John Mayer’s Crazy Stage Rig and the Helix

Just saw this picture on John Mayer’s Instagram from last week’s show at Madison Square Garden. Take a look at his crazy floor rig in this shot.  It’s so big, it stretches across three pedal boards in an arc in front of him. And a lot of the pedals are hidden offstage in a Bradshaw rack (shown in this 2010 rig rundown video with his guitar tech).

Now take a look at Isaiah Sharkey’s setup to John’s right. Boom! That’s a Helix right there- with a lot of the same flexibility as John’s rig, but in a tiny stage footprint. And it’s sounding pretty sweet- listen to his solo in this video of Stitched Up.

John Mayer is a serious pedal junkie. You can see part of his amazing pedal collection in this “One Song, One Day” video, from 2005. I’ve always enjoyed this video which documents the writing and recording of In Repair with the amazing Charlie Hunter and Steve Jordan.  There was a whole lotta talent in the studio that day: