Steve Vai
Steve Vai, Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake Solo artist
Ibanez JEM and endless whammy.
Tap or hover any piece for details & sources. Drawings are stylized illustrations, not product photos.
How we label sources
- 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.
Auto-mapped from this rig's sourced gear, settings hand-tuned. Dashed chips have no verified model on that unit.
- pitchWHAMfor DigiTech Whammy DTUp 1 octave and dives; harmony mode for the 'talking' licks
- modORANGE PHASERfor MXR Phase 90Speed 3
- wahMORE WAHfor Morley Bad Horsie WahExpression pedal; vocal sweeps
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Gain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabMatching cab for the ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Dynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
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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- pitchPitch Whamfor DigiTech Whammy DTUp 1 octave and dives; harmony mode for the 'talking' licks
- modScript Mod Phasefor MXR Phase 90Speed 3
- wahFasselstand-infor Morley Bad Horsie WahExpression pedal; vocal sweeps
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Gain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabMatching cab for the ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Dynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
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.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop Line 6 Helix (Helix / HX Stomp) →
- pitchWhamfor DigiTech Whammy DTUp 1 octave and dives; harmony mode for the 'talking' licks
- modMX Phase 95stand-infor MXR Phase 90Speed 3
- wahBad Horsefor Morley Bad Horsie WahExpression pedal; vocal sweeps
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Gain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabMatching cab for the ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Dynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
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.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop Neural DSP Quad Cortex (Quad Cortex / QC mini) →
- pitchPEDAL BENDstand-infor DigiTech Whammy DTFX slot: Up 1 octave and dives; harmony mode for the 'talking' licks
- modPHASER 90Efor MXR Phase 90MOD slot: Speed 3
- wahPEDAL WAHstand-infor Morley Bad Horsie WahFX alt. slot: Expression pedal; vocal sweeps
- ampClean, high-headroom ampdescriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Gain 4–5, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6. Edge of breakup, cleans up with guitar volume
- cabBuilt-in speaker (no cab model)descriptionfor (amp not documented in the sourced rig)Katana has no cab sim on its speaker
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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Amps and board experiments from the Harmony Hut rundown.
- modCHORUSstand-infor Red Witch Medusa ChorusSpeed 3, Depth 4, Mix 30%
- amp99 PV51 II LEADstand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsLead: Gain 7, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6, Presence 5
- cab4X12 CLASSIC 30Wstand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsDynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
- delayBBD DELAYstand-infor Red Witch Titan DelayTime 450 ms, Feedback 30%, Mix 22%
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.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop HeadRush (Pedalboard / Gigboard / Prime) →
- mod70s Chorusstand-infor Red Witch Medusa ChorusSpeed 3, Depth 4, Mix 30%
- ampPV Panamastand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsLead: Gain 7, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6, Presence 5
- cab4x12 XXL V30stand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsDynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
- delayBucket Brigadestand-infor Red Witch Titan DelayTime 450 ms, Feedback 30%, Mix 22%
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.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop Line 6 Helix (Helix / HX Stomp) →
- modVintage Chorusstand-infor Red Witch Medusa ChorusSpeed 3, Depth 4, Mix 30%
- ampPV-505 Leadstand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsLead: Gain 7, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6, Presence 5
- cab412 EV Straight G12 00sstand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsDynamic 57-style mic at the cap edge, low cut 80 Hz, high cut 8 kHz
- delayAnalog Delaystand-infor Red Witch Titan DelayTime 450 ms, Feedback 30%, Mix 22%
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.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop Neural DSP Quad Cortex (Quad Cortex / QC mini) →
- modCHORUSstand-infor Red Witch Medusa ChorusMOD slot: Speed 3, Depth 4, Mix 30%
- ampBROWNstand-infor Carvin Legacy signature ampsLead: Gain 7, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6, Presence 5
- cabBuilt-in speaker (no cab model)descriptionfor Carvin Legacy signature ampsKatana has no cab sim on its speaker
- delayANALOGstand-infor Red Witch Titan DelayDELAY slot: Time 450 ms, Feedback 30%, Mix 22%
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.
Affiliate link. ToneLineage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Shop BOSS Katana (Katana MkII (via BOSS Tone Studio)) →
Learn the songs
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