Neural DSP and John Mayer have formed a landmark partnership to release Archetype: John Mayer X – a new plugin that makes some of Mayer’s most iconic guitar tones available to the masses in digital form.
It is, quite simply, one of the most significant gear launches of the modern era. On one side of the partnership is John Mayer – a 21st century guitar hero, lauded for his unrivalled guitar tones and famed gear collection, which comprises a range of boutique and vintage amps and pedals.
And, on the other side is Neural DSP – the market’s leading innovator in the amp and pedal modeling space, who, over the course of its various plugins, artist collaborations, and hardware launches, has changed the face of the amp modeler landscape as we know it.
A partnership between the two, then, seems surprising at first. Particularly, given that Mayer is largely a loyalist to vintage analog gear and tube amps. His tone – the muse of many YouTubers and social media accounts – is carefully curated from a stacked rig that has over the years featured Two Rocks, Dumbles, vintage Fenders, and a fluid pedalboard that always has a Klon Centaur at its heart.
For Mayer to put his faith and name into a plugin, therefore, is a watershed moment for modeling – and, likely, a compelling signal to players who may have felt reluctant to try the technology before.
It’s also a statement of Mayer’s intent to embrace new technology – similar to his approach with refining the Strat for his signature Silver Sky – and the ability of Neural DSP’s cutting edge software in convincing an analog connoisseur to place his faith in the product.
There have been signs this day would come, too. Not only was a Fractal used to record some of Sob Rock’s guitar parts, Mayer also played a Quad Cortex during a Coachella guest spot, and praised a Universal Audio amp modeler.
And so, Archetype: John Mayer X – it offers models of Mayer’s most prized gear, which have been behind some of the most influential studio and live guitar recordings of the past 20 years.
For amps, the plugin is “grounded in the amps that anchor his clean tones”. That means there are three standalone models based on his 1964 Fender Vibroverb, his Dumble Steel String Singer #002, and his Two Rock prototype signature #83.
There’s also an all-encompassing Three-In-One amp, which recreates the multi-amp setup that Mayer uses live and in the studio. Here, the amps – and matching cabs – are blended and routed exactly like Mayer’s own rig.
These are paired with matching cabinets for each amp, including Mayer’s Fender combo with a 15” CTS speaker, his Dumble cabinet loaded with a vintage EVM12L, and the Celestion G12M Greenback from his Two Rock cab.
Five essential John Mayer pedals have also been modeled. There’s the Justa Boost, a model of his always-on Keeley Katana compressor; the Halfman OD, a recreation of his indispensable Klon Centaur; and the Millipede Delay, a replica of his Way Huge Aqua Puss.
There’s also the Antelope Filter – a take on his EHX Q-Tron, which is essential for songs such as I Don’t Trust Myself (Loving You) – and the Tealbreaker, a two-in-one drive effect with sides for the Ibanez TS-10 and Marshall Bluesbreaker pedals.
The plugin also features Dream Delay – modeled after Mayer’s go-to Providence Chrono-Delay – as well as an additional compressor and EQ. And there's a tweaked UI, reportedly introduced at Mayer’s request, for greater usability.
It is, in other words, a comprehensive plugin that covers all the bases that any discerning Mayer fan would ever desire in order to tap into his tone.
As Neural DSP CEO Douglas Castro tells Guitar World of the plugin’s creation, the company first started working with Mayer back in 2022, and began work on the Archetype earlier this year.
“We had a call with John and after about 20 minutes of explaining that we could do pretty much anything he was looking for, he became genuinely excited,” he says of the collaboration. “That’s essentially how the relationship kicked off.”
The project was headed up by Neural DSP Plugins Product Manager François Barrillon. It was a partnership like no other, he explains to Guitar World, because it involved the Neural DSP team shipping all their modeling equipment from the HQ in Finland to Mayer’s studio.
It was a success, though, and the results speak for themselves. Mayer has already given his signature plugin its live debut on the radio during a Life with John Mayer radio show.
“There are still plenty of people who doubt digital amp modeling,” Barrillon reflects in an upcoming interview.
“I’m not trying to convert anyone, but honestly, if it’s good enough for John Mayer to use on stage and to develop a full plugin with us, it’s good enough for basically any player.
“I’m convinced that even die-hard tube amp purists will be very surprised by how dynamic, warm, and genuinely ‘real’ this plugin feels. I know plenty of tube amps that sound far colder and more lifeless than this.
“I’ll never forget sending John the first prototype,” he continues. “I was so nervous and thought, ‘God, I hope this sounds right.’ Two days later, he sent me a video of himself in the studio playing the Slow Dancing in a Burning Room solo through the plugin… and it sounded just like the record. That’s when I knew we had it.”
“John’s sound has inspired guitarists around the world, and it was a privilege to work with him directly to recreate the rig that anchors his tone,” Castro said in a press release. “There’s an intimacy to the way his rig responds – it breathes, it opens up, it carries emotion – and capturing that behavior was one of the most meaningful projects we’ve taken on.”
Archetype: John Mayer X – which is also a Quad Cortex compatible plugin – is available now for €169.
Visit Neural DSP for more, and keep an eye out for Guitar World’s upcoming interview with the company on how one of the biggest gear collaborations of the modern age came to be.
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