extended guitar solo

Because even John Mayer loves soloing in the minor pentatonic like the rest of us. 

5 guitar tricks you can learn from John Mayer

Chris Buck took flight

Your pop / funk / r'n'b guitarist of 2021 (he also plays a mean rock and blues), Chris Buck shines here on the first single with his reanimated band, Cardinal Black. The solo at 2:30 is a masterclass in taste and tone. 

Interview: Chris Buck on his new band Cardinal Black, '62 Strat, Klons and going down the pedal rabbit hole

A J Ghent played masterful slide on an Abasi Concepts guitar

Making the guitar sing is an easy complement to throw around but how many players really take it to this level? And on a cutting edge Abasi Concepts Space T mode, no less. Support AJ Ghent 's music on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Rick Beato's interviews become must-see events

While his chat with Sting and Dominic Miller is essential viewing, your online guitar personality of 2021's chat with Tommy Emmanuel is full of great wisdom for guitarists. 

Ok, few of us will ever get close to Emmanuel's level but that's not the point; his experience, humility and joy for the craft of making music and performing is full of great lessons to learn in this chat. 

Tommy Emmanuel: the 10 guitarists that blew my mind

The phrase 'boomer bends' became a thing

We told you Rick Beato's interviews were becoming events. When Polyphia's Tim Henson sat down for a contemporary guitar summit with Beato alongside Animals As Leaders' Tosin Abasi and Polyphia's Misha Mansoor he raised the boomer bends debate. It caused enough furore to justify a whole follow-up interview between Beato and Henson.

Tosin Abasi revealed all to Kiko Loureiro

The growth in pro guitarists making their own content has been our gain; new insights into playing and the life of a touring musician. Here is a candid fly-on-the-wall view of Megadeth guitarist Kiko Loureiro and Animals As Leaders talking technique – no interview agenda, just two world class players digging into Abasi's approaches. 

How to play guitar like... Tosin Abasi

Steve Vai played a whole song one-handed

Just in case we forgot how good Steve Vai is, he performed a whole new song called Knappsack while recovering from shoulder surgery. Knappsack being the name his surgeon gave to the sling Vai is wearing… the surgeon being Dr Knapp.

The song will feature in rerecorded form on the new Steve Vai album, Inviolate. 

Pro tip: Steve Vai's visual guide to musical modes

Matteo Mancuso making fusion fire with a Yamaha Revstar and Helix

Some supreme right hand technique going on here, folks! 

The 10 best multi-effects pedals 2021

Gibson raised the guitar broadcasting game again

As Dave Mustaine joined Gibson (and recently released his first signature model), they gave the Megadeth man the full Icon treatment and the best interview we've seen with him. They just let Mustaine talk and we were happy to listen. 

Interview: Gibson's Cesar Gueikian on the past, present and future of the guitar giant: "We care about the quality, we care about the legacy that we will leave behind"

Yvette Young had some fun with her new Ibanez signature model launch 

Being a seriously good guitar player and not taking yourself too seriously is not only possible, but positively encouraged by Yvette Young. 

Yvette Young: my 12 top tips for guitar players

We saw the Beatles creating magic

The Beatles Get Back film enabled us to see the Fab Four in new ways; joking, rehearsing and creating together, with some tense moments, over a whopping eight hours of edited and restored footage from 1969. It was enlightening and inspiring stuff.

"For the first time, John and Paul knew that George had risen to their level" – Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick track-by-track interview on Abbey Road

Mdou Moctar played a stunning live session

A beautiful setting by the river Niger and the sublime, hypnotic sounds of a guitarist and his band coming into their own this year. Mdou was also your pick for alternative guitarist of 2021. 

Mdou Moctar interview: “My intention is for the guitar to be spitting out the sound of revolution”

Julian Lage gave another masterful performance with his signature Collings

A new Julian Lage album gave us the chance to talk tone with him and enjoy the wonderful breadth of his playing. He's becoming one of the contemporary greats. 

Julian Lage: “I bought a stethoscope and taped it to the back of the Telecaster. I could only handle it for about a day and thought, ‘This is abusive!’“

And speaking of excellent instrumentals…

Lari Basilio's playing is wonderful on her recent collaboration with Ester Na here.

We became obsessed with Jay Nelson's Fender Custom Shop spraying videos

Watching a master at work is strangely relaxing. 

The best rock guitarists in the world today, according to you

John Mayer always draws a lot of attention, but it seems that recently he has been thinking about how he can use his megastar powers to give something back to the guitar playing community.

Mayer, who released the 80s-flavoured Sob Rock this summer, grew up idolising the likes of Eric Clapton and Steve Lukather and clearly still remembers what it’s like to be a fan. As such, he has spent much of the past year demonstrating the positives of social media, posting clips and goodies for home-bound players to enjoy.

“You know, I’ve never seen more people get more out of playing electric guitar than I have this past year,” he told GuitarWorld. “It is such a community. And it brings me back to my roots as a guitar player, as a guitar player alone in my house. So it’s a way of saying that we’re all in the same boat.”

The guitarist has used his TikTok channel to post videos of everything from playing tips for Neon, to err, 'small dances' (see above), but one of the most popular moves was his Last Train Home Guitar Out mix, which removed the recorded solo and invited fans to record their own takes.

“If I can offer a little support to people who love playing guitar and don’t quite have the opportunity to play as much as they want or in all the situations they want, then I’ll do that,” says Mayer. “Because when we were coming up, we didn’t have anything without a lead guitar, right?”

“I had to play over B.B. King. I had to play on top of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The nerviest move you could ever make! And so if I can say to the mix engineer, 'Hey, will you give me one without the lead guitar?,' I’ll do it.”

In particular, the Mayer has cited Clapton’s 80s-era Journeyman record as a huge influence on his Sob Rock tone and writing and says he understands how much these gestures mean to players. 

“Do you know how flipped out I would have been if I walked through a CD store in 1991 and there was an Eric Clapton import CD from Australia or something that said, 'Journeyman – Lead Guitar Out Version'? I would’ve never gone back to school! I would’ve never left the house. I think about that sometimes. And so that’s why I’m always going to keep doing it if I can. And I can. So I will.”

Check out the full John Mayer interview over on GuitarWorld.

John Mayer has opened up on his soloing strategy, explaining that his love for playing the blues has to be tempered by his ears overruling his hands and calling time on his solos to address the needs of the song.

Speaking to Guitar World, he described an internal struggle between the freewheeling instincts of the lead guitar player, and the songwriter who has to keep score at the end of the day and make sure the track still works. He knows all too well that it's all very easy to get carried away with an electric guitar in our hands.

“I let my ears rule,“ he said. “So while it’s fun – just primally fun – to get more time to play a solo, I become deeply upset with myself when I start to hear myself thin out. It’s almost like a fountain pen, and I can always tell when the writing gets thin as a guitar player. And I don’t tolerate it in myself, even though the other side of myself just wants to let loose.“

As Mayer tells it, the ear is “boss“ when it comes to exercising a sense of restraint in his compositions. But when it came to conversation, the blues-pop superstar was in expansive mood, talking in detail about his use of Fractal Axe-Fx modellers, his three guitar amplifier setup, and the clarity of tone that he wanted from his rig to help those solos really pop off the fingerboard.

“For that kind of session-player, speed-of-note thing, that picking response really comes from direct input or a Dumble amp, which, really, is a direct-input amplifier,“ he explained. “Even though it’s coming through a speaker, everything in those amps moves so fast, and in the best, cleanest way, that when you pick that single-note stuff, you’re just in heaven because the notes are so crisp.“

When discussing his blues playing, Mayer made the surprising admission that he did not feel that he had the sufficient vocabulary of phrasing to put together longer solos, or to call himself a bluesman. And although Sob Rock found him channelling his Journeyman-era Eric Clapton, Mayer's ear was waiting in the wings to shut him down if he got carried away.

“My ear goes, 'I will simply not tolerate a solo that’s twice as long as it needs to be. I heard you lose your motifs. I heard you lose your lyricality. I heard you lose your phrasing,'“ he said. “That’s why I don’t really consider myself a blues guitar player – because my phrasing gives out after a certain period of time. 

“And I love playing blues guitar. I mean, it’s like constant downhill skiing. It’s an endless water slide. But the ear rules. The ear is the producer of the record, and the ear is the one that has to call bullshit on every other part of you as a composer and a musician and a guitar player.“ 

Mayer explained that he released a video of him playing the first single from Sob Rock, Last Train Home, with the solo removed from the mix to help young and aspiring players work on their soloing chops, recalling when he was learning the instrument, soloing over blues masters such as BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughan was a chastening experience for a novice. And he shared some advice on how to compose the perfect solo.

“I think pitch, repetition, motif, all these things have a lot to do with which parts of your emotional map a solo is hitting at any given time,” said Mayer. “I mean, if you start high, there’s nowhere left to go, right? So I see it as building a ramp.” 

The ramp metaphor serves a purpose, too, because once the ear pipes up you are going to have to avail yourself of the next available exit, and work out how to finish the solo with the song – and your dignity – intact.

“Just have fun… but don’t go crazy. It’s like, ‘Here, go tool around in  this Ferrari, but don’t  bring it back crashed.’ Get it back into the garage so the song can keep going. Because the  song is the boss, and that’s it.“

Sadly, some of Mayer's most out-there solo ideas might never see the light of day. Mayer discussed how exacting he was about lifting influences and dialing in a sound that felt authentically his. And that meant an 80s stadium-rock moment straight from the Phil Collen playbook – Jackson guitars, a Rockman and a Marshall – was consigned to the cutting room floor.

“Don Was has said he wishes he could’ve sold tickets to the recording of this album, just for the guitar parts,“ said Mayer. “Because the guitar parts, some of them that never made it to the record, it was just so funny to hear that sound revived. There were times where I would take a Jackson and run it through a Rockman, which is as Def Leppard as you can get. It’d be a Jackson through a Rockman with, like, a [Marshall] JMP, and I’d start playing these kinds of Hysteria lines.“

Def Leppard? That would definitely have violated all rules on restraint, but you can hear what did make the cut as Sob Rock is out now on all formats via Columbia.

John Mayer has released a new single, Last Train Home, taken from his long-awaited forthcoming album, Sob Rock, out 16 July. 

Impeccably crafted, inspired by Toto, Last Train Home offers a one-way ticket back to the decade of aesthetic excess, shoulder pads, solid production values and meticulously processed electric guitar tones.

The promo video has everything Generation X needs for a pop-cultural madeleine moment. It features Mayer decked out in a leather jacket and playing a hot pink PRS Silver Sky, the soft airy pump of synths from Toto keys master Greg Phillinganes, percussion from his bandmate Lenny Castro, and Maren Morris pops up to offer some spectacular vocals as the song builds to a conclusion.

All the augurs had pointed to Mayer taking a retro-direction. Having completed Sob Rock back in March, he has been biding his time, teasing new music every now and again, popping up on TikTok with some snippets, and showcasing a new Crockett-and-Tubbs look on social media.

One look at the cover art would tell you that there was no way Sob Rock was going to be a 21st-century Delta blues recording, not with that colour palette.

Mayer and PRS has thus far been silent on the provenance of this new hot pink Silver Sky, but with Summer NAMM just around the corner, we might well see some fresh colour options – maybe some surf-friendly green or off-cyan colours to complement the pink? Time will tell.

Sob Rock will be Mayer’s first album in four years, and sounds like it will offer a very different vibe to the post-breakup palliatives of The Search For Everything. 

Having dropped a heavily Toto-inspired track, with sumptuous clean tones and a fat overdrive for leads, it is intriguing where else Mayer will take sound on Sob Rock. His playing could work well in synth-heavy new-wave track a la Flock Of Seagulls. 

Sob Rock is available to pre-save on Spotify, and you can sign up for alerts and more info at its pre-launch page. Mayer's calendar is steadily being filled. He hits the road in August with Dead & Company and is tipped to host a late night talk show on Paramount Plus.

John Mayer's signature PRS Silver Sky series is brilliant, controversial, a top-seller and always a talking point for the electric guitar community, and slowly but surely it is being refreshed in some of the nicest colour finishes we have seen this side of vintage Fender.

But are we about to see a new finish for summer 2021? The social media tea leaves suggest as much, with John Mayer posting a cryptic picture on Instagram of him cradling a signature Silver Sky finished in what looks to be an eye-catching shade of hot-pink. 

This pink finish Silver Sky assumes the usual Strat-inspired form. It has the much-debated reverse PRS headstock, a rosewood fingerboard with birds inlay, and the look of new guitar about it. And if the magazine mock-up image is to be believed, we might have concrete news arriving this coming Friday 4 June, which would set the scene nicely for the summer NAMM announcements. 

Thus far, the Silver Sky has been offered in a variety of metallic finishes, Moc Sand and Frost solid colours, plus the occasional limited edition polychromatic finish such as the Nebula and Lunar Ice models to set the collector market alight. Hot pink, though? That's bold.

The text on Mayer's faux magazine cover also suggest there might be more than just a Silver Sky announcement. With his first solo album in four years reportedly completed since March, Friday might well be the day when a release date and a title is shared with the world.

Mayer's diary is filling up nicely. He hits the road with Dead & Company in August. Joining Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead onstage, the Long Strange Trip tour commences on 18 August at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, before finishing on Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles. See Dead & Company for dates and details.

NAMM 2020: We have all seen John Mayer play one of his PRS Silver Sky signature electrics with a maple fretboard, an off-menu item to tantalise us, but finally PRS have done the right thing and put them into production

Described by PRS as "the next evolution" of the Silver Sky", maple fretboards now join rosewood on the menu. The maple fretboard Silver Sky will be available in Frost, Tungsten, Dodgem Blue, Golden Mesa, Moc Sand, Orion Green, and 2020's new  Midnight Rose and Polar Blue colors. 

Also new for 2020 is the premium limited edition Nebula finish. It is a polychromatic "flip-flop" finish that reflects different hues as it catches the light. PRS says the Nebula finish "reflects the Silver Sky’s goal to redefine what a vintage-inspired guitar can be and shift the focus to the future."

As to the sound and the vintage feel of John Mayer's Silver Sky, nothing has changed. Its old-school Fender-sized 7.25" fingerboard radius and Mayer-approved 635JM neck shape are found across both rosewood and maple fretboard models. 

These new for 2020 Silver Sky models are available to order now priced £2,469 ($2,299) street.

Now, what would we like to see at the next NAMM show? Ah, a PRS SE Silver Sky, you say? Now that would be a good idea. Over to you, PRS.

See PRS for more details.

Check out our NAMM 2020 hub for more gear news from Anaheim.

There is always talk that there will be another John Mayer signature model in the works. Based on the sound economic logic that one successful signature model deserves another, and the fact that Mayer has been closing out the show with a PRS Silver Sky with a maple fretboard, is there another US-built model on the horizon?

The pictures were taken by Katie Friesema at Mayer’s show in Columbus, Ohio, and emerged on John Mayer’s Instagram account on Sunday night. But there is no shortage of YouTube footage of Mayer closing out the set with Night Light, mystery PRS in hand. 

Details are, of course, sketchy, but the maple fretboard is a significant step change from Mayer’s rosewood signature model. Is there a change to the bird inlay, too? Perhaps j-birds or j-birds with centres? The headstock, however, remains reversed, remains a talking point, while the super-cool Tungsten finish is unchanged just to mellow everyone out.

Close followers of the US tonehound’s adventures in gear would do well to follow the John Mayer Gear Instagram account, which has a full list of gear used on his 2019 world tour, along with another couple of pics of the mystery new Silver Sky.