PG's Rebecca Dirks is on location at Steve Vai's Harmony Hut studio in Los Angeles. In this video, Steve shows you which of his signature Ibanez guitars he's taking out on tour and which made an appearance on his latest album, how he uses his signature Carvin Legacy Amps, and why the Axe-FX II has replaced most effects in his rig.
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Guitars
Steve's main guitars are his EVO (left), which he uses for about 60 to 70 percent of all live and studio work. The guitar holds a lot of emotional investment. "It's not even the easiest guitar to play, but it sounds great," he says, noting that the body and neck resonate at the same frequency. He uses a burnt Ibanez (middle) for his 7-string work, which he customized by literally taking a blow torch to it. He uses the 7-string for the songs "Weeping China Doll," "Velorum," and "The Story of Light." And he's recently been using a more recent issue Jem as well. For this one, Vai chose a seafoam green color after seeing it on a vintage Thunderbird car. This particular one has a Sustainer pickup, which he uses on occasion.
Amps
Though he has a number of different vintage amps on hand, Vai primarily uses his signature Carvin amps when recording. Vai uses his latest signature model, which was released at NAMM 2012, when recording and live. It features three channels, master volume, and master EQ. It's voiced like his original Legacy but with more flexibility. However, Vai still uses his original Legacy heads in the studio.
Effects
A recent discovery for Vai, the Axe-FX II provides nearly all of the effects for Steve's live rig. He doesn't use it much in the studio because he says he prefers to record dry and add effects later. Since the majority of Vai's effects come from the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II, his pedalboard is set up to control those. Vai says he has a select few pedals to use in conjunction, and he likes to experiment with new pedals all the time. When we caught up with him, he was experimenting with a Red Witch Titan Delay, Red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo, Red Witch Medusa Chorus, DigiTech Whammy DT, and MXR Phase 90. He uses an expression pedal to control the Axe-FX II's whammy effect, as well as both a Morley Bad Horsie Wah and a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah. One standby pedal on Vai's pedalboard is his signature Ibanez Jemini distortion, which has two channels of distortion, and hei has his Fractal MFC-101 foot controller set up as a pedalboard, with five presets per bank, and uses an expression pedal for whammy and volume.
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PRS Guitars today released the updated MT 15 and the new Archon Classic amplifiers, along with a larger Archon speaker cabinet. The 15-watt, two-channel Mark Tremonti signature amp MT 15 now features a lead channel overdrive control. An addition to the Archon series, not a replacement, the 50-watt Classic offers a fresh voice by producing retro rock “classic” tones reminiscent of sound permeating the radio four and five decades ago. Now twice the size of the first Archon cabinet, the Archon 4x12 boasts four Celestion V-Type speakers.
MT 15 Amplifier Head
Balancing aggression and articulation, this 15-watt amp supplies both heavy rhythms and clear lead tones. The MT 15 revision builds off the design of the MT 100, bringing the voice of the 100’s overdrive channel into its smaller-format sibling. Updating the model, the lead channel also features a push/pull overdrive control that removes two gain stages to produce vintage, crunchier “mid gain” tones. The clean channel still features a push/pull boost control that adds a touch of overdrive crunch. A half-power switch takes the MT to 7 watts.
“Seven years ago, we released my signature MT 15 amplifier, a compact powerhouse that quickly became a go-to for players seeking both pristine cleans and crushing high-gain tones. In 2023, we took things even further with the MT 100, delivering a full-scale amplifier that carried my signature sound to the next level. That inspired us to find a way to fit the 100's third channel into the 15's lunchbox size,” said Mark Tremonti.
“Today, I’m beyond excited to introduce the next evolution of the MT15, now featuring a push/pull overdrive control on the Lead channel and a half-power switch, giving players even more tonal flexibility to shape their sound with a compact amp. Can’t wait for you all to plug in and experience it!”
Archon Classic Amplifier Head
With a refined gain structure from the original Archon, the Archon Classic’s lead channel offers a wider range of tones colored with gain, especially in the midrange. The clean channel goes from pristine all the way to the edge of breakup. This additional Archon version was developed to be a go-to tool for playing classic rock or pushing the envelope into modern territory. The Archon Classic still features the original’s bright switch, presence and depth controls. PRS continues to stock the Archon in retailers worldwide.
“The Archon Classic is not a re-issue of the original Archon, but a newly voiced circuit with the lead channel excelling in '70s and '80s rock tones and a hotter clean channel able to go into breakup. This is the answer for those wanting an Archon with a hotrod vintage lead channel gain structure without changing preamp tube types, and a juiced- up clean channel without having to use a boost pedal, all wrapped up in a retro-inspired cabinet design,” said PRS Amp Designer Doug Sewell.
Archon 4x12 Cabinet
As in the Archon 1x12 and 2x12, the mega-sized PRS Archon 4x12 speaker cabinet features Celestion V-Type speakers and a closed-back design, delivering power, punch, and tight low end. Also like its smaller brethren, the 4x12 is wrapped in durable black vinyl and adorned with a British-style black knitted-weave grill cloth. The Archon 4x12 is only the second four-speaker cabinet in the PRS lineup, next to the HDRX 4x12.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40 th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year. For all of the latest news, click www.prsguitars.com/40 and follow @prsguitars on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, X, and YouTube.
