Steve Vai and Derek Trucks’ secret weapon? Speaker isolators

IsoAcoustics Stage 1 isolation board — (Image credit: IsoAcoustics)

It’s easy to get wrapped up in picks, cables, speakers and the like in our quest for electric guitar tone, but one thing you might not have considered is speaker isolators - which, as it turns out, form an important part of Steve Vai, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s guitar rigs.

As IsoAcoustics releases its new Stage 1 Board, the Ontario-based firm has released a video featuring Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Greg Wurth (Steve Vai) and Brian Speiser (FOH for Tedeschi Trucks Band), discussing the tonal benefits of the isolation technology.

Essentially, isolators decouple guitar amps from a venue’s stage, keeping guitar tone consistent from night to night, and improving low-end clarity thanks to reduced resonance.

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Watch full video here:

IsoAcoustics’ Stage 1 Board pairs with the company’s Stage 1 isolators, but offers a portable platform for use with any amp up to 200lbs (90kg) in weight.

The IsoAcoustics Stage 1 Board ($39.99) and isolators ($129.99 for a pack of four) are available now - see IsoAcoustics for more.

Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has been writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist for over 15 years, and recording and performing in original and function bands for two decades-plus. During his career, he has interviewed everyone from John Frusciante to Chris Cornell, Matt Bellamy and Billy Corgan. His writing also appears in The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.