Metallica shredder and obsessive guitar hoarder Kirk Hammett once bought one of his guitar hero’s axes for so cheap that he was riddled with guilt.

It might not be a heart-on-sleeve influence, given Metallica’s sound, but Hammett adores Journey guitarist Neal Schon. Understandably, then, he didn’t blink when the chance to buy Schon’s black 1957 Les Paul presented itself to him. But he couldn’t believe how small a price it cost him.

Granted, $87,500 isn’t exactly a bargain basement price to the everyman – and I dread to think how many Spotify streams it would take to generate that sort of moolah – but considering its pedigree, Hammett was gobsmacked.

“This guitar used to belong to one of my all-time star heroes, a huge source of inspiration, Neal Schon,” Hammett explained at the Dublin in-person event to promote his The Collection book (and spotted by MusicRadar).

“I got this in an auction, and I don’t know what was up, but I got this for, like, half the price that it was worth!”

Admittedly, the guitar doesn’t have ties to a magic Journey moment, which harmed its appeal during a 2021 auction where Schon said goodbye to 112 of his guitars. His Don’t Stop Believin’ Les Paul, conversely, sold for $250,000 – and again for $254,000 in March – with six guitars fetching six-figure sums.

Meanwhile, this late ’50s, P-90 pickups equipped six-string went under the radar. Hammett struck lucky.

“I felt kind of bad about it because I should have paid a fair price,” he confesses. “But I paid a price that was lower than it should have been.”

In fact, Hammett felt so bad about the price he paid that he phoned his hero to ask if he wanted it back.

“I actually called Neal,” Hammett says. “I said, ‘Neal, do you want the guitar back?’ And he said, ‘No, man, you keep it. You buy it; you keep it.’”

Many guitars went for unexpectedly low sums when the gavel crashed down on that fateful day in 2021, a time in which COVID was still ever-present. The auction has now been described as “brutal.”

Writing for Guitarist, vintage guitar expert David Davidson, who owns New York’s Well Strung Guitars, said: “It turned out to be the worst time to do an auction because his guitars really undersold.”

Davidson also confided that Joe Bonamassa believed Schon would have been better off waiting for a more opportune moment.

This three-pickup Les Paul Custom belonged to Neal Schon of Journey. Its distinguishing feature is the cherry finish, and Gibson only made six of them for the Swedish company Hagstrom in 1960.

Very few people know that these exist, and this one may be the only surviving version that is fully intact. The others I’m aware of have suffered broken headstocks and other repairs. We don’t know of Gibson making Les Paul Customs in any other color at that time.

Schon sold it in a Heritage Auction in the pandemic [to clear space in his home]. It turned out to be the worst time to do an auction because his guitars really undersold. I remember having a conversation with Joe Bonamassa afterwards, and he felt Schon should have waited.

I was amazed he didn’t just get a storage place and put it off for a year or two, but nobody knew where the market was going to go at the time. It was a brutal auction to watch because we were worrying that it would hurt the vintage guitar market, but it had no effect either way. Things just started popping like crazy a couple of months after the auction happened. Schon just missed the boat, which is a shame.

The special run of cherry Les Paul Customs all have late-1960 serial numbers and this one is ‘0 5700’. Despite that, it doesn’t have a blade-thin neck, but the neck has a little less depth than ’bursts from earlier in the year. It's never been touched or tampered with, and still has its original case and tiny little factory frets. It’s very much a ‘fretless wonder’, and with only minimal wear over the first three frets, it was probably used by a cowboy chord player.

The gold hardware, Grover tuners, and three Patent Applied For pickups are exactly as you would expect. The plating has worn and the pickup covers look more like nickel than gold, but it’s otherwise very clean. There’s the ebony fretboard, mother-of-pearl inlays, and split diamond headstock inlay. One point of interest is the ‘Made in USA’ stamp, which at the time was something Gibson only did to guitars specifically made for export. After 1970, all the guitars were stamped that way.

Gibson also started making necks with volutes around that time, but not all models had them. For instance, they wouldn’t put one on an L5, or any of the high-end jazz models. Maybe Gibson just figured that the owners were less likely to drop them or send them flying off guitar stands than Les Paul, SG, or ES-335 players.

I think Gibson preferred making necks without volutes but it was aware that the necks had gained a reputation for being weak, and rival companies like Fender were alluding to it in their advertising. I often wonder why the company didn’t try putting some kind of reinforcement in there. Maybe Gibson tried it and didn’t like the way the guitar sounded because it disturbed the way that energy traveled from the tip of the headstock to the body.

The switching options are neck pickup, then the neck pickup with the center pickup out of phase, and then the bridge pickup in the back position. A lot of people modify the circuit if they’re going to play the guitar out live, and some don’t like center pickups because they get in the way when they’re strumming.

People complain about scratching sounds, hitting the pickup cover, and making noises. Although, when I discussed this with Peter Frampton, he insisted it’s easy to play between the pickups. I just laughed and said, ‘Yeah, but not everybody’s you.’

The body is solid mahogany and there’s no maple cap. The translucent finish has a very pretty and rich color. Some call it ‘wine red’, but I think Gibson’s official ledger refers to it as ‘Cherry’. It’s completely unfaded, so Gibson had obviously transitioned to a light-fast red pigment by the time this guitar was made.

It doesn’t resemble ‘aniline red’ and it looks like a stain with clear gloss coats on top. You have to be right in front of the guitar to notice any lacquer-checking and besides a few nicks and things on the back of the neck, it’s in very fine condition.

• Vintage guitar veteran David Davidson owns Well Strung Guitars in Farmingdale, New York / 001 (516) 221-0563
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

In early 1984, MTV bubbled with cheery pop acts like Culture Club and the Human League. It was a Crayola-colored world where girls just wanted to have fun, Huey Lewis wanted a new drug and spontaneous group dancing in public was as common as sneezing.

Enter the four-headed glam-metal beast known as Mötley Crüe. Looking and sounding like supervillains from the underworld, the Crüe marauded mass consciousness by way of a pseudo-Satanic, post-apocalyptic-themed video for Looks That Kill, the first single from their breakout sophomore album, late 1983’s Shout at the Devil.

The song’s brash, sawtoothed guitar riff had a Pavlovian effect on millions, pulling America’s alienated teens toward their TV screens with tractor-beam efficiency.

The Looks That Kill riff is a four-second summation of everything that was awesome about ’80s metal. It’s one of those instantly iconic guitar figures that sound like they fell from the sky, fully formed and howling for blood. In truth, however, this riff took many incarnations on its way to becoming a sonic weapon in the Crüe’s hands.

Its origin story takes us into the heart of Neon Decade-era Hollywood, where Mötley and their fellow Sunset Strip rockers were blazing a musical trail that reeked of booze and Aquanet.

Girls, Girls, Girls

Stop reading now and listen to the song Young Girls by the pop-metal band Dokken. No, really – do it.

Yep, the opening riff is damned near identical to the one from Looks That Kill – a rhythmic pattern built from twin palm-muted tonic pedal tones interspersed with descending chords played an octave higher. Structurally speaking, a single half-step is the only thing setting these two chord progressions apart. Like the Looks That Kill riff – and, for that matter, all the others we’ll be exploring – Dokken’s riff kicks off the song without accompaniment.

On first impression, despite Dokken guitarist George Lynch’s undeniable guitar prowess, the Young Girls riff comes off as a no-calorie Looks That Kill knockoff, lacking the rude, dirty tone that gives the latter its sledgehammer wallop.

However, closer inspection reveals that Looks That Kill might be the imitator here; the European release of Breaking the Chains, the Dokken album that contained Young Girls, came out almost exactly two years before Shout at the Devil.

Precluding any premature assumptions that Young Girls was written before Looks That Kill, Mötley Crüe premiered the latter song live at Pasadena’s Perkins Palace on April 19, 1982, according to setlist.fm.

Since Mötley formed in January 1981, it’s possible, if unlikely, that Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx had already written the song by the time the European version of Dokken’s Breaking the Chains came out in September of that year.

However, Looks That Kill doesn’t appear on live Crüe bootlegs from ’81, so the odds are far greater that Lynch and vocalist Don Dokken penned Young Girls before Looks That Kill was a glimmer in Nikki Sixx’s twisted imagination. Could a gig that Mötley Crüe played with Dokken at the Roxy in November 1981 have sown the seeds of inspiration inside Sixx’s skull?

Breaking the Chains also featured a tune called Stick to Your Guns, which, like Mötley Crüe’s debut single of the same name, used the line “You gotta fight!” to drive home a message of perseverance in the face of hardship.

The Crüe’s single came out in May 1981 – four months before the European release of Breaking the Chains – so once again, no definitive conclusion on which song was written first can be made until one of the songwriters lets that information out of the cellar.

Out on the Streets, That’s Where We’ll Meet

The chord progression from Young Girls wasn’t the first – nor the last – to bear a strong resemblance to the one from Looks That Kill. For example, the rhythm guitar performance that opens a song called Tell the World by Mötley Crüe’s glam-metal brethren in Ratt belongs to the same family of riffs.

Tell the World first appeared on the compilation album Metal Massacre, which was released June 14, 1982, about two months after Mötley’s onstage premiere of Looks That Kill. A new version of Tell the World surfaced on Ratt’s self-titled debut EP, which came out roughly one month before the September 1983 release of Shout at the Devil.

Notwithstanding the musicians’ well-known passion for intoxicants, there’s little chance that the similarity between the Looks That Kill and Tell the World riffs escaped both bands’ notice.

However, considering the close timing of the two songs’ releases, it’s possible that, rather than this being a case of one riff directly inspiring the other, these guitar lines emerged side by side during group rehearsals or songwriting sessions between Nikki Sixx and the late Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby.

In his book Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll, Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy recalled that certain members of Ratt and Mötley were thick as thieves, at one time forming a street gang called the Gladiators. “Robbin Crosby and I were closest with [Crüe drummer] Tommy [Lee] and Nikki, and we started tripping around with them frequently,” Pearcy wrote.

Sixx and Crosby, the latter of whom co-wrote Tell the World with Pearcy, were especially tight, eventually sharing a living space. As told in Sixx’s book The Heroin Diaries, the bassist moved in with Crosby after Mötley wrapped up their Shout at the Devil tour.

Naturally, the friendship between Sixx and Crosby sparked some musical collaboration. Sixx confirmed this in a Facebook post from July 2025. After writing that Robbin “had a heart of gold,” he noted, “[I] look forward to finishing some of these songs we started down the road.”

During a conversation with SiriusXM radio personality Tommy London in 2022, Pearcy revealed that he and Crosby rehearsed with Sixx and Lee “a couple of times” in the early ’80s. “I don’t know if we wanted to start a band or if we were just jamming, but something was getting intense in there,” he said.

The singer added that while Sixx ultimately decided to go his own way, “if that would have been a band, it would have been a great band, actually. I don’t know what songs we played, but we were very supportive of each other back in the day.”

Did the alliance between these musicians give rise to the Looks That Kill and Tell the World riffs… or might Ratt, Dokken and Mötley Crüe all have drawn inspiration from an unexpected source that predates glam metal?

The Journey Begins…?

Various rhythm guitar performances from songs that came before Young Girls, Tell the World and Looks That Kill vaguely foreshadow these later songs’ signature riffs, perhaps even helping inspire them. One example is the guitar line that drives You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise from Judas Priest’s 1980 album British Steel.

The link between this tune and Looks That Kill is especially evident at the song’s end, with the group’s shout-along “You! Don’t!” chant prefiguring the gang vocal in the chorus of the latter song.

That said, Where Were You by Journey might be the song that started it all. It appeared on Departure, released in early 1980 and co-produced by future Shout at the Devil engineer Geoff Workman.

Listening to Where Were You and Looks That Kill back to back is a study in the contrasting directions a musical idea can take in the hands of two different bands.

Rather than flying headlong into over-the-top metal aggression, Journey used their riff as the starting point for a high-energy pop-rock tune whose vibrance outweighs its bitter lyrics. The song’s buoyant feel stems in part from guitarist Neal Schon’s relatively moderate use of overdrive.

He likely got his gritty tone on this song by playing a Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall or a “jumped-up Hiwatt head,” the latter of which was one of his go-tos in the early ’80s. Regardless of this song’s possible status as a forerunner to Looks That Kill, Schon’s searing lead playing on Where Were You is worth checking out.

Thus, the journey of the Looks That Kill riff appears to have begun at the dawn of the Decade of Decadence, when Schon cooked up a rhythm guitar part that might make him the unlikely godfather of ’80s glam metal.

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Not all guitar auctions yield record sales. Blockbuster auctions like the Jim Irsay Collection that broke all the records – 23 of them, including for most expensive guitar sold as David Gilmour’s Black Strat fetched $14.5m – are exceptional.

They speak to the cultural significance of the instruments, and Irsay’s Collection was like no other. This was an auction that saw someone pay $6,907,000 for Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang, $11,560,000 for Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger” guitar and both would have been world records.

But these auctions also speak to the enduring strength of the market for vintage guitars, and dealers and collectors will tell you that the trend might have been ticking upward in the past two decades, yet some years the market struggles. The pandemic era was one of them.

Fender declared it a boom time for players picking up the instrument, as thousands of people with all this mandated stay-at-home time decided that it was time to learn guitar. Collectors remember it differently. Vintage guitar expert Dave Davidson, in his latest column in Guitarist magazine, said it was a tough time for auctions, and cited Neal Schon’s experiences in 2021 as evidence.

Schon had decided to part with a lot of 112 guitars, selling some of the most famous guitars in his collection through Heritage Auctions. He sold his Don’t Stop Believin’ 1977 Les Paul Pro Deluxe for $250,000, which ironically just sold again in March 2026 as part of the Jim Irsay Collection for only $4,000 more.

He sold 10 guitars that fetched six figures, most notably the Grainger Burst 1959 Les Paul Standard for $300,000 and another ‘Burst that went for $350,000.

But many didn’t sell, such as the exquisite 2005 double-neck PRS Dragon, valued at $37,500. And what about Schon’s 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom in so-called wine red, an all-mahogany single-cut finished in Cherry for the export market? Davidson says only six of these were ever made. “Very few people know that these exist and this one may be the only surviving version that is fully intact,” he says.

It sold for $112,500 in 2021 and Davidson says this was indicative of a “brutal” auction in which Schon took a bath on a number of guitars.

“Neal sold it in the Heritage Auction in the pandemic,” says Davidson. “It turned out to be the worst time to do an auction because his guitars really undersold.”

Davidson says he wasn’t alone in thinking that it was going to be tough. Blues guitar superstar and collector extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa was of the opinion that Schon should have held fire.

“I remember having a conversation with Bonamassa afterwards and he felt Neal should have waited,” says Davidson. “I was amazed he didn’t just get a storage place and put it off for a year or two, but nobody knew where the market was going to go at the time.”

But then if the market was always so predictable then investing and collecting would be easy. What is it that Bonamassa is always saying about market value: an electric guitar (or anything) is only worth how much someone is willing to pay for it.

If watching Schon’s guitars go under the auction brought Davidson and his fellow vintage traders out in a cold sweat, the fortunes of the market would swing around again.

“It was a brutal auction to watch because we were worrying that it would hurt the vintage guitar market,” says Davidson. “But it had no effect either way. Things just started popping like crazy a couple of months after the auction happened.”

It was too late for Schon. He had put a lot of work into the auction, too, presenting these guitars on camera, telling the stories behind them – and stories, as we know, can make them more valuable. So, the 1960 Les Paul Custom, a stunning instrument, in great condition (Davidson believes a “cowboy chord player” previously owned it because the only fret wear is on the first three frets), was a bargain.

“Neal just missed the boat, which is a shame,” he says.

You can read the full story about this remarkable Les Paul in the latest issue of Guitarist – get it, or better still, subscribe and save, at Magazines Direct.

Journey’s Neal Schon has responded to claims made by Arnel Pineda that he and the rest of the band pressured the singer into performing on the band’s Final Frontier farewell tour.

Pineda recently told Rolling Stone that his aging body and voice, along with a difficult divorce and very public allegations of domestic abuse – which made headlines in his native Philippines – led him to conclude that it would be best to withdraw from touring, at least for the time being.

“Back in 2024, I said to them, ‘If you’re planning to do a farewell tour, you better tell me, because my issues and my personal problems are getting more intense, and I don’t know if I want to go with you,’” Pineda said.

“I said, ‘I want you to discuss the schedule with me.’ It is what it is now…. But then, I was really not happy with how they scheduled this tour. My body has changed. I can’t take the cold weather anymore.”

Pineda alleged that the band and their team went ahead with booking a 60-date U.S. tour for this year, and at least another 40 shows for 2027. He went on to to claim that although he emailed them and expressed how unhappy he was with the situation, he was met with silence.

Frustrated with the situation, Pineda claimed that he had told them on two occasions that he wanted to leave the band. Now, both the singer and Schon have alleged that the contract with the live entertainment behemoth AEG states the tour cannot proceed without Pineda.

Schon is also setting the record straight on social media. “Over the years, Journey has always been about the music and the fans first,” he writes.

“There’s been some recent press and speculation that doesn’t reflect the full picture. Touring at this level involves many moving parts, and decisions are made collectively with our team, including management, agents, and promoters.

“Like any long-running band, there are moments where people feel the pressure differently. I respect that, and I have nothing but appreciation for what everyone brings to the stage.”

He continues, “For clarity, no one was ever prevented by me from making their own personal decisions. At the same time, we were all advised by our representatives that there are contractual obligations tied to touring that need to be honored.

“My focus has always been – and remains – delivering the best possible experience for our fans and keeping the music alive.”

In a separate interview with Fox News, Schon admits that this tour has been a bumpy ride, amid Pineda's claim and being at odds with rhythm guitarist Jonathan Cain.

“I feel like I get one [lawsuit] served every week from his camp,” Schon said.

“It’s like, ‘Jesus Christ!’ And learned to defend myself, really… I remember every aspect of everything that’s gone down.

“I’ve been sober for 18 years completely, and my memory is sharp. I know everything about every Journey contract, every LLC, every corporation. So I feel very confident about being able to stand up to anything that I need to,” he concludes.

The band has since postponed at least two stops of the tour, citing “illness within the Journey band camp.”

In more recent news, the guitar used to record arguably Journey’s best-known song, Don’t Stop Believin’, has been sold for over a quarter of a million dollars.

The 1977 Gibson Les Paul Pro Deluxe that Journey’s Neal Schon famously used to record Don't Stop Believin’ went under the hammer for $254,000 on March 12 at the historic Jim Irsay Collection auction. The guitar had previously sold for $250,000 at auction in 2021.

Aside from being used on one of the most enduring rock anthems of all time, Schon believes it to be the first-ever Les Paul fitted with a double-locking Floyd Rose vibrato system.

Other specs include a mahogany body with a maple top in a black finish, a maple neck with a bound ebony fingerboard and faux-pearl inlays, and two double-coil pickups, including Fernandes Sustainer circuitry.

The guitar also features Schon-specific trimmings like a Ferrari sticker on the back, a signed autograph on the reverse of the headstock, and a white flight case with JOURNEY / NIGHTMARE INC. / SAN FRANCISCO U.S.A. stenciled in black. And, as a bonus, the new owner also bagged a tremolo bar and strap, plus a copy of the July 1982 edition of Guitar Player, the cover of which features both Schon and the guitar.

Speaking about the song now synonymous with Journey, Schon told Guitar World in a 2022 interview, “For the first time, you’re hearing a chorus on the outro, which was completely against all rules of nature in that time period – and now – if you’re going to try to get a song on the radio. The saying was, ‘Don’t bore me. Get to the chorus.’

He continued, “In this case, the chorus didn’t happen until the end of the song. Actually, I had a short guitar solo before the chorus; so the obvious thing for me to do was to play the melody of Don’t Stop Believin’ – the melody people are going to hear right after I play it.

“Steve [Perry, Journey's vocalist] turned to me and said, ‘What? You’re going to play the melody that I’m going to sing?’ I go, ‘Why not? It’s a good one.’ When the song was done and the mix was almost finalized, I turned to everybody in the room and said, ‘I think this song is going to be massive.’”

The Jim Irsay auction has indeed smashed all pre-auction estimates – with David Gilmour's iconic Black Strat topping the list after going under the hammer for a whopping $14,550,000.

Prince’s words about Guitar Hero, and his rejected involvement in the video game, have resurfaced, with the Purple One once explaining why he turned down the franchise.

Guitar Hero has been in the news recently, after its producer – Red Octane Games – announced Stage Tour, a spiritual successor to the hugely popular music rhythm game.

The impact Guitar Hero has had on the wider music world is hard to ignore. It made DragonForce a household name, rekindled the careers of bands like the Fall of Troy, and inspired generations of players to pick up the instrument.

With the game at the height of its powers, its developers apparently approached Prince to strike up a deal. He didn’t bite – and it wasn't just for financial reasons.

When asked by American talk show host Tavis Smiley about his thoughts on the Guitar Hero craze in 2009, he said: “Well, I'm not mad at ‘em. I hear it made like $2 billion, and they came to us and offered us a very small portion of that.

“But,” he adds, “I think it's more important that kids learn how to actually play the guitar. It's a tough instrument. It took me a long time, and it was frustrating at first, but you just have to stick with it.”

The Purple One wasn’t wholly against the game, even though some critics were more vocal about it game-ifying the craft of learning the instrument. Led Zeppelin famously turned the game down, and Jimmy Page was particularly vocal about his feelings, for instance.

Meanwhile, Prince quietly declined the offer and focused on why people should pick up a real electric guitar rather than a guitar-shaped controller.

“It's cool for people who don't have time to learn the chords or ain't interested in it,” he says, “but to play music is one of the greatest things. To create something from nothing is one of the greatest feelings. And I would wish it upon everybody. It's heaven.”

In the comments of an Instagram reel sharing the interview clip, Journey's Neal Schon also weighed in.

“That’s cool, I didn’t know he turned it down,” he comments. “I did as well for the same reason.”

On the flip side, however, many guitarists, including Stray Kids’ Garrett Jones and Fender signature artist Steve Lacy, both say the games were a vital part of their playing journey. Its success also came at a time when rock music was falling out of the mainstream, helping to revitalize the genre in the public consciousness.

Elsewhere, the Cult of the Lamb video game has tapped up an all-star cast of shredders for its revamped soundtrack, and Fender has collaborated with Fortnite to bring its most famous guitars and basses to the hugely popular video game. Music and gaming will always be intertwined.

Journey's Neal Schon may be best known for timeless classics such as Don't Stop Believin’, Stone in Love, and Still They Ride.

However, the genre-hopping guitarist cut his teeth playing the blues, trading licks with Carlos Santana in Santana’s classic lineup, and becoming a keen student of B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and Michael Bloomfield.

“My roots were R&B and blues, and it's so crazy that I've never been in a band that did that!” Schon says in a recent interview with Rick Beato.

One of the blues greats he regularly jammed with was Albert King, the Flying V-slinging player and one of the Three Kings of Blues.

“I played with B.B. quite a lot,” Schon reveals. “I played with Albert even more so. He was a funny human being. Had his little wine bottle at the back of the amp.

“I played with him so many times. [One time] we were downtown in San Rafael, close to where I live in Marin County, and he was in town. He was playing Uncle Charlie's – a cool little blues club – and so I went down to see him for the soundcheck and said, ‘Hey, man, I would love to come by and jam tonight.’

“He said, ‘Sure, man. Bring your guitar and I'll bring you up in the second set.’” However, the jam didn't quite go as planned...

Schon continues, “So I go up, and I'm talking to him, and he goes off to the bar to get a drink, and I pick up his V. And he screams across from the bar, ‘What you doing, boy!’ I jump out of my shoes. He goes, ‘Put that guitar down. Nobody knows my tuning!’”

As for what he noticed about King's guitar from that very fleeting encounter, Schon remembers, “[His strings] were light but tuned [way] down, and in a weird tuning.”

It was clearly a careful setup that lent itself well to the bluesman's penchant for dramatic bends.

Earlier this year, the Journey guitar hero took his jaw-dropping, 9-string Ibanez Custom Shop model out for a spin across a series of Instagram videos.

Neal Schon is no stranger to showing off his incredible collection of electric guitars on his Instagram, but his latest – a nine-string Ibanez – is certainly the most surprising.

As is always the case with the Journey guitarist, the instrument’s origin story is full of intrigue. It seems he just can’t buy off-the-shelf axes.

“Decided to pick up my nine-string beast that [memorabilia collector] Alan Rosen picked up for me many years ago before they had eight- and nine-string guitars,” he writes. “This was a one that came from the Ibanez Japan Custom Shop. I need to change the strings as they’ve been sitting for a while.”

Schon has posted a series of clips in all, and they show him shredding through the octaves. Sadly, he doesn't go full djent, but there are occasional grumblings from the guitar's low end, and his phone's microphone struggles to handle the bass it delivers.

The guitar is equipped with hot rail humbuckers, and a fixed bridge (what psychopath puts a Floyd Rose on a nine-string?). Schon has also revealed the string set he’s aiming to saddle the guitar up with: 9-11-16-24-34-44-54-64-74.

A third video, which has the seal of approval from Testament's jazz/thrash maestro Alex Skolnick, is a “meditative nine-string extravaganza”. His phone takes a tumble midway through, but otherwise it's the pick of the bunch.

The trio of clips shows he’s having a blast playing what is arguably the wildest axe in his collection. Whether or not it will gain employment in the studio with the 71-year-old is to be seen.

Last year, Schon used his Instagram account to tease a new Floyd-Rose-loaded Gibson Les Paul Supreme that could be a signature guitar after rekindling his relationship with Gibson.

Guitarist Les Dudek has lived quite a life. He appeared on two of the Allman Brothers Band's best known tracks, Ramblin' Man and Jessica, toured and recorded with Cher, recorded with Steve Miller, and soloed onstage with Mike Bloomfield (without him knowing).

In another fascinating bit of trivia, Dudek was also a member of Journey for, as he puts it, “about two hours”.

Fresh off his studio work with Miller, and live dates with Boz Scaggs, Dudek got a call from Journey's manager, Herbie Herbert.

“[Herbert] said, ‘Les, I’m putting a super band together, and I want you to be one of the guitar players,’” Dudek told Guitar World in a recent interview. “I asked him who the other guitarist was, and he said, ‘Neal Schon from Santana. Great player.’

“I went to rehearsal the next day – it was me, Neal, Ross Valory on bass, Gregg Rolie on keyboards, and Aynsley Dunbar on drums. We jammed for a couple of hours doing some cool fusion shit. It was great stuff.

“I looked at my watch because I knew I had a meeting across the street with somebody from Columbia,” Dudek continued. “I went to the meeting, and the president and vice-president of Columbia were there waiting for me. They offered me a solo deal right on the spot.

“It’s like the best Cinderella story ever told in the music business. I went from not knowing how I was going to pay my rent to having to decide: Do I go with Journey or a solo deal with Columbia? I chose Columbia.”

Eventually, Journey's second guitar slot went to the late George Tickner, who played on the band's self-titled debut album, and co-wrote tracks on the band's second and third LPs, 1976's Look Into The Future and 1977's Next, respectively.

Similarly to Dudek, however, Tickner left the band when other opportunities presented themselves, in the latter's case a full scholarship to study medicine at Stanford.

After working together in the mid-2000s to produce a Floyd Rose-stocked Les Paul, Gibson and Journey guitarist Neal Schon have now seemingly reunited for a new run of Supreme signature guitars, with full details expected to be announced this week.  

The Les Paul Supreme made its much-anticipated return in late ‘23, two decades after it first appeared, and now the Journey man has revealed he’s been working with Gibson once more to produce a tailored take on the returning template.  

Diving into Schon’s tantalizing Instagram post (below), there looks to be at least three new models that will be detailed in the upcoming announcement. Over the past few days, Schon has posted photos of a triple humbucker model with a grey burst finish, and two double 'bucker versions with either gold and uncovered pickups.  

Chief among the key changes to the standard Supreme models is, of course, the appointment of that Floyd Rose bridge – a vital tool in Schon's' anthemic rock guitar style, and a core feature that set Schon's early signature Les Paul apart from the rest of Gibson's collection.

Aside from the Floyd Rose, they all boast the Supreme’s standout pearl Super Split Block inlays and dashes of gold hardware. 

Schon has been teasing his rekindled relationship with Gibson for a while now, having previously posted a clip of him taking the standard Les Paul Supreme for a spin.

“Just putting some more miles on this beautiful Supreme,” he observed. “This thing is a tone machine.”

In another Instagram post that saw him playing slick leads on the ebony-finished model, he added that there's “very interesting wiring on this bad boy. Rolling [the] tone off on [the] neck pickup it goes into parallel and it’s great.” 

For many guitar fans, the reunion may come as a surprise after Schon and Gibson’s initially fruitful relationship soured somewhat over the development of his heavily tweaked Les Paul.

Talking to radio station 90.3 WMSC in 2021 (via Ultimate Guitar), Schon explained, “It's unfortunate that I had a falling out with Gibson way back then. After I did all the work, they wanted to take my name off the guitar...

“Now to pour more salt in the wound, they took my guitar and put somebody else's name on it [seemingly in reference to the Alex Lifeson Axcess Les Paul],” he went on. “They changed a couple of little things on the guitar, but not a lot, so it's 'OK.' But you move on, and find other the companies that make equally good guitars, if not better.”

Schon has proven something of an innovator when it comes to guitar builds. He worked on a PRS creation last year, for example, resulting in a very Schon-esque redesign of John Mayer's signature Silver Sky guitar.

However, it seems as though Schon has patched up his Gibson-shaped wounds, with the guitarist going on to praise the direction the brand has taken under the guidance of CEO Cesar Gueikian. 

“You'll be seeing a lot of these in the near future as I'm now working with them and it's actually really amazing – the team they have together under the direction of Cesar,” he said in an Instagram post. 

“They are back at it on what made Gibson a household name many years ago and producing so many excellent re-issues as well going in some new places electronically.”

According to Schon, we don't have long to wait until full details concerning the Floyd Rose-equipped Supremes arrive: “Coming this week. Gibson Supremes w/ Floyd’s,” he posted last night (March 17).

Whether these will take the form of Schon signature models or super-charged versions of the standard Supreme remains to be seen. Of course, when the news lands, Guitar World will be quick to share all the no-doubt juicy details. Stay tuned. 

Journey were formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California, by ex-Santana guitarist Neal Schon, now the only original member left in the lineup. The band’s most successful period was in the 1980s, where Schon featured alongside singer Steve Perry, bassist Ross Valory, keyboard player Jonathan Cain, and drummer Steve Smith. 

This era saw the release of legendary songs such as Don’t Stop Believin’, Any Way You Want It, and Open Arms.

Journey in many ways epitomize the sound of rock from the 1980s, and this era saw them blend guitar riffs with what was then modern synth sounds, big choruses, and shredding solos. During this time they toured as a headline act with support coming from artists such as Bryan Adams, and headlined festivals with special guests Van Halen and other massive acts.

Schon also found time to work with keyboard legend Jan Hammer, and Paul Rodgers, as well as forming the side project band Bad English, which featured John Waite on lead vocals. 

There have been numerous legal battles between band members over the years, which include some in very recent times, but they did manage to release a new album in 2022 called Freedom, with Arnel Pineda on vocals and Randy Jackson playing bass. 

Neal Schon joined Carlos Santana’s band as a 17-year-old, apparently turning down Eric Clapton’s offer of joining Derek and the Dominos. His guitar playing style inevitably draws influence from Santana, as well as many of the blues greats, such as B.B. King and Clapton. 

Schon also played as a session musician in the 1980s for artists like Michael Bolton, and his blues- and jazz-influenced playing spearheaded much of the rock style heard on records of that era, when fantastic guitar players like Schon himself, Dann Huff, Steve Lukather, and Michael Landau were regularly heard playing on the pop radio hits of the artists of the day.

The track this month is very much focused on the sound of Journey from the 1980s and has a chord-based riff in the key of G Major (G-A-B-C-D-E-F#). It doesn’t at any point stray outside of this key and the main parts are built on a I-V-VI-IV chord progression of G Major, D Major, E Minor 7, and C Major. 

The second section of the rhythm track has a C Major chord and a D Major chord, each played over a C bass note. This gives us the sound of the C Lydian mode (C-D-E-F#-G-A-B) when the D Major chord (D-F#-A) appears over the C bass note – the F# in the chord is the #4th interval, which gives us the sound of the Lydian mode.

The solo is mostly melodic, but with some fast flurries of notes that might catch you out if you’re not prepared. It’s one of the main features of Schon’s lead playing style.  

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 8, Bass 6, Middle 7, Treble 7, Reverb 4

It’s classic 1980s rock to aim for this month, so any Marshall amp style sound with a good amount of preamp gain will work well. Add some chorus, delay and reverb to taste. Schon tends to favor humbucking guitars such as Gibson Les Pauls, PRS models or Super Strat-style guitars by the likes of Tom Anderson. Select the bridge pickup and you’re good to go.

Example 1. Rhythm

There are a lot of chords accented loudly in the track. The main G, D, Em7 and C chords are played strong and loud, with the eighth-note chords in bars 9-16 accenting the changes. 

There are also lightly palm-muted notes in between the chord changes. The low C note in bars 17-24 is also palm muted, which again allows for the other notes to be accented loudly. While this may sound rather complex, it should prove intuitive once you start playing the example.

Example 2. Lead

This solo has a good blend of melody and technique, with the fast phrase in bars 37-38 accenting the first note of each sextuplet. There is a mix of alternate picking and legato in this phrase: try out the picking suggestions below the tab, otherwise swap them around to start with a down pick.

Journey guitar hero Neal Schon has shared a new clip showcasing a mammoth shred workout, which he (somewhat modestly) describes as “a little tribute” to Eddie Van Halen.

The 3:35 video shows Schon, armed with an EVH Striped Series electric guitar, unleashing a virtuosic display of shred talent, including some viciously fast and consistent picking, two-handed tapping and a killer vibrato. 

Van Halen’s arrival in the late-’70s caused a collective WTF moment among guitar players that would last well into the next decade. As an early tour mate, Journey guitarist Neal Schon was one of the first big-name players to witness it. 

The Journey man had a stage side view of some of the guitarist’s first major performances and is therefore better placed than many to observe the nuances of Van Halen’s innovative guitar style. 

“A little tribute to Ed,” writes Schon, in the accompanying text. “It was so amazing to be on Van Halen’s first tour with him. I watched him annihilate every single night and was grateful I didn’t have to follow him.”

Schon has spoken about the 1978 tour previously, telling Eddie Trunk in 2020 that even before they met he had been equally wowed and baffled by Van Halen’s playing.

“Three months prior to the tour starting, I had received a little promotional EP,” recalled Schon. “And I'm sitting there listening to Eruption and I'm going, 'What the fuck is this guy doing?’ For real. I could not figure it out… It drove me nuts. 

“And we finally got out there, and I got to know Ed, and watched him night to night just kill it… [But] in the beginning, he would turn his back, a lot of times, to the audience, or hold the guitar in a certain way where you couldn't see exactly what he was doing. 

“So about halfway through, I remember being in his dressing room, or he came in my dressing room, and I said, ‘Show me what it is, man.’ And he did it. And I did it pretty immediately, but I was just, like, ‘Son of a bitch. That's so crazy.’ I never would have thought of that. And I had heard it before – the sound of it – but not doing the triplets and what Ed was doing.”

We wonder if Schon ever played through EVH’s rig – Nuno Bettencourt once did and described it as “a horrible nightmare”.

AOR legends Journey invited original vocalist/keyboardist Gregg Rolie and Toto electric guitar player Steve Lukather onstage for an electrifying performance of Santana’s Black Magic Woman last Wednesday (February 22). 

Journey are currently celebrating their 50th anniversary, and marked the occasion by reuniting with Rolie, a founding member of the band, at their Austin, Texas date for a six-song cameo performance.

Rolie and Journey’s lynchpin guitarist, Neal Schon, both performed in Santana prior to forming Journey in the ’70s, with Rolie serving as the original vocalist on many of Santana’s most iconic early hits, including Black Magic Woman (itself a cover of one of Fleetwood Mac's early smashes), Oye Cómo Va and Evil Ways.

An Austin local, Rolie dropped in on Journey’s show at the city’s Moody Center to perform an extensive run of tracks that included Just The Same Way (from 1979's Evolution), Of a Lifetime (from 1975's Journey), Feeling That Way and Anytime (from 1978’s Infinity), in addition to Black Magic Woman. 

For the latter performance, the band also invited Toto guitarist and tour mate Steve Lukather onstage and, fortunately for us, fan footage ably captured the moment. The 37-minute encore was concluded when Journey’s current vocalist, Arnel Pineda, returned to the stage to close the show with Anyway You Want It. 

Schon initially teased Rolie’s appearance at the start of the show, telling fans, “We have an extra special show tonight.” Later, he personally introduced Rolie for the encore. 

“We have a brother here,” said Schon. “Someone I started the band with 50 years ago. He first took me under his wing when I was 15 years old. He came and picked me up from school, [which was good] because I wasn’t going to school anyway…”

Journey’s 2023 50th Anniversary Freedom tour is set to continue throughout March and April. 

Head to Journey’s official site for tickets and information.

Ever since it “broke the internet” upon its release in 2018, John Mayer’s flagship PRS signature guitar, the Silver Sky, has been spotted in the wild in many forms. Such incarnations include Rob Gueringer’s dazzling chrome-plated version and Zach Myers’ pink, heavy relic’d example, to name a few.

Now, thanks to Neal Schon, we think we’ve just come across quite possibly the craziest PRS Silver Sky you’ll ever see.

Showcasing his latest custom six-string on social media, the Journey man unveiled a heavily modded, borderline unrecognizable Nebula-finished Silver Sky, which has been equipped with a bridge humbucker, a locking nut and a Floyd Rose tremolo system.

The words “extreme” and “radical” almost fail to do Schon’s custom Silver Sky any justice – “crazy” and “insane” are probably more fitting – but that’s exactly what this mod job is: totally, utterly bonkers.

For starters, Schon, who enlisted guitar tech guru Gary Brawer for the task, decided to equip his desired specs to a Nebula Silver Sky – a polychromatic-finished, limited-run model that reflects hue and light differently at different angles, and which is the rarest Silver Sky iteration out there.

That detail aside, what Schon has done to his Silver Sky is truly eye-catching. Gone is the bridge 635JM single coil; in its place, a Bare Knuckle humbucker. And, just next to that, a Floyd Rose tremolo system, which lines up alongside a locking nut.

Not only does it look wild, it also sounds pretty spectacular, as is evident from the various demonstration videos Schon has posted across his social media channels. All in all, it’s a drastic departure from Mayer’s original blueprint, which sought to take the classic Fender Stratocaster design into the modern era.

Despite this, it’s undoubtedly one of the best Silver Sky mods we’ve seen so far, completely flipping the PRS script on its head for a touch of hair metal flair and some of Schon’s own sonic spice.

The jury is out on whether John Mayer himself will warm to what Schon has done to his pride and joy, and though the Sob Rock six-stringer is all about pushing the boundaries of guitar design, his recent comments on the need the keep the guitar “clean” give us an inkling he might not be too keen.

For starters, if it were up to him, Mayer would probably never strap a bridge humbucker to his Silver Sky. Speaking to Cory Wong, he voiced his desire to keep the Silver Sky “disciplined”, saying, “The reason I think the Silver Sky feels great is because, if you go to find one, there are two neck options for wood and six color options. That’s it. 

“It’s very disciplined,” he went on. “Which is why when something new happens with it, it’s exciting. Even though obviously in there is a great guitar, it feels modern. It feels like the rest of the stuff in this world does.

“People all the time go, ‘Can you make it with humbuckers?’ I go, like, ‘Keep it clean.’ It feels really good to tell a clean story.”

By extension, we imagine a Floyd Rose would fit under the same umbrella as a bridge humbucker in Mayer’s mind.

To see the “Schonasized” Silver Sky in action, head over to Schon’s Instagram page.

Journey guitarist Neal Schon has filed a cease and desist order against his bandmate, keyboardist and occasional guitarist Jonathan Cain.

It comes after Cain last month performed Don’t Stop Believin’ at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort, with Trump adherents Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Kari Lake.

In a letter to Cain [seen by The Guardian], Schon’s lawyer has written, on behalf of Schon: “Although Mr. Cain is free to express his personal beliefs and associations, when he does that on behalf of Journey or for the band, such conduct is extremely deleterious to the Journey brand as it polarises the band’s fans and outreach. Journey is not, and should not be, political.”

“Mr. Cain’s unauthorised affiliation of Journey with the politics of Donald Trump has the band’s fans up in arms,” the letter continues, pointing to a set of attached emails and Twitter comments.

“This has caused, and continues to cause, irreparable harm to the Journey brand, its fan base and earning potential, especially in light of the forthcoming tour.”

“Mr. Cain has no right to use Journey for politics…” the letter added. “He should not be capitalising on Journey’s brand to promote his personal political or religious agenda to the detriment of the band.”

Cain’s wife, televangelist Paula White-Cain, is a member of Trump’s inner circle, as the former US president’s spiritual advisor.

In response, a spokesperson for Cain has said: “Schon is just frustrated that he keeps losing in court and is now falsely claiming the song has been used at political rallies.”

Schon’s letter also states that his legal action does not intend to “further add to the animosity that is currently plaguing the band and the relationship between Mr Schon and Mr Cain”.

This is in reference to the fact that Schon sued Cain last month over allegations he was refused access to the band’s joint American Express credit card, with Cain responding with claims that Schon had racked up over $1 million in “improper personal expenses” on the card.

Schon has not yet responded to Cain’s counterclaim, but has said that he will “be following my attorney’s advice and not speak until we are in court where I’ll not have a problem at all. It is what it is.”

Both Schon and former Journey frontman Steve Perry have expressed their disapproval at Don't Stop Believin' being played at previous Trump campaign rallies, joining a host of musicians to do the same, including Neil Young, Queen, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith.

Last week, Journey performed the last 2022 dates of their Freedom world tour, and took a two-night stop in Hawaii to perform consecutive dates at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu on Wednesday and Thursday (October 5 and 6).

During the latter show, Neal Schon and co invited Metallica’s Kirk Hammett on stage to perform Journey’s 1978 number Wheel in the Sky, which seamlessly segued into a full-band jam of Metallica’s own Enter Sandman.

The dual electric guitar act of Schon and Hammett proved to be a particularly potent sonic force, with the pair standing side-by-side for the seven-plus minute procession to trade licks, double up riffs and go toe-to-toe with blazing guitar solos.

With Schon strapped to his custom IHush guitar – crafted by Japanese luthier Naoki Ihashi – and Hammett opting for his beloved “Greeny” Les Paul, the pair spent the first three minutes making their way through Wheel in the Sky before breaking unannounced into the Enter Sandman hook.

A characteristically wah-drenched solo from Hammett preceded a full-throttle throwdown, which then saw the band effortlessly shift back into Wheel in the Sky to close out Hammett’s cameo.

“Had a great time with Kirk Hammett of Metallica last night at [the second] sold out Journey show in Hawaii,” Schon wrote on social media after the gig. “I put together a jam today for Wheel with Enter Sandman.”

On his own Instagram account, Hammett posted, “Had a wonderful couple days hanging out with Neal and the guys from Journey. Thanks so much guys for having me jam.”

Though only fan footage from the event is currently available online, Schon revealed on Twitter a “15 mins long” pro-shot version will be arriving soon, presumably to Journey’s YouTube account.

Their Hawaiian double-header was Journey’s last live appearance of 2022. The band will next be in action for their Freedom tour in March next year, when they will perform a string of dates that had been postponed earlier this year due to positive Covid tests.

The first of five shows will take place on March 1 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, and will be followed by performances in Connecticut, Canada and California.

For a full list of 2023 dates, head over to Journey’s website.

Neal Schon has written a few hits in his time. He knows how to write a song that connects, across generational divides, across continents. With Journey’s new album, Freedom, lighting up the airwaves with the San Francisco rock legends’ irresistible melodies, Guitar World sat down with Schon to talk about some of the greatest tracks in the catalog.

Here, he shares some of the stories – and the electric guitars – behind classic hits Wheel in the Sky and Don’t Stop Believin’, but also those behind four of the tracks from Freedom – an album that reminds us that Schon’s ear for a hook remains undiminished after all these years. It is just something that’s in him. 

As a wise man once said, “Either you go it or you ain’t.” Neal Schon has got it. He has always had it.

The Way We Used to Be – Freedom (2022)

“This was the first song I wrote during the pandemic. I wrote it on keyboards then sent my keyboard loop to [Journey keyboardist] Jonathan [Cain]. I didn’t think it sounded like your typical Journey song, but it was something to do for myself; I had to get things rolling in some kind of way to get my brain going.”  

“When I listened back, I thought, “I don’t know if this is a Journey track, but it sounds funky, bluesy and kind of edgy.” I thought it sounded like a modern Stones kind of vibe – or the Faces. I was really surprised when Jonathan sent me back his demo. He had written all the melodies and the lyrics, and I went, “That sounds really good.” That was the beginning of the writing for this new album. 

“Guitar-wise, I kind of left this one sparse; I love hearing the air and the holes in it. Great-sounding Strat, though! It was a relic black Strat from the Fender Custom Shop that has some type of noiseless pickups, [but] not the newer ones they’re making now. I used it on quite a bit of songs on the record.”

Don’t Give Up on Us – Freedom (2022)

“When Narada [Michael-Walden] and I started laying down tracks, it was mainly him and me in the studio because we live close together in Marin County [California]. While the lockdown was happening, I’d go to his studio and at least work with drums and guitar. Then I’d put some bass and scratch vocals on it. He’d sing a bit, I’d sing a bit – but that’s how that song came about. 

“I just started chunking away on the guitar with what I thought sounded like some Motown chords, then I sang some melodies on it. I sent Jonathan the song after it was arranged and after we had overdubbed on it, so it sounded pretty complete. 

“He came up with the melodies; after he sent it back, we continued to do vocal demos on it and background vocals. It’s wild how this was definitely a lockdown album where everybody was in different locations – except for Narada and me.”

You Got the Best of Me – Freedom (2022)

“I was looking for more up-tempo songs for our set. Even though the shows are going great and nobody’s complaining, I’m always leaning toward having a little more adrenaline. I knocked that one out, arrangement-wise, before I came into the studio with Narada. 

“We laid it down, and then the chorus just kind of flew out of my mouth like Any Way You Want It and Wheel in the Sky where I kind of came up with the hook and the chorus, lyrically and melody- wise. 

“Then I had the melodies; I sang my melody ideas and sent it to Jonathan, who finished the song lyrically. Then we just continued to tighten up the pieces; I sent it to [bassist] Randy [Jackson], to [vocalist] Arnel [Pineda]...”

Let It Rain – Freedom (2022)

“This was a cool idea that was bouncing around in my head for years. I always loved the Chaka Khan song [Clouds], and I love that Hendrix-y type, Prince funk vibe. It reminded me of a lot of the early stuff before I started Journey – things I was working on with Greg Orrico and Larry Graham. 

“It brought me to that time and space where I was remembering that slow, sexy groove that was in my head and always had it on kind of a Whammy pedal. So I brought one into the studio and I started jamming with Narada – and it ended up being the song that it is now, without changing anything.

“We have about five generations of fans coming to our shows now, which is pretty amazing. I felt like this is definitely for some of our younger fans who never got to see the late-Sixties, early Seventies vibe of everything that was coming out of England – a Hendrix, Zeppelin kind of a mixture of Jimmy Page, Prince and all the influences I grew up with.”

Wheel in the Sky – Infinity (1978)

“We had completed our first three records. We hadn’t changed our lineup at that point, and we were all traveling in two station wagons – all crammed in. We had eight, nine guys in one car. 

“There were long road trips with [former Journey drummer] Aynsley Dunbar at the steering wheel with his fuzz buster. Everybody had to take a break and pull over to the roadside to take a leak. 

“Our road manager happened to be driving that day, Pat Morrow, and he was just fatigued. Our old manager, Herbie Herbert, who is resting in heaven, was yelling at him over the phone, ‘Pat, you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that.’ Pat said, ‘I’ve got to pull over. I need a break. I need a candy bar.’

So we pulled over at this gas station. I pulled out an acoustic and sat on the hood of the car and started banging out the chords. I came up with all the verse and B sections, then the chorus came out within minutes. 

At that point, our then-bass player, Ross Valory, and his then-wife, Diane... she had handed me some poetry she had written; I remembered a line that said, ‘Wheels are turning on my mind.’ I don’t know where it came from, but I was banging out D minor chords in the chorus and I said, ‘Wheel in the sky keeps on turning. Don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow.’

CBS at that time came to us and said, ‘You need a front man, otherwise we’re going to drop you.’ So I started writing with Robert Fleischman – and that was the first song we wrote together.”

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Escape (1981)

“For the first time, you’re hearing a chorus on the outro, which was completely against all rules of nature in that time period – and now – if you’re going to try to get a song on the radio. The saying was, ‘Don’t bore me. Get to the chorus.’

“In this case, the chorus didn’t happen until the end of the song. Actually, I had a short guitar solo before the chorus; so the obvious thing for me to do was to play the melody of Don’t Stop Believin’ – the melody people are going to hear right after I play it. Steve turned to me and said, ‘What? You’re going to play the melody that I’m going to sing?’ I go, ‘Why not? It’s a good one.’

“When the song was done and the mix was almost finalized, I turned to everybody in the room and said, ‘I think this song is going to be massive.’ They released it as a single, and it wasn’t so massive – but then it ended up being massive. It just took a long time for everybody to catch up! 

“Jonathan wrote the lyrics, ‘don’t stop believin’’ with Steve, but it was a phrase his father had given him when he was trying to make it in the music industry and not having much luck, I guess. His dad said, ‘Don’t give up, son.’ It just kind of came out of that.”

Any Way You Want It – Departure (1980)

“That one came about during sound check; I believe we were on tour or just had toured with Thin Lizzy. I was a big fan, so it was a classic case of being inspired by some of the cool-sounding riffs they had. 

“I came up with the simple riff that goes all the way through the song – another song where there’s three chords to it and that’s it. It came together in a very short period of time – I’d say an hour. It continues to be our second most-downloaded song. Crazy.”

Patiently – Infinity (1978)

“The first song I wrote with Steve [Perry]. I believe we were on tour with Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I had an acoustic in my room, and I had these chords, the verse chords, and our manager at the time, Herbie Herbert, wanted Steve and me to get together to see if there was any chemistry before he joined the band. 

“I recall sitting in the room; I was playing him the core changes, and he just started singing to it. I guess he had some lyrics that... just kind of fit the song. I think we knocked it out in about half an hour. I was like, ‘I guess we have writing chemistry!’”

• Freedom is out now via BMG.

AOR icons Journey are gearing up for the release of new album Freedom this summer, and now you can check out the third single to be taken from the record, Let It Rain. The song follows on the heels of The Way We Used To Be and You Got The Best Of Me.

“We didn't immediately work on the song,” comments guitarist Neal Schon. “It just sat there as a jam for a long time, and then every once in a while, I'd come in to work on something, and Narada [Michael Walden] would play it for me, and I’d go, ‘Wow, we should really fucking work this thing up, there's something there.’”

You certainly get the sense of a jam session writ-large with Let It Rain. It shares the same confident, widescreen melodic rock landscape as its predecessors, but distinguishes itself in its slugging pace and the constant, menacing guitar interplay that bubbles under the blues-y central riff.

Freedom will be the band’s first new album in 11 years and sees the current lineup completed by longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain, vocalist Arnel Pineda, drummer Deen Castronovo and bassist Randy Jackson. 

They’ve already completed the first leg of the Freedom tour and will quickly follow the July 8 release date with a four-night residency at the Resort Worlds Theatre in Las Vegas, NV, beginning July 15.

Head to the band's website to preorder Freedom.

Journey have released You Got the Best of Me, the latest single from upcoming album, Freedom.

Accompanying the legendary rock outfit’s latest track is the news that Freedom – Journey’s first studio LP in over a decade – will arrive July 8. When it drops, it will be the group’s 16th studio record in total, and follows 2011’s Eclipse.

Like the previous single – The Way We Used to Be, which arrived almost a year ago – You Got the Best of Me is classically Journey, dripping in luscious synth soundscapes, quirky keyboard motifs and anthemic electric guitars.

Resident guitar titan Neal Schon delivers the six-string goodness in spades, serving up hard-panned arpeggios, open-string-heavy chord voicings and unrelenting palm-muted chugs that keep the track ticking along towards its speaker-smashing finale.

It’s quintessential Journey to its core, with the oversized vocal harmonies and call-and-answer lyrics preceding a Journey-appropriate guitar solo that sees Schon delve into his bag of tricks for some scintillating fretboard action.

Freedom has been a long time coming, and has been heavily teased by Schon over the past 12 months or so. When the band dropped the effort’s first single, the guitarist revealed the rest of the album was sounding “phenomenal” and that it explored a musical direction that “we have not gone before”.

“There's nothing we really can't play,” he continued. “We aren't afraid to go to new places. It's easy to stay safe and write where we have always been. We have a bit of that so we don't lose everyone, but at the same token, this is a new chapter of Journey. I want to go where we have not gone before.”

In a later update, Schon amped up the hype and appealed directly to fellow guitar lovers, saying players would especially like it “because I’m just unleashing on it”. “It’s ballistic, man,” he said. “And there’s no lack of guitar on this record.”

“I think any guitar player out there is gonna love this record,” Schon continued. “I'm listening to it [Freedom] now, and many others that have known our music for a long time have said, 'Look, this is the modern-day-and-age Escape. I think this could be the next Escape for you guys.' 

“And I think that's a bold statement, but honest to God, I feel like it's that good.”

In February, Schon took to social media to reveal the album’s tracklist, which can be found below.

1. Together We Run 
2. Don't Give Up On Us 
3. Still Believe In Love
4. You Got The Best Of Me 
5. Live To Love Again 
6. The Way We Used To Be 
7. Come Away With Me 
8. After Glow
9. Let It Rain 
10. Holdin On 
11. All Day All Night 
12. Don't Go 
13. United We Stand 
14. Life Rolls On 
15. Beautiful As You Are 

Journey are currently in the midst of their Freedom tour of North America, which is currently slated to conclude on May 17 at the Videotron Center in Quebec City. Their next show is on Thursday (April 28) at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

For more information, head over to Journey’s website.

Last week (February 27) electric guitar legend Neal Schon celebrated his 68th birthday. 

Over the last five decades, Schon – through his work with Journey and Santana – has influenced countless guitarists, some of whom went onto become A-list players themselves.

Quite a few of those guitar all-stars came forward last week to wish Schon many happy returns in a special video that was organized by his wife, Michaele. You can watch the video above.

On the guitar hero front, the video includes well-wishes from John McLaughlin, Slash, Steve Vai, Tommy Emmanuel, Joe Satriani and Zakk Wylde. Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers, LL Cool J, Dolly Parton, Sheila E., Huey Lewis and Narada Michael Walden also give birthday well-wishes. 

Randy Jackson and Deen Castronovo, both of whom currently play with Schon in the latest incarnation of Journey, also make appearances in the video.

For his part, Schon recently revealed on Instagram that Journey will soon release Freedom, their fifteenth studio album, and first since 2011's Eclipse. Of the album, Schon simply said "It’s coming and it’s loaded."

Journey are also currently in the midst of a lengthy North American tour with Toto. Having begun at the end of February, the tour will run through mid-May, taking the groups across the continent.

For tickets and more info, visit Journey's website. 

It’s a fact: electric guitar players and the US national anthem go hand in hand, and recent months have proven this notion to be true.

Not only have we seen Nita Strauss perform it at WWE’s NXT TakeOver, we’ve also had the pleasure of witnessing Metallica blaze through the anthem at a recent NBA game.

Now, Journey’s Neal Schon has joined the long list of guitarists who have performed the anthem at major sporting events, having featured at last weekend’s NFL kick-off to serve up a wailing, sustain-laden rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Making an appearance prior to the Las Vegas Raiders vs Chicago Bears at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, Schon took to the field armed with his supremely suave IHush Lady M Strat 2 – a custom build from Japanese luthier Naoki Ihashi – for the dazzling performance.

The IHush used for the occasion, which sports an HSS configuration, single f-hole and a Floyd Rose tremolo that sees plenty of action, is the second iteration of Schon’s Lady M Strat – the first of which was revealed back in 2017.

Flanked by a pair of Marshall stacks and joined by his pedalboard, the Journey founder launched into a faithful run-through of the anthem’s iconic opening motif, before decorating its later passages with some classically Schon-style scale licks and rapid-fire flourishes.

Owing to the stadium’s acoustics, Schon’s sound is decked out with a monumental natural reverb, and is further enhanced by some customary plunges on the whammy bar and super-tight vibratos.

Speaking after the event, Schon posted to social media, “Wow! What an absolutely amazing honor and rush!"

“What an amazing time we had today,” a separate post read. “(Want) to thank everyone involved today. You were all amazing. Thank you friends for allowing me this honor.”

In other Schon news, the Journey guitarist recently parted ways with a number of axes from his personal collection, including his Don’t Stop Believin’ guitar, which sold for $250,000, and a 1959 Gibson Les Paul that sold for $350,000.

Schon has also been busy putting together the next Journey album, which he recently speculated could be the modern-day Escape because it’s “so good”.

“It's ballistic, man,” Schon said. “And there's no lack of guitar on this record. So I'm excited about it getting out there.”

It truly is one of the guitar world's most hotly debated enigmas: who put a Floyd Rose on a Gibson Les Paul first?

The most likely candidate is Journey man Neal Schon – synonymous with the pioneering gear pairing thanks to his 1977 Don't Stop Believin' Gibson Les Paul Deluxe – who claims to have had his innovative idea of equipping his LP with the tremolo system cruelly taken away from him.

Schon has previously alleged that Gibson were quick to take his ideas and give them to Alex Lifeson – the Rush guitarist who is equally known for rocking an LP/Floyd Rose duo due to his Gibson Axcess Standard – and that he is the rightful heir to the title.

But, as it turns out, a third contender has just thrown their hat in the ring for the mantle of “first guitarist to fit a Floyd Rose onto a Les Paul” – none other than Night Ranger’s Brad Gillis.

Gillis, who is no stranger to a Floyd Rose-equipped Fernandes electric guitar, made the revelation while in conversation with Jeremy White, who brought up Neal Schon’s insistence that he came up with the idea of fitting an LP with the tremolo system first.

“I was the first,” Gillis rebutted. “Floyd just came out with them and I wanted to put one on my Les Paul, and no-one had ever done it before. When I took it to Stars Guitars, they said, 'Hey Brad, we’ve never seen or done this before.’”

The Night Ranger guitarist – who obtained the third Floyd ever produced (the first and second went to Eddie Van Halen and Schon respectively) – then went on to recall a lengthy design process that occurred when the original tremolo system came out, circa 1976.

“I had to get hold of Floyd and he had to send me the right size nut. Floyd had to send me a newly finished schematic for installing in a Les Paul. I got it back and it was great, and then everybody else did it.”

The guitar Gillis claims to be the first-ever Floyd Rose-fitted Les Paul – an early ‘70s Les Paul Custom that he used while touring with Ozzy Osbourne – can be seen in action in the videos above and below.

Of course, Schon may well argue the contrary. On multiple occasions, the Journey guitarist has voiced his disapproval of Gibson supposedly giving his ideas to Lifeson and the Axcess line.

Speaking to MusicRadar in 2011, Schon said, “[Gibson] rubbed me wrong, man. I worked very hard with them on my signature model that we did several years ago, and we got Les's blessing and everything. 

"We changed the heel on the guitar, changed the angle of the neck, showed them how you put a Floyd Rose in a Les Paul without the thing sticking five miles out," he continued. "We did a lot. And they ended up telling me that my guitars wouldn't sell because they were too expensive.

"So they took my ideas and stuck them on the Axcess model, which is a cheaper edition of what was my guitar.”

More recently, a number of tweets maintain his standpoint: One, a video of him playing his ‘77 LP, reads, “It’s the first Les Paul to ever have a Floyd Rose installed on!”, while a follow up clip carries the caption, “More from the first original Floyd Rose Les Paul Pro.”

Such claims have been supported by Floyd Rose himself who, in 2010, told MusicRadar that Schon showed interest in the tremolo around the time Eddie Van Halen started championing it in 1977.

“Neal saw it and wanted one put on his Les Paul, and he gave me one that he said he'd never liked the sound of," he said. "I brought it back to him and it became one of his favorites as I'd taken so much wood out of it the sound had changed.”

As such, the debate rages on, though it will be intriguing to see how things continue to unfold now there’s a new player in town making waves. It seems as though it’s a toss-up between Gillis and Schon, though, right now, we’re unable to say for certain who was the first.

Perhaps the pair should sit down and discuss it between themselves. Heck, they could even have a guitar-off between each of their Floyd Rose-equipped LPs. That would make for one interesting discussion…

Neal Schon has offered an update on Journey’s upcoming studio record, teasing there will be plenty of tasty electric guitar parts for us to sink our teeth into when the “ballistic” effort is finally released.

Speaking to both WMSC and WNUW, Schon also revealed that he and his bandmates have written over 30 new songs for the album, saying that the studio sessions have given him the opportunity to “unleash” his powers on the six-string.

Schon has also boldly claimed the album will match up with the band’s seminal 1981 album, Escape – the record that first gave the world tracks such as Don’t Stop Believin’, Who’s Crying Now and Open Arms.

"It's ballistic, man,” he began (via Blabbermouth). “And there's no lack of guitar on this record. So I'm excited about it getting out there. 

“I think any guitar player out there is gonna love this record, because I'm just kind of unleashing on this record – like I do a lot live, but sometimes hold back in the studio.

“I usually have a pretty good gut instinct about it, and I feel like the late '60s, the time and era of early Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart and [Led] Zeppelin, when they first came out, Jimi Hendrix, the Cream with [Eric] Clapton and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, that whole era, there's a lot of younger kids out there, younger generation, that never got to experience that era. 

“So I'm feeling like that is the era that I grew up in and that's the type of music I love playing, so I'm going more there and I'm writing for that, to be able to do that on stage. 

“And I think it's really gonna trip some people out, when we finally do get this album out there and can combine it with all the hits that we do have.”

Though no official release date has been confirmed, Schon went on to say that if it doesn’t drop later this year, fans can expect a slew of singles to keep the anticipation high for a 2022 release date.

“But the whole album,” Schon continued to tease, “there's not a filler on the record; that's what I can tell you. I'm listening to it now, and many others that have known our music for a long time have said, 'Look, this is the modern-day-and-age Escape. I think this could be the next Escape for you guys.' And I think that's a bold statement, but honest to God, I feel like it's that good.”

Journey have already teased their guitar-heavy new effort in the form of The Way We Used To Be – the band’s first single in over a decade, which, unsurprisingly, features an abundance of killer high-gain lead lines.

Though Schon and co may have Escape 2.0 in store for us, it won’t be performed using the album’s most iconic guitar – the 1977 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, made famous for its role in recording and performing Don’t Stop Believin’.

That guitar, along with a whole host of others from Schon’s personal collection, recently hit the auction block, and sold for $250,000.

Neal Schon’s monstrous 112-strong guitar auction came to a close last Saturday (July 30) and, as expected, the event saw the sale of some seriously expensive electric guitars, including a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard that sold for $350,000.

The ‘59 Burst was one of 10 six-strings to make six-figures, with the Journey guitarist’s coveted 1977 Les Paul Deluxe, made famous by the band’s smash hit Don’t Stop Believin', selling for a cool $250,000.

Also making its way onto the block was Schon’s prized 1974 Guild F-50R acoustic guitar, which the guitar icon used to write Wheel in the Sky and Patiently in a Denver hotel room with the band's first lead vocalist Steve Perry. That guitar sold for $37,500. 

Schon’s extensive catalog also included a second ‘59 Burst, which fetched $300,000, as well as a pair of 1957-dated LPs, selling for $131,250 and $121,875. Two final six-figure Les Pauls, a 1958 Goldtop and 1960 triple-humbucker-equipped Custom, completed the LP lineup, selling for $125,000 and $112,500, respectively. 

Completing the six-figure family were two ES-335s – a $137,500-priced 1959 model and $100,000-valued 1960 model –  and a 1951 Butterscotch Blonde Fender Telecaster, which fetched $112,500.

Other highlights from the assortment of six-strings include four '50s-era Teles – the most expensive of which picked up a $93,750 price tag – and a handful of Stratocasters, including a 1955 Sunburst model and 1964 Candy Apple Red version, which sold for $45,000 and $30,000, respectively.

Aside from the usual Fender- and Gibson-branded suspects, the auction also included a collection of Paul Reed Smith and Schon models. While the Red 1986 Schon NS6 sold for $6,250, the most expensive PRS model – a Tobacco burst solidbody from 2000 – went for $12,500.

Despite the eye-watering magnitude of models that were sold during the auction, a number of Schon’s six-strings still failed to find new owners, and are thus currently sitting in post-auction limbo. 

Out of the 20 guitars yet to find a new home, highlights include a 2005 double-neck PRS Dragon axe valued at $37,500, a 1967 Coral Vincent model priced at $6,250 and a 1987 Schon Prototype Pearl White guitar, which is expected to sell for $25,000.

To browse the entire collection of Neal Schon’s guitars, including the ones that are still up for grabs, head over to Heritage Auctions. 

Neal Schon has announced that 112 electric guitars and acoustic guitars from his extensive collection are about to hit the block in a mammoth online auction, which is set to see the sale of his prized six-string possessions.

Of the event, which is being held by Heritage Auctions, Schon said, “These are guitars I’ve been collecting for a very long time and it’s time to let go of some of my collection to make room for new arrivals.”

Chief among the dizzying array of instruments on offer is the guitar used by the Journey guitarist on the band's 1981 album Escape, and the one that became synonymous with the group's mega-hit, Don’t Stop Believin' – a black 1977 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe.

The iconic axe can also be heard on a number of other famous Journey tracks, including Stone In Love and Who’s Crying Now?, and was wielded during the band’s The Escape Tour in the early ‘80s. 

“This has got quite a story,” said Schon of the LP. “It’s got some snap to it, and with the Floyd Rose, this guitar just sings like crazy.”

Lining up alongside the Don't Stop Believin' Les Paul is an instrument of equal sentimental value – Schon’s 1974 Guild F-50R, which he used to write Wheel in the Sky and Patiently in a Denver hotel room with the band's first lead vocalist Steve Perry.

Used extensively throughout the 1978 album Infinity, Schon described the Guild as his “room warm-up guitar”, and recalled, “It holds history, and it’s on a lot of famous songs.”

As would be expected with an auction of this size, the list of highlights is pretty exhaustive. As well as the Schon-specific models revered for their musical significance are a series of six-strings sought-after for their historical importance.

Two holy grail Sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul models are on the roster, as is a white 1961 Gibson SG Custom with Sideways Vibrola tailpiece. In the Fender department, the auction will include a 1951 Telecaster, as well as a host of ‘60s-era Strats in a range of colorways.

There are a number of eye-catching show-stoppers in the collection as well, with Schon’s 2005 PRS Dragon double-neck guitar certainly a standout model. Another double-neck, a 1960 Gibson EDS-1275, is also included in the catalog.

A smattering of unique guitars are also set to be auctioned off, including a 1987 Schon Pearl White Prototype, 1986 Schon NS6 and 1967 Coral Vincent Bell.

“I don’t think there’s any one guitar that defines me – I define myself,” offered Schon when asked about the auction. “It comes from your fingers. It’s in between your fingers and whatever amp you’re plugging into and how you have that guitar set and your own picking style.

“57 years now. That’s how long I’ve been playing,” he continued. “It’s crazy, man. I mean, I should be so much better! All these guitars have a story, a history.”

Bidding is set to begin next Monday (July 12). To browse the mammoth collection, head over to Heritage Auctions.

American classic-rock band Journey have released The Way We Used To Be, their first single in over a decade.

The track – which is the first to feature Journey's current lineup of Neal Schon, Arnel Pineda, Jonathan Cain, Narada Michael Walden, Randy Jackson and Jason Derlatka – features a plethora of soaring, gain-heavy lead guitar lines from Schon interwoven with Pineda's quintessentially Journey-style vocals.

Watch the accompanying animated music video below.

And it appears there's more where that came from. In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, Schon confirmed the band were “deep in” the recording process for their next album.

“It's coming along, man,” he said. “It's really shaping up. Narada and I have been working nonstop. Jonathan is also working from his houses in Florida and Nashville. Arnel is working from Manila. Randy Jackson is working mostly from LA. 

“It's one of those Zoom sessions and it sounds phenomenal. It sounds like we're all playing in the room at the same time. I actually can't wait until we do get together and start putting the show together.”

With regard to whether the new album will see a change in musical direction for Journey, Schon explained: “You have to hear it for yourself... It's coming together. It's got a new strut to it.”

“There's nothing we really can't play,” he continued. “We aren't afraid to go to new places. It's easy to stay safe and write where we have always been. We have a bit of that so we don't lose everyone, but at the same token, this is a new chapter of Journey. I want to go where we have not gone before.”

In a separate interview with Cleveland.com – also in January – Schon revealed that the band had 21 songs prepped for the new album.

“It's bombastic. It's rocking. It's majestic, and it's soulful,” he explained. “We have 21 songs in the works right now and there's still more coming in. we'll end up picking the cream of the crop and put out a killer album.”

The forthcoming album is set to be Journey's 15th full-length effort, after 2011's Eclipse.

A slew of guitarists, including Nels Cline, Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, Steve Lukather, Neal Schon, John Scofield and more have signed on to JAM Pedals’ new Lending a Hand charity initiative, developed to help music professionals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help raise funds for those in need, JAM is creating 10 very limited edition – and very gold – effect pedals per participating artist (150 pedals in total), each hand-signed by the musician.

The gold-sparkle finished pedals will be awarded to the people who will have made the 10 biggest donation offers per artist pedal between now and July 12.

In addition to the above players, the full list of collaborators is rounded out by Graham Coxon, Sean Ono Lennon, J Mascis, Lee Ranaldo, Nile Rodgers, Richie Sambora, Alex Skolnick, Andy Timmons and David Torn.

JAM pedals on offer include the Rattler distortion, Double Dreamer dual overdrive, RetroVibe vibrato, Wahcko wah and many more.

JAM is also selling Lending a Hand limited t-shirts to raise additional funds.

The charities that will be supported are Musicares, Jazz Coalition, Jazz Foundation, New Music USA, Crew Nation and Northern Greece Musician.

For more information, head over to JAM Pedals.

Journey recently parted with bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith, firing the two longtime members following a “coup”  in which founding electric guitar player Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain alleged the two had attempted to wrest control of the band’s trademark.

Now, Schon has revealed Valory and Smith’s replacements – and it’s a killer rhythm section, to be sure.

Stepping into the drum slot is Narada Michael Walden, the former Mahavishnu Orchestra member who has also played with ace guitarists like Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth and Robert Fripp.

On bass, meanwhile, is the Big Dawg himself, American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

Jackson, for his part, is returning for his second run with Journey, having replaced Valory once before to perform on the band’s 1986 album, Raised On Radio, as well as the subsequent tour.

In an Instagram post to announce Jackson’s return, guitarist Neal Schon wrote: “Ok Friends word is out! Randy Jackson RJ the Big Dawg is our new Bass player again.”

In a separate post Schon welcomed Walden to the band, writing, “The J Boyz will have a new Strut.”

The new lineup made their debut with a socially distanced performance of the classic Don’t Stop Believin’ as part of the UNICEF Won’t Stop fundraiser concert.

You can check it out above.

Whether it’s with Santana, Journey or his own solo material, Neal Schon has spent over 50 years delivering some of the most melodic guitar playing on planet Earth - and it’s fair to say he’s amassed a fair few famous friends along the way, many of whom have lined up to wish the guitarist a very happy birthday.

But you’ve never seen a birthday message quite like this one. To celebrate his 66th (which takes place on February 27), some of the very biggest names in guitar - and music in general - have banded together to send their best wishes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, including the likes of Slash, Rick Nielsen, Steve Vai, and even Dolly Parton.

• Video credit: Dean ONeal

Particular six-string highlights include a funky performance from John McLaughlin; KISS’s Paul Stanley revealing what he loves about Schon’s playing; Joe Satriani playing a very Joe Satriani take on happy birthday; and Chris Jericho, who generously donates a song he believes will be bigger than Don’t Stop Believin’ (good luck with that).

The full list of birthday well-wishers includes:

• Michaele Schon
• Mario Andretti
• John McLaughlin
• Steve Miller
• Paul Stanley
• Slash
• Chris Jericho
• Rick Nielsen
• Steve Vai
• Joe Satriani
• Tony Stewart
• Narada Michael Walden
• Dolly Parton

Genuinely heart-warming. As Michaele Schon puts it, “My husband Neal is my heart, and all his friends who love him so much respond with genuine joy and love of Neal!”

Journey axeman Neal Schon stars in the latest episode of String Theory, and you can watch it above.

A web series created by Ernie Ball, the show explores sonic origins of influential and innovative musicians. In the episode, Schon discusses his history with guitar, playing with Santana and Journey, and much more. 

Below, you can find five facts revealed in the episode.

1. Schon's cousin taught him his first few songs (0:24)

"One of my cousins played guitar in a Paul Revere and the Raiders cover band. I used to go to this roller rink with my cousins, and he was playing guitar. And so he taught me the first few songs that I learned; Louie Louie, Gloria, and then I just took off from there. 

2. He used to hide in basements of clubs while gigging underage (0:54)

"I was playing around a lot in the Bay Area. Broadway - when it was all blues and jazz clubs - I would just walk around up and down with a guitar. Any club owner that would let me play, because I was underage, would keep me in the basement. They'd say, 'You can come up and play, but then you gotta go back down to the basement. Don't drink any water - don't drink anything!'" 

3. His parents laughed at him when he told them he thought he'd join Santana (1:58)

"I remember sitting down at the dinner table with my folks, and I said, 'You know, I think I'm going to get in this band, Santana. I think they're going to ask me.' And they both start hysterically laughing...The next day the Santana guys asked me to join."

4. Eric Clapton asked Schon to join his band while he was in high school (3:19)

"I picked up an acoustic guitar, and I played him - pretty much note for note -  Crossroads, Spoonfull, stuff that was off the live Wheels of Fire record. He gave me a great compliment, and then he proceeded to ask me to move to England to join the band. So I said, 'I'd love to play with you, but I don't know if I'm ready to go to England. I'm actually still, legally, in high school. I have to get my parents' permission to be able to go do anything - even if it's with Santana!'"

5. He believes the idea of bigger strings for better tone is a myth (6:14)

"Some days, if I'm practicing straight for 6 hours, 5 hours, I'll play with 8s on a Strat or a Tele. And it feels great, and I love it. I'll play 9s mostly, but then other times I'll play 10s. They all sound good to me. I think it's more between your fingers, and the amplifier and the guitar. I'm gonna play what's comfortable to me."

Of course, these are just five facts pulled from the clip. You can watch the entire episode above. 

Watch more Ernie Ball String Theory. 

Photographer Iron Mike Savoia has uploaded a seven-minute clip of Journey's Neal Schon and Joe Satriani jamming together during Schon's concert at the G4 Experience in Palm Springs at Hotel Zosa on January 6. You can check out the footage, which features a run-through of Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House,” above.

As previously reported, Satriani’s G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert featured Schon, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Bumblefoot, Megadeth's Kiko Loureiro, former David Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar and Lari Basilio.

“The students that have come to the first four G4 Experiences have been as unique and eclectic as you could imagine, so for G4 Experience V5.0, I’ve put together a team of instructors that really reflects that diverse nature,” Satriani said. “The lineup this year is probably our best yet. It’s so exciting, getting to be so totally immersed and getting to be so close to these great players. You never know what’s going to happen and at the end of the week you’ll think, 'I went somewhere beautiful, I had fun, I made some new friends, and I grew as a musician.' And there’s nothing better than that.”

For more information, head over to G4Experience.com.

Jason Becker has unveiled a new song, “Valley of Fire,” from his upcoming album, Triumphant Hearts. The nine-minute track features Becker alongside “The Magnificent 13,” a guest list that includes Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Gilbert, Neal Schon, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Mattias IA Eklundh, Greg Howe, Jeff Loomis, Richie Kotzen, Gus G, Steve Hunter and Ben Woods.

Becker first rose to prominence as a teenager when he was one half of the technical guitar duo Cacophony with Marty Friedman. In 1989, at only 19 years old and after wowing audiences all over the world, the young virtuoso became the guitarist for David Lee Roth, following in the huge footsteps of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. He wrote and recorded with Roth for the former Van Halen frontman’s third solo album, A Little Ain’t Enough and was poised for superstardom when a nagging pain in his leg was diagnosed as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal condition with a life expectancy of maybe five years. 

That was 29 years ago. Becker lost the ability to play guitar, walk, talk and breathe on his own. But never lost his will to live or his desire to create music. Communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords. He imparts his musical vision to his team who then can input the notes into a computer, edit the parts to his exacting standards, and then generate charts for session musicians. His inspiring music and life story have been the subject of countless news articles, magazine cover stories, and an award-winning documentary, Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet. 

The 14 tracks on Triumphant Hearts showcase Jason’s gift for melody and his deep knowledge of classical composition and orchestral arrangement. Many of the guitar parts are performed by a who’s who of guitarists including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert, Joe Bonamassa, and many others. Becker's own playing—recorded in the Eighties and Nineties—also features throughout.

The album opens with the title track, featuring Jason’s old bandmate Marty Friedman and an astounding violin performance. “I wrote ‘Triumphant Heart’ and it made me feel triumphant,” says Becker. “When Marty found out I was making this album, he told me he would play anything I needed. I sent him this, and his wife, Hiyori Okuda, who is a cellist, also offered to play on it. The great violinist, Glauco Bertagnin, recorded my violin parts in Italy. That fast solo section I wrote is way too hard; I don’t know how Glauco pulled it off. He put so much soul in the whole song.”

"Hold on to Love" is the first vocal song on the record, although it didn’t start out that way. “It was going to be an instrumental,” explains Jason, “but after I wrote the chorus with lyrics, I knew I had to tell my story, to explain how I can continue living without feeling hate. I hadn’t written many lyrics before.” In addition to its beautiful, gospel-tinged choir, the heartfelt song features Bay Area singer Codany Holiday on lead vocals. 

"Fantasy Weaver" features Jake Shimabukuro and harp arpeggios that were written back in his Cacophony days. ‘Once Upon a Melody’ not only features two Jason Becker guitar solos from his Cacophony era, but also audio of him as a three-year-old. "We Are One," meanwhile, features soulful Flipsyde vocalist Steve Knight, and more Jason Becker guitar delights.

Uli Jon Roth appears on "Magic Woman," along with ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick who counts both Uli and Jason as big influences. Fans of Jason’s work with David Lee Roth will be thrilled by the inclusion of two previously unreleased outtakes from the A Little Ain’t Enough sessions, the hard rocking "Taking Me Back" and the blues-infused ‘Tell Me No Lies.’ There are also performances by Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse, Trevor Rabin, and many others. 

“Some people feel sorry for me,” he concedes, “and I understand that. I really feel lucky though. I don’t miss playing guitar anymore. I’m sure that’s out of necessity, but I am grateful for so much more. I am surrounded by loving people, and I can still make music.”

Triumphant Hearts will be released on December 7 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. The album is available for pre-order here.

Triumphant Hearts track list:

Triumphant Heart (feat. Marty Friedman, Glauco Bertagnin, Hiyori Okuda)

Hold on to Love (feat. Codany Holiday)

Fantasy Weaver (feat. Jake Shimabukuro)

Once Upon A Melody

We Are One (feat. Steve Knight)

Magic Woman (feat. Uli Jon Roth & Chris Broderick)

Blowin' in the Wind

River of Longing (feat. Joe Satriani, Aleks Sever, Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse)

Valley of Fire (feat. The Magnificent 13)

River of Longing (feat. Trevor Rabin)

Taking Me Back

Tell Me No Lies

Hold on to Love (feat. Codany Holiday) [Chuck Zwicky Remix]

You Do It

Neal Schon paid tribute to Aretha Franklin during Journey's set at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, on August 17. Schon, who posted a clip of the performance to his official Instagram account, wrote: "I did [a] tribute to Aretha Franklin- Queen [of] Soul R.I.P. with much Love & RESPECT."

In a separate Instagram post Schon said: "I’ve been paying respect to Aretha during my solo spot in our shows. She was the best and Huge inspiration not only as an artist but kind to all."

Joe Satriani has announced G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert, the latest edition of his annual guitar camp.

This year's edition will feature Journey's Neal Schon, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, Bumblefoot, Megadeth's Kiko Loureiro, former David Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar and Lari Basilio. It will take place January 3-7, 2019 at Hotel Zosa in Palm Springs, CA.

“The students that have come to the first four G4 Experiences have been as unique and eclectic as you could imagine, so for G4 Experience V5.0, I’ve put together a team of instructors that really reflects that diverse nature,” Satriani said. “The lineup this year is probably our best yet. It’s so exciting, getting to be so totally immersed and getting to be so close to these great players. You never know what’s going to happen and at the end of the week you’ll think, 'I went somewhere beautiful, I had fun, I made some new friends, and I grew as a musician.' And there’s nothing better than that.”

In addition, Satriani will be joined at G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert by his own touring band, Mike Keneally (guitar and keyboards), Bryan Beller (bass), and Joe Travers (drums), all of whom will also serve as instructors and accompaniment for each night’s all-star concert.

Presented annually by Dreamcatcher Events, G4 Experience V5.0: Rocks the Desert is an all-inclusive event with a jam-packed schedule sure to keep guests involved from morning until the wee hours of the night. It will feature four days and nights of activities, including multiple workshops led by each instructor, access to fully loaded jam rooms, meet-and-greets and nightly concert performances.

A variety of guest packages are available, with all registrations including accommodations, three meals a day, parking, Wi-Fi, and an exclusive welcome kit from D’Addario. Musical gear is not provided—guests are asked to please bring their own instruments.

Complete information and registration details can be found now at g4experience.com.

If you're a classic rock fan, when you hear the name Neal Schon, you most likely think of Journey. Schon founded the band in 1973 and is the only member to have participated on all of its albums and tours. The group has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, and is still playing arenas in 2018; its 58-city co-headlining tour with Def Leppard kicks off in May.

But Journey has been only one part of Schon’s career and legacy. Before Journey, Schon played in Santana, having joined the group at the age of 15. When Journey was on break, Schon was part of Bad English, which had a number one hit with "When I See You Smile." After Bad English's breakup, he was the lead guitarist and producer behind Hardline, which charted with "Takin' Me Down." Schon's discography also includes two albums with Miami Vice composer Jan Hammer, a full-length effort with Soul SirkUS, and assorted collaborations with Sammy Hagar, Joe Cocker, The Allman Brothers Band and Michael Bolton.

Beyond the aforementioned tour alongside Def Leppard, 2018 also brings Neal Schon's Journey Through Time. Taking place on February 9, 2018 in San Francisco, Schon will be regrouping with original Journey and Santana member Gregg Rolie—as well as Marco Mendoza and former Journey member Deen Castronovo—for an intimate performance to benefit North Bay Fire Relief. This will be the first time that Schon and Rolie have performed together in the last few years, and promises to feature rarely-performed songs from the Journey catalog.

Guitar World recently sat down with Schon to discuss the benefit show, how he got his start in the business and how he ended up with working with Yngwie Malmsteen.

One of the things I find most interesting about you is that you first became prominent as a guitarist in your teenage years. Since then you have worked consistently and in a variety of bands. Did you ever have a day job?

I had one day job and one summer job. I worked in Hollister, CA where I grew up after my folks first moved out from the East Coast. I decided that I was going to box garlic in Gilroy one summer because I wanted a mini-bike, and that's what I had to do to get $100. I crated garlic with my cousins down there.

Then when I was 12, I had a job that I got that I think paid $1.25 or $1.50 an hour—because I was underage—at a bicycle shop, ripping apart bicycles and putting them back together. The guy was really particular on what parts he wanted me to do first. I felt like I had it down, and I realized that I didn't like taking orders at that point. I was going to have to figure out something where I can make my own rules and be my own boss, so I said, "I'm going to be a musician. That's what I feel like I want to do." That way I can run my own life and someone doesn't run it for me.

Were you playing instruments before guitar?

I was. I was playing woodwind instruments. My dad was a composer and his main instrument was tenor sax, and he was a leader of a big band and did big band arrangements. I started playing piano when I was six, and I actually liked the piano, but there were so many things going on when I was six. Now I'm playing more and more piano and composing with it for guitar.

Then I started playing in elementary school band. There's no guitar in those bands, so I started playing tuba, which sucked (laughs). I gave it up and I played clarinet for a second and I didn't like it. I started playing oboe in high school. I got first seat, where I got to play a couple of solos, but it really wasn't my thing. It's a very difficult instrument to play, and I think it's one of the reasons I have a big neck, you have to blow and the muscles are contracted and nothing gets through that little reed. A beautiful instrument, but it just wasn't something I wanted to pursue.

My dad bought me my first record, which was The Beatles' Rubber Soul, and I was already listening to them on the radio, amongst everything else that was on the radio. There wasn't a lot that I was really digging. My mom was always playing and singing too, they were always playing jazz around the house. It was either Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Miles [Davis], all those old greats. I started listening to Wes Montgomery, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin. All of the sudden, I was playing blues and really understood it and got deep in it.

I loved Michael Bloomfield from the Bay Area here, as well as B.B. [King], who I met with Elvin Bishop. That was my first big show, at the Fillmore West. I had been playing with Elvis Bishop for about a year at the old Keystone Korner in San Francisco. One night he goes, "You know, I'm going to take you for a treat tonight and we're going to go to Fillmore West. We're going to jam with B.B., I'm going to introduce you to B.B." Bill Graham was there, I met Bill Graham that night.

All of the sudden, I'm up on-stage, looking out, and B.B.'s on the right, and it comes time when he goes, 'Let's see what this little sucker has.' (laughs) I had studied him, you know? His vibrato, his choice of notes, and he'd play a riff instead of [something else). A lot of guitarists try to upstage, and it really comes off as kind of stupid. I said, 'I'm going to pay due respect to him. When he plays me a riff, I'm gonna play it back and add a little something.' He had a big smile on his face and it went back and forth for about five minutes. We remained friends after that, and the same with Albert King after that. I played with Buddy Guy in Chicago at his old club, with Junior Wells, and a host of other blues artists.

But then I was listening to all the original records, like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and everything else I could find. I loved it, you know? Then that British electrified blues movement came, where they were taking that old American blues and electrifying it. I heard [Jimi] Hendrix on the radio and I was like, "What the f**k is that?" (laughs) It's like, 'That's what I want to do.' I was already listening to Clapton when he was with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. I loved his playing, so Cream was a no-brainer for me, I loved that stuff.

At that point, after studying older blues, I had all the records, I went from Are You Experienced? to Wheels Of Fire and Disraeli Gears. The first three Hendrix records, as they came, but I kind of flip-flopped from night to night. I pulled the arm up on the record player so I was listening to either Cream or Hendrix, even when I went to sleep. I found that I was learning in my sleep, because when the arm's up it just keep repeating and repeating. Even though you don't know where the fingers go, you're familiar with it by listening.

It sounds like you were mentored by some guitar greats, but are there any players today who you look at as being modern guitar greats?

Oh, man, there are so many great guitarists today. I just played with one of my good friends, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Phil Collen from Def Leppard the other night when they played over in Oakland at the theater. I went and jammed with them and had a great time. But I love Satch, I love [Steve] Vai, I love Eric Johnson and John Petrucci. There's so many great players, it's just like, 'What's your taste? What do you want to hear?'

Over the years you've been known to play Fenders and Gibsons, but I believe you're exclusive with Paul Reed Smith these days. How did that happen?

Paul and I have been friends forever, from when he first started making guitars, and I believe Carlos [Santana] had bought one of his first guitars that was handmade. I believe I bought the second or third, which I believe he had gotten back from me because he wanted to put them in a museum. But I got the first-ever double-neck he made and bought a couple of double-cuts. There were sort of SG-type double-cuts, not the double-cuts he's making now.

Over the years he came up with some revolutionary ideas incorporating semi-hollow guitars with all kinds of crazy shit. Most people looked at him when he first came out like, 'That doesn't make any sense.' But actually it makes guitars sound better. It became any kind of thing you wanted to make it.

Paul and I have done some amazing stuff together, but I don't have an exclusive contract right now. I'm playing everything. I'm looking at eight Les Pauls that I brought to the house here that are Les Paul Ultima "Tree Of Life" guitars. There are a couple of them that I picked up that sound amazing because I felt like I'm going to do this gig on the 9th in San Francisco, and I was playing nothing but Les Pauls back then. Even though those guitars sound good, I'll probably mix it up. I played a Tele the night I played with Satch at the guys. So I'm playing Fenders, PRS and Gibsons, all sorts of guitars.

One of my favorite projects that you worked on was Hear 'N Aid and I'm wondering if you had positive memories of working on the "Stars" single.

I absolutely did. I didn't think I was going to make that session because I had forgotten about it. In the older days I was hanging out and partying all night with friends here (laughs). So I remember calling up Ronnie [James Dio] in the morning and saying, 'Ronnie, I haven't been to bed yet and I doubt I'm going to make it.' He said, 'Oh, no, you have to come. You're one of my main guitar players I really want on this record.' He really pleaded with me until I said, 'Okay, I will.' I said, 'But you've got to get me in and out. I can't wait in a long line to play. I'll just come in quick and I'll do two takes, from beginning to end, pick whatever one you like and I'm out of there, and I'm going to go back home and go to sleep.' He said okay.

So I got down to L.A., from San Francisco, and I brought my guitar—I think a '63 Strat—and a little Boss pedal for distortion. They had some Marshalls there. They had me right down next to Yngwie [Malmsteen]. Brad Gillis was in the studio cutting the song before myself, and he was doing a lot of punching. It sounded really good but I was impatient. I wanted to get in and out of there and get to sleep because I was tired (laughs).

I told Yngwie, 'I'm going to go in there and play two takes from beginning to end and then I'm out.' So that's what I did, but Ronnie loved what I did. I was in and out, it was a really easy session. I loved playing on something at that time period that, I was getting looks when I walked in the room. I do remember I was getting a lot of attitude from all of the guitarists, except Yngwie. He was very cool to me. I'm thinking, 'This is weird,' because everyone is saying really obnoxious things about this guy and I'm meeting him and I actually like him a lot.

George Lynch I appreciated as a guitar player back then, and he asked me if he could use the pedal I had back then and I said sure. He was in there, I hung out until George was done. He was struggling to get a sound, so he gets the pedal and says, 'That helps a lot.' That was it, but Ronnie was a great guy. It was a fun session and I loved getting to show all the other guitars that I can play any of that stuff as well.

Journey and Def Leppard have confirmed the news they have been teasing for quite a while now: they're going on tour together. And, by the looks of it, it's gonna be epic.

The two bands will split headlining duties evenly across the 58-city tour, which will run from May 21—when it opens with a show at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut—to October 6, when the tour will close with a show at the Forum in Los Angeles.

The full itinerary, which you can see for yourself below, includes shows at New York's Madison Square Garden and Boston's Fenway Park and touches just about every corner of the U.S., with a couple of stops in Canada.

For tickets and more information, stop by journeymusic.com.

Journey / Def Leppard 2018 Tour Dates
5/21 – Hartford, CT, XL Center
5/23 – Albany, NY, Times Union Center
5/25 – Hershey, PA, Hersheypark Stadium
5/26 – Buffalo, NY, KeyBank Center
5/28 – Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
5/30 – Cincinnati, OH, U.S. Bank Arena
6/1 – Toronto, ON, Rogers Centre
6/2 – Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
6/5 – Raleigh, NC, PNC Arena
6/6 – Knoxville, TN, Thompson-Boling Arena
6/8 – Bristow, VA, Jiffy Lube Live
6/9 – Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center
6/11 – Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
6/13 – New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
6/15 – Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
6/16 – Baltimore, MD, Royal Farms Arena
7/1 – Atlanta, GA, SunTrust Park
7/3 – Noblesville, IN, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/4 – Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
7/6 – Memphis, TN, FedExForum
7/7 – North Little Rock, AR, Verizon Arena
7/9 – Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
7/11 – Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
7/13 – Detroit, MI, Comerica Park
7/14 – Chicago, IL, Wrigley Field
7/16 – Wichita, KS, INTRUST Bank Arena
7/18 – Sioux Falls, SD, Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
7/19 – Lincoln, NE, Pinnacle Bank Arena
7/21 – Denver, CO, Coors Field
7/23 – Des Moines, IA, Wells Fargo Arena
7/25 – Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
7/27 – Minneapolis, MN, Target Field
7/28 – Fargo, ND, Fargodome
8/11 – Boston, MA, Fenway Park
8/13 – Virginia Beach, VA, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
8/15 – Columbia, SC, Colonial Life Arena
8/17 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
8/18 – Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
8/20 – Birmingham, AL, Legacy Arena @ The BJCC
8/22 – Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Center
8/24 – St. Louis, MO, Busch Stadium
8/25 – Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
8/27 – New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
8/29 – Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
8/31 – San Antonio, TX, AT&T Center
9/1 – Houston, TX, Toyota Center
9/5 – Albuquerque, NM, Isleta Amphitheater
9/7 – Phoenix, AZ, Talking Stick Resort Arena
9/8 – Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena
9/21 – San Francisco, CA, AT&T Park
9/23 – San Diego, CA, Petco Park
9/25 – Salt Lake City, UT, Vivint Smart Home Arena
9/26 – Nampa, ID, Ford Idaho Center Arena
9/28 – Portland, OR, Moda Center
9/29 – Seattle, WA, Gorge Amphitheatre
10/1 – Vancouver, BC, Rogers Arena
10/4 – Sacramento, CA, Golden 1 Center
10/6 – Los Angeles, CA, The Forum

Last fall, Joe Satriani announced the 2018 iteration of his G3 tour, featuring Dream Theater's John Petrucci and Def Leppard's Phil Collen. Sunday night, the tour stopped by the Fox Theater in Oakland, where the trio was joined by a special guest.

Above, you can watch the trio jam on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" with another six-string legend, Journey's Neal Schon.

Debbi Blackwell-Cook—lead singer of Delta Deep, Collen's blues-based side project with Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Forrest Robinson—also joined the trio to lend her considerable vocal talents to the performance.

Below, you can check out the full G3 tour itinerary and—for good measure—another fan-shot video of the performance.

G3 Tour, Featuring Joe Satriani, John Petrucci and Phil Collen

• January 16 Delta Hall at Eccles Theater Salt Lake City, UT *
• January 17 Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas, NV
• January 18 Mesa Arts Center Mesa, AZ *
• January 19 Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA
• January 20 Balboa Theatre San Diego, CA
• January 21 Fox Tucson Theatre Tucson, AZ *
• January 24 Historic Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
• January 26 The Pavillion at The Toyota Music Factory Irving, TX *
• January 27 Austin City Limits - Moody Theater Austin, TX
• January 28 Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Houston, TX *
• January 30 Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL *
• January 31 Florida Theatre Jacksonville, FL *
• February 1 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FL*
• February 2 Barbara B Mann Performing Arts Hall Fort Myers, FL *
• February 3 Mahaffey Theater St. Petersberg, FL *
• February 6 Raleigh Memorial Auditorium Raleigh, NC
• February 8 Toyota Presents Oakdale Wallingford, CT *
• February 9 Landmark Theatre Syracuse, NY *
• February 10 Palace Theatre Albany, NY *
• February 11 The Palace Theatre Greensburg, PA *
• February 14 Warner Theatre Washington, DC *
• February 15 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA
• February 16 Beacon Theatre New York, NY *
• February 17 Merriam Theater Philadelphia, PA
• February 18 New Jersey Performing Arts Center Newark, NJ *
• February 20 Auditorium Theatre Rochester, NY *
• February 21 Massey Hall Toronto, ONT
• February 22 Hard Rock Live Northfield, OH
• February 23 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL *
• February 24 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
• February 25 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI

Awhile ago, I saw some of Naoki Ihashi's guitars on Instagram. The intriguing designs prompted me to reach out and ask him if he would be so kind as to send a guitar for me to check out.

To my suprise, after I reached out, he sent three of his very own guitars within three days.

To say the least, I was completely blown away by all of his instruments. Then and there I made a deal that if he made me some, I would both play them live and promote them in the process. I'm now happy to say that the first Custom is nearing completion!

For the instrument, I gave him a concept of a guitar dedicated to my wife Michaele Schon with an Angel ingraved on the top to symbolize my "LadyM."

I'm absolutely blown away with his all hand built guitars and look forward to working with him more in the future.

Naoki is a true artist and master at his craft with impeccable desire to bring the very best from himself.

I can't wait to get my hands on it! For the time being though, you can gaze at a couple photos of the axe below.

For more on iHush Guitars, follow along on Facebook.

On April 7, Journey were among the honorees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 32nd annual induction ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The event brought Journey—including longtime guitarist Neal Schon—together with their former singer, Steve Perry, who hasn't been a Journey man since 1998.

"There were so many emotions, and I was first to speak, so It was actually a bit surreal for me," Schon told Guitar Playerabout his induction speech.

"I choked up seeing everyone. I had seen Steve backstage, and I got a great feeling from him that our friendship, respect and love was still there. So when we walked up to be inducted, he came up to me and we exchanged a hug. Then I was trying to get my composure back, and I decided I couldn't read my speech—even though I did like what I had written."

As you can see in the bottom video, the guitarist found himself overwhelmed by emotion and wasn't able to deliver his speech. If you're interested in what he wrote, you can see the full text here.

Anyway, a few of Schon's famous guitar-playing friends—Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi, collectively known as Generation Axe—recently got together during their ongoing Asian tour to shoot a quick video. Their goal? To congratulate Schon and the rest of Journey on their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

You can watch their brief video message below (top video).

For more about Schon, visit schonmusic.com. For more about Generation Axe (and to see where they'll turn up next), visit generationaxe.com.

Neal Schon has a lot to be thankful for.

Last year, the longtime Journey guitarist—and the band’s only remaining founding member—celebrated another season of touring and was reunited with his longtime friend and mentor, Carlos Santana, for the Santana IV album and tour.

The new year is already off to a memorable start for Schon. In addition to the assortment of solo-related projects he's working on, it was recently announced that Journey–whose current lineup includes Jonathan Cain (keyboards, vocals), Ross Valory (bass, vocals), Steve Smith (drums) and Arnel Pineda (lead vocals)—will be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April alongside Yes, ELO, Pearl Jam, Joan Baez, Nile Rodgers and Tupac Shakur.

I recently spoke with Schon about Journey’s induction, his upcoming projects and more.

Did you ever think the day would come when Journey would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
I didn’t really think about it. We were up about 17 years ago, and when we weren’t nominated, I kind of forgot about it. One of the main things that got us in was our fans voting so hard. The fans and the music are the main things for me. They spoke and the Hall listened. It’s an honor to be in there and get the nod for some of the staples and cement we’ve made.

Do you see Journey’s induction as a stepping stone for other “classic rock” bands to eventually get a nod?
I really can't say because I have no clue what the voting process is. Personally, I’d love to see it be more fan-based. A hall of fame is about different artists and bands and the legacies they've left. Even if the people deciding don’t care for a certain type of music, the artists that have the credentials and sell millions of records deserve to be there.

What was [vocalist] Arnel [Pineda]’s reaction to the news?
He's really excited for us. I think it would have been great if he had been inducted too, because he’s been with us for nine years. But I’m hoping something cool comes down with him in a jam. I’m also excited for him to meet Steve [Perry] because Arnel is one of Steve's biggest fans.

Speaking of Steve, the band’s induction has already fueled talk of a “classic” Journey reunion. Do you expect Steve to join the band for a performance at the ceremony?
You know, I really don’t expect anything. Steve’s said in past interviews that he's not interested in coming back to Journey, and I respect that. It ended a long time ago. But I would love to see him at least play a song with us. After seeing him performing with the Eels [watch it below], I’m sure a lot of fans are also going to expect him to sing a little.

What are your plans for 2017?
I’m already setting up a schedule, both for myself and for the band. Journey will be touring from mid-February through mid-July. We’ll be starting in Japan, where we’ll be playing everything from the Escape and Frontiers albums from top to bottom. We’ve never done that before, and I’m really looking forward to it. The greatest hits are great, but I think it’s time to open it up and get into some of these deep tracks because Journey offers so much more than hits. We bring a lot of different things to the table, and it’s one of the reasons I felt the band deserved to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If you listen to an album like Escape, we cover a lot of ground on that record. It can be confusing for someone who’s never heard the band before when they hear songs like “Dead or Alive,” “Mother, Father” and “Still They Ride” and then hear “Open Arms."

What other new projects are you working on?
The latest thing I’ve been working on is with Narada Michael Walden. I remember all of the stuff he wrote for Jeff Beck on Wired and asked him to write me a record. I suggested we do something really soulful and orchestral where the guitar is the voice. We’ve got a great start on it, and I’m looking forward to commencing on it in the new year. I’ve also got a real avant gard project I’m working on that’s more techno with keyboards and guitar. It’s a bunch of loops with me jamming some really over-the-top, outside-of-the-box stuff.

I tried to see how far out I could go and then come back. And if that wasn’t enough, Kevin Shirley called me and said he’d love to do a really stripped-down blues record with me. He did an amazing job with Joe Bonamassa and wants to do something with great tone into a Fender amp with a Telecaster. I’m a Tele junkie and have them all over my house. They’re beautiful, stout guitars that are so articulate. There’s a lot you can do with that guitar with no frills. Blues is where my roots are, so at the end of the tour, I’m going to set aside some time to head into the studio and knock it out.

Do you have more plans to tour with Carlos Santana?
That's the other thing we're trying to work out. By that third gig together, we were firing on all cylinders. I’d love to see what would happen if we had a few weeks under our belts. Carlos is a huge inspiration to me and has become one of my best friends as well as a mentor and someone I look up to.

What are you most proud of about Journey? Is it the albums, the overall success, the rebuilding of the band?
For me, it all started with Herbie Herbert approaching me about a band (the Golden Gate Rhythm Section) where we’d be a studio session band for hire for different artists. That band turned into Journey. We’ve taken some breaks through the years that turned into extended hiatuses. So I had to get busy and did solo projects and played with Paul Rodgers and Bad English with John Waite, Jon Cain, Deen Castronovo and Ricky Phillips.

I’m kind of like “Father Journey” in that I’ll always fight for us to get something we deserve. And we're not done. I’m not done. We have such a large audience that just keeps growing.

After 43 years with the band, I see no reason to throw in the towel. Even if I want to do different stuff, there's still time to do it and no reason not to. I’m more excited than I’ve ever been about my career and am so grateful for the one I’ve had. The best is yet to come.

James Wood is a writer, musician and self-proclaimed metalhead who maintains his own website, GoJimmyGo.net. His articles and interviews are written on a variety of topics with passion and humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JimEWood.

It’s been another top-notch year for guitarist Neal Schon.

Besides the fact that Journey—which includes Schon, Ross Valory (bass), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Steve Smith (drums) and Arnel Pineda (vocals)—celebrated another season of non-stop touring, Schon also reunited with Carlos Santana to record Santana IV. The album marked the first time Santana's classic lineup has worked together in more than 40 years.

We recently spoke to Schon about touring with Journey, reuniting with Santana, the 35th anniversary of Journey's Escape, gear and some incredible career highlights.

What’s it like to still be performing at this high level with Journey after so many years?

It’s been an amazing ride, and I think it’s all due to a lot of hard work. When we decided to rebuild almost two decades ago, it was a long ride up the hill. Those first eight years were a lot of work, and in many ways it was like paying our dues all over again. We’re grateful to everyone who put in so much time rebuilding, and we still have much more to experiment with musically.

What does the band have planned for next year?

We’ve been playing the greatest hits for a while and know we have to play those songs in order to make fans happy. But our die-hard fans want to hear different material, and we have tons of it. So that’s what’s about to come next year. We’ll be playing our first shows in the Orient where we’ve been asked to play Escape and Frontiers in their entirety. I think it will be fun for everyone to get reconnected with those records. Some of those songs, like “Frontiers,” we’ve never played live. We actually went through it at a sound check recently and it sounded amazing. I’m excited about doing it.

What was it like getting back together with Carlos and the gang for Santana IV?

For me, it was a lifelong dream. Everyone had their own hangups at the time we disbanded, and a lot of us didn’t leave on the right note. I remember when we first got together to test out the idea, we had about eight days of rehearsal and jamming and it was just amazing. Gregg [Rolie], Carlos and I brought in songs, and we went at it in a very organic way and laid it all down. I feel so proud of this record and it's very gratifying to have helped pull all of these guys back together.

This year also marked the 35th anniversary of Journey’s Escape, an album that saw the departure of Gregg Rolie and the arrival of Jonathan Cain. What was the chemistry like in the band at that point?

Honestly, it was great. Even before we did Escape, we were already at a height, when we put out the Captured. By that point, Gregg had enough of being on tour and wanted to start a family. At the time, the Babys were opening for us. They were a solid unit and I loved [John] Waite’s vocals. I was checking out Jonathan [Cain] and felt that he was such a great player, and I also liked the fact that he strapped on a rhythm guitar and played once in a while. So when Gregg was going to leave I asked him what he thought about Jonathan taking his place. Gregg thought it was a great choice and everyone else in the band agreed. We continued to evolve and even went into some new areas I had never been in before.

What can you tell me about the origin of “Don’t Stop Believin’”?

Jon, Steve [Perry] and I had been tossing around the ball in my old studio in Oakland when Jon brought in the chords. He had “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the bass line and the chorus it starts with. As we were looking for different sections, I came up with the B section and the locomotive guitar riff. There was some hesitation about it, and I even remember record execs coming up and saying we should edit it out. But the cool thing about our contract that Herb Herbert [manager] had in place was that we had complete artistic control of everything. So we didn’t allow the A&R guys to come in and chop and edit. We left it in, and it became a very famous part of the song.

What’s your live gear setup like these days?

It’s evolving and really depends on the gig. If it’s a straightforward blues gig, I’d probably have a little Fender Deluxe and hit it in front with a wah and overdrive pedal, like I did in the early days of Journey. For the big shows, I’m using a Fractal and an original 100-watt Blackstar head I got years ago when they first came out. I use one 4x12 with the head with three channels [clean, crunch and overdrive] programmed into the Fractal board. That’s pretty much it.

We all know you’re a big PRS Guitars supporter, but a lot of fans still remember the Schon guitar.

It’s funny you mention that because I recently spoke with Paul [Reed Smith]. We’ve been friends for years and I love working with him, and he also lets me design. I love the 15-inch semi-acoustic guitar that I play all the time, but I thought it could use some updates on the top side. So Paul sent me over some plans to draw on and I took a bit of the “15” body out of the top side, made the lines a little bit straighter and then put in a bit of the Schon guitar body resemblance. I also made the holes a bit smaller in width to make it a little more streamlined. It’s got a really distinctive look to it. So we’re working on that. I also have a “13” solid body that’s coming out very soon as well as a “14” semi-hollow that has only one f-hole.

There have been a lot of rumors circulating lately, so I have to ask: Do you have any plans to work with Steve Perry in the future?

There are no plans and there haven’t been any since we’ve moved on. It’s all just rumors. What I do know is that we made some timeless music together and I’m very grateful for that. He’s tremendously talented and a great songwriter. I miss writing with him but I can’t imagine him ever jumping in with us.

What are you working on at the moment?

There’s always new music with me. My last record was the double record, Vortex, that I did with Steve Smith, Igor Len and Jan Hammer. I’m really proud of that record. I have some new tracks recorded and the plan is to add more to Vortex and then re-issue it. I also have other things that are already pre-recorded, including some really outside-the-box guitar stuff I’m working on. It’s all improvised and very experimental.

Are there any career highlights that stick out to you as most memorable?

There are many more than one. I remember when Eric Clapton asked me to come join him at Berkley Community Theater with Derek and the Dominos. What an honor that was for me. Eric was the guy whose band [Cream] really taught me how to open up and improvise with the Wheels of Fire record. Afterwards, he tried to talk me into moving to England, but I decided to go with Santana. Then after I joined Santana and we did the Santana III record, I played my first show in London at the Hammersmith Odeon. The show was sold out, and Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck were all in the audience. I remember every chance I had to solo I was ripping with great pride from everything I had learned from those guys, knowing they were watching. That was a surreal moment. I also have so many great Journey moments as well as working on other projects. I’ve been blessed to play with so many great people.

Last question: Is it true that your wife, Michaele, has been with you at every Journey show?

Yes. She’s toured with me constantly for six years and hasn’t missed one show. She’s been tremendous support and is one of the reasons I feel I’m doing so well. I’m completely blessed that she’s in my life. I feel so much younger than I am—and there’s a still a lot left in me.

James Wood is a writer, musician and self-proclaimed metalhead who maintains his own website, GoJimmyGo.net. His articles and interviews are written on a variety of topics with passion and humor. You can follow him on Twitter @JimEWood.

On April 15, the classic early Seventies Santana lineup will return with a new studio album, Santana IV.

This marks the first time in 41 years that this particular quintet—Carlos Santana (guitar, vocals), Gregg Rolie (keyboards, lead vocals), Neal Schon (guitar, vocals), Michael Carabello (percussion) and Michael Shrieve (drums)—has worked together.

The last album with this lineup was 1971's Santana III.

Santana IV features 16 new tracks written and produced by the band.

In the exclusive video below, the band members discuss the making of the album, the dynamics of the band and more. It even offers bits and pieces of several new tracks. By the way, two tracks from the new album, "Anywhere You Want to Go" and "Blues Magic" are available now at iTunes, where the album can be preordered.

The origins for the reunion go back several years, when Schon suggested that he and Carlos record together. Santana liked the idea but went one better, proposing they recruit Rolie, Shrieve and Carabello.

After initial writing sessions and rehearsals took place in 2013, the group recorded throughout 2014 and 2015, amassing 16 tracks that combined their signature elements—Afro-Latin rhythms, soaring vocals, electrifying blues-psychedelic guitar solos and jubilant percussion work—with widescreen hooks and melodies that will lodge themselves in the thicket of listeners’ senses and stay there.

“It was magical,” Santana says. “We didn’t have to try to force the vibe—it was immense. From there, we then needed to come up with a balance of songs and jams that people would immediately identify as Santana.”

“Carlos and I feel more connected than ever,” Schon adds. “We get super-aggressive when we play, but also melodic and poetic. We have an incredible dialog with each other on our guitars.”

“I really think the music goes along with the [album] cover [which you can check out below], and vice versa,” Santana says. “It all fits together beautifully.”

Santana IV will be released April 15 on Santana IV Records and is distributed by Thirty Tigers/RED Distribution.

Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of a new lyric video by Journey guitarist Neal Schon.

The track, “Serenity,” is from Schon's upcoming solo album, SO U, which will be released May 19 via Frontiers Records.

The new jazz- and blues-inspired — but hard-rocking — album finds Schon backed by bassist Marco Mendoza (Black Star Riders, Ted Nugent, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy) and drummer Deen Castronovo (Journey, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Hardline), all of whom split vocal and writing duties. Many of the tracks were co-written by Night Ranger/Damn Yankees songwriter, singer and bassist Jack Blades.

The album can be pre-ordered now via iTunes, Amazon and via the Journey online store; fans who buy SO U now via iTunes will receive “Exotica” as an instant-gratification track.

Schon will be hitting the road for a summer tour with Journey and is soon set to record and tour with his mentor, Carlos Santana, and original Santana band members Gregg Rollie and drummer Michael Shrieve.

For more information, visit schonmusic.com.

Photo: Robert Knight

Neal Schon of Journey is joining the PRS family of artists with two distinct signature models: the NS-14 and NS-15.

Schon was intimately involved in the design of nearly every aspect of these instruments, from the stylized f-holes to the hardware details.

The NS-14 is a completely new PRS design incorporating a 14-inch semi-hollow singlecut body with a new neck joint designed to allow greater access to the higher frets.

[[ Keep up with Guitar World's NAMM 2013 coverage right here! ]]

The NS-15 is a thinline hollowbody based on the Neal Schon limited edition Private Stock guitar offered in early 2012. A portion of Neal’s signature tone comes from his long-standing use of Floyd Rose tremolo systems. The NS-14 and NS-15 add a Floyd Rose to the PRS Core line for the first time.

“The new NS-14 and NS-15 PRS guitars are on the cutting edge of now," Schon said. "I love everything about them. I had the pleasure in helping in the creation of these beauties and I love the weight, sound and ultimate playability. These are among the best guitars I've ever played. Check ‘em out.”

Find out more about the NS-14 here and the NS-15 here.