Get the Sound: Joe Satriani
Published on 12 December 2024
Joe Satriani is one of the most successful instrumental guitarists that this - or any other world - has seen. His sense of melody and his otherworldly technical ability have made him the number one choice for shred fans since the 80s.
As a highly visible artist, Satch (that’s his nickname and it’s quicker to type so you’ll be seeing that a lot today) has lots of signature equipment, and a lot of fans seeking to recreate his musical magic. Whilst a lot of Satch’s vibe is undoubtedly down to his touch, feel and jawdropping technique - not to mention his ear for a melody - the rest is down to his expert gear choice.
This is the bit I can help you with. I can’t make you play like Joe, but I can point you towards the equipment he uses to get his magnificent tones.
If you want to Surf with The Alien, then here's what you’ll need…
The Gear at a Glance
Ibanez JS Guitars
Joe is one of Ibanez’s most prestigious endorsees. Since the late 80s, there has been a steady stream of his signature Ibanez JS models available, and there’s a good wide range currently available. Joe seems to have certain features that he prefers, and these are present on almost all JS models. The body is very sculpted and shaped for comfort (it was based on an earlier Ibanez model called the Radius, fact fans), and there’s nearly always a licensed Floyd Rose-style locking tremolo. Satch’s guitars actually have a slightly more ‘vintage’ feeling neck, more akin to an old fender than something you’d find on a Jackson or Kramer. He prefers smaller medium-vintage frets too, when many shred gods use much bigger jumbo or extra jumbo frets. It all adds up to deliver a very specific feel!
Apart from these things, other features tend to vary in terms of pickup choices, fret numbers and finishes. Let’s check out a few, from the most affordable to the top-end models…
Ibanez JS140M : This entry level Satch guitar still impresses, with 24 frets on a maple neck and a pickup configuration that Joe often uses: a bridge humbucker and a ‘rails’ single coil-sized humbucker in the neck. The Soda Blue finish is, I believe, exclusive to this guitar, too.
Ibanez Premium JS240PS: Moving into Ibanez’s Premium line will net you some highly upgraded hardware including one of Joe’s signature DiMarzio pickups and a Sustainiac unit in the neck for infinite, controllable sustain. The whole instrument has upgraded quality parts and timbers, and the bridge is a higher quality one, too. On top of that, the overall build quality is tighter too, so this is a pretty formidable machine!
Ibanez JS1BKP: Moving into the Japanese-made guitars, the JS1 instruments are the ones Joe actually takes on tour and records with. This particular one is adorned with a cool black Paisley design and also features the Sustainiac and DiMarzio Satchur8 pickups. If it’s good enough for Joe, it’s flat out good enough!
There are more models than these out there - including a quite exceptional gold Ibanez JS2GD, so take a dive into the Ibanez JS range if you want to see more of what’s out just now.
Amplifiers
Joes has used a great many amps in his time. As you’d expect, high-gain tube amps are a preference, though he likes vintage ‘tweed’ combos too. For the main part though, it’s Marshalls, and JVM units in particular. I’d recommend checking out the JVM410H and the JVM210H for some massively versatile 100 watt valve heads that are very close to Joe’s own signature head, which isn’t currently available from Marshall. Regardless, you’ll get his screaming lead tones from these JVMs easily, as well as chunky rhythms and sweeter cleans.
Also, I’d recommend checking the EVH 5150 Iconic amps. Joe has made frequent use of the original Peavey 5150 amps throughout his career (and even had a signature Peavey JSX amp back some years ago) but none of those original Peaveys are available anymore. The EVH models are the latest iteration of the 5150, and they sound pretty exceptional.
Another great way to obtain some very prominent 80s Satriani tones is to use a Rockman. Used as both a headphone amp and a studio device for tones, the Rockman delivers a very specific set of sounds, all of which you can absolutely pinpoint to certain Satch tunes. There are three variations currently available, and also a few plugins out there which will get you those classic Tom Scholz-produced sounds.
Strings and Picks
For strings, Satch loves 9-42 D’Addario. He told me all about it in this guitarguitar Joe Satriani Interview, so please have a look at this for direct info!
Whilst this is true, he also uses other gauges when, say, playing in Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar, because the guitars are tuned slightly lower to Eb, requiring a heavier string gauge to maintain the tension he prefers.
As for picks, Joe does tend to use a lot of different styles depending on what the task determines. Click the interview link above for more about it, but his go-to is Extra-Heavy Celluloid by D’Addario. Celluloid picks have a very specific, stiff feel and trebly tone, though that lessens with thicker pick gauges. Try these Dunlop Genuine Celluloid Classic picks, or if you want the thickness but love Tortex, go for these Dunlop 558P1.35 Tortex Flow Standard picks: they are proving hugely popular!
Effects
Satriani is a big fan of effects, and has liberally used them from the start of his career onwards. Some are special studio effects that have been occasionally added to his sound, and others are more mainstays to his palette of sounds. Here’s a few things that will add a touch of Satch spice to your sound…
Boss DS-1: It’s a mainstay, it’s a right of passage, and Joe has put the humble BOSS DS-1 Distortion to use on a number of occasions.
Digitech Whammy: Satch has frequently made creative use of Digitech’s digital pitch shifting marvel. Whilst other real-time pitch shifters now exist, I’d still recommend going to Digitech for a ‘real-deal’ experience. A lot of Satch’s wild, high-pitch stuff is actually technique based rather than a pedal, but tunes like Raspberry Jam Delta-V and Cool #9 show off some crazy sounds that can only be had with a Whammy!
Wah pedal: A wah is a pretty essential factor to copping Satch’s lead guitar tone. It’s over tons and tons of his songs, from Summer Song to Surfing with the Alien. Most wah pedals will give you that famous vocal quality to your lead playing, but Satriani has favoured a few examples. Prior to using his signature Vox model, he was a fan of the Crybaby 535Q, a very versatile wah with controls to sculpt exactly the tone you prefer. Check out the 535Q-C Crybaby for a version in a very Satch-friendly chrome finish!
Pickups
Joe is a big DiMarzio fan. He has worked with the New York brand since the 80s, developing a range of signature pickups that are voiced to his own personal specs. These pickups are all available to buy and install into your own guitar. There are full-sized humbuckers like the DiMarzio Satchur8, and single coil-sied rails humbuckers like the DiMarzio Satch Track. These pickups can be found already installed in some of the higher-priced Ibanez JS guitars we looked at earlier.
But which to choose? It’s not an easy decision to make, since you need to install the pickup into your guitar before you can even test it out! Assuming you’ve determined that you’re picking the right sized pickup, here’s some of their tonal characterisations, paraphrased from DiMarzio themselves…
DiMarzio Satchur8: An alnico 8 pickup with lots of output, a buttery smooth mid-range, deep, full-bodied bass, and a warm, singing solo tone that suits Joe's playing style. Additionally, the coils were tuned to Joe's sound.
DiMarzio Satch Track: Two years in the making, the Satch Track Neck is Joe’s first single-coil size signature pickup. Articulate, vocal and musical, it is DiMarzio’s most advanced Fast Track-style pickup to date, with a ceramic magnet and a DC resistance of 6.15kohms.
DiMarzio FRED: This is based on DiMarzio’s famous PAF Pro pickup but with more in the mids. This creates some unusual and very musical overtones, and was Joe’s bridge pickup for years.
DiMarzio Mo Joe: A hotter version of Joe’s FRED pickup, with more power but without sacrificing dynamics or clarity. This one has an alnico 5 magnet.
Legendary Tone
I said at the beginning that Joe’s sound is all about his great touch, timing, feel and note choice. He’s an outstanding guitarist who could make anything sound great, to be honest. Buying his gear will not get you any of this, but buying his gear will put his tools of the trade into your hands. You definitely need at least something like one of his Ibanez guitars in order to achieve a number of Satch’s wilder sounds, and that’s also true of gadgets like the Whammy pedal and the Sustainiac.
But the simpler, smaller details can be helpful, too. Taking tips from a legendary player on things like string gauge and pick thickness can shed some light on how you might approach different aspects of your playing. Since these elements are relatively inexpensive, it’s easy to experiment and see what works for you and your own playing style.
Have fun diving into the gear of Joe Satriani, and best of luck learning some of his songs, too. They are by no means easy, but it’ll feel very rewarding to have some of them under your fingers, especially if you bag some of his tone too! Good luck!
