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More than just playing, “the stunt guitar man,” is also bringing his amazing Alien Guitar Secrets – a Steve Vai Masterclass to the show.
For more than 20 years Steve Vai has been one of the worlds most respected and admired guitarists. He has combined a highly successful solo career, with an equally successful career touring and recording with numerous musical artists including Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake and the G3 Concert Tour. A two times Grammy Award winner, Steve Vai has year after year won best guitarist in magazine reader polls across the globe, as well as winning critical acclaim for this work as a composer, producer and live performer.
Ground breaking, innovative and revolutionary, Steve Vai has continued to push back musical boundaries with work as varied as recording with the 100 piece Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to writing the sound track to Guitar Hero III.
The London Guitar Show has a reputation for putting on unmissable live concerts featuring the world’s best players and the shows organizers are very excited to announce this will be Steve Vai’s only UK show in 2009. Even better Steve Vai will be joined on stage by guitar great Phil Holborne, and legendary Iron Maiden drummer, Nicko McBrain for a truly historic concert.
Equally as thrilling, Steve Vai is bringing his hugely successful Alien Guitar Secrets Masterclass to the London Guitar Show. This unprecedented opportunity is open to all, music students and guitar enthusiasts and will have very limited places. The 3 hour unique experience gives the student a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear Steve discuss music theory, guitar techniques, the music business, and most importantly, techniques on how to discover and unlock personal musical identity. It also includes a question and answer session, and a few attendees will be chosen to jam with Steve in this intimate environment.
For more information and to get tickets check out:
londoninternationalmusicshow.com
Oklahoma City sludge rockers Chat Pile have had a busy few years. Their 2022 LP, God’s Country, broke them internationally, and their critically acclaimed 2024 follow-up, Cool World, solidified them as one of the most exciting heavy bands of the moment. We spoke with bassist Stin and guitarist Luther Manhole about the record for our November 2024 issue.
Now, we bring you the band’s first official Rig Rundown, filmed ahead of their show at The End in Nashville last fall. Tune in to see how Stin and Luther conjure the band’s brutal soundstorms on the road.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Bari Blast
Manhole’s main machine is this baritone 6-string, an Ernie Ball Music Man BFR Axis Super Sport, finished in “starry night.” Luther took a tip from tourmate and Agriculture guitarist Richard Chowenhill and slapped some tape over his neck pickup near the first string to prevent it from catching on the edge of the humbucker. It’s tuned to drop A, with Ernie Ball Mammoth Slinky strings.
Quite the Quilter
Back at home, Luther and Stin lean on big vintage amps, but on the road, Luther brings out this Quilter Tone Block 202, which is plugged into an Ampeg VT-40 combo amp that’s been gutted to run just as a 4x10 cabinet. Luther digs the icier, cutting tone from the 10″ speakers.
Luther Manhole's Board
Manhole’s board is minimalist: All he needs is a TC Electronic PolyTune, a Suhr Riot for dirt, an Electro-Harmonix Memory Boy (which is set for a wobbly chorus effect), and a TC Electronic Hall of Fame for reverb—pedals he’s used for over a decade. An Acoustic PBIS08 supplies the quartet with power.
Peavey Power
Around 2007, Stin went on a hunt around Oklahoma music shops for a Peavey T-40. He finally found one—in a total “Wayne’s World moment”—that belonged to a country singer who had passed away. Since the band’s formation, this “hot and clangy” white T-40 has been Stin’s tool for crafting Chat Pile’s elephantine, bottom-heavy sound. He uses the 5-string Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalts (.060–.125), omitting the .040 string, and plucks with orange Ernie Ball Everlast .73 mm picks for strong, percussive attack.
Building Blocks
Stin’s signal runs to this Quilter Bass Block 802, which blasts through a Trace Elliot 4x10 redline cab with horns—the cab that’s been used on every Chat Pile recording to date.
Stin's Board
Stin probably thinks Manhole’s board is excessive. He packs just his Boss TU-3 and a Tronographic Rusty Box, each with their own individual power supply plugged into a power bar that’s fixed to the board.
