guitar · blues · jam · pop/session
John Mayer
John Mayer, Dead & Company, John Mayer Trio Solo artist
Strat-and-Dumble blues tone with pop polish.
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- Verified artist gear Confirmed directly by the artist or their team. No items carry this label yet.
- Reliably sourced report Named in a published gear feature or interview (e.g. Premier Guitar Rig Rundowns, guitar magazines).
- YouTube / community reconstruction Compiled from YouTube rig tours, Wikipedia or fan archives. Treat as a starting point.
- Suggested alternative Boutique/budget clones are our editorial suggestions, not claims about what the artist uses.
Gear, prices and listings change. Owning the same gear won't guarantee an identical tone: technique, settings, recording, signal order and modifications all matter.
Modeler cheat sheet
Get this tone on your modeler
Suggested starting point, not an official preset. Tweak to taste.
Glassy, high-headroom clean that stays sweet when you dig in. Comp first, then stacked low-gain drives.
- compGRAY COMPfor Analog Man Comprossor (small)Sustain 4, Level to unity. Ross-based, same family as the Comprossor
- driveGREEN JRC-ODstand-infor Ibanez TS-10 Tube Screamer ClassicDrive 2, Tone 5, Level 7. Mid push for leads
- driveK DRIVEfor Klon CentaurGain 3, Treble 5, Output 6
- driveGLORIOUS DRIVEstand-infor Marshall Bluesbreaker (original)Gain 3, Vol 6. Morning Glory is Bluesbreaker-derived
- amp67 BLACK DUOstand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerVol 5, Bass 4, Mid 5, Treble 6. No Dumble model in HeadRush; Twin is the cleanest high-headroom stand-in
- cab2X12 BLACK PANEL DUOstand-infor Alessandro 2x12 cabinets (Celestion)DYN 57 off-axis + RIBBON 121 blend
- delayBBD DELAYfor Way Huge Aqua-Puss Analog DelayTime ~380 ms, Feedback 20%, Mix 18%
- delayAIR DELAYstand-infor Eventide TimeFactorTime 1/4 dotted, Feedback 25%, Mix 12%
- reverbSPRING REVERBstand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerMix 20%, Decay 4
Model names checked against the official HeadRush model list. Model names from HeadRush's official Pedalboard model list; Gigboard and Prime share the HeadRush model library. "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
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- compDeluxe Compstand-infor Analog Man Comprossor (small)Threshold -20 dB, Ratio 4:1, Attack 12 ms
- driveScream 808stand-infor Ibanez TS-10 Tube Screamer ClassicGain 2.5, Tone 5, Level 7
- driveMinotaurfor Klon CentaurGain 3, Treble 5, Output 6
- driveTeemah!stand-infor Marshall Bluesbreaker (original)Gain 3, Treble 5, Level 6. No Bluesbreaker model; Timmy-style transparent OD
- ampCali Texas Ch1stand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerDrive 3, Bass 4, Mid 5, Treble 6, Master 6. No Dumble model in Helix; Lone Star clean is a close high-headroom voice
- cab2x12 Match G25stand-infor Alessandro 2x12 cabinets (Celestion)Dynamic mic, 2 in. distance, Low Cut 80 Hz
- delayBucket Brigadestand-infor Way Huge Aqua-Puss Analog DelayTime 380 ms, Feedback 20%, Mix 18%
- delaySimple Delaystand-infor Eventide TimeFactorTime 1/4 dotted, Feedback 25%, Mix 12%
- reverb’63 Springstand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerDwell 4, Mix 20%
Model names checked against the official Line 6 Helix model list. Names from the official Line 6 Helix 3.80 model list (HX Stomp shares the library). "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
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- compChief CS3stand-infor Analog Man Comprossor (small)Sustain 4, Attack 5, Level unity
- driveGreen 808stand-infor Ibanez TS-10 Tube Screamer ClassicDrive 2, Tone 5, Level 7
- driveMyth Drivefor Klon CentaurGain 3, Treble 5, Output 6
- driveBrit Bluesfor Marshall Bluesbreaker (original)Gain 3, Tone 5, Vol 6
- ampDumbbell ODSstand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerRun on clean: Volume 4, Bass 4, Mid 5, Treble 6. Dumble ODS circuit, kept below breakup
- cab212 Too Rock G65stand-infor Alessandro 2x12 cabinets (Celestion)Dyn mic, slightly off-cap. Two-Rock cab with Celestion G12-65
- delayAnalog Delayfor Way Huge Aqua-Puss Analog DelayTime 380 ms, Feedback 20%, Mix 18%
- delayDigital Delaystand-infor Eventide TimeFactorTime 1/4 dotted, Feedback 25%, Mix 12%
- reverbSpring (ST)stand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerMix 20%, Decay 40%
Model names checked against the official Neural DSP Quad Cortex model list. Names from Neural DSP's official Quad Cortex device list. "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
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- compCOMP (BOSS COMP)stand-infor Analog Man Comprossor (small)MOD slot: Sustain 40, Attack 50, Level unity
- driveCENTA ODfor Klon CentaurBOOSTER: Drive 25, Tone +5, Effect Level 60
- eqGRAPHIC EQfor Boss GE-7 EqualizerFX slot: +2 dB at 800 Hz, -2 dB at 100 Hz
- ampCLEANstand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerGain 4, Bass 4, Mid 6, Treble 6. Variation on for the brighter clean
- cabBuilt-in speaker (no cab model)descriptionfor Alessandro 2x12 cabinets (Celestion)Katana has no cab sim on the speaker out
- delayANALOGstand-infor Way Huge Aqua-Puss Analog DelayTime 380 ms, Feedback 20, Effect Level 25
- reverbSPRINGstand-infor Dumble Steel String SingerTime 3.0 s, Effect Level 25
Model names checked against the official BOSS Katana model list and owner's manual. Amp types from the Katana MkII Owner's Manual; effect types from 'Using BOSS TONE STUDIO for KATANA Mk II'. Katana has its own speaker, so there is no cab block. Gen 3 renames some types, so check your unit. "Stand-in" means the closest verified model, not an emulation of the artist's exact unit.
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