Steve Vai Guitar Tech REVEALS Setup | Guitar Tech Tips | Ep.59

Steve Vai Guitar Tech REVEALS Setup | Guitar Tech Tips | Ep.59 | Thomann

Рет қаралды 428,186

Күн бұрын

Steve Vai's guitar tech, the legendary Thomas Nordegg explains us how Steve likes his guitars set up.
This is an in-depth setup video with all the infos you need and some cool stories on top.
Grab your guitar, some tools and a coffee and enjoy the video!
Gear used: tho.mn/lvdfb
We use Triad-Orbit stands for our cameras, lights and mics: tho.mn/triad
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Say hello to the legendary EVO
1:22 The custom locking nut
2:20 Let's start changing the strings
4:24 Tremolo bar setup
6:15 Cleaning the fretboard
9:28 Fresh strings
12:16 Why the ball-ends at the machine head?
18:44 String stretching
23:05 The guitar setup: tremolo adjustment
27:00 String action
29:24 Pickup height
31:10 Back to the tremolo
33:50 The original EVO spec sheet
34:21 Thomas' massively modified EVO replica
40:45 Time for a test ride - PIA for the win!
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Пікірлер: 678

@thegolfingmusician6345 3 жыл бұрын

Thomas is a good friend of mine. I’ve been to his home and also his shop. You wouldn’t believe the projects and advanced electronics throughout the place. He is indeed the “Wizard of Vai”.

@EvanSimon 3 ай бұрын

I have been fortunate enough to try THE CHAIR, mind blowing experience, did you try it?

@thegolfingmusician6345 3 ай бұрын

Aw yes, the chair. Thomas and all of his amazing inventions and various things he’s modified are like walking around in a movie. He’s amazing. Not sure if you knew but he’s going to be moving back to Vienna Austria. I’m really going to miss him.

@topnug7626 2 ай бұрын

@@thegolfingmusician6345 Please explain the chair lol

@EvanSimon 2 ай бұрын

@@thegolfingmusician6345 I heard about it recently yes :( I think Steve already found a new tech

@charlesstoess4245 3 жыл бұрын

Steve's hilarious for putting "1 of 100" on all those relic Evos. He's in fact not lying lmao

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah I love what he did there. Haha! Steve's awesome! //Kris

@mokshmeditation Жыл бұрын

That part "let me give you the 2 of 100 and I'll keep the 1 of 100" was so hilarious 😂😂 Steve has already been a funny, humble, fashionable and spiritual person, apart from the fact that he's the living God of guitar

@feral91_ 3 жыл бұрын

this interview is amazing, such a humble person to show every little trick he makes to keep the guitar working at the highest demands. Keep them coming thomann!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot Fernando! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Cheers //Kris

@allboutthemojo 6 ай бұрын

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses fantastic video. So much tech in that guitar. Thanks for showing 👌 I couldn't catch the names for the tuners and the locking nut he uses. Can you please provide those product names?

@_SWLW 3 жыл бұрын

Holy moly! The Thomann crew keeps pushing this amazing content. You guys provide the guitar community with information and tips from the legends. Thank you for perserving the art of the guitar and for making the information avaiable for all players!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

That's sooo nice to hear man, thanks a lot! We're as interested in what we're filming as you guys are. I guess that helps, haha! Thanks for the support! //Kris

@michaelsullivan9342 Жыл бұрын

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Thomann really goes above and beyond the parameter's of what is expected from a guitar company! Even one and a half year's after I purchased my Harley Benton Fusion 2 I contacted them about issue's with my intonation. I asked them if they had any instructional video's on the subject and bam, the very next morning I had 3 of these video's in my email !!! 😁 They really do care about their customer's, thank you so much Thomann, I believe I'm going to use this company for all my future business, you all are a proud bunch and you have every right to be! You are totally proffessional and it seems like you really care about us as individual's! Have a wonderful day !!! 😉✌

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Sit back, grab a cold drink, your guitar, some tools and enjoy watching the one and only Thomas Nordegg! :) Let me know who you wanna see next. Cheers everyone! //Kris

@ggevh5150 3 жыл бұрын

awsome Thomann thank you do you guys have a better picture of the EVO spec sheet thank you

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

@@ggevh5150 Thanks Daniel! No we don't but I can try to make it happen. Can't promise anything though at this point. :) cheers //Kris

@kimgunnarsson7966 3 жыл бұрын

I want rene martinez show exactly how he used to setup stevies number one, also all the mods he did to it 😀

@ggevh5150 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses thank you if you can please do so that would be awsome thank you again

@ethanaubrey858 3 жыл бұрын

I know it’s probably not possible, but I would love to see you do this with Metallica’s techs Chad and or Justin. Really wanna know how they take care of James and Kirks guitars.

@MrEcted Жыл бұрын

I like when you asked about how often he changes strings because for him "not very often" means every 2-3 days, haha.

@miguelguerin5710 Күн бұрын

I just got myself a pia, and this video is one of the greatest videos i’ve ever seen. Such a great, non interrupting host, and thomas is a wonderful instructor. Could not have asked for better content. Thank you for making this

@richardchristensen1768 2 жыл бұрын

Love Kris's expressions of life changing amazement by all of these epic setup secrets finally coming to light here! It's Truly a bonafide revelation!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 2 жыл бұрын

I guess it's pointless for me to hide my excitement... so I just don't. Haha! I love to learn these little tricks and secrets. They make me a better tech and a better player. If you understand your guitar more, you play it and use it differently. At least that's how I see this. Cheers and thanks! //Kris

@rodsdaytona 3 жыл бұрын

THOMAS!!! Thomas is a good friend of mine, this makes me so happy to see him again!! It's been to long! Thanks!

@colebuckmaster966 3 жыл бұрын

absolutely adore this series. awesome concept.

@danieljackson2563 2 жыл бұрын

What a wonderful video. Very insightful. Thank you Thomas for sharing your experience and thank you Thomann for the upload!

@husatoledo 3 жыл бұрын

This one is special because EVO. So great to see such a legendary guitar this close. You can see clearly all the story through her body. Amazing!

@aerobill8554 Жыл бұрын

That was one of the best interviews I have ever seen ! Thank you so much. Perfect timing as well as I’m seeing Steve this Sunday live. Maybe see Thomas as well. Greetings from the Netherlands 🇳🇱

@tracezachdaniels4264 3 жыл бұрын

man steve is SO blessed to have this man working with him......and I am blessed to see this knowledge THANX SO MUCH for making

@saadshah7857 3 жыл бұрын

This is probably one of the most useful videos I have ever seen. All the straight answers from the legendary Thomas himself. Thank you so much.

@weets69 5 ай бұрын

What a great vid. Thomas is such a Gem. I could listen to him all day.

@KenGotGuitar 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. I was very fortunate to meet Steve and Thomas at one his back stage events back in the day and got to play EVO. Great to see the guitar again and will always be a great memory more me.

@nickx1754 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy nerding out over how different artists prefer their guitars setup. There is such good advice / wisdom here! I hope we keep getting more of these!

@FloBorge 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing. So much love and passion and craftsmanship. Thanks to both of you

@michaelenochs4033 2 жыл бұрын

This is incredible. I LOVE these videos from the old timers and what a joy it is to see this tech. He seems so humble and you can tell he loves to explain things which I appreciate so much because people today have a hard time explaining in detail how something is done. Thank you for this video, it's literally priceless.

@wagj16 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video! It is amazing to know his tech and the secrets of both masters!

@squidly2112 2 жыл бұрын

That was FANTASTIC !!! .. thank you so much for sharing this video. Thomas is a very interesting fellow, could listen to him all day. Thank you!

@markdouglas8073 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic to sit “in the room” with that gentleman and learn more about his craft!

@skorpian34 2 жыл бұрын

Such useful tips from a legend. Thank you for this content!

@danteyoutu 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for doing this Kris! It was an amazing video!

@peterdudkin5556 2 жыл бұрын

Just found this and at last, a proper interview with a guitar tech about setups and measurements!! Great stuff! Also love that you copy that setup on your guitar...brilliant! Maybe more close-ups of measurements and spec sheets if possible please?

@Medyo 3 жыл бұрын

love the techniques, so much nuggets in this interview.

@juliencarnevale2712 3 жыл бұрын

That was phenomenal! Great stuff Chris!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot Julien! cheers //Kris

@karltucker4173 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! This was so much fun to watch & instructive. Thank you very much Legend!

@JasonJaebumKim 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! As a JEM owner, I always wondered how Steve's was set up. And the AA battery hack, how cool is that! Thank you!

@Guitar-Geek Жыл бұрын

this is just mind blowing video! many thanks Thomann!

@randywilliams5130 2 жыл бұрын

I greatly enjoyed your video, Steve's guitar tech is unbelievable, also enjoyed your test run, that sounded great and what a beautiful guitar.

@petruccirocks02 3 ай бұрын

This video is gold! Thomas is such a knowledgeable fellow and you can tell he loves what he does!

@stevestarr6395 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Kris and Thomas for this great instructional vid which gave me a great set up on my Floyd!

@SebastianCorralmendez 3 жыл бұрын

Your contributions to the internet are ultra mega huge, thanks!!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks ever so much Sebastián! :) That's a huge compliment and we're very thankful! Cheers //Kris

@johnathonhutchinson1105 3 жыл бұрын

First of these videos I’ve seen. They’ve got a great energy to them.

@stuartwalsh4974 Жыл бұрын

Thomas is a real legend... many thanks, really informative video

@RaxFx 3 жыл бұрын

great interview - Nordegg is a legend!

@MajorUpgrade 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, that was awesome Kris. Thanks for sharing this moment with us!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Glad to hear that, I really am. cheers //Kris

@MajorUpgrade 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses "EVERY SECOND COUNTS". It's cool to see the stories behind the scenes like this. It makes you really appreciate all it takes to make great music, and reminds us that rock gods are only as good as their techs (cheers Thomas), some magnets, a double A battery, some Velcro, and maybe a little duct tape. The 1/100 thing is hilarious, and just makes me like Steve Vai even more! 😀

@markbeaver5010 3 жыл бұрын

This is how I was taught "The Thomas Nordegg way" by my Guitar teacher who learned it when he worked at the Hollywood Guitar Center in the 90's. Awesome video!!!

@Kamy.GG.Official 2 жыл бұрын

What a legend. Thanks Thomann 👏🏻

@jasonrichardson8531 21 күн бұрын

All questions about Jem I have been wondering about for years that 2 of a hundred was such a eye opener to the general public thanks again

@JulesFox 3 жыл бұрын

So much to absorb in this video - really informative, fun and with twists and turns like an action movie.

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Haha! Yeah, Thomas has a lot of interesting things to share. And we are happy to listen and learn. :) Cheers //Kris

@predie 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, thank you for sharing! It's pleasure to see what handy people work at Thomann.

@ClintCurtis 3 жыл бұрын

My favourite video on KZfaq right now! So informative. The Ibanez setups are so hard to find online. Would love to see one on Joe Satriani as well!

@hanten10 3 жыл бұрын

I was waiting for this for a long time, Thomas was my favourite guitar tech, thank you for bring him in and for sure we have something new that we've learnt from him 🙏

@MemoriesRR 2 жыл бұрын

What a great interview with great people.

@AmritP Жыл бұрын

loved this. so many great tips and enjoyed the stories.

@AlexanderGibbonsAudio 3 жыл бұрын

that 'tilt drill' is awesome, great video!

@shawnbayless777 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely my most favorite KZfaq video in a long time.

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

that's awesome Shawn, thanks! //Kris

@Jaimefumer13 2 жыл бұрын

The EVO replica is just mind blowing ! Great video.

@Qebhesenuef 3 жыл бұрын

Ow my gosh ! Extremely amazing tips and it is obviously teaching moment !!! Super power thanks amazing channel and Thomas !!!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much André!! Cheers //Kris

@sebrura 3 ай бұрын

What a legend! Great vid 👍🏻👍🏻

@KevinsGuitarStories 2 жыл бұрын

OMG, thanks so much for this video🙏🙏. Easiest string change EVER on my 2005 JEM!!!! I can’t believe I’ve never seen this method before. Thanks again. I just subscribed to your channel 👍

@satchrules101 3 жыл бұрын

This is a pure gold video !

@phil777flip 3 жыл бұрын

really cool! thx 4 makin it. There are so many different jems out there. These facts are not easy to figure out normally by searching the internet. Perhaps soon have a focus on all the effect pedals Steve really uses on stage for the next episode? Because thats also some kind of magic I think.

@electrolytics 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. You guys all do such a great job. Thank you.

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! Glad to hear you like it. Cheers //Kris

@alexandersmith6140 2 жыл бұрын

This was the best KZfaq video I've watched this year. Instant subscribe. Next - can you interview Jon Gomm about his acoustic model, and the specific design elements chosen so that he can do percussive effects, shredding, hand-stretching chords, bass-lines on the low strings, and tapping clean harmonics, all at the same time?

@guitarz 3 жыл бұрын

This dude a legend. I learned how to setup a guitar on my RG with an Edge trem for years… when I setup a tune-o-matic it seemed much more difficult.

@Obroos 3 жыл бұрын

Guys , You are the best 🔥🎸 I’ve been waiting for years for video like that.

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear that Piotr! Enjoy the video! //Kris

@rccarsandmusic2641 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent guitar tech God bless him!

@skyhorseprice6591 3 жыл бұрын

I do the same thing with my ball ends! I never heard of anyone else doing that until now. Everyone I know clips them off. Awesome😎

@DannoDemo 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you greatly for this! I can't help but point out that so much of this anyone can do, and make their instruments sound and, most importantly, feel the way they want them to feel. Great stuff, 👍🏻

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Daniel! Yes, that's one of the main reasons why we're doing this series. Everyone should feel comfortable with setting up their instruments. Cheers //Kris

@Sealsky 2 жыл бұрын

finally secret reveal, thanks for the content, i'm really enjoyed it! backstopper on the tremolo, that's the legendery things setup!

@MarshallAmpMan 3 жыл бұрын

This is excellent! Thanks for posting!!

@samiam3297 3 жыл бұрын

Building a Jem..this came in just in time! Much thanks!

@johnc6214 3 жыл бұрын

This was fantastic! Thank you!

@BOOMER-DAD Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the very groovy video 👍🏻 I’m gonna do my strings that way now too. It makes sense to use the ball to hold it in & have less turns. 🤘🏼 The magnet strip on the back of the head stock to hold a small key, brilliant !

@cloughjunk 3 жыл бұрын

LOVED THIS! Thank you!

@MrJemabaris 3 жыл бұрын

Seriously there could'nt have been a better time for this video to come out. After many years in it's case I finally woke my Jem 7V from 1999 from it's beauty sleep and it really needed a good setup. Not so easy to find a really good video on the topic though. Really loved this one here! Best takeaway for me was the 5cm measurement from the trem bar to the body. Way more precise than the little line of the knife edge on the side of the trem. I just miss Thomans talking a bit about truss rod adjustments though. Thanks guys!

@vinny5004 4 ай бұрын

Well, you first need to make sure your trem springs are adjusted properly for a level trem (the little lines on the side you talk about). Then, you can move it up and down.

@istillsuckatguitar 3 жыл бұрын

Mind-blowing. Thanks.

@adamburger858 Жыл бұрын

This was awesome...Thanks for this video brodda! Cheers-

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Жыл бұрын

Thanks Adam! //Kris

@Mickcotton 2 ай бұрын

I really am impressed 😊❤. This was absolutely amazing. Thank You So Much. ✅

@justinglass8949 3 жыл бұрын

Such a cool concept. Keep them coming!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

On it! :) cheers //Kris

@original_sin Жыл бұрын

Freaking awesome. That guitar tech I can listen to all day long. But I think I need to hear him say I'll be back in hasta la vista. And that guitar he has at the end the gym awesome. Excellent innovations!

@laszloszabo6952 5 ай бұрын

You are admired for the great info!

@JayAgassi 2 күн бұрын

Thanks for this gem of guitar tech nuggets 🤘🤘

@mrisaac638 2 жыл бұрын

so awesome thanks I learned so much

@smoker0081 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, vielen vielen Dank 🥳🥳 Für den größten Vai- Fan wie mich ist mit diesem Video ein Traum in Erfüllung gegangen 🤤🤤

@luizguerreiro7656 2 жыл бұрын

Two amazing guitar techs

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!! It was an absolute pleasure having such a legend on the show as Thomas. Cheers Luiz! //Kris

@StringTech 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Thomas. Fascinating !

@dominicgiovannoni7072 3 жыл бұрын

Sheez man!! You killed it on the Pia!! Awesome riffing!!!

@KrisBarocsi 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much Dominic!! 🙌 It’s really easy to play the PIA. Steve knows what he’s doing. Haha!

@elsantoproductora 7 ай бұрын

What a legend, thanks for sharing!

@MarvelJAM 3 жыл бұрын

Made my day. Thank you!

@brandonm8105 3 жыл бұрын

Super cool to see that Steve's tech does the ball-end in the headstock trick. I've been thinking of trying it myself one day. I guess that's a queue to give it a shot next string change.

@gprice1978 2 жыл бұрын

It's how floyd rose recommend you do it

@imoffendedthatyouareoffended 2 жыл бұрын

@@gprice1978 I find it odd that they don’t ship out this way then. But this is by far the simplest method I’ve seen other than buying a little plastic piece that holds the bridge in place without moving.

@jae4073 2 жыл бұрын

Measure twice cut once hahaha

@BrunodeSouzaLino Жыл бұрын

@@imoffendedthatyouareoffended They probably already have the strings pre-cut and measured before each guitar gets re-strung. This way of doing it that works great to prevent string slipping but it's considerably slower if you have to do thousands of instruments at a production line.

@raycave2829 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video thank you

@jnh73 3 жыл бұрын

The stories that guitar could tell... awesome!

@7stringbassist 2 жыл бұрын

Just superb!! Had this on my Watch List but have only just got around to it. Long story short, I got to sit in on a Steve Vai soundcheck. Sat there a couple of minutes when the EVO group came in (fans who paid for sitting with Steve answering questions and so on). Thomas was great with everyone giving out used strings as "Steve Vai's DNA". He's a glorious mad scientist who's as exacting as his boss.

@michaelmattson3515 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing information. Thanks

@michaelgallegos8811 2 жыл бұрын

This was Such a Great Video Iam so glad I caught it Thanks Guys !!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot Michael, glad to hear that you liked it!! More of these tech videos coming up! :) //Kris

@josephhughes9490 3 жыл бұрын

Kris, Hello my friend. Great show. Such amazing tech information. He had so much informative ways of working on Steve's guitar. Just incredible! Just a incredible show. It was hard to keep up with him. Just a master guitar tech. So great to see you again Kris. Terrific show.

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks so much Joe! Glad to hear that you liked it. :) Thomas is without doubt fantastic! Cheers //Kris

@joesatchton212 3 жыл бұрын

VINDICATED! I have ALWAYS strung my Floyd's with the BALL end at the tuners. For 3+ decades. If its good enough for Thomas and Steve, it's perfectly good enough for little ol' me.... Thomas is a LEGEND,,,,

@These_go_to_eleven_1959 3 жыл бұрын

I started doing it years ago myself to save time since i don't have to cut the excess string at the headstock. Plus there are no sharp string ends to poke you when you are cleaning the headstock.

@These_go_to_eleven_1959 3 жыл бұрын

@Mark Seymour it always used to happen to me when i was wiping down the headstock before i started stringing it with the ball end at the tuner.

@These_go_to_eleven_1959 3 жыл бұрын

@Mark Seymour Ouch! lol yeah that shit stings!

@0000song0000 3 жыл бұрын

The additional title should be HOW TO PROPERLY STRING A FLOATING TREMOLO besides the content he seems the kind of tech you have long talks with, talking about the meaning of the universe. he's so cool!

@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 3 жыл бұрын

Ohh absolutely! Thomas and I had a call the day before to check if everything works and we had a nice talk about all kinds of things. :) He is a great guy! Cheers //Kris

@0000song0000 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses 😊🙌

@flaq3 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video. Thank you.

@lashamikautadze2997 2 жыл бұрын

I've met this legendary man, I had the honor. He is the most humble, simple and great man at the same time. Sad thing is did not take a picture. I met him on Tbilisi Open Air Festival 2016, when we had an honor to have Steve Vai as a headliner of the festival. Thom gave me some stuff as a memorabilia :)