John Mayer – Sob Rock

John Mayer uses the Shin-ei Companion PM-14 Amplifier Psychedelic Machine for the outro solo of "I Guess I Just Feel Like," as confirmed by a video analysis of his amp rig by Justin Jeske on YouTube.

At minute marker 1:26 in John Mayer's latest music video released in 2021, "Last Train Home", a vintage Asahi Pentax camera makes it's debut. The song is the first new release off his eagerly-awaited 8th studio album, "Sob Rock". The accompanying music video, like the track, has an 80's nostalgia vibe, and the Pentax is right at home in this context, reliving it's glory days.

John Mayer - Going Down the Road, Feeling Bad - 07/12/13 - The Cynthia Woods-Mitchell Pavilion. This guitar was also used to record the ending solo in the single "I Guess I Just Feel Like" in 2018.

Gibson L-5 John's Gibsons aren't as few as someone might think. One of his favorites it's his '77 Gibson L-5. I don't have certain dates, but it seems that he got that guitar around '07, he used it on 'Where The Light Is' for 'I'm Gonna Find Another You' and also for those now famous Mulholland Drive clips. It's a hollow-body with a solid spruce top and maple back and sides, five-piece maple neck and two humbuckers. The guitar was used on and off back in the day, but recently it was used heavily for 'Moving On and Getting Over' as it was used on the record. You can tell by the tone on the live shows that the song was recorded with it.

credits to @johnmayergear on IG.

Martin Guitars posted this gifted custom Martin SC with John Mayer's name inlayed on the fingerboard. He was also seen playing it in his hotel room on a now gone Instagram story. Martin writes:

Fresh from the factory - Who can spot the Wild Blue label on @johnmayer's new Custom SC that was gifted to him? Check out his new single, Wild Blue, and his newest Martin on his upcoming Sob Rock tour.

In this photo you can see a picture of Johns PRS SE Silver Sky models in Dragon Fruit, Ever Green, Stone Blue, and Moon White that he will be using during his 2022 Sob Rock Tour

As seen at the 32 second mark in the new music video for "Last Train Home" the first of 4 new songs on John Mayer's upcoming 8th studio Album, Sob Rock (dropping July 16, 2021), the synth-heavy sound is achieved using a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer.

As seen in the new music video for "Last Train Home", the first of 4 new songs on John Mayer's upcoming 8th studio Album, Sob Rock (dropping July 16, 2021), the music video production highlighted the use of the Denecke Dcode TS-3 Time Code Clapper Slate with Color Clapper Sticks, which adds to the nostalgic, 1980's aesthetic of the video. The Clapper Slate runs about $1200.00.

As seen in the new music video for "Last Train Home", the first of 4 new songs on John Mayer's upcoming 8th studio Album, Sob Rock (dropping July 16, 2021), a vintage Shure 55 Dynamic Microphone makes a cameo and adds to the authentic 1980's vibe the video is going for.

John has been known for using a Klon Centaur consistently on his rigs since 2009. Although the settings have varied from time to time, it's a big part of his sound, used on its own or stacked with the TS10 for lead sounds. Recently we learned that John actually found a pedal to use for those sounds when can't bring his Klon for some reason (He has actually said he only owns one): that pedal is the J Rockett Jeff Mod Archer. J Rockett has been putting the Archer pedals since 2014, now offering different models for different necessities and tonal options. The Jeff Archer features NOS diodes and special tweaks to make it the ultimate Klone.

John was first seen using it on his board for the 2021 TV Promo performances, playing 'Wild Blue' and 'Last Train Home'. For each of these songs the setup of the pedalboard was changed but the TS10 and the Jeff Archer stayed.

When the Sob Rock Tour kicked in, the Jeff Archer was loaded into his 'spare' board: a smaller sized board with the basics for his tone so he could take it anywhere easily and quickly while in the middle of touring.

This board was used when he played with Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros. at the Radio City Music Hall (NYC - April 3, 2022). This was in the middle of the Sob Rock Tour shows in Florida. He used his PRS McCarty 594 nicknamed "Honey" into a Fender Princeton amp.

Also, for the final shows of the tour in Boston, he joined Alexander 23 on May 9 for a cover of 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World'. For this, he used this board again, using a Custom Shop Jackson SL-1 into a Fender Vibroverb.

Used live during the leadup to Paradise Valley and in the studio during the Sob Rock era, particularly for the recording of "Wild Blue".

Paradise Valley era (photos sources from Mayer's Instagram)

• jmgear post on April 4, 2013
• jmgear post on April 15, 2013
• jmgear post on April 21, 2013 (photos from an April 19, 2013 gig)

Sob Rock era

Mayer demonstrated its purported use on Player's "Baby Come Back" in a November 25, 2020 Instagram reel by Christian James Hand; it appears in the video for "Last Train Home (Ballad Version)" at 3:23 (cf. @johnmayergear's November 21, 2021 Instagram post about the video); and Mayer states that it was used on "Wild Blue" in JHS Pedals’ “The Story of ROSS Pedals” at 18:00.

Instagram, @christianjameshand, November 25, 2020

...here’s our Resident Gtr Expert Johan Von Mayer (@johnmayer) confirming that the pedal utilized on Player’s “Baby Come Back” from yesterday’s Session was, indeed, the vaunted Ross Phaser. Our Panel of Experts includes @flytetymejam (keyboards), @lpdpedals (tones), @charliehunter67 (amps), @elteneleven (bass), @matt_tierney53 (The Wiki), & All Things Recording Life Line @donwas.

JHS Pedals, "The Story of ROSS Pedals" (@ 18:00)

The first time I heard and saw a Ross pedal was a phaser that Charlie Hunter was using in his quartet. Loved the way it sounded on this record and tracked it down to being a Ross Phaser. It had a distortion setting on it, which was really wild. I've actually used that Ross Phaser on "Wild Blue" on my record Sob Rock. You can hear it double the little guitar interlude that comes after every chorus.