The John Mayer Paradox

Uh oh... Are you saying that an elaborate, expensive pedalboard isn't going to magically make me a better guitar player?

[huntermulberry]

So if I spend a boatload of money on gear… I’ll still suck, just expensively?

[hailmaryrecordings]

“You can either play the fu*king thing, or you can’t.”

- Dad

[pete_nana]

So you’re telling me that everything I need to sound like John Mayer is already inside me?

John Mayer was inside me all along.

[TheCoryAyers]

What’s funny is this was the EVH paradox 40 years ago. I’ve heard it multiple ways. One story was that Ted Nugent asked to play EVH’s rig. After play for a bit Ted said to Eddie, it doesn’t sound like when you play it. To which EVH replied. “No shit.”

[thenameless]

I can't think of many guitarists, or musicians in general, who had the gear they wanted before their own talents made it possible to afford.

[tomaselke]

One thing I've noticed with my own playing is that I improved a lot when my wife gave me a $4000.00 Gibson Les Paul Custom for my birthday. It wasn't really the guitar that made me better, but the fact that I now felt like I needed to practice and learn more to justify having it.
But most of the time, I'll grab my 800.00 SG or my 1500.00 Strat.

[tpadgett]

Sounds exactly how Billy Gibbons explained EVH, and how he was so disappointed to finally get to play through Eddies live rig when they played a gig together, and he said "i didnt sound like Eddie at all. I still sounded like me, and when Eddie played my gretch through my amp, he still sounded like Eddie".

[jacksonreazin]

The truth we needed but didn’t want to hear.

[haphapp]

Wait til this guy finds out what the word paradox means

[obsidiancrow]

The paradox is he made waiting on the world to change and my body is a wonderland but he's also a skilled musician

[aidanfriedfeld]

“Some people says oh it’s the guitarist not the guitar, bullshit it’s the guitar” - Adam Jones

[dstinnettmusic]

I’d say the John Mayer Paradox is how someone so good can put out exclusively “pop rock” office party safe music.

Where The Light Is was a formative memory for me in terms of music

[hardingkinnaird]

Instructions unclear, kidnapped John Mayer

[kepeb]

So, you don't understand what a paradox is.

[Journeyman]

Noise suppressor and extra overdrive are all I've ever really needed.

[liamevans]

Jonny Marr admitted he has no idea what setup he used to record 'How soon is now?'.
He just started a process and kept adding to it until he got the sound he wanted.
Afterwards he realised he could have got the same sound in a much simpler way.
That's the creative process, i suppose.

[bryanvickers]

As John himself says "it's not the notes you play....it's the notes **I** play"

[jasonwilkerson]

You can have two of the same cakes with different frosting, sprinkles, and decorations, but it's still about the cake.

[michaelmoody]

John schlepping more gear than necessary isn’t a paradox. He’s just a bonafide guitar legend

[Apico]

You only can be good if you can play with 100 pedals or only an amplifier and still sounding as you