Rig Rundown - Eric Johnson [2018]

Article & photos: bit.ly/EricJohn...
Win a Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Thinline:
bit.ly/EricJohn...
Premier Guitar’s Ted Drozdowski met with guru of tone Eric Johnson before his show at Nashville’s City Winery. Johnson revealed his absolute commitment to recreating his trademark sounds with his carefully selected array of guitars, a four-amp setup, and his resurrection of his original Ah Via Musicom pedalboards.
Although he carries two of his new signature Fender Stratocaster Thinline guitars, Johnson mostly plays this vintage-white model. The only mod is the bridge pickup, which he replaced with a DiMarzio HS-2 to better dial in the tones from Ah Via Musicom.
The other axe Johnson relies on heavily is a 1954 Fender Stratocaster. Note the more severe angle of the stock whammy bar. It’s a trait of ’54s that he applies to his signature models. This axe also includes the bridge pickup from the guitar he used on the original recording of “Cliffs of Dover.”
Continue reading: bit.ly/EricJohn...

[@premierguitar]

Win a Fender Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster Thinline: bit.ly/EricJohnsonRR2018

[@davidallen346]

This is what I got from someone on Fb Fender Stratocaster group saying Eric Johnson is boring, really GTFO !

[@Diax1324]

The Premier Guitar staff were definitely like "Lmao let's get the calmest, most laid back guy to interview Eric Johnson. It'll be a bunch of mellow "yeah"'s the entire time"

[@pewdeepew9620]

I couldn’t tell who smoked the most doobage. The whole thing sounds like a college dorm at 3am.

[@bassementoo6577]

@@pewdeepew9620 hahahah for sure, but the way he said "yeah" its so calm

[@Mathuews1]

Yeah

[@Diax1324]

@@Mathuews1 ...Yeah...

[@curtrod]

​@pewdeepew9620 EJ no alcohol no weed vegetarian too

[@aquilarossa5191]

I laughed when he said "it's called Traditional Clean. I use it for dirty rhythm".

[@timons7446]

Yeah I laughed, too :D

[@panagiotis.tsiatsis]

hahah same here, typical Mr. Johnson ;)

[@carsgunsandguitars]

He's not only perhaps the greatest guitarist of all time, dead or alive, but probably one of the nicest kindest people ever.

[@TomasUjhelyi]

Agreed also a notorious coke fiend

[@breadnwinepodcast200]

Nah he’s in my top 5 of the greatest instrumentalist of all time. Definitely one of the guitar gods of all time

[@deadreckoning292]

@@TomasUjhelyi That’s a strange thing to post. I’ve been following Eric’s career since the early 80s and never seen him drunk or high, or heard anything from other people about Eric being into drugs or even alcohol. This guy is stone cold sober all the time. Thanks for the bullshit comment though.

[@astroandyborgloh]

A Conversation between Eric and Meshuggah's tech would be like "Yeah", "Yeah Yeah" , "Yeah" ... ;-)

[@GerryBlue]

Yeah?

[@Kevin.Kelly.]

Well, yeah!

[@CesarSandoval024]

Yeah?

[@dayglo98]

Cool !

[@benwedgwood3196]

astroandyborgloh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

[@eriphant8755]

"It's no perfect collector's piece." So humble. It's a collector's piece because he plays it.

[@neildenman1776]

lol yeah, that guitar is an iconic strat and would sell for serious money.

[@ma2perdue]

Are you "Eric" bias? Ha ha jk.

[@Julius_Seizure]

I love Eric. He's just a great human being and a beast of a player with tone for days. Kids.. Pay attention.

[@PlanetRockJesus]

Yes. Tone. Amazing tone.

[@ColocasiaCorm]

Is any famous guitarist not a good human being. Got get off his dik

[@oar5926]

Agreed. I was such an Eric Johnson fanatic in middle school and high school right until I joined my Uni’s jazz band. I learned everything I could from him! Still listen to him every now and then

[@bluesky6361]

I saw Eric several years ago at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. Small club. Wife and I had seats right at the foot of the stage. Terrific show. At the end of the show I jumped up and held a Fender Strat trem spring cover and marking pen out to Eric (I was the only one to do so). He looked at me and turned to go. Then he suddenly paused and came back and gave me his autograph and thanked me for coming to the show.

[@monolithgeometry3221]

Musicians don't like it when anyone "jumps up" and comes towards them , can you blame them ha

[@anthonycrook1987]

maybe he thought it was his, don’t know where mine’s at. Din’t see any on his in this video, forgot if it helped the sound with it back on, but see how the f- holes could smooth things and resonate(if they lacquered the cavity. Maybe I’ll route me out one. Naw,,,,,,

[@MatzaFTW]

Haven't seen a rundown with this interviewer before. So far I like him; good questions, chill dude.

[@danielcgomez]

still miss Rebecca Dirks :( ...this guy has all the right questions tho ;)

[@blakevanhouten1672]

i thought the same thing! enjoy his questions and was polite. but yes, Rebecca will always be missed.

[@Kevin.Kelly.]

Because I told her she couldn’t do it anymore.

[@TrollsAndScrolls]

she left to join the #metoo movement

[@ericgray8526]

He's like the PBS version of a Rig Rundown interviewer.

[@adambayer6207]

This interviewer is the king of respect, humbleness and segwaying into questions 😂

[@jeffliberatore3759]

He's a totally rude interviewer if you ask me. I literally would have walked away from him. He constantly interrupted one of the finest guitarists of all time....

[@Throckmorton_the_great]

@@jeffliberatore3759 I think he did fine. He spoke like a normal person would in a normal conversation

[@jeffliberatore3759]

He's rude....

[@jacobthebatchbandit3092]

in the amp part EJ goes thru the rig and the dude didnt take anything in and asked him about what he just said😂

[@huntermcneely7596]

All he did was talk over him and cut him off lol

[@just.some.dud3]

EJ is such laid back nice dude.

[@jaredbjur]

"Wonderful guitar player..." Understatement of the century.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Love how greats like him never brag about themselves. When you get right down to who they are... They are just fans of other musicians just like the rest of us...

[@gsmeeuwsen]

Eric is one of the all-time greatest to have EVER touched six strings, and one of the kindest human beings ever as well....

[@SIMON.H.THE.GECKOS.]

Watching March 2022, such a humble guy, no ego and seems a really nice fella. And a wonderful musician.

[@PoppysGuitar]

Eric is 6 foot tall so this guy interviewing him must be a giant.

[@thearabianmage]

Eric is 6’2” so that guy must be 6’5” if not more

[@PoppysGuitar]

@@thearabianmage Yeah I have met him and I don't think he is 6'2". Maybe a shade over 6' regardless this other dude is huge.

[@nonmember8725]

I know Ted, the interviewer, and he is a little over 6'. EJ is an average size guy, and is not over 6 feet. Look how big a strat looks on him.

[@Wakeman8791]

My guitar teacher used to own a store in Texas that EJ used to frequent, and had to tell him “no” several times bc Eric kept wanting to buy a wah that his late brother gave him. Small world!

[@douglasfuerst9363]

😮who cares, are you gay?

[@rc121crx]

I want to hangout with Eric . 'Hey Eric can you give me one of your Fenders ? ' " Yeah... yeah . " ' Eric can I also have a million bucks ?' " Uh-huh .. yeah , yeah "

[@rafasounds2010]

I actually asked EJ one of his strats, I said it could be the mexican one the doesnt care for, via facebook. He replied "no, but Im sending good thoughts". True story.

[@BillDerBerg]

Eric will send you an actual Mexican at no scharge mang...

[@MrJackrockerman]

Lol 😂

[@chriskanetrio9232]

Hate these Guitar Heroes always So Boring!!!!

[@Strato13]

rc121crx lol..right? “Hey Eric, can I have that Fuzz Face?” “Yeah, yeah let’s do that, yeah..” 😂😂🤣🤣🎵🎶

[@craig7399]

Eric Johnson is such a great man. I love when the REAL guitarists do the rig run downs. So passionate, what a great guy and inspiration to all.

[@Steeve9292]

Eric Johnson - the tone master. What a lovely man too, could listen to him all day; be it speaking or playing.

[@WadeJohnsonEBOY]

Love Eric Johnson's music and he's such a kind person.

[@kieranoconnor333]

I swear his Texan accent grew more prominent as the interview went on. What a cool dude!

[@jonp3890]

There’s a ghost of me still out there in the mid nineteen eighties, standing with delighted shock in front of the stage where I first saw Eric playing live.

[@stevesuv]

I saw the A Via Music show in Capistrano back in the day. Me and my Buds had close seats. I remember EJ had a taped intro, and I swear to my God we thought a jet was crashing into the building. People were scared! Not me. The sound was amazing. Then EJ sits down and plays The Boxer. It was one of the greatest shows of all time. EJ you will always be my King.

[@mr.mcmagpie6606]

I just got the EJ Dimarzio Humbucker for my bridge. Man it sounds like something special! Its like a low output humbucker but with a higher treble. It never gets muddy no matter what you do with it!

[@gregmize01]

From what i understand, he runs his in split mode. Basically a single coil.

[@lylesommers5018]

Uh huh uh huh, yeah yeah, uh huh. He’s such a laid back down to earth dude, Love EJ

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

One of the very best and a hell of a nice guy.

[@tigasc78]

EJ is such an intelligent and gracious cat proving yet again that the the heaviest dudes are light as a feather to be around.

[@jahazielmuniz3640]

what a lovely guy Eric is, im very surprised of his kindness, hes such a genius and so down to earth

[@ginogenero7972]

Wow, for a touring rig Eric's setup is surprisingly simple; easy to follow, no - nonsense signal chain. Blown away by the Echoplex mod, that's brilliant.

[@codykleinsmith]

“Yeah” Count - 111

[@ma2perdue]

You put in the work with a count clicker? Yea. Yeah

[@notsure4508]

my son got to hang with Eric when he was in Boston,he said he was one of the nicest approachable Stars ,you would ever meet ,humble ,loves to talk tone .He could tell if a 9 volt battery lost a volt and went to 8

[@8triagrammer]

What a sweet hearted dude. Always gracious and humble. Must be that southern thing..

[@richbailey8174]

I love this guy!....it's great that he uses all older equipment

[@josephtallent5012]

eric johnson speaks so softly. could listen to him all day

[@TheMcInturff]

I witnessed Eric Johnson in the early 90's playing at Burruss Auditorium in Blacksburg Va, amazing show. I came away as he was one of the top five guitarists I had ever seen for sure. He played everything from his own material at the time to Cream, excellent sound using a Strat through a huge stack of Marshall amps. Excellent show .

[@terminatorx2545]

I like the fact that he recreates his old tones.

[@voxfazer9154]

Zen people, zen moment in this crazy world, thank you.

[@markolivares6943]

Eric is a all around genuinely nice dude .

[@VitorDuzarte]

Great interviewer, and Eric is a great person. Very simple and down to earth. Loved this Rundown.

[@handle433]

It’s amazing how Eric comes to life when the interviewer asks him about his first Strat at 18. He réalisés the dude has done his work!!! ❤

[@jbw9999]

I can't imagine trying to remember all that setup while trying to remember how to play and sing. I met Eric in the 90's. He's as nice as he seems here.

[@kamicosmos]

What's cool is if you watch the Live on Austin City Limits from 1988, you will see all that exact equipment, right there on stage! I'll be seeing him Saturday night in Kansas City, can't wait to see him live!

[@stevespayde7469]

Such a humble great player....you know that touring is draining on people,yet Eric has always been accommodating.

[@thepuppethead1188]

I just bought a set of his Jazz picks and they're the best!

[@mrw55walton49]

I use them as well; probably as close as I am going to get to be able to play as well as Eric Johnson

[@donwoodward7944]

Eric's live acoustic sound on the ah via tour was amazing. 'Song for George' was the highlight of the night! The man is just so plain humble. Thanks for sharing your setup.

[@luminositymusic3810]

DSW I really like his musicianship.

[@nickash5]

That's the kind of pedal board to work with. Tone, modulation, space. Cool.

[@DJEshelman-personal]

I have some footage from this show... I should find some time and post that; though the phone doesn't do justice to how much he NAILED the tone on the record for this show. I found myself just enjoying more than recording. My wife got a picture of me and the guy behind me with looks of utter amazement on our faces- watching it played so flawlessly after all these years was frankly unexpected. I've seen EJ a lot of times over the years but this was far and away my favorite show. It was uncanny to see it live (Nashville) because he did literally play the track list all the way thru, with some other songs in a bit of a warm up set. Amazing.

[@monkface]

DJ Eshelman yeah I saw him in San Diego and it was great.

[@kelvinpanesar6511]

The sunburst"54" Strat!! Hammer of the Gods!!!!!

[@gillygrylls]

Imagine Eric and Mr Rogers having a conversation/interview if he was still living! The most chill conversation ever lol 🤘

[@aidanunderhill6344]

11:00 & 13:45 - 14:00 Never gonna believe anybody who says you need high quality cables to ensure good tone. Look at the state of those leads! Brilliant

[@handle433]

He’s definitely had those cables since the 80’s, they’ve got better tone than the new ones!!!

[@timothyholmes4588]

eric is so chill. my old guitar teacher when I was a kid sounds just like him when he talks .and this was back before the internet. but my teacher showed me advanced theory just like erics style.i was so lucky and forever greatful.

[@stroopwafel6141]

Great Rig Rundown, very informative, thanks! Eric Johnson is a heroic player, yet stays such a modest nice guy. What's not to like?

[@JoshuaG85]

A few months ago, I got his new thin line strat. Man, I own like 10 guitars, at least and it is by far the best one.

[@dannygoode2255]

Opening line - a wonderful guitar player. I nearly choked on my food. The guy is a LEGEND and he's standing next to you.😢

[@joes5150]

Saw Eric at mudbugs in Tucson as when ah via music comwas right up front for whole show. $5 ticket I think on a Monday night when I attended university of Arizona. Amazing and unbelievable

[@crossthreadaeroindustries8554]

That. was. cool. What a guy... Love his music even more now, been listening for 20 years.

[@Disciple0fMetal]

Great Rig rundown. It actually feels like these guys were just having a normal convo and the cameras sneaked in and started recording everything haha!

[@arthuralmeida6195]

Really diggin this interviewer, chill dude, makes the whole thing sound like a regular conversation. Keep him going!

[@jasonism123]

If Eric sells that pedal board, I'm sure it's at least a million dollars. Those pedals have also grown old with them. Such a nice guy. Amazing guitar player.

[@hanovergreen4091]

Ted, my man! Your style is fantastic. No Bulls..t fake enthusiasm, no childish "that's' so awesome!!!!" every ten seconds. Quiet and you let the artists speak instead of interjecting to show how cool you are. I wish you did all the gear shows. Best Regards!

[@fuzzybutkus8970]

Looking pretty good for just short of 70 years old. The guy seems very humble,Super intelligent,has a sense of humor. I’ve never heard him speak negatively about any other player or guitar he doesn’t use.

[@harveydents]

I met Eric and Steve Vai and Joe during the first G3 show. ALL extremely nice kind gentlemen,Eric was very soft spoken but oh so kind and humble, Steve is funny and warm and outgoing and kind , Joe is more like Eric reserved and quiet but very humble ad nice. RARE to see that in musicians

[@ninevehguitar]

gideons .mob I’ve met Steve and Joe, and I can agree 100%. A lot of people think Steve is full of himself because of his stage act, but he’s actually one of the more down to earth guys out there.

[@lexiloufaith547]

Shoot! I was there that night he Played in Nashville. It was my Graduation/Birthday Present! Loved it!

[@lexiloufaith547]

I took a pick of his board

[@PlanetRockJesus]

That was cool. What an amazing bunch of connections.

[@marknorris3769]

rig rundown are incredibly fascinating to see and understand how so many talented artists explain their gear as it applies to their art , truly amazing stuff , this is the first episode where the interviewer seemed to want to push his ego into the show , but hey that's just one guys opinion

[@jeffreyjhouser]

Wow... That pedalboard is something else!

[@RandomVelocity]

Nice to see Eric doesn’t think he too good for this like other rig rundowns where they interview the guitar techs. Because the douchy guitarist thinks he’s so special. Eric seems like a great guy. And he’s a better guitarist than most.

[@DaveDexterMusic]

Maybe they're just _busy_ you tit

[@morbido13]

Exactly, the guy is a living legend and still takes the time to do a rig rundown. Classy dude

[@Seaker24]

One time in NYC I ran into Eric before one of his shows. We walked a few blocks together and he couldn't have been nicer. He needed a few batteries from his room. Just a regular guy, except for the guitar mastery thing.

[@paulpugh5315]

talkin bout nawlins.....you could feel the guarded replies from Eric....I don't blame him, keeping some mystery back is not a bad thing.

[@jeffdell9472]

EJ shows how to attain great a clean tone and a great overdrive tone, i.e., you can't really get one amp that is perfect at both extremes. That is always a compromise. His sound has always been inspiring since I first heard him in '86.

[@Slugg-O]

Great and revealing interview. EJ has a reputation for being a perfectionist and I was shocked to see rusty jacks on his patch cables and rack mount equipment on the floor. I would have thought he would be all OCD about that. His pedal board is also a mess but I'm not surprised to see him using an old gear. He knows what works and he sticks with it.

[@PavelNNJ]

It's called "If it's not broken - don't fix it"

[@donniehba795]

I love Eric Johnson! For 20+ years I have been stating that he is the best overall guitarist alive. And I just ordered the Fender EJ Thinline Strat this week. Also I love Rig Rundown -- even when it features artists I am unfamiliar with -- as it has introducted to awesome musicians like Cory Wong and Warren Hayes -- both of whom I became fans of through Rig Rundown. So keep up the great work!

[@DaveDexterMusic]

It was almost a Tap moment when the venue for Eric's mountain of tone is revealed as some kind of wine'n'napkin dinner event.

[@chriskrausesmovie]

Never thought I would see a Eric Johnson rig rundown

[@namebrandmason]

This is the 3rd they have done!

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

I'm intimidated just WATCHING Eric Johnson talk. I can't even imagine actually interviewing him. I would feel like I need to know all about the circuitry of 9 volt batteries to even begin the conversation. LOL!

[@mikelai9897]

What a humble guy with a such talent

[@qwertyzxcv123]

Eric Johnson - the king of pentatonic.

[@alanscott7798]

His pedalboard looks like a disaster! He's such a precise guy you thought it would be neat and tidy! Unbelievable guitarist, unique, I think he's probably the best guitarist in the world, I can't think of anyone better.

[@MisterTee]

Eric moves things a couple inches apart, tries different cable lengths etc because he says it changes the tone. This is why his board is so messy

[@michaelthornburg2491]

Best guitar player I've ever witnessed in my lifetime, and I've seen most all of the greats and with no disrespect Jeff Beck I love you too!!!!!

[@mattbortz10]

He puts on such a good show and his rig sounds amazing

[@johnnypatterson77]

Just saw Eric live in Charleston WV playing nothing but Jimmy Hendrix tunes with Joe Satriani and a whole bunch of other great players, and I have to say I was so inspired by Eric and Joe that I haven't put down my guitar for more than an hour since the show.

[@2Plus2isChicken2013]

I never have owned an Eric Johnson album but every time I watch a video of him he has the best tone ever. Having said that, I think he is very brave to take (except for the Belle Epochs and Two Rock head) very old equipment on the road. I wouldn't do it. There's too much new stuff that sounds great and is easier to replace. That's just me, though. Never question the equipment decisions of someone who sounds that good. Too bad he doesn't play in this video.

[@cnmm6069]

Whats the point in having gear that sounds great but gets hoarded at home? A Plexi Marshall is a few grand...Ita not like he's going around with the hope diamond .

[@coreymineard]

The master! I could listen to EJ all day.

[@jackkivett110]

This man really got a rack mount laying on the floor hahahahahah I love it

[@2doobsmcjubes555]

Never mind the rig, tell me about his PERFECT HAIR.

[@AlienSexGod]

it's a wig!

[@MisterTee]

his hair sucks

[@nimaside]

Just having hair in his sixties is amazing. All that Zen paid off.

[@jdj62464]

Skynet Your going to find this hard to believe but my dad is 82 and still has all his hair, it's the same dark brown -light black color it was when he was 30, might be because his grandmother was full blooded Cherokee..??? When he was working years ago I always accused him of having "Greason hair dye" (shows you his age & mine, don't know if they still make that stuff) in his locker at work because he had no gray hair in his 50s, kinda funny because my mom was completely gray in her mid twenties.

[@benwillard2998]

@@AlienSexGod No it's not.

[@stratolestele7611]

It's so chill - I'm waiting for the knitting to begin. "So what kind of yarn do you like?" "cool, cool". "How about needles?" "cool, cool"

[@bennyagustianto3364]

Virtuoso Eric Johnson..

[@gabrielvelloso9834]

"Cool" "Yeah" TRUE MUSICIAN LANGUAGE

[@bazzmx]

3:05

[@FYMASMD]

T.C. chorus is still my standard. Bulletproof. Never had a problem. Still sounds great to me.

[@gideonhansen5485]

The most chillest interview.

[@timcwalker]

Yeah. Cool.

[@ruatonim]

Wow, to see the old boards and such, it's a complete bravery test. I went from the Steve Vai rundown which his tech is OCD over perfection, new reliable everything, which is cool. Then you come here and some of those cords looks like they were jacked from some back country phone switchbank from the 50's. I just love it all.

[@stevem7]

So glad you guys were able to get with him. I was at Nashville's City Winery for that show, of course took pictures of his gear before it started. So cool to see it up close in your cameras mere hours before we got there. Thanks so much for posting this!

[@tomgorycki7176]

Stock vintage non-master volume Marshall on 10 = Loud AF!!!😎

[@acousticguitarfan55]

My favorite guitar player! EJ is amazing!

[@MisterTee]

I was recently walking the mean streets of Bend, Oregon when a young bearded young man approached me and said “hey Man, have you heard that the new Eric Johnson is a semi hollow? It’s fantastic!” I looked at him and smiled then said “I have no idea what that means little man but thank you for your passion” I then went about my day.

[@benwillard2998]

You like making up meaningless crap don't you little man.

[@dannyelam1631]

I never knew who "George" was. Finally a new EJ interview with some insight.

[@radiomindchatter7994]

Eric is Zen..admirable

[@ether_lana3921]

EJ going old school, love it

[@morejelloplease]

man i live in austin and i didnt even know he was touring, i'm subbed to his youtube channel and didn't see any announcement about touring. bummer, i'd love to go see him live, heck he lives 5 minutes from my house lol. maybe he needs a drum tech? :)

[@alexzalesny2414]

This guy is a way better interviewer than any of the other guys. He should do more!

[@javiercojoba]

I was going to say " this guy needs an axe fx", but then it would be like most modern rig run downs! Good to see such old gear get put to good use instead of thrown to curb.

[@brucifer0]

This was like a dream! Man I would love to noodle around on Erics rig 🤫