mountain top. I thought that
was too corny. I kept thinking
with the solo that I wanted to
be part of the band.
Let’s talk gear for a second.
Joe, I understand on this
record you used that blue
Ibanez prototype with three
single-coils you played on the
Experience Hendrix tour.
has been on display for at least
a couple of years now at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in Cleveland.
Michael, there’s a rumor that
you’re the richest among the
original Van Halen members,
is that true?
Anthony: [Laughs.] Well, everybody used to joke that I saved
That whole drama thing in Van Halen, the
way it ended up, I was like, ‘I’d rather make
no money having fun playing music than
make a shitload of money tearing my hair
out.’ Maybe when I was 20 it would have
been different but not at this point. I want to
keep my sanity. —Mike Anthony
Satriani: Yeah, that prototype
is a winner, man. We’ve worked
on that one for almost 10
years now and Steve Blucher
at DiMarzio just came up with
really cool pickups that, for
some reason, really go together
with a maple neck and that
particular body. It just sounds
like the punchiest Strat you ever
heard in your life.
Is this the first album you
recorded with this guitar?
Satriani: I think it is. And
the whole record was done
primarily on my new 4-chan-
nel Marshall signature amp
called the JVM 410 Joe Satriani
Signature Model.
Michael, I know you generally
use your Yamaha signature
bass, but what happened to
the Jack Daniel’s bass?
Anthony: I still have it and
it will probably come out on
tour. At the end of every tour,
I put it in the closet and say
I’m done with it. And there’s
always somebody like you who
says, “Hey, what’s with the Jack
Daniel’s bass?” My original one
the first dollar that I ever made
in Van Halen. I probably did
somewhere. You know what,
my wife Sue and I, we just cel-
ebrated our 30th wedding anni-
versary in February. That might
have something to do with it,
because every guy in Van Halen
is divorced—a couple of them
a couple of times. So, of course,
that’s going to tax their account
a little bit.
Some people out there say
Chickenfoot is in it just for
the money, but you guys don’t
really need the money. Sammy
made something like 80 million dollars selling a share of
his tequila business.
Anthony: And that was just
selling the first 80 percent.
Once he sold the last 20 percent, I’m sure he made a good
penny on that, too. The best
part about Chickenfoot is that
nobody needs the money. We’ve
got nothing we need to prove
to anybody. We wanted this to
be a fun band and when we get
in the studio it’s just so loose,
relaxed, and open. It’s like
the early days of Van Halen.
Ibanez JS prototype with DiMarzio pickups, Ibanez
JS2400, ’ 55 Gibson Les Paul, ’ 58 Fender Esquire, ’ 59
Gibson ES-335, Rickenbacker, Deering banjo, Ovation
12-string, Gibson Jimmy Page No. 1 Les Paul
Amps
Marshall JVM 410 Joe Satriani Signature Model, ’ 53
Fender Deluxe, ’ 59 Fender Twin
Effects
Electro-Harmonix POG, Vox Big Bad Wah, Vox Time
Machine, Voodoo Lab Proctavia, Roger Mayer Voodoo Vibe
Strings, Picks, and Accessories
D’Addario .010–.046, D’Addario .011 sets on some vintage guitars, Planet Waves signature picks (heavy), Planet
Waves signature straps, Planet Waves cables
Michael Anthony’s
GEARBOX
Basses
Yamaha BB300MA Michael Anthony signature bass
Amps
Ampeg B-50R
Effects
MXR Micro Chorus (live only), MXR Blue Box (live)
Strings, Picks, and Accessories
Dunlop picks, Jim Dunlop strings (.045, .065, .087,
. 107), Monster Cable (studio), Shure wireless (live)
Everybody’s just throwing in
their input and having a great
time making music. We don’t
want any pressure and we said
if any came up, we should just
stop doing this.
Michael, if the situation pre-
sented itself, would you rejoin
Van Halen?
Anthony: At this point in my
life and career, I’m so happy with
what I’m doing and I want to
have fun making music. I don’t
want any drama. That whole
drama thing in Van Halen, the
way it ended up, I was like, “I’d
rather make no money having
fun playing music than make a
shitload of money tearing my
hair out.” Maybe when I was 20
it would have been different, but
not at this point. I want to keep
my sanity.
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