
Guitars
55
Ibanez Steve Vai JEM-EVO Signature Guitar
"For the most part, the record that I just finished is called The Story of Li... more

Ibanez Universe Burned Seven-String Electric Guitar
"With this guitar I broke out the seven string for a bunch of tracks on this ... more

Ibanez JEM/UV Steve Vai Signature Electric Guitar
"This is the new Jem that Ibanez just came out with. The bones of the Jem hav... more

Ibanez JEM Steve Vai 77FP Floral Fabric Print Ele...
"This is fabric under there. The fabric came from my curtains. When I was liv... more
Amplifiers
27
Carvin Legacy 1 VL100 100W Amp Head
"I use a variety [of amps], like on the record I used a lot of different guit... more

Carvin Legacy 3 VL300 100W Amp Head
"You want to continue to evolve and try to improve, so we came up with the Le... more

Fractal Axe-Fx II Guitar Effects Processor
"I used to have what was the size of refrigerators for racks with all sorts o... more

Marshall JMP 2203 Mk II Master Lead 100w
The 100 watt Marshall JMP was given to Ted Templeman by Steve Stevens during ... more
Effects Pedals
54
Ibanez Jemini Distortion Guitar Effects Pedal
"The pedalboard out of the front amp is pretty simple. I have an Ibanez Jemin... more

Dunlop GCB95 Cry Baby Wah Wah
"I'm using a Dunlop Wah-Wah," said Steve Vai about his Dunlop Original Cry Ba... more

Morley Steve Vai Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah Pedal
"I'm using…a Bad Horsey Wah-Wah, which is a Morley that I helped design," say... more

Red Witch Titan Delay Pedal
"I just kind of put different pieces of gear in to try different pedals. I us... more
Software Plugins and VSTs
2
What kind of Software Plugins and VSTs does Steve Vai use?

Ocean Way Microphone Locker App
“When the app revolution hit, I remembered that great CD-ROM and knew it woul... more

Spectrasonics Omnisphere Virtual Synth
Steve Vai of [Alcatrazz](https://equipboard.com/band/alcatrazz), [Stuart Hamm... more
DAWs
1
Avid Pro Tools 11
"This is where I work, this is my computer and I use ProTools and I load ever... more
Studio Equipment
31
Fractal Audio Systems MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller
"This is the switcher for the Axe effect system. With my foot controller you'... more

Pultec Program Equalizer EQP-1A
"These Pultec Eqs are very old, very sought after and sre probably around $7-... more

ADR Compex F760X-RS Compressor
"This here is a very cool piece of gear, the Compex EQ Compressor. They're ve... more

Eventide H3000S UltraHarmonizer
Steve Vai's studio rig contains an Eventide H3000S UltraHarmonizer. more
Microphones
5
Shadow Hills Industries Mono GAMA 500 Series Mic Pre
"These are mic pres API, they're called 500 Series because of their size. The... more

SVT Audio API 325/312 Mic Preamplifier
"These are mic pres API, they're called 500 Series because of their size," sa... more

Sennheiser MD 421 Dynamic Microphone
"I use usually three microphones, on one cabinet and the way that they're pla... more
Music Accessories
11
Ibanez 1000SVWHR Steve Vai Signature Guitar Pick
"I use these Ibanez picks. It's funny because you can give me anything and I ... more

Ibanez 1000SVMP Steve Vai Signature Guitar Pick
"If I got the wrong pick I just can't play. And I had to go through a lot of ... more

Ibanez 1000SVBR Steve Vai Signature Guitar Pick
"I don't use Tortex, because well - it's not that I'm an animal activist - I ... more

Ibanez 1000SVGR Steve Vai Signature Guitar Pick
"These [Ibanez picks] are like a special kind of plastic that just grips my f... more
Studio Monitors
2
Ocean Way HR3 Monitor System
"My friend is Allen Sides and he has this speaker line, the OceanWay Monitor ... more

Yamaha NS10 Studio Monitor
"The speakers I use, I've always been used to NS-10s because it's just the wa... more
World Instruments
1
Coral Sitar
This rare 1960s Coral Sitar made by Jerry Jones is the Angel Hair model. It i... more
Banjos
1
Fender FB-54 5 String Banjo
This Fender 5 String Banjo model FB-54 in black finish is a part of Vai's ext... more
Bass Guitars
1
Fender Black Precision Bass Gold Pickguard
This black Fender Precision Bass with Gold pickguard is also a part of Steve ... more
Strings
5
Ernie Ball Cobalt Super Slinky Electric Guitar St...
"I'm usually a 9-42 guy, and I think the seven-string is a 52. Some of the gu... more

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Guitar Strings (10-46)
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Electric Strings are favored by many musicians arou... more

Ernie Ball Super Slinky Guitar Strings (9-42)
On 4:00, Steve is talking about Ernie ball Strings According to Ernie Ball... more

Dean Markley Blue Steel
At the second column, you'll read "Steve uses: Ibanez Guitars, DiMarzio Evolu... more
Other Gear
5
RIAA Gold Sales Award – "Passion and Warfare"
This Gold sales award was presented to Steve Vai by the Recording Industry As... more

RIAA 2x Platinum Sales Award – "Live at the Astor...
This 2x Platinum sales award was presented to Steve Vai by the Recording Indu... more

Nielsen Gold Sales Award – "Passion and Warfare"
This Gold sales award was presented to Steve Vai by the Nielsen SoundScan to ... more
Gear Guides
11 Best Distortion Pedals for Guitar: Metal, Classic Rock, and Beyond


Michael Pierce & Giulio Chiarenza
Updated March 2020