“Copying the people you admire is a healthy thing to do – it teaches you to get inside what they do, then you can take it from there”: Eric Johnson on his G3 reunion with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai – and why the limits of guitar have yet to be reached

Eric Johnson sits in front of a piano with his semi-hollow Fender Stratocaster – he wears a dark shirt, and a studio mic sits on top of the piano.

In the past, G3 tours have seen many esteemed masters of shred take to the stage to thrill audiences worldwide. Players such as Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth, and many more have sent flurries of 32nd notes out into the ether in the name of fretboard finesse.

But way back in the mid-90s it was Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson who started the G3 ball rolling. Last year, the three reassembled for a sell-out tour that has resulted in the album G3 Reunion Live, restating their preeminent position in guitar’s hall of fame.