Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Artists Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
Zach Myers of Shinedown is bathed in blue stage lights and plays his custom-relic'd Silver Sky.
Artists Shinedown’s Zach Myers on Paul Reed Smith, signature model updates, and that relic’d Silver Sky
Brent Smith of Shinedown performs during the US rockers' Dance, Kid, Dance Tour 2025.
Artists Shinedown’s Brent Smith on finding inspiration in a hurricane and why you don’t need to be play guitar to write a great song
Brent Smith [left] performs in a blazer and white T-shirt as flames from pyro light the stage behind him. On the right, Rick Beato is photographed in a denim overshirt at NAMM 2022.
Artists Shinedown frontman Brent Smith on what makes Rick Beato a great producer
Yungblud
Artists Yungblud reveals his secret to making acoustics sound massive – and hints at future signature model
Jackson Pro Series Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7 and HT7P
Artists Misha Mansoor spills blood as a home shopping TV presenter to unveil new signature Jackson 7-strings
Brent Mason
Artists “You hear the record and they took you off!”: Ace session guitarist Brent Mason reveals how he made it to the top
Brent Hinds plays a bespoke ESP offset live in Mexico as he performs with Mastodon in 2022.
Artists “My mind’s the most cosmic place I could ever visit. All I have to do is zone out and play the guitar, and before you know it, I’ve visited places unheard of”: Remembering Brent Hinds, the maverick who trampled metal guitar underfoot with Mastodon
Gretsch Electromatic CVT: The bolt-on double-cut assumes a familiar form to the Jack Antonoff signature model, and features dual humbuckers, a wraparound tailpiece, and some neat vintage finishes.
Guitars Like the Jack Antonoff signature Gretsch? Then you are going to love the CVT Electromatic
Jackson X and JS Series Surfcasters: the long-awaited offset electric guitar is now being offered in white, satin black and metallic black, and and at the entry-level JS price point and the mid-priced X Series.
Guitars “A bold new take on a classic metal machine”: Having ridden the wave of popular demand, Jackson’s Surfcaster offset has landed – and it’s built for speed
Gibson Marcus King ES-345 in Sixties Cherry: the NC soul/rock phenom's new signature model is based on his 1962 heirloo, Big Red, and offers a slightly different set of specs as his Custom Shop version.
Artists Gibson unveils new signature ES-345 for Marcus King, and it is the evolution of a family heirloom
Gretsch Broadkaster Jr LX Center Block with Bigsby
Guitars Gretsch’s unveils new MIJ high-end semi-hollows with redesigned bodies and Pro Twin Six humbuckers
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
Artists How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Electric Guitars Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac: the new semi-hollow signature model is a stunning singlecut with a quilted maple build in a natural finish.
Electric Guitars “Unbeatable... A play-anything guitar”: Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac Session Man review
  1. Guitars

Zach Myers on Shinedown, semi-hollows and playing solo

News
By Rob Laing ( Total Guitar ) published 12 January 2016

Thinking big with the Shinedown six-stringer

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Shinedowns’s PRS-toting tonesmith, Zach Myers, talks about getting huge sounds from small amps and why his band aren’t afraid of change in their pursuit of greatness...

Ambition is not a dirty word in Shinedown’s world. In fact, it barely does justice to the US band’s insatiable drive.

Nothing will ever be good enough. You can look at that in a negative light or a positive light like we do

“I’ve heard bands say, ‘We won’t be happy until…’ so many times,” the band’s lone guitarist Zach Myers tells us. “Well the difference between them and us is that we’re happy but we’ll never be content. Nothing will ever be good enough. You can look at that in a negative light or a positive light like we do. We’ll never be satisfied, because there’s no ceiling, there’s no mountain top.”

Zach isn’t being a hype man here, because Shinedown’s continued ascent is walking his talk in the US and in Europe. Frontman Brent Smith’s belief in big has infected his band – now a stable line-up after the changing members of the early days – seeing Shinedown shifting serious units and playing arenas, when most of those other rock bands Zach is talking about… well they’re not even close.

Shinedown’s unashamedly huge radio-rock songs are connecting, and that’s all the more interesting because stylistically they seem to be continuously on the move from the Southern roots of their early days. Which has brought Zach and the band to the bombastic rhythms, bold messages and immediacy of fifth album, Threat To Survival.

Shinedown was previously a two-guitar band, but since 2012’s Amaryllis, Zach, a member of the line-up since 2005, has been flying solo. But that hasn’t stopped the Memphis-born guitarist moving outside his comfort zones with tone and instruments, however…

Win a limited-edition Carnival Of Madness PRS electric guitar from Black Stone Cherry and Shinedown

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
Threat To Survival

Threat To Survival

Threat To Survival has more of an organic band sound than your previous albums…

“Absolutely, it’s definitely a record that for us, the writing came a lot more naturally and it was something that we really enjoyed. It was the most non-stressed record we’ve ever done, to the point where it was just easy to come by the songs.

I call this record ‘weight heavy’, there’s so much weight in it. So it’s heavy like that but we didn’t go into it like that

“There was no struggle and it felt really natural, there was no stress or time limit. Let’s just go in and make a record and what came out was what came out. It was very loose and way less polished than The Sound Of Madness and Amaryllis.”

Rhythmically, this is a very up-front, heavy album, was that a conscious decision?

“We knew that the songs had very heavy subject matter and like you said, it’s a heavy record, but I’ve said that to other journalists and had them go, ‘Heavy like how? Heavy like Machine Head?’

“And it’s not that, I tell people all the time; Tool is one of the heaviest bands I’ve ever seen. They don’t have any fast songs. I call this record ‘weight heavy’, there’s so much weight in it. So it’s heavy like that but we didn’t go into it like that. Because we don’t go into it saying we’re going to make a type A or B record.

“Guitar-wise it was so much fun to do this record because it wasn’t, ‘Let’s take eight Marshall tracks, eight Diesel tracks, a couple of combo tracks. It was a case of ‘Let’s take an eight-inch Rickenbacker combo and put four mics on it, and a Superfuzz, and make this little combo make the biggest noise we can.’ That’s what made it so heavy I think.”

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
Uncomfortable gear

Uncomfortable gear

So you were quite experimental with gear in the studio?

“Oh yes, we took ourselves completely out of our comfort zones on this record. I play PRS live and I play a lot of PRSs in the studio normally, but I brought my ’68 ES-335 to the studio, which was used for probably 80 per cent of the record.

We took a Jack White/Billy Gibbons approach to guitars, where less is more

“Two of my PRSs were also used; my signature model and a studio model that Paul [Reed Smith] made me, and then some Teles and Strats. We tried to find the best thing for the song and stuff we’re not used to.

“Especially with amps, there might be three heads on this record. It’s mostly little combos and things that are so different. We took a Jack White/Billy Gibbons approach to guitars, where less is more. We don’t need stacks of guitars, let’s just use one or two. Make them sound as full and big as possible.”

What other amps were used?

“There was one called a Stinger, I played one for the first time when I was 15 years old at the NAMM show. I remember the guy from [the band] Alabama played them. We recorded most of the guitars at a place called The Lair in Los Angeles.

“This guy Larry [there] had more amps than you’ve ever seen. We had an Ampeg Jet, another Ampeg [Reverberocket], that old 40s Rickenbacker with an eight-inch speaker was one of the main ones.

“Our tech on the record, Hans Buscher, he’s been Billy Joe from Green Day’s tech for 10 years, and he made a head that was almost like a JTM45. I used that and an old Orange head. That was mostly it… with a couple of old Fender Tweeds too.”

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
Semi-hollow sounds

Semi-hollow sounds

What’s drawn you to use semi-hollow guitars more and more?

“It’s something that I’ve gravitated to, and I haven’t even thought about until now. I love them. Even on the record there’s a 335, and my new signature is semi-hollow.

I play piano on Thick As Thieves and that’s one of my favourite songs

“I was also using a lot of the Singlecut Hollowbody II’s on the last tour and I still use five of them on this tour. I like the fact that they’re light but they just push a bit more air I think.”

It also sounds like other instruments are driving some of these songs rather than guitar riffs…

“I play piano on Thick As Thieves and that’s one of my favourite songs. That to me was way more piano-driven than guitar-driven. The guitars became more of an Edge thing, there’s a jangly 12-string-type part in the beginning, but that song was about the piano. And Black Cadillac, you’d think that was more driven by piano, but it was the riff.”

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
Playing solo

Playing solo

What about Oblivion?

“The demo for that is completely different, honestly the demo was this riff and it was kind of Clutch-ish, which is cool because we’re all big Clutch fans, but it wasn’t us. It was Eric’s [Bass, who fittingly plays bass] idea to take that riff out and [add] the backup singers on that. It was originally driven by the riff, and then the rhythm.”

You’re the sole guitarist in Shinedown; how have you had to approach that role in the way you think about parts?

What I was going for was, don’t try to outsmart what’s been going on for years in music

“The biggest misconception when a band goes from a two- to one-guitar band is that the guy who’s left thinks he has to do more. I don’t agree with that, you do less and let the rhythm take over the song more. And that’s kind of what I do now, I try to do less but fill up the space.

“This isn’t the best representation of less, but The Edge is one of my favourite guitar players and if you really think about Where The Streets Have No Name he’s playing two parts, but that sounds like a wall of guitars. And that’s kind of where I came from on The Sound Of Madness, Amaryllis and especially on this record.

“A song like Black Cadillac, that’s two guitars. It’s just one riff, kind of a Led Zeppelin When The Levee Breaks-type song. What I was going for was, don’t try to outsmart what’s been going on for years in music, from the dawn of old delta blues and even classical music. Don’t try to overthink.”

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
Dare to be different

Dare to be different

Shinedown aren’t afraid to be ambitious, but what keeps driving you forward, musically?

“I just can’t make the same record over and over again. I get that bands do it, and say, ‘this is our sound, and we don’t want to stray too far from our sound’. Okay, write the same record five times, but we can’t do that.

I wish bands would be more daring, because this record sounds like nothing we’ve ever done

“There are people who save their money to buy a record and tickets to a show, and they buy tickets for not only them, but their wife and kids. In this day and age in this economy that’s not the easiest thing to do.

“So we’re not going to give you the same record, we’re going to give you something new and fresh because you deserve that as a fan. And we deserve to challenge ourselves as a band. It’s a mutual respect for the fans and ourselves.

“I wish bands would be more daring, because this record sounds like nothing we’ve ever done.”

Win a limited-edition Carnival Of Madness PRS electric guitar from Black Stone Cherry and Shinedown

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Rob Laing
Rob Laing
Social Links Navigation
Reviews Editor, GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars

Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.




Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
Zach Myers of Shinedown is bathed in blue stage lights and plays his custom-relic'd Silver Sky.
Shinedown’s Zach Myers on Paul Reed Smith, signature model updates, and that relic’d Silver Sky
Brent Smith of Shinedown performs during the US rockers' Dance, Kid, Dance Tour 2025.
Shinedown’s Brent Smith on finding inspiration in a hurricane and why you don’t need to be play guitar to write a great song
Brent Smith [left] performs in a blazer and white T-shirt as flames from pyro light the stage behind him. On the right, Rick Beato is photographed in a denim overshirt at NAMM 2022.
Shinedown frontman Brent Smith on what makes Rick Beato a great producer
Yungblud
Yungblud reveals his secret to making acoustics sound massive – and hints at future signature model
Jackson Pro Series Misha Mansoor Juggernaut HT7 and HT7P
Misha Mansoor spills blood as a home shopping TV presenter to unveil new signature Jackson 7-strings
Latest in Guitars
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Here are the best Labor Day sales for musicians from across the internet
Boss PX-1 Plugout FX: the white compact series pedal has blue knobs, digital display, and is a platform for 16 digitally modelled Boss effects, one of which is available at a time.
A compact series stompbox you can turn into any one of 16 classic Boss effects? Meet the Plugout FX
Don Felder plays his iconic white Gibson doubleneck electric guitar onstage. Note the double jack: that mod is crucial when playing Hotel California, which he surely is in this picture.
Don Felder on why he had to mod his white Gibson doubleneck to play the Eagles’ biggest hit – and how he got the idea from Chet Atkins
Third Man Hardware x Black Mountain Roto-Echo: the roller wheel equipped delay pedal is a compact and performance-friendly stompbox that's available in black or limited edition white. Jack White has used it onstage and in the studio during the sessions for No Name.
Jack White’s Third Man teams up with Black Mountain for the Roto-Echo, a delay controllable by foot
Gibson Tony Iommi Humbucker: the all-new humbucker, a reissue of its first-ever signature pickup.
Gibson goes back to the beginning with reissue of its first-ever signature pickup for Black Sabbath icon Tony Iommi
John Fogerty wears a blue plaid shirt and plays his Fireglo 'Acme' Rickenbacker live onstage in 2022
“Dumb idea to give a guitar away that meant so much to you”: John Fogerty explains why he let go of his iconic guitar
Latest in News
Sebastian Bach performs on Day 1 of the Heavy Montreal festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau on August 6, 2016 in Montreal, Canada
“I could kick 'em right in the balls”: Ex-Skid Row man goes on a rant about Youtube armchair critics
Composer John Williams
“I never liked film music very much”: World famous film composer makes startling admission
Josh Freese performs onstage with The Vandals during day 1 of Warped Tour at Shoreline Waterfront on July 26, 2025
“It wasn’t music that I really resonated with”: Josh Freese lifts the lid on his exit from the Foo Fighters
Zak Starkey and Axl Rose composite
“C’mon bro... It could generate $2M for teen cancer”: Zak Starkey pleads with Axl Rose to give the go-ahead for charity cover of Bolan classic
Emily Portman of the Emily Portman Trio performs on stage during Kings Place Festival 2012 at Kings Place on September 14, 2012 in London, United Kingdom
“I'll never be able to sing perfectly in tune. But I don't want to": Meet the real artists that are victims of AI fake tracks
Marek "Ashok" Šmerda wears corpsepaint that makes him look a little like Hellraiser's Pinhead as he performs live with Cradle of Filth.
Cradle of Filth guitarist Ashok fired mid-tour, days after keyboardist wife quits citing low pay and “toxic” atmosphere

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...