5 More Things People Get Wrong About Mayer's Gear

In this episode, back by popular demand, we go over what I believe are another 5 common misconceptions about John Mayer's gear.
Instagram: @justinguitarist
Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - #1: JRC4558
02:54 - #2: I Guess I Just Feel Like Some Fuzz
05:21 - #3: Milkman Amps?
08:04 - #4: That tone is just a clean Fender man
12:13 - #5: Crystallized Signatures
I believe all content used falls under the remits of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this I will not hesitate to immediately credit said content or come to a mutually agreed upon decision. It is not my intent in anyway to infringe on content ownership.
All content on my channel expresses the views and opinions of myself and myself alone. All topics and discussion are intended for entertainment and educational purposes. I encourage my viewers to make their own informed opinions.

[@JustinJeske]

Hey guys, KZbin was being funny and I took this one down for a bit as it was showing restrictions. Apparently the checking process was super buggy for a ton of people with uploads done yesterday. I was gonna re-upload but it seems to have fixed itself now. Sorry about the imbalanced audio as well, will be better next video! Cheers guys

[@ron980]

Hey man, GREAT videos! If you ever end up making a video on The Black One, there are a few details that are nice to know: 1) The SRV Tribute Masterbuilt neck (NOT referring to the mass-produced signature) has a 42mm nut width and a 10" radius. Since JM took the SRV Masterbuilt neck for TBO, it can be inferred that these specs are in line with TBO's specs. 2) The fret wire is NOT 6105. They may be medium-jumbo, but they are not technically 6105. The radius is not 9.5" (again, reinforcing the 10" radius). This is from a post by Mike Eldred on his Fender forum, when it existed. A user was asking Mike about a FCS guitar that had striking similarities to TBO, and he commented that fret wire, pickups, neck shape, and radius are all different than that particular FCS guitar. 3) It's possible that John Cruz or someone at the FCS repainted the body that JM painted. If you notice, there is no homoclad or yellow undercoat on the guitar body in the old footage of JM painting TBO, but there IS a yellow undercoat in the final version (most notably in the forearm area). IIRC, John Cruz has also commented on the poor painting job that JM did (1:35 /watch?v=luCzeNjs7rE), but never said he repainted the entire guitar. It's possible that the yellow "undercoat" was painted AFTER the black, but this would be very strange, and IMO, unlikely. There are some scratches on TBO that appear to reveal yellow under them, as well (this is arguable) 4) It's possible that the neck pickup in TBO is D'Pergo brand. On the old Mike Eldred Fender forum, someone was pressing Tomo Fujita about the TBO pickup, and when a user suggested JM switched the pickup out for a D'Pergo, Tomo said something to the effect of, "I'm in trouble!" The original post has since been lost to the internet, but references to that post exist online. I can provide sources for most of these claims, if you want them. Feel free to PM me. :)

[@JustinJeske]

Hey Ron! That is amazing info!! My friend Alejandro (JohnMayerGear), Tommy, and I actually did a video on the BLK1 awhile back on our podcast channel! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYvWaJlvnMdloLc I probably won’t ever touch on it on this channel haha! Glad to see someone else as passionate about the BLK1 as we are 😎

[@ron980]

@@JustinJeske Ah nice, I think I watched that video a while ago and forgot about it! There is a legion of semi-old-school Musician Forum MSMers with many theories about TBO and JM's gear - that was a really good time back then. It's nice that there are FINALLY well-produced videos (like yours) that are consistent with that "black helicopter" level of detail. Many videos, even on channels like Andertons, tend to get little gear details wrong. I left an edited version of the comment on that TBO video. Thanks again!

[@kurtisr2339]

Love the channel, love your work. I'm of an age that Room for Squares / "Your Body is a Wonderland" didn't click for me when it dropped, and I didn't pay him any mind until I saw him with Keith Urban. Talk about eye-opening. Had no idea. My respect for him has grown steadily--perhaps exponentially--since. Today, I'm not sure there is a better player. Mad respect for your obsession and body of gear knowledge. Keep on keepin' on!

[@TylerDurden9LB]

Absolutely! At the risk of dating myself, I was around 19 to 20 when Mayer broke. Not that I hated his music, but as a 20 year old male... it just wasn't for me. It took hearing Where the Light is, and other live stuff before I got it.

[@leandershah1617]

I absolutely love this series!! great job!

[@hjalmarconte4999]

Thank you again - the comparison clip between the Fender and the Two Rock was brilliant! Jesus, the difference is HUGE ... the TR so much more depth, 3D, and thickness

[@JustinJeske]

Exactly! Even though the audio is crap you can still hear the different in the amps response and dynamic character compared to the Fender!

[@jeroenkelder1715]

Awsome! You should with the John Mayer gear lounge a whole episode over the webster hall gig, the best tone! imo..

[@ramwadehra266]

Thanks for the great content!

[@Mega_trav]

This is a fun channel. I think what most people don't know about Dumble SSS and Two Rock JM amps is that their origins definitely come from Fender Blackface amps. They are of course heavily modded, especially in the tone stack. The Two Rock amps are much darker and have more midrange. But the biggest thing about the massive live tones and why it's hard to get close with a combo amp is the variety of speakers and the cabs they are in. If you plugged a Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb into those same cabs, the differences would be harder to hear for MOST people. This can be tested using impulse responses. Each one will change the tone drastically regardless of what the preamp or power amp are doing to the overall signal.

[@mylesbenstead3420]

Great video Justin, I also think that the Webster hall in repair is one of my favourite JM tones ever. Need a gear review on that one soon. I see it’s ODS and 2 CRS v3’s but I wonder if the pedalboard was anything different to what he usually used at the time.

[@stirlinghowe]

I've been obsessed with the "IGIJFL" solo tone for the last few days as I've been trying to learn it note for note. What I've been struggling to replicate are the super sensitive harmonic overtones (but granted I don't have a Champ or vintage Casino). Anyway another great video! Myths 1 and 4 drive me nuts lol. I wish people would use their ears more and not just go off what's on paper when tone chasing.

[@J.D....]

John uses a psychedelic machine external Fuzz unit. Same circuit can be found in the super fuzz pedal.

[@stirlinghowe]

@@J.D.... he did not on IGIJFL. He's said before that it's just his Casino straight into the Fender Champ cranked up all the way. Obviously, I'm sure there's extra EQ and such, but in terms of hardware he kept it simple.

[@J.D....]

@@stirlinghowe AFAIK the clip he didnt say straight into the Fender champ, but just that it was that amp and not some of his expensive ones - now i cant say for certain that its the Psychedelic Machine on the record - but its 100% the PM in the live shows - so that makes me think its used on the record aswell.

[@stevekirby7333]

I have a Milkman Pedal Steel Mini, but because I plugged into one in a shop and fell in love with it, not because of JM. Regardless of how much respect I have for him, his playing and tone production abilities. I've met Tim and been to his shop, wonderful guy and very open to ideas. Who knows what he may have built for John that never sees the light of day touring but John enjoys playing on his own. Based on what I've been able to work out from my PSM, the Pedal Steel is essentially a Twin Reverb with a few front end mods based on the brown amps. The PSM is basically a similar front end with half a Twin output section, thus the 4 ohm output. And it really doesn't like having higher loads plugged into it. The sound is a bit less scooped than my '68 Deluxe Reverb. And unlike a Fender, you can actually use all of the tone controls. Even more so than on Two Rocks. The majority of the range is usable depending on how things sound in the room, which is really handy. For someone like JM who can play at optimum levels and points and let the FOH or recording engineer deal with making it work with the band, the Milkman is probably more useful to the small venue musician who doesn't have that luxury.

[@michaelayotte7779]

Cool video. Couple thoughts. Love that you addressed the JRC4558D in the TS10. MIJ or MIT, JRC4558D or another op amp… it doesn’t matter. The reference to the Klon I think is more the “magic diodes” than any chip, as that’s what’s lead to Bill changing up the KTR a bit. Still likely snake oil as many Klone’s use different diodes and get close to the Klon sound (for live use any away, studio the real deal may still have an edge). Not sure I fully agree on #4 though. Plug a vintage or Alessandro into a 212 and we can see lol. The TR just moves so much more air than a 6V6 powered 112.

[@keithremedy]

Only time I have ever seen him play through a Milkman was when I went to see Phil Lesh & Friends. That was the first night I ever saw him with a PRS too. It was an awesome show and I think a lot of people in audience that night came away with the distinct feeling that Mayer would gel quite well playing Dead Tunes. Edit I wrote this comment before I finished video and you actually mentioned this lol you definitely do your research

[@billnelson5279]

There's a gear video when he was testing the proto type super eagle where John says the ts10 has chip in it

[@shankrl1]

Loving that you're coming round to the idea (or at least voicing it more) that you don't have to have Johns "exact" gear, and that "broad strokes" is the key ... because even if you do have it all, it's still not gonna sound exactly like John. I reckon IGIJFL solo on the album is some kind of pedal also Great vid as always man, keep it going.

[@SaintKines]

Part of the fun for me personally has always been to try to cop a sound without using what they used. Not only is this more creative but it helps your ear and it can save you a shit ton.

[@J.D....]

John uses a psychedelic machine external Fuzz unit. Same circuit can be found in the super fuzz pedal.

[@CritterElectronics]

If you had a podcast, I’d listen.

[@tylerhaas6]

The two clips of him playing Slow Dancing could be a little biased. I am glad that you stated the difference in one being professionally captured and one being on a phone or camera. To me, the Two Rock and other D style amps have this sweet compression and sustain unlike Fenders. Maybe slightly different in the mids as well but it’s all a matter of opinion

[@hjalmarconte4999]

Ultimately it is a matter of personal preference - but ... objectively the tone of a TR amp is VERY different from a Fender, and that is a fact. Having owned countless Fender amps, I ended my tone quest after buying a TR amp. The difference in terms of depth, thickness to the sound is enormous ... and I prefer TR amps a million times ... but that is just like, well, my opinion man ...

[@tylerhaas6]

@@hjalmarconte4999 I’d love to try one. It’d be really hard to pay the price for one without hearing it first. There’s no doubt that I’d fall in love with one though but I’d still rather try it before I buy it

[@micuzzu]

Thought the one japanese magazine John interviewed in said he had a TS10 made in Japan?

[@hansj.gibiser490]

Hi! Did John also scoop the mids?

[@277southtombob]

Thank you for saying it. The chip means nothing, it’s the clipper circuit and other factors like how much clean is mixed in that makes a OD pedal sound the way it does.

[@Gabriel-zk9gb]

Has anyone tried the made in Taiwan ts 10? There are currently two for sale in Germany, the Taiwan one for 200 and the Japan made for 400 So a bit torn between which one should I get. Maybe some of you guys can give some advice! Thank you in advance

[@matthewwolf6607]

Learn to breathe my son 🙏🏼

[@ivandel7788]

Tonegeek TS10 is great! The mods make it versatile

[@adrianhjordan1981]

Love the video. I was wondering whether you could do some decent videos of your Silver Sky? I'm still trying to get a decent idea of what the Moc Sand finish actually looks like and there are none near me that I can see in person. Is it metallic in any way or completely solid?

[@Austinomical]

Are you sure that summer 2019 tour promo clip was through a deluxe reverb? Was it an original or a 65 reissue?

[@JustinJeske]

Yes, John said it was one. Just didn’t say wether Alessandro or Vintage. So this comparison is already even a step above a standard one.

[@johnfling5702]

Grab an Anchor Jubilee from Agus at Apollo Approved. TS808 with the JRC4558DD chip. Sweet!!!

[@johnfling5702]

This is a MIJ rare chip!

[@MrScrofulous]

The Hornby guy from ndertons stated that JM uses Milkman in their “sounds like” series, as a massive skill and barely kept a straight face.

[@marcusflores2184]

Myth #4 literally made me giggle lol

[@pipelobo08]

🔥 video

[@AP-ui7oi]

His tone is in his hands

[@rydoggsc2]

Comparing the Deluxe Reverb clip vs the Two Rock demo clip was pretty silly. The Two Rock clip was so compressed and nasal sounding it did not support your point.

[@robertlevasseur8896]

Just my opinion, but when playing clean, just a clean fender amp suits him better. But with dirt, the two rock adds a nice compression. Cell phone recording or not, I thought the Fender sound on Burning was so much fuller than the two-rock. I can see why the two-rock is a great amp for live and simplicity, but for me it's a compromise.

[@Gabriel-zk9gb]

Is a drive pedal always on on low gain settings for his clean tone? Or is the dry amp just his clean tone?

[@JustinJeske]

His clean tone is just the amps, but they are still working at high volume. To emulate that you could have a light overdrive like a Klon-style pedal on just to provide some punch when you really did in

[@hjalmarconte4999]

For some songs live (say Gravity), he has always used a drive pedal on low drive settings (BB1 back during the Continuum times) for his clean tone.

[@YMESYDT]

1:26 have you been watching Coach Greg videos?

[@JustinJeske]

I see we both have the same Doctor 😂 I didn’t think anyone would get the editing reference

[@YMESYDT]

@@JustinJeske The second it came on I forgot which channel I was watching. I am here for it!

[@MrCreepingdeath741]

John’s tone comes from his hands. You can buy all the fancy pedals and amps but if you don’t put in the time to study your instrument; you’ll never sound good. With that being said, equipment tips and tricks will help you express yourself to sound how you want.

[@MaximillianNewman]

John is absolutely using a fuzz pedal on I Guess I Just Feel Like. You’ve got great content and research, thank you for your videos, but I’m surprised at how confident you are on this one because I’m about 99% you’re wrong. First is the ear test, listen to the way the notes bloom when he holds one with a slight vibrato. Also the way the notes get an extremely glitchy overtone when he hits two at once or plays chords. These are tell tale Fuzz tones. Then there is the history of Mayer using Fuzz, particularly the Pete Cornish NG-2. There’s a video of him covering “I think she knows” in 2008 and he lists the gear in the about section: Cornish NG-2 fuzz, a Collings I-35 which is a very similar guitar to the Casino ( humbuckers, hollow body), a Fender Vibroverb which is a very similar amp to a vibrochamp, and overall the tone is pretty similar. Particularly the blooming single notes and the glitchy double stops and overtones. Then there’s the video he did for guitarworld about his battle studies version of Crossroads. He explains his use of the NG-2 on that one and describes a tone similar to what we’re talking about and hearing. I would bet money he’s using that NG-2 on Guess I just feel like, but it could also be an octave style fuzz or something else. Which brings me to the live version you showed, in Milwaukee 2019. Burnin solo, 100% has a fuzz - you do not get that tone with Klon or TS style overdrives, just not possible. Now the cell phone recording makes it harder to hear, but on this one it sounded even more like an octave style fuzz then the NG-2. If it was that which we’re hearing, my guess would be the Boss OC-3. It’s not just an octave pedal, it has a setting where it can do straight Hendrix style Octavio/Fuzz tones.

[@JustinJeske]

Hey dude. You're actually not totally off here. I own an NG-2 and it can get close, but it is not the exact sound. Everything we knew at the time showcased zero fuzz like effect in his rig at all, and watching him step on drive pedals for the song as well in 2022 here again (Thirdrail and Klon) leads to the evidence of it still not being fuzz. The OC-3 theory is dead too because we've seen him use it earlier in shows and not adjust the settings when it comes time to play this song. I'll be making an updated video on this sound actually at some point in the future as I have a different theory that I need to flush out before I discuss it, cause I agree it does sound like a fuzz.

[@MaximillianNewman]

@@JustinJeske very cool of you to reply! Look forward to that vid… let the friendly debate continue 🤝

[@severebash9153]

@@MaximillianNewman lol hope you guys both saw that it’s a very vintage Honey Psychedelic Machine

[@mikem668]

Mayer says "directness of the Dumble" and the "color of a Fender." The argument seems trivial in that it emphasizes "just." I think you can in fact compare the tones, and I think it's a matter of taste and probably a lot of other things given the difference between the two recordings. Is it possible that in the studio, color (timbre) matters more, since you can get the directness in other ways? Whereas live you need that directness to carry the color? You can compare this to painting. You need a medium and you need a pigment. Both matter. Salvador Dali said he would give anything for Vermeer's medium. Michelangelo's colors on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel were brilliant, probably because they were meant to be viewed from the ground. I studied them from photographs (after having seen them in person) taken up close after centuries of candle smoke covered over that brilliance. Only after cleaning did art historians see the real thing.

[@afterjoe3042]

but the chiiiiiiiipppps!

[@BTal-kp1qd]

I wonder how many people unsubscribed when you said chips don't matter.

[@Nitsua_Atayha]

I fucking knew it!!!! The fuzz sounded too “loud” to be a fuzz. You can really only get that bite from a cranked amp

[@nevershoutgraham2297]

He definitely used a fuzz

[@Nitsua_Atayha]

@@nevershoutgraham2297 it don’t always have to be a pedal to get that sound from. That “loud” sound is known to come from well loud amps. A fuzz does it without the amp being too loud

[@severebash9153]

@@Nitsua_Atayha hmm someone should get their story straight, because someone on KZbin’s saying it’s a Honey Psychedelic Machine (precursor to both the Univibe and the Superfuzz)

[@fender0942]

Great video. I disagree on the tone comparisons though. The deluxe reverb tone sounded much better than the crap recorded two rock although I realize the two rock is superior.

[@gilguajardo7808]

The tour promo video sounded great. I totally thought he was gonna say the 2 clips show that the tone comes from JM more than the amp he’s using, since, aside from the crappy sound quality of the second clip, they sounded similar enough to me. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@vintagetone22]

bro.listen to the song belief solo .the 2nd solo .he uses some sort of octavia .you can hear it .there is noway in hell he did not use an octavia on this solo.

[@JustinJeske]

No octavia, Big Box Electro Harmonic Micro Synth!

[@mccauley6027]

I have a vintage bf vibrochamp and I’ve never been able to get that much gain out of it alone. Could just be my amp tho ig

[@J.D....]

John uses a psychedelic machine external Fuzz unit. Same circuit can be found in the super fuzz pedal.

[@popcorny11]

Your voice on the video is very soft, while the clips you insert are extremely loud. Some feedback.

[@christophernuzzolo5977]

John is a fucking stud, it ain't the guys gear. I bought a used Aqua Pussy delay pedal, it sucks shit, it really does. John makes it sound great...

[@frankiewalnuts]

I guess this video should be edited and updated as 2. GIJFL is now debunked

[@smoochie3331]

Its not fuzz, its cranked champ.