Alter Bridge and Slash vocalist Myles Kennedy doesn’t just have killer pipes, but he also plays a mean guitar. In this edition of Loudwire’s Gear Factor, he showcases some of his favorite instruments while reflecting on a bit of his history.
We’ve heard many a rocker reveal Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” as the first riff they ever learned to play, but you haven’t heard it quite like this. Kennedy showcases his 1954 Fender Lap Steel guitar, breaking out the slide to add some extra nastiness to this already classic riff.
From there, he changes to a 1952 Telecaster, revealing he used the instrument for much of his new solo record The Ides of March. We get a little sampling and history behind the song “Wake Me When It’s Over” as he nimbly rocks this one out.
For something a little different, Kennedy showcases his Mando-Guitar and takes us back in history to his Mayfield Four days when he had a chance to tour with Big Wreck. Owing his love of the instrument to the band’s frontman Ian Thornley, watch as Kennedy drops jaws covering a bit of Big Wreck’s ’90s hit “The Oaf.”
And to finish off this set, Kennedy spotlights one of his more modern instruments, a shiny NRP steel guitar that he uses to rock out his Ides of March single “In Stride.”