Jared James Nichols has a few calling cards: his mane of total-rockstar hair, his giant steel-toed boots, and his sweet, stinging Gibson-plus-Marshall shredding. He just released his latest record, Louder than Fate, which landed him on the cover of Premier Guitar’s June issue.
PG’s Chris Kies met up with Nichols at Gym 5 in Nashville to get a look at his revamped, pared-down rig, based around a classic recipe: Gibson guitars, Marshall stacks, and a couple of stomps to push those elements to the edge.
These four electrics are Nichols’ mainstays. The 2025 Gibson Futura, second from the right, has been modded with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups and a custom black pickguard. To its left sits a 1952 Les Paul nicknamed “Dorothy,” Nichols’ favorite axe, which has survived a tornado and will be with him for life.
Also on the roster are Nichols’ signature Epiphone “Blues Power” Les Paul Custom (far left), with a Seymour Duncan Silencer JJN P-90B that gets rid of hum, and a Gibson Made to Measure Les Paul (far right), with a Custom Bucker and another Silencer JJN P-90B, intended to recreate Nichols’ ’54 Les Paul nicknamed “Old Red.”
Nichols uses DR Strings Veritas sets (.010–.049).
Stacks on Stacks
Nichols runs two Marshall 1959 modified heads through Marshall 1960 4x12 cabs, with Celestion GT-75 speakers. One is set for higher treble response, and the other favors bass presence.
Jared James Nichols’ Pedalboard
Nichols’ stomp setup is simple as can be: Along with a Klon Centaur and an Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer, he carries a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster Mini, a TC Electronic PolyTune 3, and a Whirlwind Selector A/B Box to switch between amp heads.
The Fender Vintera III series delivers meticulously crafted vintage recreations that capture the authentic look, feel, and tone of iconic Fender guitars from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. The Vintera III Early ‘60s Bass VI features an alder body and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard for classic Fender tone that’s full of punch and clarity. The early ‘60s “C”-shape, 30” scale maple neck with 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard and vintage-tall frets provides supreme comfort and outstanding feel. At its heart, you’ll find three vintage-style early ‘60s single-coil pickups that deliver all the deep and growling, rich and articulate tone that made Fender famous. Other features include a vintage-style floating tremolo for expressive vibrato, individual on/off switches for each pickup, vintage-style Bass VI mute and vintage-style tuning machines for enhanced tuning stability. Embrace the authentic vintage spirit and legendary sound of Vintera III – where every detail tells the story.
Fender
Vintera III Early '60s Bass VI 6-string
6-string Electric Bass with Alder Body, Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 3 Single-coil Pickups, and Tremolo - Candy Apple Red
Tom Butwin puts StewMac's new GuitarTek cleaning line to the test with the worst possible candidate: a neglected guitar from Facebook Marketplace. After finding the perfect subject, he brings it back to the studio to see what GuitarTek can actually do. Less than eight minutes later and after a round of total care cleaner, high-gloss polish, and fretboard conditioner, the results are hard to argue with.
Steve Vai and Joe Satriani rallied the SatchVai Band for an American spring tour this year, and ahead of their gig at PNC Pavilion near Cincinnati, their techs Michael Arms and Doug MacArthur showed PG’s John Bohlinger the tools of the titans. Tune into the full Rig Rundown for all the key details.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Gold Rush
This is Satriani’s signature Ibanez JS1GD, which is his main electric for this tour. It’s mostly stock, save for the fret wire, which has been swapped for Jescar nickel silver. He uses D’Addario strings (.009-.042) and has a DiMarzio Satchur8 pickup in the bridge position, paired with a Sustainiac in the neck.
Galaxies
This Ibanez signature was treated to a mindblowing custom paint job by Colorado-based artist Bon Villain. Stare at it long enough, and you might see some faces emerge from the depths…
Firebreathers
<p>Satriani plays through a set of 3rd Power DRGN 100 100-watt heads, which sound like hot-rodded Marshalls. The mono rig runs through two cabinets.</p>
Joe Satriani’s Pedalboard
<p>Satriani’s board includes a Vox Big Bad Wah, Voodoo Lab Proctavia, Radial SGI RX and Shotgun, TC Electronic Sub ‘N’ Up, MXR EVH Flanger, Tech 21 Midi Moose switcher, a 3rd Power footswitcher to control the amp, and two Fractal expression pedals which control chorus and delay provided by a <a href="https://www.premierguitar.com/tag/fender?utm_source=website&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Smartlinks">Fender</a> Tone Master Pro backstage.</p>
Reimagined Evo
This instrument, nicknamed Revo, is intended to be a replica of Vai’s iconic Ibanez Jem “Evo” electric. When Vai decided to retire Evo from the road, Ibanez built him this twin to bring on tour, which they also relic’ed. MacArthur explains that Revo’s current neck was previously installed on Vai’s longtime number-one, Flo.
Vai-dra
Built by Ibanez and inspired by Mad Max: Fury Road, this three-headed beast comprises 7-string, 12-string, and 4-string bass guitars, among other features, all on one monstrous, steam-punk dream of a body.
Steve Vai’s Rack Rig
<p>Vai plays through a pair of Synergy SYN2 tube preamp modules. One of them is set dirty to mimic his Carvin Legacy amp, and another is prepped for clean tones based on a Fender Bassman. Each of them hits the Fractal Axe-Fx III, which splits into stereo signals going to the Fryette LXII power amp. The final stop is a 3rd Power 4x12 cabinet, loaded with Vintage 30s and adorned with art by Michael Mesker.</p>
Steve Vai’s Pedalboard
Vai’s slime-green board hosts a Fractal EV1 volume pedal and FC-12 Foot Controller, Lehle Little Lehle, RJM Mastermind LT, MXR Phase 90, Xotic EP Booster, Ibanez Jemini Distortion, DigiTech Whammy DT, and a Dunlop Cry Baby 535Q wah.
John Bohlinger gets his hands on the Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Seymour Duncan 50th Anniversary Telecaster, a faithful recreation of the personal guitar Seymour Duncan has played for over 50 years. The design traces back to the iconic guitar Seymour originally built for Jeff Beck, but features custom elements to Seymour's exact specifications. It's got a Gibson Tune-o-matic bridge, aged nitro finish, and a pair of exclusive hand-wound pickups that aren't available anywhere else.
Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition
50th Anniversary Telecaster®
Celebrate fifty years of tone innovation with the Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Seymour Duncan 50th Anniversary Telecaster. This faithful recreation of Seymour’s personal “TeleGib” features a unique pre-production variation of the JB/Jazz pickup set custom wound to Seymour’s specifications, authentic contours, and vintage-correct finish, offering players and collectors a limited chance to experience an important piece of guitar history.
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