Steve Vai

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A collage of Guitar Player magazine covers

“When Guitar Player made its debut in 1967, it marked a new era for guitar”: Guitar Player magazine to cease print publication

By Jackson Maxwell published 9 October 24

The world's oldest continuously published magazine devoted to guitarists, guitar gear, and instruction, Guitar Player was instrumental to the careers of Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, and Yngwie Malmsteen, to name just a few examples

Steve Vai with his custom Ibanez JS1, which was gifted to him by Joe Satriani. It features a heavy relic'd black finish and custom artwork on the back

“He took it on tour, beat the heck out of it, then painted it. This is a family heirloom now”: Joe Satriani gifted Steve Vai his relic’d, custom-painted Ibanez signature – now it’s one of Vai’s most treasured guitars

By Matt Owen published 4 October 24

The birthday gift – which is unlike any Satch signature you've ever seen before – ranks alongside the ‘Swiss Cheese’ guitar and Vai's first-ever Fender Strat as one of the virtuoso’s most prized instruments

Steve Vai of BEAT performs on stage at Humphreys Concerts By the Bay on September 17, 2024 in San Diego, California

“I didn’t tell anybody when I started playing the guitar. Then I entered a talent contest and I played The Star-Spangled Banner with my teeth – and I won”: Why Steve Vai kept his guitar playing a secret when he first started

By Matt Owen published 30 September 24

Vai didn't tell anyone when he began learning the guitar, but eventually announced his new-found fretboard abilities in quite spectacular style

“You can rehearse until you're blue in the face, but once you hit the stage and the lights go out, all bets are off”: Steve Vai and Adrian Belew tackle King Crimson classics as their much-anticipated Beat tour kicks off

By Phil Weller published 16 September 24

The pair have joined forces with Tony Levin and Danny Carey to perform King Crimson’s 1980s albums across a sprawling 65-date tour

Corey Taylor and Steve Vai performing on stage

"I’ve been a Steve Vai fan since I was 15, and never thought I’d ever get the chance to do something amazing with him": Slipknot's Corey Taylor collaborates with his hero Steve Vai on new Billy Morrison track

By Matt Owen published 10 September 24

Incite The Watch is lifted from The Morrison Project, which sees the Slipknot vocalist fulfil a lifelong dream of working with the virtuoso

“He scoured the globe to find these guitars. I had given many away or sold them through the years, but he tracked them down”: A 1,000-page book showcasing Steve Vai’s iconic guitars has been announced – and it will be joined by a super-limited Ibanez JEM

By Phil Weller published 9 September 24

Wire & Wood: The Guitars of Steve Vai took five years to complete, and tells the story of over 100 guitars in “exquisite detail”

“I am so in love with it, they asked, ‘You wanna sprinkle a little Vai fairy dust on it?’” Steve Vai and Positive Grid have launched a signature Spark Mini inspired by his five-neck Hydra guitar – and it’s got four Vai-designed presets

By Matt Owen published 28 August 24

The latest artist-approved Spark Mini features a unique Hydra artwork and a quartet of guitar tones that cover Vai's favorite practice sounds

“He’s taught me a lot about the guitar, but not from showing me stuff on the neck or talking about picking”: How Steve Vai helped Jacob Collier become a better player without even touching a guitar

By Phil Weller published 31 July 24

The newly crowned Strandberg signature artist discusses how Vai’s progressive mentality informed his approach to the guitar

“Billy Gibbons pulls out this big-ass yellow 17-string bass and he’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll play it for a song, right?’” ZZ Top’s Elwood Francis on teching for Joe Perry, lying to Steve Vai – and the curse of playing that viral 17-string bass

By Andrew Daly published 24 July 24

The gear-trashing DIY enthusiast once had to choose between Vai and Joe Perry, before being fired and rehired by Guns N’ Roses – in a matter of days

“I had a ridiculously long, complex chord and key change solo section. And who comes to mind? Steve Vai!” How Billy Morrison assembled a guitar lineup that includes John 5, Steve Stevens and Steve Vai for his triumphant comeback solo album

By Andrew Daly published 5 July 24

Inspired by a basic signal chain and the “simplest guitar album on the planet”, Billy Idol’s right-hand man feels vindicated with the unplanned success of The Morrison Project

Steve Vai shredding in various places courtesy of the Zeus in Chains app

“Create some crazy content of me performing at a historical location near you, or in a hilarious situation”: Ever wanted a private Steve Vai concert? This new app literally beams the virtuoso into your home

By Matt Owen published 28 June 24

The Zeus in Chains app utilizes augmented reality to project Vai on any backdrop – and the best clips are going to be used in an upcoming video

“I'm auctioning these for some wonderful charities”: Two of Steve Vai’s Ibanez JEMs found their way back to him after auction – so he’s selling them again to raise even more money for charity

By Phil Weller published 25 June 24

The two guitars were originally auctioned off in 2022, but have been put up for sale once more to help raise funds for two charities

Joe Satriani and Steve Vai pose in a portrait shoot

“People started saying I looked like Voldemort!” Joe Satriani and Steve Vai look back at their classic Guitar World covers – and the star guitars they loved and lost

By Richard Bienstock published 29 May 24

The axelords discuss the guitars they’re holding in six key GW magazine covers from the past. Along the way, we learn about guitar thefts, loud photoshoots, hair, pants and flexi-discs...

“I open the door and there’s this 12-year-old kid, a stringless guitar in one hand, a pack of strings in the other”: How Joe Satriani and Steve Vai met, became fast friends, and changed guitar forever

By Richard Bienstock published 15 May 24

After decades of pushing the envelope for instrumental guitar, the two giants of the instrument are touring together, writing together, and new music is coming. Satch and Vai take their story back to the beginning, and tell us where it’s headed

“David Bowie and Brian Eno used to laugh at me, saying: ‘You’re not supposed to be able to play that!’” Adrian Belew on Frank Zappa’s lessons, Robert Fripp’s synth guitar, and what’s coming up with Steve Vai

By Andrew Daly published 14 May 24

Still amazed that he managed to gather Vai, Tony Levin and Danny Carey into new band Beat, Belew reflects on his light-speed journey from 1977 to 1982, and how he plans to reactivate King Crimson’s ‘80s albums on stage

“There isn’t much guitar at all for the first three tracks. Nobody gave me the memo about what a record should sound like”: How Steve Vai revolutionized guitar with his debut album, Flex-Able

By Mark McStea published 28 April 24

Flex-Able was the sound of a young Steve Vai following his musical obsessions. That it changed everything for guitar – and Vai's career – was just a happy accident

“His style is so specific and refined. It's not something I could just jump into”: Steve Vai explains the hardest part of replicating Robert Fripp’s playing style

By Phil Weller published 22 April 24

Vai will be touring King Crimson’s ‘80s material with Beat in the fall, and he’s spoken about his preparations – which includes working with Roland on three purpose-built guitars

Steve Vai playing his Ibanez Steve Vai PIA3761C-BLP Blue Powder guitar

“The guitar is still a very healthy ingredient in pop music. You get Ed Sheeran, and even Taylor Swift is playing a guitar”: Steve Vai answers the question ‘Is guitar music dead?’

By Janelle Borg published 19 April 24

Steve Vai offers his take on whether the guitar is still a relevant instrument in contemporary music

Joe Satriani & Steve Vai – America's hottest new instrumental duo! Only in the new Guitar World

By Damian Fanelli published 16 April 24

Plus! Judas Priest, Black Crowes, Matteo Mancuso, Dillinger Escape Plan, Robby Krieger, Carlos Cavazo, 10 Beatles/Stones collaborations, Lerxst Chi head & cabinet reviewed and more!

“We started thinking, ‘Well, who could possibly be in the band?’ The only person I could think of was Steve”: Adrian Belew on how he and Steve Vai are forming a new guitar partnership ahead of a King Crimson supergroup tour

By Phil Weller published 12 April 24

'Beat' will tour the band's ’80s material later this year, and the group's guitar duo is working on a partnership that can do the Belew/Fripp double act justice

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