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DARK SECRETS: 4 | Rare Historical Photos

“The tone of the note has so many moving parts to it. There are so many parameters”: Steve Vai on how players can instantly change their guitar tone – without buying new gear

The virtuoso has offered some sage advice that can help players achieve instant results without having to spend any money

Guitar World

“I hope people hear these albums and go, ‘Oh, this is where that legendary American rock guitar archetype is from’”: This unsung guitar hero's band was called the American Led Zeppelin, and his virtuosic playing paved the way for Van Halen and Satriani

Often left out of discussions of the great rock guitarists of the '70s, Ronnie Montrose had little interest in chasing hits or following a consistent artistic path. Nonetheless, he left the guitarists who heard him spellbound

Guitar World

“Our manager overheard one of Pink Floyd say something about our keyboardist and he threatened to break their legs”: Andy Fairweather Low’s wild tales of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and Tom Jones

From Hendrix’s backing vocalist to George Harrison and Roger Waters’ right hand man, Andy Fairweather Low is one of rock’s secret MVPs

Louder

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“Copying the people you admire is a healthy thing to do – it teaches you to get inside what they do, then you can take it from there”: Eric Johnson on his G3 reunion with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai – and why the limits of guitar have yet to be reached

We catch up with the maestro to talk all things G3, formative influences, hollow-body Strat designs, and what he has to learn from Wes Montgomery after all these years

Guitar World

“Playing the melody on top of that was the real challenge”: Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani share the secrets behind 3 instrumental epics in these exclusive Guitar World lessons

The three G3 virtuosos break down hits both classic and modern to celebrate the release of the G3 Reunion Live album

Guitar World

“I think Eddie got rubbed up the wrong way because we had another superstar guitar player in our lineup”: Eddie Van Halen apparently left Peavey because it signed a second standout shredder – Joe Satriani

Van Halen had developed his Wolfgang and 5150 with Peavey, but the firm’s current CEO reckons Satch’s arrival ultimately convinced him to leave

Guitar World

“Joe is on fire! What better inspiration can you get?”: Steve Vai describes the “craziness” of his new music with Joe Satriani

“I’ve never done anything like this,” Vai says

MusicRadar

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“After a minute, I realize I can’t see the fretboard, I can’t breathe and it’s suddenly 120 degrees in my head”: That time Joe Satriani took a Surfing With the Alien encore a little too far

One Halloween, Satch decided to emerge for his customary encore wearing a headpiece appropriate for the holiday – but he quickly realized it was a bad idea

Guitar World

"We all appeared on stage wearing robes and holding candles:" Joe Satriani on G3 pranking, handling Yngwie Malmsteen and the Halloween costume he'd rather forget

After three decades of changing line-ups, the original G3 – Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson – returned to the stage

Louder

“It was so close to happening. Then Jeff bailed at the last moment”: Joe Satriani was days away from signing Jeff Beck for G3 – before the Yardbird dropped out and suggested Prince as a replacement

Satriani discusses how Beck may have overlooked him due to their generational differences as guitarists

Guitar World

“They’ve achieved so much in their careers. I love hearing their stories. Every time we plug in together, I grow as a player”: Lari Basilio reveals what she learned from playing side by side with all-time guitar and session greats

From sharing the stage with Steve Vai to having Joe Satriani shred on one of her tracks, Basilio knows a thing or two about playing alongside some of the most established names in the biz

Guitar World

“They’re kind of stuck to 30 seconds of being amazing for social media”: Joe Satriani explains the difference between online virtuosos and Jimi Hendrix – and says society isn’t giving players the chance to fully express themselves

Satch says Hendrix was never played anything that sounded like an exercise– he “just sounded like music”

MusicRadar

Message in a pedal: Behringer's new Chorus Symphony is a clone of pedal made famous by The Police, Joe Satriani and Nirvana

We might be in the middle of winter, but it's already time for the sound of Summers, apparently

MusicRadar

“I'd lost a close friend and a hero of mine took the time to console me”: Guitar mainstay Pete Thorn tells how Steve Vai comforted him following Chris Cornell’s death

And there’s a happy ending. Thorn and Vai are now band members in SatchVai Band, alongside Joe Satriani

MusicRadar

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Guitar World

“It was two days after Chris Cornell passed. Steve said, ‘I know you lost your friend – it's too soon now, but the time will come where you think of him, and it'll be happy memories’”: Once just a hero and mentor, Steve Vai is now Pete Thorn's bandmate

“Here, I'd lost a close friend and collaborator; and a hero of mine, from the time I was 11 years old or so, took the time to console me,” the newly appointed SatchVai Band guitarist tells GW

Guitar World

“The secret weapon that defined the sound of 1980s arena rock”: MXR officially revives the Rockman – the revolutionary headphone amp used by Joe Satriani, Phil Collen and Boston

The device – considered to be a forerunner to today's multi-effects pedals – revolutionized guitar recording, and can be heard on thousands of hits

Guitar World

“His rhythm playing is tight and in tune in a way that’s rare, and his intonation is stunning”: Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have detailed the full SatchVai Band lineup – and Pete Thorn is handling rhythm guitar

The six-string dream team will also be rounded out by an equally formidable rhythm section

Guitar World

“Joe handpicked each amp and dialed in his favorite settings”: IK Multimedia launches Joe Satriani signature TONEX One loaded with presets designed by the guitar great – and yes, it’s chrome

The limited-edition mini pedal comes loaded with 20 Tone Models lifted from the IK Multimedia Joe Satriani Amp Vault Collection

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MusicRadar

NAMM 2025: “The signature tones of a guitar legend on your pedalboard”: Joe Satriani teams up with IK Multimedia for limited edition Tonex One that comes loaded with 20 of Satch’s own presets

Finished in chrome to match his Chrome Boy Ibanez signature guitar, this small but mighty Tonex One has the tones for Ice 9, Summer Song and more

Guitar World

“I don't think I want to go on tour anymore. I hate to say that”: Sammy Hagar reveals his touring days are over

Hagar clarifies this does not mean he's retiring – but at 77, he prefers residencies over the stresses of touring

Guitar World

“Eruption was my phone alarm for a while – we have a love-hate relationship because it woke me up every morning”: Sophie Lloyd names 10 guitarists who shaped her sound

The Machine Gun Kelly guitarist and Kiesel signature artist reveals what she learned from which players – and the techniques she’s still working on

Guitar World

“I get a call, ‘Hello, Andy, it’s Roger Waters.’ Who? I hadn’t paid attention to their names”: Andy Fairweather Low was personally recruited by the Pink Floyd legend – but didn’t know who he was when he came calling

In the 1980s, the rhythm guitar hero was sounded out by Waters for a new band, but there was a clumsy first introduction…

MusicRadar

“A lot of the guitar parts were totally within my ability, but there were a couple that I just couldn’t navigate”: Steve Vai reveals the King Crimson riff that had him beat and the tip from Robert Fripp that helped him nail it

Celebrating the ‘80s material of prog trailblazers King Crimson, the BEAT Tour gave Vai a welcome fix of “high-information music” but some of Fripp’s material pushed him to the limit

MusicRadar

“He was a great guitar player. He’s not looking at what he’s playing, so obviously he really knows the instrument”: Which grunge icon could Joe Satriani be talking about?

Plus, he highlights the “only problem” with Yngwie Malmsteen

Guitar World

“This is a guy who worked for Frank Zappa. Frank said to him, ‘Whatever you do, don’t learn how to read music.’ He's all-creative –he's a miracle, really”: Steve Vai on BEAT, being a virtuoso in his 60s – and the Fripp riff he just couldn’t master

He reflects on how Frank Zappa helped him and Adrian Belew, the value of learning from rather than competing with other players and changing rig for his tour with Joe Satriani. But who’s going to be in the SatchVai band?

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