“Steve Vai goes, ‘I’ve been thinking about this a long time. He’s a really good guitar player.’ That’s unusual’”: Paul Reed Smith on the time John Mayer was hailed by a shred hero – and why he found it strange

Steve Vai of SatchVai perform onstage during a concert at the Eventim Apollo on June 14, 2025 in London, England AND ohn Mayer of Dead & Company performs onstage at 2025 MusiCares Person Of The Year Honoring The Grateful Dead at Los Angeles Convention Center on January 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

John Mayer is one of the most universally acclaimed electric guitar players of our time, and now he has another shred icon to add to his ever-growing list of high-profile fans: Steve Vai.

The blues/rock/pop leanings of Mayer’s music may seem like a world away from Vai’s own catalog, but game clearly recognizes game, and as Paul Reed Smith has now revealed, the latter once singled out the PRS Silver Sky mastermind for very high praise indeed.