John 5 Interview: Plus How to make Weird and Wonderful Guitar Sounds, with No Pedals!

Guitar virtuoso John 5 joins Sweetwater's Nick Bowcott for this interview, and also shows you how to make weird and wild sounds the old fashioned way - with no pedals. Enjoy!

[@sweetwater]

After you watch, give this video a thumbs up and subscribe! 😎🤘

[@jaseman32]

Obviously, he's not a drug addict. It's so refreshing to see a guy in music who works hard, shows up on time, is dependable and takes care of his family.

[@ronfigg1]

By far, without a doubt, THE most underrated guitar player alive today!!! Such a humble and kind person too!

[@williamchiusano3185]

For Sure 👍

[@andrewhockings6867]

He IS the most precise guitar player in the world. Every time he plays it is just flawless.

[@isdaaatrite]

Buckethead...

[@mcr0741]

@@isdaaatrite plot twist, he's under the bucket hat

[@akinoshimo]

agreed, I've been searching for interviews, and he does great interviews. He's a great artist.

[@kierenmoore3236]

Super talented, likeable and humble. That's a very rare combination.

[@FrogFishLeezerd]

Every time I see John 5 play, I'm hooked. Then on top of his awesome playing, he is just a down to earth guy, that is in love with making cool music. How can you not appreciate someone like that? What a master he is!

[@Lonnie_Johnson]

John 5 plays a stock Fender tele (allthough his signature, nothing fancy) through a Boss portable amp on batteries. With normal dimarzio pickups creating sounds within the likes of Tom Morello, Dimebag Darrell or Chet Atkins. Like this should encourage everybody that it's a skill, not about the most expensive gear and that tone does come from the fingers. John 5 is an awesome dude!

[@whytewavestudios3039]

What kind of dimarzio?

[@robertthomas7239]

John 5 plays thru Marshall's

[@jkills3057]

Dimarzio d activator pickups

[@pstrass6353]

Awesome freaking dude!

[@thebreeze12]

If your a guitar player, what ever style you play or listen to, you have to admire John 5 for how he can incorporate so many different styles and combine them. Whether he starts out with some jazz or metal or country, to mix it all together a make it sound like nothing is out of place is awesome!! I'm a metal player and absolutely love his playing!!

[@michaelloomisiii3475]

Extremely well-rounded.

[@williamchiusano3185]

Agreed

[@iamrichrocker]

class act..he listens to the interviewer..looks them in the eye and responds with great stories and smiles...hope he stays that way..and i bet he will..

[@schecterseven3894]

John 5 Master of the Telecaster , simply awesome player and cool man.

[@Kurt1969]

Just blown away. As I have said before, John seems like such a genuine good person and to have chops like that...what a beautiful and rare combination. I love listening to him talk just as much as watching him play guitar. Thanks for the interview!

[@bassnm8]

met him at Normans rare guitars he is a genuine good guy and holy hell can he play

[@teeteeterry586]

He truly blows my mind with how talented/gifted he is. And yes, he appears to be a sweetheart!

[@guitarreviews]

I've heard that hee haw banjo story so many times by now ;)

[@richardherzog5405]

Steve's Musical Gear Reviews Not sure why people/ journalist keep asking that same question over and over. Shows they aren't really fans

[@john564holloway]

@@richardherzog5405 I'm sure, by now, John5 has answered those questions as many times as Jimmy Page has answered how he & Robert wrote Stairway To Heaven..

[@andreo.7633]

Me too lol n still havent found the actual clip he means. Jist found the boy himself.

[@andreo.7633]

@@john564holloway by stealing it from others? Sure

[@Guitarplayer724]

Ask the same question, get the same answer. At least he’s consistent. Like when Steve Vai says it was the solo from Heartbreaker that really inspired him.

[@MrYarabandi]

This video caused me to run to my guitar and start playing right at that moment after not playing for a week. John is so inspirational. And Sweetwater you are so special to arrange such an awesome meeting. Thank you.

[@TravisBeckMusic]

I feel like I know John 5’s backstory better than my own at this point but I don’t care I love the man that much! Such an inspiring dude! Great video!

[@kaz85]

So many 2018 interviews lately and they all start off with the hee haw story haha

[@TravisBeckMusic]

kaz85 exactly oh well though I never get tired of hanging with John 5! Same with Paul Gilbert as well!

[@benbond3433]

One of the most RIDICULOUSLY talented guitarists of our time. His versatility is mindboggling.

[@rcobsessed2801]

I love that john is such a fan of the guitar and music . Dude gives tons of free lessons too. Reminds me of the late great Dime . ..

[@jamesz.58]

A breath of fresh air! Talent, dedication, intelligent and humble!

[@john564holloway]

May you be blessed with many platinum albums, John5! I've seen you 3 times in concert & can't wait till see you & the Creatures, again!...Thank you, Sweetwater, for this fantastic interview!

[@DreidMusicalX]

Johns skills are amazing. He just hammers them out and doesn't miss a beat even while talking.

[@wanderergrim]

John 5 blows my mind everytime, I think he is the best living guitarist

[@njs97]

GhoulishTendancies Buckethead is equally as good in my opinion

[@UndeadBoogie]

Just amazing! Nick is no slouch himself. Check out some of the 80s Grim Reaper stuff.

[@MattyK-USA]

Gotta love the respect Jon 5 is getting these days. Simply a staggering level of talent and skill.

[@k-ondoomer]

Nick bowcott and john5. Absolute legends

[@xdays8806]

I've watched several John 5 interviews and not only is he an incredible talent, be comes off as such a genuinely nice guy who absolutely loves his craft and loves sharing it with others. Wishing him continued success in all he does.

[@influenceofozzy]

Amazing. Thanks Nick and John

[@belltown88squid28]

Love John 5! He is such a great guy. One of the reason why he work so many diverse people. He has chops for days, and he's a humble dude. More success to you John!

[@benmaguire4098]

I had never heard of this guy until Mary Spender .. The English singer / songwriter .. mentioned him as being amazing .. So true & what a cool Dude .. From an old muso dude in Ye olde Forest of Englande ..

[@islamicsalami7208]

I can't play any instruments etc. But this guy is just so talented and is so interesting to listen to play and speak. Seems like such a nice guy. No drugs, no drinking which is rare for a rock guy, but wow it kept him healthy, he looks great. Awesome musician and person

[@graz19692001]

Have to LOVE Mr. 5 and humor. Most of all the talent level! Love watching and hearing!!! See you soon John-5!!!

[@jeffreyMagnum460]

Absolutely amazing playing

[@ralphfiligenzi8714]

One of my favorite guitar players now a days.

[@MadMatt-bs3xv]

John 5 and Buckethead, my 2 favorite guitar players.

[@a.barnett9647]

Just amazing

[@microbus99]

Great interview. This guy is so amazing! I and he's younger than I am and when he whips out the Kiss and Van Halen I step back. Damn

[@johnwick-ii6il]

Such a wealth of musical knowledge and skill, incredible diversity. His ability for composition is astounding. Never boring or mundane.

[@TS-nb9ko]

love Jon 5 so inspirational.never knew all that was said about him in this vid.great interview

[@shakybeevessouls]

Awesome Awesome Awesome interview. John 5 legend. This is what guitar is all about doesn't matter where you are on your journey, play, practice and have fun

[@GVernon]

He is what a musician should, above everything else, strive to do, and that is, be entertaining. He has something for everyone, regardless of musical taste. If you are open minded, and love music, he is so much fun to watch! Thank goodness for KZbin, or I never would have known of this guy.

[@alecsneed5835]

Great video! That little boss amp sounds dope!

[@Etherman11]

Alec Sneed the Yamaha THR series is great too! Also battery powered or adapter

[@gprice1978]

Just amazing!

[@grenade.turtle]

I have that same Boss amp and never really thought much of it. Now I’m going to get it back out and try it some more

[@undergroundjohnny]

I like John 5. He is a super cool gentleman.

[@johndlugosz201]

Yeah great attitude and inspiration!

[@jimmycrabtree-tb6jc]

Incredible!!

[@corrosive135]

So much repect for this amazing artist. A true love of music regardless of style or genre and incredible work ethic, skill and creativity

[@jacqueblancmange]

I had the pleasure of seeing JOHN 5 live last weekend in Philadelphia. I am still having a hard time breathing from thinking how amazing he is. Plus l got a meet and him as well. Yep. It is true. He is a super nice guy too.

[@christophergreen2328]

What makes john an awesome guitar player is his dedication and that's he so diverse in different styles. There's a video on youtube where he plays 13 different styles on a hello kitty guitar and its absolutely amazing

[@spazimdam]

John 5 is the shit man. Love that Tele. So much humility with so much talent and dedication. So much came from his roots, the Hee Haw watching, banjo riffs, country dudes ripping it up on Teles and Gretches. A cool guitarist John 5 is. This was an excellent interview Nick. Kudos!

[@mikkomarkuskaariainen9023]

I love john5, seems to be awesome guy as well as one of most versatile quitarist there is!! Greetings from Finland!

[@DatAnydeks]

I discovered Guthrie Govan first, and thought no one was close ... but after seeing John 5, I am equally impressed with both of them. Actually, more than 'impressed' ... AMAZED!!!

[@gegolis123]

man i feel you. there is no number 1 for me. discovering Page, Hendrix, EVH, John Fruciante, Gilmour, Marty friedman, Randy Rhoads and now Buckethead. it's like having a meal with different flavors.

[@DatAnydeks]

DarkMagician12 ain’t that the truth! Randy Rhoads was special. So crazy he died at 25 in that needless plane crash. Randy was a pioneer groundbreaker who had amazing talent, yet didn’t have the learning tools we now have. That makes him extra special.

[@gegolis123]

Yeah and he blizzard of oz and diary of mad man. in his 2 year career. i could only imagine the music he would made. He shredded with feels, like mr crowley solos. He made music for all people not just for musicians. sharing was all he wanted not fame. prof being that he was leaving the rock scene for classical guitar career. in an era where rock was mainstream.

[@Humanumikey]

one of the most underrated guitarist of all time! next time the guitar magazines make a top 100 guitarist of all time, he should be on there for sure!

[@thesilencedtherused]

Awesome 👍😊

[@idolcesar7124]

Technicality and musicality is off the charts.

[@monstermash5507]

Saw him John 5 twice in Pittsburgh- Hard Rock and Jergels. Amazing shows. I love Halloween and his shows always have a Halloween theme.

[@arthurkitchen8896]

Such a sweetheart of a person!!!

[@tog2842]

The more I see of J5 the more I am impressed, what a talent!

[@williamchiusano3185]

What a cool , Laid Back , Amazing Humble And Personable ... Go John 5 Go!!

[@darkjester2713]

I grew up in the Detroit area and seen John many times at Blondie's ..His shtick was to compliment someone's guitar backstage and ask if he could check it out...He then would shred his ass off hand back the guitar and say 'cool' have a good show and walk away smirking lol..he was just as good back in 87 as he is now..it was frightening

[@EQU143]

That's insane! He's so unbelievably full of ideas...

[@robbierussell9536]

AWESOME!!!!

[@realjester]

This Dude is amazing 👍👍👍

[@jimmywaynelake5225]

I never realized how versatile of a guitar player he was amazing! Cheers jimmywayne lake channel

[@roghib666]

He's different than any other guitarists. Love him

[@baltimoreravens1515]

Never seen r heard of this guy until a few days ago he's amazing

[@jaredb6934]

He is so awesome. Just awesome.

[@thatguyfromthatband7746]

I love him so much

[@guitarreviews]

What a beast!

[@hacksdp3]

John5 is on Dimebags level of coolness. Just amazing style, technique, and lack of douchebaggery.

[@J.7.1]

@picknngrinnin Did I feel a sarcasm sprinkle roll off that comment?

[@nightandlove]

fun fact the first and only time john ever had alcohol was with dimebag

[@cmustaine2194]

One of the greatest artists/musicians guy in the world!

[@jonahrandomrandomshenaniga6744]

i remember back in the late 90's when john 5 was sponsed by ibanez guitars for the GIO GAX/AX (double cutaway/SG shape) guitars,

[@karlreinke]

Unlike a lot of professional musicians, John 5 seems to really be having fun at his job. I think he could be happy to have an instrument in his hand in even the most deplorable conditions and still be having fun.

[@davidtudor748]

Dude...That first riff was really cool.

[@WestCoastMassive]

so inspiring, I bought that amp right when the video ended haha

[@oaspe]

Impressive CV

[@angusorvid8840]

He's one of the greatest guitarist in any genre, and he's got a brilliant mix of styles and influences. I also love that he plays a Tele, and alternates between a heavy duty metal sound and flat out country chicken pickin'. Seems like a really cool dude as well.

[@stephendunnegarcia4030]

The most inspirational guitarist.

[@craigmiller6451]

This guy is a great player, knows many styles and works hard at it.

[@alexslater6456]

Awesome.

[@visionboxed]

a cool and modest dude !

[@23skidoo46]

met him long ago when he was a half a nobody out in Hollywood and he hasn't changed. He's just a good dude. down to earth.

[@kevinflood7495]

He's so cool, modest 👍

[@BrothersOfAlienRock]

DAMN I LOVE THIS GUY'S BRAIN! S o many neat tricks-all fingers and mindset

[@Gusrikh1]

Honest to goodness playing

[@davidkellerfreeman]

I love John 5

[@pedraw]

John 5 cracks me up.

[@L.C.3.]

I get sucked into a John5 youtube hole everytime I watch a single video with him. Amazing player.

[@charlesharper7292]

Yeah... Me too. I've saved every chops video he's made that I've seen. I am facinated by his playing?

[@joaosampaio4039]

Yeah, his playing is so charismatic

[@RockyH.]

John 5 is absolutely incredible his Tele set-up up is the only way I could ever play the Telecaster...bolt on neck guitars weren't my thing for the longest time but, 5 kinda changed my mind on that notion the Telecaster is just a really killer guitar like all of you already know!!

[@thomasbrandt8265]

John 5 i feel is the best guitarist today. He knows his stuff and we lost EVH R.I.P But now we've been blessed with a new level !

[@alal6964]

Masterpiece

[@ahnpi939]

Two of my faves! Nick rules...would like to see them jammin together!

[@JohnyHimalaya]

The gentleman of metal. And he loves Rod Stewart. Awesome.

[@RayBecker]

John is today's Roy Clark. I LOVE listening to John play whatever. Technically, the best guitarist right now. Hey John...It Works!

[@metalliholic]

Damn, that little boss katana sounds great.

[@TomTobin67]

I still can't believe Nick Bowcott is interviewing John 5. Bowcott was in a good British metal band called Grim Reaper. Go check them out.

[@davidgerrity8260]

Where can I find the tad for ddd. The cool lick in the beginning of this video

[@earllsmith2733]

John is the best

[@ruchirsajwan]

He plays incredibly good

[@birdmanbl]

VEry very nice clip...the broken computer is insane....at 11:35 I literally lost it amazing

[@TheTimmytoad]

Holy crap J 5 is good! Never realised how good.

[@meatrocket1]

Amazing

[@scottdaugherty8065]

Wow that boys pretty good 😁

[@chris6772]

He seems like such a nice person