John Mayer
Latest John Mayer news, guitars, gear, music, performances, and collaborations covered by Guitar Radar.
Guitar Radar has 10 stories about John Mayer, tracking new music, tours, collaborations and gear. Most of it sits under players, industry and gear. The most recent story, from Oct 13, 2026, is “John Mayer and Dave Grohl Cover Van Halen at Soundstage of Hope”. Coverage here goes back to Aug 29, 2026.
About John Mayer
John Mayer is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist whose playing sits between blues, pop and rock. He is a Stratocaster player at heart: he saved up for a 1996 Stevie Ray Vaughan signature Strat after finishing high school, and today his core guitars include his "Black1" Stratocaster and a 1964 Strat.
For years he worked with Paul Reed Smith on his own design, and the result is the PRS Silver Sky, a double-cutaway guitar with three single-coil pickups and a traditional six-screw tremolo, drawn from a mid-1960s Strat he favors. He has also collected rare Dumble amplifiers, owns so many that he has lost count of them, and has signature Two-Rock and PRS amps. On acoustic he plays Martin guitars, including his signature OMJM and OM-28JM models.
His gear changes from tour to tour, so fan-compiled gear lists should be treated as snapshots rather than a fixed setup.
Sources: Guitar World: John Mayer's guitars and gear, era by era · Andertons: John Mayer's guitar rig
Stories
John Mayer and Dave Grohl Cover Van Halen at Soundstage of Hope
Mayer used his purple Music Man Axis Custom Shop tribute to Eddie Van Halen for a benefit performance of “You Really Got Me.”
Oct 13, 2026
Buddy Guy Celebrates 90 at Radio City With Mayer, Trucks, Bonamassa and a Blues All-Star Cast
The October 1 concert moved from an intimate opening trio to a curfew-breaking ensemble finale built around Guy's songs and influence.
Oct 3, 2026
Paul Reed Smith joins Guitar Center’s RockWalk after five decades of guitar building
John Mayer inducted the PRS founder during Crossroads in Austin, placing a living instrument designer alongside RockWalk pioneers such as Les Paul, Jim Marshall and Robert Moog.
Sep 30, 2026
John Mayer plans six Sphere shows built around solo, full-band and trio sets
The April 2027 Las Vegas run will present Mayer in three configurations each night, including the return of his trio with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino.
Sep 30, 2026
Crossroads closes with Mayer and Trucks trading leads, Marcus King meeting Sierra Hull and a stage full of unlikely pairings
The festival's second night turned its lineup into collaborations that ranged from bluegrass and jazz to Derek and the Dominos.
Sep 29, 2026
Bill Murray sings 'Crossroads' with Clapton as the festival opens in Austin
Night one at the Moody Center moved from Clapton and Sonny Landreth through Joe Bonamassa, John McLaughlin and Julian Lage to a closing jam with Tedeschi Trucks Band and John Mayer.
Sep 28, 2026
Crossroads Guitar Festival returns to Austin this weekend with a multi-generation guitar lineup
Eric Clapton's seventh Crossroads festival lands at Moody Center September 26–27, pairing veterans including Buddy Guy and John Mayer with first-time appearances from Tommy Emmanuel and Julian Lage.
Sep 23, 2026
PRS and John Mayer launch eight Defender-inspired Silver Sky limited editions
The Defender Color Collection puts four heritage finishes on US Silver Skys and four contemporary finishes on SE models, with the SE line getting black plastics for the first time.
Sep 23, 2026
Guitar Center's 2026 Crossroads collection revives Clapton's Blind Faith Tele and a 70-piece Mayer Silver Sky
The charity run, timed to this year's Crossroads Guitar Festival, spans Clapton signature Martins, a Fender Custom Shop recreation of his 1969 Telecaster and a limited PRS Silver Sky finished for John Mayer.
Aug 30, 2026
Paul Reed Smith Joins the Guitar Center RockWalk, With John Mayer Presenting
The PRS founder's handprint ceremony is set for September 26 at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Austin.
Aug 29, 2026