Rig Rundown - Joe Satriani

www.premierguitar.com PG's Rebecca Dirks is On Location at the Chicago Theatre, in Chicago, IL, where she catches up with guitarist Joe Satriani before his 'Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards' Winter 2010 tour. In this Rig Rundown segment, Satriani walks us through all the gear and equipment he's using during the tour. Also, he talks about how this rig differs from the one he uses with supergroup Chickenfoot.
For his effects, Satriani uses a Vox Satriani Big Bad Wah Wah, Vox Satriani Ice 9 Overdrive, Vox Satriani Satchurator Distortion, two Vox Satriani Time Machine Delays, a Voodoo Lab Proctavia, a DigiTech Whammy, and a custom true bypass switch built by amp guru Ben Fargen (Fargen Amplification and Sonic Edge Effects).
For his amps, Satch is using three Marshall JVM410 heads that have been converted into working prototypes for a future signature Marshall head that should be released sometime in 2011. The heads are based on a JVM410 format, but each one has been tweaked and altered throughout his current tour.
And for his guitars, Satriani has been using two different Ibanez signature models--the JS1000 and the new JS2400. All of his Ibanez guitars are loaded with DiMarzio pickups.
For more exclusive PG Rig Rundowns, or to view all the guitar-centric news, reviews, videos, and features you can handle, be sure to visit www.premierguitar.com

[@MrSmitht04]

What I love about Joe. Is that he could be the most arrogant guy on earth. He has every right to be. But he's always so humble and polite. This man is a legend

[@Quickjob519]

Concur with this statement. His talent isn't matched by few, but he's so nice, humble, remembers where he comes from. Always tries to pass his knowledge forward.

[@burnnlearn]

Likewise with Paul Gilbert

[@benjikoorts4053]

And it's always the biggest names that do their own Rig Rundown....and not the guitar tech..... love it...

[@BrodyBaddis]

That says more about you than Joe, no? Just because someone is nerding about their passion, I don’t automatically put them as arrogant. Jjust take each person for what they put out.

[@JamesDavis-mm2mi]

I hear he actually is NOT a very humble guy and hes a princess when things dont go his way

[@paulsimmons5726]

Great interview, Rebecca is often asking more detailed questions than John and the rest of the guys!

[@rs-xr3ty]

A gentleman and a monster on guitar. My favorite player of all time.

[@fahdchoudry7763]

Its cool that Joe did the interview himself. Most get someone else to do it

[@red.domino]

Man, you're talking about probably the first real instrumental rock guitar hero in history. He didn't need to sing when creating the marvelous Surfing With The Alien... He made his guitar sing for him in an universal language!

[@MiSambra]

​@@red.domino Satch is incredible, but this statement is blasphemous. there would be no Joe without Hendrix, Page, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads....I can go on...All real guitar heroes in my book.

[@ScottCunningham96]

@@MiSambra in fairness there would be no hendrix, page, van halen, randy rhoads etc without their respective influences. Just because you were influenced by someone else doesnt mean you cant innovate in your own right. Plus none of those guys (as awesome as they all are) are famous for instrumental rock music in the way joe is.

[@kingfisher7960]

Most of them arent in the same city as the show the time these are done.

[@billyrouse4813]

Anybody ever notice, despite the different paths they took, Joe and Steve Vai have similar senses of humor?

[@UltimateGam3r100]

its probably because Satriani would have spent loads of time around Vai due to him teaching him at a young age

[@tiluriso]

Well, Vai studied under Satch, didn't he, so...

[@tylerdees4850]

Billy Rouse its cuz joe was steves teacher so there pretty similar.

[@jpslaym0936]

Both guys are from Long Island NY as well

[@maninthecrowd5076]

Joe was more of a high school senior persona to Steve, so it figures. As Joe once said Steve didn't really like learn something from him, except for stringing the guitar, maybe Steve later took a little from Joe's playing but totally nothing like a private advanced training, however, the highschool thing is true.

[@LeeChavezMusic]

Finally! Someone who's interviewing the guitarist or tech who's not an idiot and doesn't know who their talking about! That's not common in PG videos, but other people's videos. Rebecca is really pretty too :)

[@oltee8196]

The guitarist that do there own rundown are the best guitarist :)

[@notyurrealdad8743]

I love when the player not the tech talk about there gear feels kinda personal

[@KeeperOfPoops]

every video that's a tech i dislike

[@CesarCordova]

Sometimes the tech knows more about a musician's gear.

[@tylergrove7700]

@@KeeperOfPoops unless it’s trace foster

[@AceOfHeart2012]

That's what I like about Joe. He's so generous. Always an education listening to him.

[@FL-BEACH-MAN]

Joe knows his stuff - best rig rundown ever - very smart guy. thanks PG

[@maxpill2500]

This presenter needs to do all the Rig rundowns !

[@akefilipsson4118]

She doesn't work for premier guitar anymore. At least I don't think so.

[@endezeichengrimm]

She had a baby and retired. Too bad eh?

[@geraldpribula4911]

Joe is so humble, and just a really, really good dude. Love that guy!

[@marcos061059]

Excellent interview! She asked the perfect questions and of course got the perfect answers.

[@MrTPF1]

Rebecca did a great interview and asked a lot of great questions that only a guitarist would which was very cool. She must play. Who else would ask, "Why did you go with a rail instead of a humbucker?" or "What speakers do you have in the cabinets?" (He never did say what models either. All he said was the wattage.) I wanted to know if Joe uses V30's like Vai does or GT's. I'm pretty sure you can get the 1960 cabs with several different speakers.

[@ScoutSniper1990]

Satch is about the only guitarist that can actually go through his rig and tell you why and for what he's using certain pedals. amps, guitars .. Most just have the techs do the interview because they're like "uhh yeah we use this little boxy thingy on one song I can't remember which one but it sounds great because I'm awesome".

[@biggoofybastard]

+X3n0typ3 The Tremonti rig rundown was the same, I like it because they show a true understanding of what's going on, and a passion for what they do.

[@patrickmedland7473]

milktheuniverse that’s probably what a rig rundown for spinal tap would go like

[@MarcosBanus]

What a nice guy, so humble! Don't even listen to him that much, but I admire those artists that inspired a whole generation with their music and kept themselves humble.

[@rickyguitarman3839]

my hero and the reason i went to music school :)

[@RealWolfmanDan]

Awesome interview, great well thought out questions, we'll done by the Interviewer, and awesome to get this peek behind the scenes and here Joe talk about his gear. Fascinating!

[@akdomun]

Very good technical interview! I like how she pokes him to go deeper into the details!

[@christianboutot]

So good to hear a musician who has one passion...music

[@sirchtheworld]

Good interviewer, informative rig tour - and Satriani seems like such a friendly, articulate and sharing person that I really enjoyed it.

[@COBHC8890]

Always been a fan of his signature guitars!! Very clean looking!!!

[@miaoupha2370]

Rebecca is amazing to interview and Joe always seems so truly intelligent.

[@themodernguitarist]

I love it when the artists themselves do the gear tours.

[@longotown]

Awesome - thanks Joe and Rebecca. Joe is the real deal, with a great down to earth attitude - very nice to see!

[@MrHaydnHarry]

Love how he clearly says what he uses each one for, all this stuff can get so confusing when you first start out

[@A_Final_Hit]

I've been playing for over 30 years, and it's still confusing to me. 🤣

[@turolretar]

I just plug headphones straight into my guitar, it sounds great

[@ValterGT]

Joe Satriani has a wonderful personality and u can see that, how how happy and down to earth person he is. god bless him.

[@andrewpappas9311]

I saw him last year here in Toronto when he was doing his _From Surfing to Shockwave_ tour and it was one of my favourite shows ever (And I've seen Van Halen and AC/DC). This guy is one of my favourite guitarists and I absolutely love his work, and every time I hear stuff like _Surfing With the Alien_ or _Satch Boogie_ I'm still blown away

[@zundap100]

Joe is always decent and humble. Just keep on going and thanks for the music.

[@spider62able]

To all you arguing about the tone change in pickup position on a 24 fret guitar, it does make a difference! Making the neck pickup warmer or smaller are both a way to compromise for the pickup being moved to make room for the "extra" frets!

[@fxexpert4541]

Remind me of the dude who interviewed Alexi Laiho..dude telling Laiho what his gears is instead of Laiho doing it..Rebecca is cool.

[@tonymarinelli7304]

I have his delay pedal and was lucky enough to find somebody on ebay from Japan that had a few in stock. They don't produce these anymore. For the money, it cant be beat. Joe, in every interview seems like such a humble, gracious person.

[@LiberTBo]

If you look closely Rob Chapman walks behind them twice...

[@GunsnRosesfan2012]

Ur kidding me?!

[@Pepe00ad]

Great rundown, RD is a great interviewer.. I like how many of these stars, JS in this case, are modest, almost humble people who are in some way just geeky tonehunters like most of us regular Joes (no point intended).... Good job PG

[@yazonkyoudai]

Love the black rails on the orange JS2400. From afar it blends in with the fretboard and looks just like an extra fret.

[@WoodieLarsen]

I'm definately going to be buying a JVM410JS head if and when they come out.. i love my JVM already, can't imagine what joe's done! excited!

[@CoryI]

So detailed and articulate. The Satch is the man.

[@HellsMascot]

This is the Rig Rundown that everyone has always wanted. Rebecca and Joe.

[@wseeback]

How can you NOT end up staring with your jaw open at Rebecca Dirk while you're doing an rig rundown for her.

[@Ron_Padgett]

Because he's a man, not a kid, he's been laid before.

[@ayoungethan]

Self esteem and basic human decency.

[@jack-dl7ho]

The neck pickup thing on the orange guitar is very clever and humble :) Very nice solution, Joe is the man.

[@leungkong]

I come to watch Rebecca asking questions. Thank you Joe.

[@tonimoon6346]

Really enjoyed this 🤘

[@bowtechspeedfreak]

That stage is the historic state theatre here in minneapolis,I saw the first g-3 tour there, awsome!

[@taylorlangley900]

Satriani is such a nice and humble guy. I like how he personally takes his time to give a tour rather than his tech like most of the other famous guitar players.

[@jayou812a]

I have had a jvm 410 for about four years now and it has served me a great deal.Love the versatility.

[@ZackMorgenthaler]

Really cool to hear this guy talk!

[@chanclie]

Great interview.

[@mikehays8404]

there are many great guitar players out there but Satriani will play what a song needs,he will let the music breath and enjoy it as a hole ,not just set out to show off,hats off to you

[@mkivy]

My hero! I’ve seen him four times and one with Chicken foot....what a master!

[@ronhoffman7941]

Beautiful theater Joe

[@hawg427]

I agree, all the pedal and amp info was great and adding Rebecca to it just made it that much better. LOL I like his Red Ibanez the best.

[@JohnnyRandom89]

Honestly his melodies and backing are beautiful and they fit his lead playing.

[@coledoyle5950]

Not sure why I was so captivated with the decals on her shirt. I must really like Premier guitar. 👍

[@mac-doien9298]

WOW.... direct from the guitar guru himself...!!! Joe, you da man...!! Best Rig Rundown yet...!

[@JaydenMcNeill]

im stoked about the marshalls

[@lowcodemagic]

He happens to be one of the best guitarists too. Crazy stuff

[@veerchasm1]

I miss Rebecca, the most organic interviewer who never intrudes on the artist speaking. Doesn’t fill deadspace with wasted words. Knows the gear and guides the interviews with grace. Doesn’t fake excitement or act like a “fan boy”

[@therealscarred2112]

I miss Rebecca, and it had nothing to do with her looks or body parts. She had a great balance of interviewing the Artists about the smallest items (“What tubes are you using?”, “Howdoes this set-up differ from your Chickenfoot gigs?”) and *then* letting them talk until the next question or they’ve led to a new topic. The more recent PG Interviewers will talk *over* an Artist, not realizing how rude it is and disruptive it is as an interview. She had all aspects balanced perfectly, and I would hate to find out she left because guys couldn’t stop staring and comments were all about her chest. Boo-urns. 👎🏼

[@nicholastotoro7721]

Ian Perge She was absolutely perfect when it came to feeling out when to let them talk about a piece of gear and when to move on. She also never talked over them while doing that.

[@fanoboss]

I concur. Rebecca and I were friends on facebook and I thought she did a great job interviewing. Her style was laid back and it never felt forced or artificial.

[@namebrandmason]

@jerome sri "I would hate to think she left because guys couldn't stop staring and comments were all about her chest"

[@heartbreakasam]

On top of that, Cute lady

[@1970borntorun]

Right! In other words, don't be an "Eddie Trunk" lol "Hey, I just texted Brian wheat of Tesla last night, you know, A FRIEND..." LOL

[@todda.2088]

Always impressed with Joe , super guy , super talent .

[@jamesthorley4442]

He seems like a really nice guy, really down to earth and humble

[@isaacwilliams9919]

I don’t really listen to Satriani my self but I have a lot of respect for his playing

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

That was awesome great video 👍😎🎸

[@amiaamis2498]

Thank you Joe, great guitarist in the world

[@012jacob012]

I love that blue guitar. Wish they put it into production

[@MrTPF1]

I want to know that too. In his old videos endorsing the JSX, he pointed out a lot of great features that he liked on it. He also said that Peavey had offered him customized models when no one else would years ago when he wasn't so well known. I was surprised he shifted to Marshall all of a sudden.

[@simondoutre6225]

I always associate him with those chrome guitars, those are so cool and iconic, like a mirror iceman or a fluro handgrip or a goldtop or a white strat

[@NicholasStein]

Love it. So technical.

[@retroislandboy9708]

i cant lie....Rebecca Dirks is absolutely beautiful !!!!

[@ronhoffman7941]

very professional , very knowledgable

[@misisipimike8020]

My buddy Philbillie has been teaching for Satch on the 2024 tour. Satriani is San Francisco loyal!!

[@ricardo007994]

I LOVE YOU REBECCA!!

[@LEgoiste]

I didn’t know Rebecca DIRKS, but I’m glad she does!

[@frankiegutierrez5737]

If I'm not mistaken Joe used a Boss DS-1 through a Marshall stack -- that's it -- for years, and still got that amazing, monster tone. It's all in the hands ....

[@veerchasm1]

Best part of Rebecca? She knows how to be unobtrusive during an interview and knows when to interject detail into her questions. Pay the woman and get her back.

[@dressedtosmellgood]

she asks the right questions but doesn't get showoffy about it.

[@josephmittiga2373]

How much of a gentleman is Joe Satriani compared to ego maniac like Malmsteen?

[@cherylnicholson6069]

I know exactly what you mean but malmsteen seems to have chilled out a lil in his older age lol!!!

[@realscience948]

I find Malm so over the top..that it is entertaining to listen to him talk about himself!

[@red.domino]

That interview (the Malmsteen's one) was really cringey...

[@joshmuz9018]

Both legends in my mind

[@SuperWannabeGuitar]

you know i love this video to of my favourte people which is Rebecca (which was themain reason i came here, and Joe (one of the best remaining guitarist who can still put on a kickass rock show)

[@guitarwithjamesoffical]

6:11 “what tubes are in those” if a girl said that to me I’d have to marry her on the spot.

[@fdfsdfsvsfgsg4888]

Don't hold your breath.

[@motivationeveryday1205]

Stfu!

[@PedroAsfora]

I love how he brings my attention to something by telling me not to pay attention to it.

[@lookslikeyouhadenuff]

I was at this exact show, chicago theater was bad ass!

[@GazMoz78]

Great player and a lovely fella!

[@Dackycat]

So glad to hear someone say this! I really feel that wood has almost no effect on the tone of an electric guitar. Wood does affect the aesthetics, weight and feel to the player, which can be very important. But to me, on a purely nuts and bolts level, electric guitar tone is 60% amp, 35% pickups, and 5% strings. On top of that the player's style will affect that basic tone in it's own unique way.

[@1992YR]

When Joe used/endorsed Peavey's they were the same ones you could buy off the self. You notice in this video the Marshall's are modified. Peavey JSX amps are the BEST!

[@FloridaManMatty]

These are modded 410 VH heads that were subsequently mace available to the public as the Satriani signature amp. What he plays now are off the shelf heads. JSX are very good, though. Not my faves, but very good amps for the price.

[@billyrouse4813]

Joe says in this video though that these are prototypes for his signature JVM that came out later.

[@jeffreybonaventure6981]

Where in the world does one find such a beautiful lady that's that knowledgeable about guitar stuff???? PS I know this video is a couple of years old but still!!!!!!

[@zmix]

Rebecca Dirks was the best interviewer Premier Guitar ever had - she asks all the right questions and [gasp] lets the guest answer without interjecting her own opinion or cowing with placating "approval" that is the characteristic of the subsequent interviewers...

[@Lookman_Gitaris_pemula]

wow my favorite guitarist, mr. joe satriani,,, healthy always mr. joe 👋🙏

[@thisisaryel]

@TalkToTheBody Thank you again! Yes, feel is KEY! If you have pure technicality but no feel (*cough, cough, Rusty Cooley, cough*) it's just no good. I understand and respect your opinion about Santana, but I like his music a lot, not just because of his playing, but because of his tone. That tone is just mind-blowing to me. I also see where you're coming from with guitarists having trouble making new material. I will admit that I don't really know how to fix this issue.

[@WalrusDoom]

I love her. So much.

[@MrFreeTheWeed2010]

I LOVE YOU REBECCA

[@steven7777777yo]

joe you are a true master at your trade and know your stuff

[@gregorylpetrie]

So many nice comments about Joe's humility and it is refeshing. Watch the "SuperNova" Documentary. He really shows himself as this totally lovable guitar nerd. I would love to meet him!

[@user-zg3sz6cq4k]

I really love this girl

[@percivalcustodio9912]

I'm in love with Rebecca!

[@Fichtezxc]

Really intelligent, conscientious guy. Cool to hear him talk.

[@onraj9mm]

JS with maple fretboard? Thats perfection right there, beautiful

[@brock9972]

love satch! ha

[@OyvindBjorgo]

Oooooh, I want that amp! The JSX never quite stuck on me, but the Marshall sounds like something I could use. I already like the JVM410h, and the changes Satch has done to it such as getting rid of the digital reverb, replacing it with a noise gate and making it less compressed rectifies the flaws I felt it had last time I tested it.

[@karlhouseknecht]

Good guy Joe. Does his own gear interviews. Sounds like a nice and humble guy. Even calling out others that are clearly not at his level as "great guitarists".

[@TheGuitarTheory]

I love how when he said "Wet" reverb pedal it got like quiet for a second haha

[@htaysithuwin5185]

Joe,great equipment

[@Serkan.Korkmaz]

Best "Master of Masters" on the World always