Big Poppa said if you if U want make a Mayer thread

[the24thfret]

I'll just put my 2 cents in for John Mayer. He frequently blows my mind with tone and riffs, not to mention absolutely fantastic songwriting. He's also a totally underrated singer. I consider Continuum one of the few popular albums that saved the decade from all the other utterly terrible noise.

Still bothers me that he needs defending years after he was cast as a teen pop song hero.

 

[Josh O]

.......................(and Josh slips under the radar with his admission that he carries his prized EBMM guitars in a Fender gig bag with Mayer's name on it )..........................

 

[kimonostereo]

.......................(and Josh slips under the radar with his admission that he carries his prized EBMM guitars in a Fender gig bag with Mayer's name on it )..........................

If it's the INCASE case you are talking about, it's a really fine gig bag. I wish they sold it separately.

 

[Josh O]

If it's the INCASE case you are talking about, it's a really fine gig bag. I wish they sold it separately.

That's the one! It's awesome, been using it almost four years now, got it off the 'Bay, someone must've gotten a hardshell case for their Mayer strat or something, really don't know why they sold it. It's unreal with the padding, the multiple storage compartments, double back straps, etc. I got it at the time InCase was finally going to start making the SlimBag again but there was a ridiculous waiting list and this bag presented itself on the 'Bay so I sucked it up.

 

[nickowatson]

Johns soloing is fine by me, i like it. Let's not forget as a supporting guitarist in a band 90% of the time you're playing rhythm and only 10% of the time you get to solo. It makes sense to be the best rhythm guitarist you can be,. Don't get me wrong i love soloing just like the next knucklhead but i think rhythm playing is overlooked by a lot of guitarists as something too simple. btw rob, i should be embarassed to say this but im seeing Taylor Swift in February

 

[kimonostereo]

That's the one! It's awesome, been using it almost four years now, got it off the 'Bay, someone must've gotten a hardshell case for their Mayer strat or something, really don't know why they sold it. It's unreal with the padding, the multiple storage compartments, double back straps, etc. I got it at the time InCase was finally going to start making the SlimBag again but there was a ridiculous waiting list and this bag presented itself on the 'Bay so I sucked it up.

Wishing for an INCASE + EBMM guitar gig bag collaboration. Wonder if that's even possible? A premium gig bag... that would be awesome!

One thing is for sure: Mayer knows good design and has always has quality stuff made for him.

 

[robelinda2]

btw rob, i should be embarassed to say this but im seeing Taylor Swift in February

It will be my 2nd time too in feb.....

 

[Kaloyan]

All the names mentioned have made a MARK in the Human History and they deserve respect and appreciation for it. There's many talents that didn't make it ... They deserve it too But obviously the first ones DID posses few skills the most - fullfiling their dreams regardless of the obstacles, being disciplined in their pursuit of 'happiness' and being capable of realizing every opportunity they were given to demonstrate their abilities and being able to live and feel through every moment while performing and being able to recognize and respect the humans their music has touched throughout and has won their hearts and not at last Being able to Architecture and analyze and predict that their Music has that Power!

 

[kissmyaxe]

All the names mentioned have made a MARK in the Human History and they deserve respect and appreciation for it. There's many talents that didn't make it ... They deserve it too But obviously the first ones DID posses few skills the most - fullfiling their dreams regardless of the obstacles, being disciplined in their pursuit of 'happiness' and being capable of realizing every opportunity they were given to demonstrate their abilities and being able to live and feel through every moment while performing and being able to recognize and respect the humans their music has touched throughout and has won their hearts and not at last Being able to Architecture and analyze and predict that their Music has that Power!

that confused me haha
John Mayer is one of those guys I try to learn from, he knew how to play the system initially by doing little pop songs that probably werent his favorite(but he sure knows how to write them) and now gets to play to stadiums packed full of girls and he could decide to play blues all night and they would still be screaming their heads off....the only guitarist on the planet that gets to do that!

 

[look_at_her]

"I don`t need no doctor".
Shame on me,but it was the first time I`ve heard JM,but from that moment-respect is the word.The guy is awesome!Would like to see him playin` one of EBMM gems.

 

[shredderbetter]

he does play a 25~ but has to keep it on the DL since f****r has his sig guitar~he rocks listen to his trio album it's much better than the pop rock most of us hear.Like most good music never makes it on the air??

 

[gtrman66]

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of Mayers music......not my cup-o-tea....but I do give him props for his talent.That being said i like "trio"....it sounds like they had a lot of fun recording it,and weren't too concerned about commercial success...certainly worth a listen if you haven't already done so.
I've been looking around for an incase guitar bag and can't seem to find one anywhere.They look like a well-made gigbag but I wonder if they've been discontinued
I've also been checking out reunion blues...this clip looks interesting
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6jjc7V2XbM"]YouTube- Les Paul RB Continental Case drop test next?[/ame]

 

[TimSz]

Can't we all just agree that I need to be worshipped more?

 

[straycat113]

Well this has turned into one of the best threads I have been involved in on any forum in quite sometime, as it could of went in a totally opposite direction.

I would just like to say I am the first one that hates it when musicianship is based on technical ability. My favorite band hands down is the Beatles and I have to scratch my head when I see people say they hate them but to each there own.

I have stated a few times now that I do not hate John Mayer or thinks he lacks talent, my disagreement was with all the accolades bestowed upon him for his skill as a lead player and maybe that has to do with the words that came out of his own mouth.

When he first hit to be honest I really thought is was Dave Mathews I was hearing. Then as he garnered some steam and got well known I remember reading an interview with him where he said he was just doing that kind of music until he got his foot in the door and had the power to play what is his true passion -blues based rock, which the record label would never let him do in the beginning, and that he was coming out with an album with a trio of that music.

Well I was totally looking forward to the release and went out and bought it, and after two listenings I will be honest I was really disappointed. There was nothing there that blew me away, or made me want to cop a lick as I knew them already.Now some people want to say that there are haters because the guy is good looking or banging super models. Well you can go back 30 years to Peter Frampton who at his peak in that aspect was Mayer times ten but was an amazing guitar player who cut his teeth with Humble Pie before becoming the biggest act on the planet at a time when the competition was as heavy as could be with great players everywhere. Now Mayer says he wants to make a total pop album that kids on Idol can sing. What happened to his heart always being blues based? I dont know and really dont care as the guy is a tremendously talented writer and can write whatever he wants. It is just that the directions he is going in have all been trotted down before and nothing is ground breaking.And to be honest this is a guitar forum and everyones focus is on the guitar playing not his singing or writing. Steve Lukather who I am a huge fan of and is the type of guy who pulls no punches. I could remember when grunge ruled the roost and it was uncool to actually know how to play in tune or have chops, and all the guitar magazines were bowing down and shunning everyone who was not part of that movement. Well Billy Corgan was on the cover of Guitar World and Lukather actually wrote in the feed back column (I still have the issue somewhere) and blasted the magazine to catering to guys who dont even know how to tune there guitar and then said you had Bill Corgan on the cover what is he going to teach someone, I could play better than him when I was eight.lol Maybe harsh but I loved it.

Come to think about it this whole thing really started about me making a comment that I did not think Mayer was a great player in a players sense of what great is. Which ruffled the feathers of some guys who play a guitar that is endorsed by some of the greatest players on the face of the earth. Let me see the Axis which was the EVH, The Luke, The Petrucci, The Morse, The Albert Lee not anyone here someone would want to follow as you would get smoked.lol In fact I used to have an old Albert Lee Star Licks video back in the day and I am almost certain Lee brought his good friend Sterling Ball out to play Bass on a few examples, am I right there Big Poppa. Come to think about it I had a tape back in the day of every artist there except EVH because he never put one out, but it was guys like this that baffled me and unless you saw some things you were clueless to how they did it.Not to ruffle any feathers again but if you ask me the most difficult stuff to play it would have to be country music like Albert Lee, Danny Gatton and Brent Mason because these guys are playing at such a speed with everything set basically clean and there is no gain or distortion to hide any clams. But that is why there is no best guitarist as there are to many styles.

I never could listen to more than 3 songs by Yngwie in a row as the music did nothing for me. Well I saw G3 at the Beacon in NY 4th row center it was the show where Vai came out with the triple neck and the strap broke but he would not let his roadie fix it. Anyway when Yngwie came out I was totally blown away, I swear my jaw was on the floor his whole set and the guy can work a crowd to boot. Just amazing. I still dont care for his music but would pay to see him anytime. So I have to say that is weird- dont care for his music but would pay to see him play anytime and love it.

I agree with everyone who said a tip of the hat to Mayer for making people want to pick up a guitar as we need a lot more of that these days and believe it or not as hard as I tried to get my 10 year old to pick up a guitar it was not till he got Guitar Hero last Christmas which I was dead against buying, did he come to me six months later saying he wanted to play the real thing. Go figure.

 

[zombi]

He has "THE tone" people want when it comes to blues. When it comes to sound and tone everything is there. I am willing to guess at least 90% of people wish their fendie exploded the same tone his did on "gravity." I'm also willing to bet his love for tube screamers has influenced a few people to get one as well. Another rad thing I'm seeing from my post at the guitar store is that these kids picking up guitar are interested in more than just the teen pop hits. I've got kids coming in looking for blues tones, only wanting to touch the NECK pickup. Most kids live on the bridge. I'm all in. One of the kids Mayer influences to explore the blues is going to grow up to KILL it. I can't wait.

He is a songwriter first. The intent of the song is to tell the tale, and they definately do that. And to play and sing "I don't need no doctor" just seems unattainable to me.

 

[whitestrat]

I never could listen to more than 3 songs by Yngwie in a row as the music did nothing for me. Well I saw G3 at the Beacon in NY 4th row center it was the show where Vai came out with the triple neck and the strap broke but he would not let his roadie fix it. Anyway when Yngwie came out I was totally blown away, I swear my jaw was on the floor his whole set and the guy can work a crowd to boot. Just amazing. I still dont care for his music but would pay to see him anytime. So I have to say that is weird- dont care for his music but would pay to see him play anytime and love it.

Ahh... Yngwie... love the guy... probably the ONLY guitarist who could always bring a smile to my face everytime I hear him play live. No matter how clique, no matter how overplayed, no matter how campy. Yngwie is yngwie. No other person on eath is like him. not just the playing, the attitude as well.

While I never wanted to play like him or learn his stuff, he has always created his own thing, and stuck to it. Everyone calls this guy or the next guy some one else's copy or wannabe. But not Yngwie. He was one of the key protagonists of the neo-classical shred thingie. Even though there are many others who followed, none of them worked a guitar or a crowd like YJM. That's one guitarists I feel who should be honoured as a legend. He brought something to the guitar world. One note from him, and you know it's him. Then he'll give you 1,000,000 other notes to confirm it. Hahahha...

I was really happy that he was one of the G3 members eventually. I always thought they should get YJM up there because he was one guitarist who had the energy and stage presence to match Vai and Satch. EJ was cool, but sort of a bit overshadowed. JP was great, but very stiff. he just stands there, or rests his leg on the stand. Yngwie, will jump around, fling his guitar, do karate kicks and everything. Very campy, but that's him, and I love him being himself for that!

 

[ScoobySteve]

He's another artist who lays it down with the gee-tar, gotta give props that way.

He's got great tone, can't deny that (those Two Rocks and Dumbles help I'm sure) but a lot of that is in the fingers too.

He's not a favorite to me by any means, but I do listen to some of his stuff. I don't care to bash the man, never will, just not what musically drives me. Ain't nothing wrong with that. I don't get why so many people insist on on hating on genre's or musicians that are different from their own, flabbergasting really.

Some people don't like tomatoes, no biggie. Some people don't like John Mayer, no biggie either way. I agree with BP's sentiments, a lot of people bash or send negative sentiments because of what he represents (or propped up to be) as opposed to what he plays.

 

[Big Poppa]

OK the Corgan was according to Luke a off the cuff and what should have been off the record quote. To this day it comes back from time to time to haunt Luke as he really never means to slag any artist. You know who held it against Luke forever (probably still) John Mayer! He was a young kid reading that and a fan of Corgin and really was just gutted by the quote.

Coupla things to remember when you are doing press...It has a half life of Nuclear waste and if you get ten minutes to talk make sure it is a all positive land good.
I was reading an quote by Pete Anderson. I wont slag him but an overachiever in the genre's he attempts....He ripped Albert Lee and said something to the effect that he adds nothing to a song but his solo concpts and even ifg he could play like Alber, he wouldnt. I do not like Pete Anderson as a result and have met him a few times and I shake his hand while looking over his head.

It was me in those videos

 

[SouthernShred]

I'll admit, when I first heard Mayer I thought "great, DMB-light for the tweenie-bopper crowd" but after watching his career, I've grown to respect him as an artist and frankly, as a businessman...he was smart, he got his foot in the door of the record industry with bubblegum-esque pop and then, once the record companies loved him, started making the records he wanted to make...and they sell! Continuum, Try! Live and now Battle Studies are 3 of the best albums I've heard in a long time, end-to-end. I think most guitarists hate on John Mayer for a handful of reasons...one, he is living our dream...he's young, handsome, plays guitar and sings for a living, tours the world, has a fair amount of money, buys all the boutique gear he wants and well, bangs the hottest famous chicks around. He seems to have a good sense of humor (anyone seen his "songwriting process" youtube clip?), writes GREAT songs and is really the total package. Is he the greatest guitarist ever? Nope. Is he one of the most complete songwriter/guitarist/performers to come along in MANY years? Yep!

So, while I haven't turned complete fanboy, I openly buy his music these days and will always admit I'm a bit jealous. He did it. He's living the dream...he's my age and I feel like an underachiever for not chasing the dream like he did. More power to him.

FWIW, the songs "Heartbreak Warfare", "Edge of Desire" and "Assassin" off of the new album are worth the price of the album alone.

Shannon

 

[fogman]

I would just like to say I am the first one that hates it when musicianship is based on technical ability. My favorite band hands down is the Beatles and I have to scratch my head when I see people say they hate them but to each there own.

If you think about it, some of our all time favourites are not masters with their instruments. They are though great musicians. They can work a crowd, and they can properly manage the media.
They also hit many different music types, markets, genres.... The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Stones.....all did it.

When he first hit to be honest I really thought is was Dave Mathews I was hearing.

I may be remembering this wrong, but isn't Dave Mathews John's uncle or something like that?
There use to be an audio clip on YouTube of John imitating Mathews, Clapton, and some others. Voice & Guitar were dead on. It was funny, but talented to be able to do that really.

Well I was totally looking forward to the release and went out and bought it, and after two listenings I will be honest I was really disappointed. There was nothing there that blew me away, or made me want to cop a lick as I knew them already.

I like it. I was hoping for more of the blues based stuff myself.
I think switching it up is a good thing for any artist to do so that your not known for doing 'just this'.
But what John is really good at doing though is giving us something that's new but feels familiar. I don't find any of his music ground breaking.
He's very good at taking an idea and mood for a song and narrowing it down to the simplest form.