Jared Dines recruits Michael Angelo Batio, Manuel Gardner Fernandes, Rabea Massaad and Felix Martin for quite possibly the best shred collab ever

What was the best Christmas present you got this year? For us here at Guitar World, perhaps the greatest gift was the latest edition of Jared Dines’ shred collab series, which is not only the YouTuber’s best virtual collaborative effort yet, but also arguably one of the best shred collabs ever.

It’s a lofty statement to make, but such is the caliber of the 13-minute video (and fourth instalment overall), it’s been on our minds ever since it was released on Christmas Eve – we’re a little late to the party, we know – and you’d be hard pressed to find something that exceeds Dines’ newest virtual team-up.

Just give the team sheet a quick appraisal and you’ll quickly realize why: Jared Dines – YouTuber and meme guitar extraordinaire – has assembled one of the fiercest lineups in contemporary electric guitar history.

Joining Dines himself are Ibanez artists Ichika Nito and Manuel Gardner Fernandes, as well as their peers Jason Richardson, TheDooo, Rob Scallon and Nik Nocturnal.

But wait, there’s more: the mammoth 27-strong lineup also features Matt Heafy, Michael Angelo Batio, Rabea Massaad, Oni Hasan, Charlie Parra Del Riego, Angel Vivaldi, Hiram Hernandez, Jon Dretto and bass guitar heroes Charles Berthoud and Davie 504.

You get the picture: there are loads of stellar guitarists involved, and the sheer quantity is matched only by the unrivaled quality of playing that each participant provides.

Highlights include – but are certainly not limited to – Ichika Nito’s dizzying effort, which bounds across the ‘board thanks to some tapping, string skipping and percussive hybrid picking, TheDooo’s energetic entry that treats the whammy bar like a trampoline, and Hayden Maringer’s mind-bending fretboard frolicking.

Michael Angelo Batio makes an appearance armed with his signature double guitar, and is joined on the list of “wacky guitar wielders” by Felix Martin, who dons his double-fretboard, 16-string FM model for a two-hand tap-heavy passage.

Matt Heafy’s effort is also every bit as professional as you’d expect, and the entire track is closed out in style courtesy of acoustic guitar titan Marcin Patrzalek – the same Marcin who broke the internet last year with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir.

We could go on, but we won’t. It’s probably best you just watch the video above.