Video: Paul Reed Smith interviews John Mayer (and vice versa)

Just when you thought this year couldn't see any more seismic action we've got Paul Reed Smith Zooming John Mayer while we all get to play voyeur. By Mayer's own admission, the two "talk all the time" but in their shared 29-minute chat for PRS's Long Distance series, we get some high value guitar chatter.

They recount the story of how they started collaborating on guitars together – first on the Super Eagle II for his live work with Dead & Company and then the Silver Sky. 

Mayer talks guitar finishes, Strats, the Silver Sky and his relationship with the middle pickup (Mayer: "The truest pickup), humbuckers (Paul: "I'm going to convert you"). 

Indeed, there's a lot of pickup talk. And Mayer also has some interesting things to say about the transition he went through as a player when he joined Dead & Company – "I can use the full range of guitar playing".

PRS and Mayer also reveal what legends' rigs from the past they would have loved to play through. 

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.