17 minutes of EJ tearing it up through the years

[RevDrucifer]

Various clips, some really cool older stuff from the 70's. He's always been EJ!

As much as EJ's tone and overall playing gets spoken about, you never hear much about his acoustic playing. JFC that guy can just play his ass off.

I'm really curious as to what changed after '92 in his rig. There was something special from 88-92. His tone was still fantastic on Venus Isle, but man, there was just some air to his lead and rhythm tones back then that was different. Suppose the Dumble could be the explanation behind the rhythm tone, but he's used the same lead rig for decades now. Maybe it was just a certain Marshall or Tube Driver.

[Ghost.]

Him and John Petrucci are the greatest guitar-tones I've ever heard live.

It's just amazing how good EJ really is. Humble too.

Nobody sounds like him and can do what he does like him.
Bonamassa and Gales rip it off all the time to the point of annoyance.

[jacksonplayer]

EJ's lead tone got "grainier" around the time of the Bloom album, for whatever reason. I'd also guess it was a change in his pedalboard. Still sounds amazing in person, though.

[RevDrucifer]

EJ's lead tone got "grainier" around the time of the Bloom album, for whatever reason. I'd also guess it was a change in his pedalboard. Still sounds amazing in person, though.

Absolutely. I saw him on the Ah Via Musicom Anniversary tour and man, it was just ridiculous. I had to walk up to the front of the stage just so I could hear the Marshall hiss from the cab itself.

[jacksonplayer]

I was aware of Eric Johnson (mainly because of his strats) but I hadn't listened to him before. Literally the first thing I thought after starting that video was "this is the same phrasing Bonamassa keeps using". I'll have to give the rest of his stuff a listen.

Bonamassa only touches on a small part of what EJ does. Eric has so many unusual techniques and quirks, that's it's probably impossible to steal his stuff 100% accurately.

You definitely need to check out Eric's music. Start with the Ah Via Musicom album. Be warned, though, that he's as much a pop singer/songwriter as he is a guitar shredder. His albums are all about half vocal songs. How much you like Eric's music ultimately depends on how much you like his vocal tunes. I happen to really enjoy his vocal stuff, but I know a lot of people don't.

[RevDrucifer]

I was aware of Eric Johnson (mainly because of his strats) but I hadn't listened to him before. Literally the first thing I thought after starting that video was "this is the same phrasing Bonamassa keeps using". I'll have to give the rest of his stuff a listen.

Oh yeah, man, Bonamassa definitely steals those 5-note pentatonic runs from EJ, as well as some of his tone.

And jacksonplayer is definitely on point with his vocal stuff. I don’t mind it because it’s been in my life since I was 11, but he sounds kind of like a young Rod Stewart and is really, really soft. And he’s also right about Joe only snagging about 1/8 of EJ’s playing. If you really want to school yourself on a huge amount of technique/styles, pick up The Total Electric Guitar DVD. He filmed it in the early 90’s and it’s just a massive lesson in how to be phenomenal guitar player. The way he builds melodies with chords is really something else. Dude’s maybe played a cowboy chord or barre chord once in his life.

But his tones, goddamn….no one sounds like that.

[jacksonplayer]

But his tones, goddamn….no one sounds like that.

A lot of that is running multiple amps at once. His rig is ridiculously complex that way. I'm amazed he can keep it all straight.

[Shawn]

Glad I got to see him live twice. The first time was in 05-06 with Buddy Guy at the Sourh Shore Music Circus in Cohassett, MA and the second was with Satriani a year later in Boston at the Berkley Performance Center, both shows were awesome although Satch stole the show the second time I saw him. He's always been one of my favorite guitar players.

[RevDrucifer]

Glad I got to see him live twice. The first time was in 05-06 with Buddy Guy at the Sourh Shore Music Circus in Cohassett, MA and the second was with Satriani a year later in Boston at the Berkley Performance Center, both shows were awesome although Satch stole the show the second time I saw him. He's always been one of my favorite guitar players.

Is the South Shore Music Circus that stage that rotates or am I thinking of something by the Cape? I think I saw Louis CK and Brett Michaels there, if it’s the same joint.

[Shawn]

Is the South Shore Music Circus that stage that rotates or am I thinking of something by the Cape? I think I saw Louis CK and Brett Michaels there, if it’s the same joint.

Yeah, it's right near the ocean.

[Chris]

Absolutely brilliant player and definitely has his own sound. Unfortunately I just find his music boring as hell. :\

[RevDrucifer]

Absolutely brilliant player and definitely has his own sound. Unfortunately I just find his music boring as hell. :\

I most certainly would have had a hard time getting into him had I heard him after I discovered heavy music. Thankfully, my uncle snuck him in there immediately after I started playing guitar by giving me the Total Electric Guitar VHS and I watched that thing like I did Floyd’s PULSE VHS, as entertainment.

Might be good to check out if you get up at the ass crack of dawn to mow that lawn. Ah Via Musicom is like a nice cup of coffee on a Summer morning. Though, you’re starting to get into chilly season up there, so maybe hold off until next June or July.

[Chris]

What kind of plebe mows his own lawn?

I've heard tons of EJ, it's just not for me. Talented dude though, no doubt.

[RevDrucifer]

What kind of plebe mows his own lawn?

I've heard tons of EJ, it's just not for me. Talented dude though, no doubt.

[Drew]

Absolutely brilliant player and definitely has his own sound. Unfortunately I just find his music boring as hell. :\

I tend to find his live recordings more accessible than his studio work, which veers back and forth between insane guitar and elevator music pop.

[Ghost.]

What kind of plebe mows his own lawn?

I've heard tons of EJ, it's just not for me. Talented dude though, no doubt.

You should at least go see him live sometime.
Unreal.

[RevDrucifer]

You should at least go see him live sometime.
Unreal.

Yeah, at least you can feel the bass in the music then, which helps unpussify the music a bit.

[Ghost.]

Yeah, at least you can feel the bass in the music then, which helps unpussify the music a bit.

Very true. I saw him with his original trio.

[RevDrucifer]

Very true. I saw him with his original trio.

Yeah, that's who he was with for the Ah Via Musicom tour, I believe. Roscoe Beck and....I can't remember the drummer's name now.

[jacksonplayer]

Tommy Taylor was the drummer, I believe.

I had the Tones album when it first came out in 1986, and it bored me the way EJ does now for XXXXX. It was all vocal tunes except for two songs, when I had first heard of him as this great underground shredder. I ended up selling it quickly. That was when I was listening to all the Shrapnel Records guys and just wanted wall-to-wall shred.

A few years later I heard the song "High Landrons" from Ah Via Musicom on the radio (this was before "Cliffs of Dover" became a hit), and I was totally hooked. "High Landrons" is a vocal tune, but he plays this wild Hendrix-y shred all over it with two flangers in the signal chain. I bought the album the next day. I've been a fan ever since, and I think it's fair to say he's been a big influence on my playing, even though I really never learned any of his specific techniques or gear secrets.

[Ghost.]

Yeah, that's who he was with for the Ah Via Musicom tour, I believe. Roscoe Beck and....I can't remember the drummer's name now.

Ahh so we saw the same tour. Unreal. Even if I didn't know most of the music aside from the "Hits." I enjoyed it very much.

[Bloody_Inferno]

I loved Ah Via Musicom and Venus Isle back in the day, so I have no problems with Eric Johnson's music. His complex playing speaks for itself regardless whether instrumental/vocal style.

That said, hearing him guest with John 5 is a nice snippet on what he can do in a metal context.

[RevDrucifer]

I loved Ah Via Musicom and Venus Isle back in the day, so I have no problems with Eric Johnson's music. His complex playing speaks for itself regardless whether instrumental/vocal style.

That said, hearing him guest with John 5 is a nice snippet on what he can do in a metal context.

I don't know why I don't have that album yet. There's such little instrumental guitar music I'm interested in these days, but he's one I definitely dig. He's just ridiculous. Saw him open for Queensryche at the end of 2019 and he was flawless. This is pretty cool, hearing EJ over some riffs and not a piano or the normal EJ thing.

Here's another EJ out of his normal element clip, but with Big Wreck-

Ian told my favorite EJ story yet when discussing the lead up to this show- they had EJ come in and rehearse with them the day prior and during the rehearsal, EJ told his tech that he heard some buzzing/rattling in his 4x12 cab. The tech couldn't find anything wrong, nor could anyone else hear it. The band and crew took a break and went to dinner, but EJ stayed behind to look over his rig. Ian went to see him before he left and found EJ taking the screws out of the back of the 4x12, sticking them into a piece of cardboard in the exact configuration they came out of the 4x12. When they came back, EJ had found the culprit of the buzzing; there was a single screw that was just randomly inside the 4x12 cabinet.