John 5 plays Les Paul and Mary Ford's How High The Moon, exclusively at the Guitar World studios in NYC. Watch in wonder. Heavy metal cannot contain him. #john5
I've heard people comment about how he gets a Tele to sound heavy, that's easy, what's amazing is how he gets high gain Dimarzio pickups to sound like a gretsch country gentleman
john really is guitar savant. theres a lot of dudes who can shred like van halen.. theres only a handful of dudes with the breadth of talent to span genres seamlessly.. john 5 is one of them
@@2216sammy Edward wouldn't make a pimple on johns hiney .. not even close, johns levels and levels away from EVH, didn't you notice how john picks every note? no tricks, no gimmicks pure playing, john spams several genres where eddie is VH that's it, he may have remembered some classical piano stuff but he crossed over to guitar fairly early so . . you don't want to get caught in a shoot out with john, big mistake, very few could keep up, very few, maybe glen campbell, roy clark, and a lot of those phenom pickers from the wall of sound and a small handful of others... Ed.. funny, but yea no...
I love that John is not trapped in a genre and not afraid to play whatever the F he wants unapologetically and as best as he can play it. Ive known Death metal guitarists who secretly play jazz but will NEVER do it onstage in front of fans, just at sound checks and art is art is art, dont be afraid or ashamed, play it, own it and enjoy!!
Some of that insane talent in the basement has a lot to do with knowing that you can only pull out about 60 to 70% in a show, never go all out while live. If you happen to leave it all out on the stage, just remember to pick some of it back up for the next show.😅
This completely floored me. John 5 dabbles in country but is mostly hard rock/metal yet he picked this LP classic up like its nothing. Still its testament to what made Les Paul so famous. He was beyond his time with his melody and technicality.
@@guitaralligator7250can’t thumb this up enough. While he plays in rock/metal bands, he has, in almost every interview I’ve seen, talked about how much country and bluegrass influenced his playing early on. It’s one of the main things I hat makes his solo work so interesting is when he inserts phrases from country and western players, or banjo rolls, or other country styles into his rock playing. Makes for a really cool sound.
I don’t think the person meant to slight Les in any way. John is one of the most under rated guitarists of this generation. In my eyes, nobody comes close since a guy named Eddie.
I've been lucky to see John 5 with his Creatures band 3 times....this guy can shred with the best of them....but then he'll whip out a banjo and switch to country mode. John 5 always puts on a great show.
@@tonyjones1560 That's right, Tony. He has also mentioned on several occasions, how he watched Hee Haw as a kid, and that he thought the Telecaster was the only guitar around. Cool story and background!
Total respect from me to a true shredder, paying total respect to one of the original true shredders. Not many of today's guitar heroes even know how amazingly well LP could play, but they own his signature guitar. J5 respects all his roots. There was so much talent out there way before the days of UA-cam and Spotify that too many people have never heard of. What a cool guy J5 is for reminding us.
I just saw John5 in Cleveland and he was pure entertainment z but the guy played about every genres and was totally fun and he is a guitar and technique master .
Not necessarily a fan of nor conversant in "John 5," but much respect for this! The understanding and work that must have gone into deconstructing "How High..." to put this piece together like this...?! What a musician!
@@ryemill7787 My son and I got to see them in the Dome in July of 2021 and it was great. Yes the price is outrageous and hopefully the heat won’t be. Enjoy🎭
Awesome! Great performance. Those old Les Paul / Mary Ford videos always blew me away. And it sounds composed FOR the guitar, too, the way an orchestral composer might have featured a particular instrument in a piece back in the day.
@@ducksoff7236 haha!...YES!!! Even where he is now, he's _still_ underrated. I'd love to see him expand his playing into other genres, beyond what he's already done. Everytime he ventures into anything from country to flaminco, I keep wishing there was more.
Saw him play with Motley Crue last year in Sheffield, on tour with Def Leppard. John 5 is impressive, and stands out as a guitar monster alongside the greats!!
On one of my jobs theres a kid , around 17 thats been into guitar a few years but he prefers the old jazz and blues Cats . I sent him to check out Les and Chet and he was floored . I'm just a hack Cowboy chord guy but I can really appreciate the technique and compositions they do, and John is right there with them. Can't pigeonhole him at all, he does EVERYTHING
What sets John 5 apart from most modern guitarists is, that he's heavily rooted in all this awesome old school stuff from 50 or 60 years ago. He's so good at it, and you just have to love him for the appreciation. Back then, some of the guys had absolutely sick technique and such crazy ideas. Chet Atkins, Jerry, Reed, Les Paul, Clarence White. Total monsters. And as John emphasises, they did it all of this with a clean tone. Unbelievable.
I ignored this guy for years because of his Marilyn Manson association...I was DUMB !! I finally tuned into a guitar interview on UA-cam one night out of boredom...my jaw was in my lap - WOW WOW WOW !!!! This guy is simply other-worldly in his ability to play ANY thing in ANY style !?! I have yet to see a single limitation to his playing...and I have now watched just about every John 5 video on UA-cam for the last year plus !! Add to that the genuinely great human being he seems to be , his humility and his unflinching desire to compliment and credit all the great players / influencers of yesteryear and John 5 is literally my favorite guitarist now - WOW !!!
It just goes to show if you started playing when you were young and learned all the simple things that you hated because it wasn't popular, like row row your boat , going bells , then rock out.!! God bless you 😇.
Les Paul was awesome. And I'd say John5 nailed this! Very cool take. The guy is an amazing player. Cool guitar, too. I bet Les would have had a good laugh, and enjoyed this. So cool that his influence, and his music is still being discussed, and enjoyed!
Seeing how the MASTER Les Paul did this 73 years ago ( and inventing the techniques ); using what "primitive" ( by today's standards of recording etc,. ) equipment was available. Makes Les Paul's version OUTSHINE this wide and by far!
Well sure, if you want to look at it that way. Les was great - hence why people want to tribute his work. Taking Les' work and putting a fresh spin on it doesn't mean you're trying to compete with the original, only that you're trying to share something you like with others who might appreciate it.
Wonderfull some that young artist knows about Les Paul´s work because the most people relate him to the Les Paul guitar but not any further. Mary Ford did amazing music with Les
Probably the most complete guitarist around, possibly ever! J5 does it all to a world class level, rock, blues, metal, blue grass, you name it, he can play it. If you feel like being made to give up playing, go watch him playing SugarFoot Rag 👀
I saw some listing of top guitar player this week . Interestingly Les Paul was on the list but not featured in a top 20 where he should be . John 5 does justice to make reference to greats that are not with us physically . We owe some much to Les Paul his inventions , multi tracking , playing and entertainment .
I respect this man so much for what he can play besides his original stuff. Amazing and awesome doesn‘t describe his ability adequately. Les Paul would be so proud of him, even playing a Tele.
John 5 covering Les Paul on a Fender Tele while wearing a KISS button on his jacket is exactly why John 5 is a monster guitar player.
I did not have this on my bingo card for 2024. :)
And it’s the original KISS
Took the words......
@@FREISTUDIOS the only Kiss.
He is so much more than a dress code.
I've heard people comment about how he gets a Tele to sound heavy, that's easy, what's amazing is how he gets high gain Dimarzio pickups to sound like a gretsch country gentleman
Looks to me like a light picking hand does the trick. He's not being very heavy handed with picking
Lots of subtle palm muting as well.
Compressor, eq, tone pots and touch.
Clean tone and lots of reverb…
just need to keep volume knob low
Blimey. can't wait to hear John 6
Yeah but what did he do with the other four?
Apparently his middle name is Derek
Say what you mean
Love it
Seven ate Nine
I think Les would have loved this cover
Best Country Guitarist in all of Metal!
Well, his name is John Lowery. Sounds kind of country?🤷♂️
john really is guitar savant. theres a lot of dudes who can shred like van halen.. theres only a handful of dudes with the breadth of talent to span genres seamlessly.. john 5 is one of them
John 5 worships Edward .
Ive never heard anyone shred like EVH. People get close and go their own way, like Nuno
@@2216sammy Edward wouldn't make a pimple on johns hiney .. not even close, johns levels and levels away from EVH, didn't you notice how john picks every note? no tricks, no gimmicks pure playing, john spams several genres where eddie is VH that's it, he may have remembered some classical piano stuff but he crossed over to guitar fairly early so . . you don't want to get caught in a shoot out with john, big mistake, very few could keep up, very few, maybe glen campbell, roy clark, and a lot of those phenom pickers from the wall of sound and a small handful of others... Ed.. funny, but yea no...
John 5 always blows my mind, the guy can play anything from what I have seen.
I never get bored listening to his playing. It's always entertaining and refreshing.
John 5 just keeps impressing. The great Les Paul, and the great John 5 doing it justice.
The difference: Les Paul did it before Extra Slinky Strings. The man was playing on telephone pole wires.
I love that John is not trapped in a genre and not afraid to play whatever the F he wants unapologetically and as best as he can play it. Ive known Death metal guitarists who secretly play jazz but will NEVER do it onstage in front of fans, just at sound checks and art is art is art, dont be afraid or ashamed, play it, own it and enjoy!!
Some of that insane talent in the basement has a lot to do with knowing that you can only pull out about 60 to 70% in a show, never go all out while live. If you happen to leave it all out on the stage, just remember to pick some of it back up for the next show.😅
This demonstrates how good John 5 is BUT also should remind people how great Les Paul was.
I appreciate John 5 passing on Les Paul's legacy with the breakdown after the song. Very cool. Very important.
This completely floored me. John 5 dabbles in country but is mostly hard rock/metal yet he picked this LP classic up like its nothing. Still its testament to what made Les Paul so famous. He was beyond his time with his melody and technicality.
To be honest, John 5 is Bluegrass/Country player who dabbles in Hard Rock/Metal.
@@guitaralligator7250can’t thumb this up enough. While he plays in rock/metal bands, he has, in almost every interview I’ve seen, talked about how much country and bluegrass influenced his playing early on. It’s one of the main things I hat makes his solo work so interesting is when he inserts phrases from country and western players, or banjo rolls, or other country styles into his rock playing. Makes for a really cool sound.
He doesn’t dabble in anything. He is well versed in all aspects and genres from his years of curiosity, studio work and dedication to his craft.
The difference: Les Paul did it before Extra Slinky Strings. The man was playing on telephone pole wires.
Watch his video for Black Grass Plague. He shreds on mandolin and banjo
John 5 is one of the best guitarist ever! A true legend 🤟
How about the guy who wrote the song and invented the electric guitar?
I don’t think the person meant to slight Les in any way. John is one of the most under rated guitarists of this generation. In my eyes, nobody comes close since a guy named Eddie.
One of the best alive. Put some respect on Dimebag and Alexi Laiho
I've been lucky to see John 5 with his Creatures band 3 times....this guy can shred with the best of them....but then he'll whip out a banjo and switch to country mode. John 5 always puts on a great show.
If memory serves, he was heavily influenced by great country “pickers” like Roy Clark and Merle Travis…
@@tonyjones1560 That's right, Tony. He has also mentioned on several occasions, how he watched Hee Haw as a kid, and that he thought the Telecaster was the only guitar around. Cool story and background!
Total respect from me to a true shredder, paying total respect to one of the original true shredders. Not many of today's guitar heroes even know how amazingly well LP could play, but they own his signature guitar. J5 respects all his roots. There was so much talent out there way before the days of UA-cam and Spotify that too many people have never heard of. What a cool guy J5 is for reminding us.
As someone who plays LP guitars I actually didn't discover LP's playing until recently haha so you're not wrong
John5 is a legend. Saw him live and was floored.
And John legend is a 5
John 5 is an amazing guitarist.
I just saw John5 in Cleveland and he was pure entertainment z but the guy played about every genres and was totally fun and he is a guitar and technique master .
Not necessarily a fan of nor conversant in "John 5," but much respect for this! The understanding and work that must have gone into deconstructing "How High..." to put this piece together like this...?! What a musician!
Absolutely fantastic, I love watching John 5 play.
This guy is great! I know he plays with some 80s band now but I didn’t know he was so talented. They’re lucky to have him.
Much like Steve Howe - versatility unheralded.
I saw Jeff Beck play this at the Jazz Fest. I wish him and John 5 could’ve done something together. 2 of the greats for sure.
I always wondered what John 5 and Tom Morrello would cook up.
New Orleans Jazz Fest? Going to the Stones? Prices are wild eh
@@ryemill7787 My son and I got to see them in the Dome in July of 2021 and it was great. Yes the price is outrageous and hopefully the heat won’t be. Enjoy🎭
Awesome! Great performance.
Those old Les Paul / Mary Ford videos always blew me away. And it sounds composed FOR the guitar, too, the way an orchestral composer might have featured a particular instrument in a piece back in the day.
John 5 is way too underrated! One of the best Guitarists out there 🤘
The age old "underrated" comment. It's in almost every music related video, sometimes multiple times. lol
As John 5 just showed us ... less is not more, Les is Paul! Thank you.
I’m impressed by Mr. 5’s learning of a Les Paul tune. 👍🏻
He's the best to ever do it. I've literally never heard him as a note.
John 5 is one of the most _underrated_ guitarists living today. I'd love to see more material like this coming from him.
Tim Henson hates this man
who cares!@@finnmacdiarmid3250
So "underrated" that he generates millions of views wherever he goes.....
@@ducksoff7236 haha!...YES!!!
Even where he is now, he's _still_ underrated.
I'd love to see him expand his playing into other genres, beyond what he's already done. Everytime he ventures into anything from country to flaminco, I keep wishing there was more.
The difference: Les Paul did it before Extra Slinky Strings. The man was playing on telephone pole wires.
That little past-the-nut bend at about 1:45 broke my brain.
He's such a brilliant and natural player. That was genuinely fantastic
He knows his stuff. Nice job!
I feel that Les Paul the Man would approve.
Being able to see this song being played with high-def video is amazing.
Thank You John 5
A master covering another master!
Saw him play with Motley Crue last year in Sheffield, on tour with Def Leppard. John 5 is impressive, and stands out as a guitar monster alongside the greats!!
How can one NOT like John 5? Just an amazing chameleon.
This dude is so fearless on his axe, which why I'm such a big fan his, and respect him enough not to judge his choice in sunglasses. 👍😉
On one of my jobs theres a kid , around 17 thats been into guitar a few years but he prefers the old jazz and blues Cats . I sent him to check out Les and Chet and he was floored . I'm just a hack Cowboy chord guy but I can really appreciate the technique and compositions they do, and John is right there with them. Can't pigeonhole him at all, he does EVERYTHING
John 5 for the win!! Brah...paying homage to the greats.
I like that he's playing it on a Tele..... Thank you for posting!
Dude can play just about anything!!
Ive just recently came to appreciate Les Paul as a player
the best guitarist of today
What sets John 5 apart from most modern guitarists is, that he's heavily rooted in all this awesome old school stuff from 50 or 60 years ago. He's so good at it, and you just have to love him for the appreciation. Back then, some of the guys had absolutely sick technique and such crazy ideas. Chet Atkins, Jerry, Reed, Les Paul, Clarence White. Total monsters. And as John emphasises, they did it all of this with a clean tone. Unbelievable.
I fr$&ken love you John.
You playing has has always been tasteful and you have always been much more than a rock guitarist. Awesome work as always.
Still the human guitar jukebox. 🎸
John played with Lester a few times at the Iridium club in NY back in the 90s.
Unbelievable! John 5 is the guitar virtuoso
I ignored this guy for years because of his Marilyn Manson association...I was DUMB !! I finally tuned into a guitar interview on UA-cam one night out of boredom...my jaw was in my lap - WOW WOW WOW !!!! This guy is simply other-worldly in his ability to play ANY thing in ANY style !?! I have yet to see a single limitation to his playing...and I have now watched just about every John 5 video on UA-cam for the last year plus !! Add to that the genuinely great human being he seems to be , his humility and his unflinching desire to compliment and credit all the great players / influencers of yesteryear and John 5 is literally my favorite guitarist now - WOW !!!
Pretty good, Mr. 5
All the jazz shell chord voices are excellent, and the "crisp" clean sound with the picking is really sweet.
just way too F'n cool John!
How is this not the best "guitar solo" ever???
John 5 great guy & terrific player. thank you
This is one of John 5 top 5 moments.
what makes Mr 5 so damn good is he is not musically constipated , he never fails to amaze this 71 year old guitar picker
This man is too bloody good! Such a versatile and talented geetarist :)
He sounds awesome and I love that Tele!!
John is one of the modern greats. Les would be proud.
Awesome ! Really cleanly played, excellent tone as well
Totally amazing ! John 5 is the real deal.
Wow! I knew LP was a pioneer but I never knew he played that far ahead of his time! Amazing fir the time. Almost metal riffs!
Nice job, sir! For those of you that don't know this exceptional piece of music, watch Les Paul and Mary Ford do the original. Absolutely amazing.
Truly a guitar player's guitar player.
Just gained a whole new respect for J5
Just saw him live!! Phenomenal!!
It just goes to show if you started playing when you were young and learned all the simple things that you hated because it wasn't popular, like row row your boat , going bells , then rock out.!! God bless you 😇.
John 5 really making all of us guitarist step our games up.
Never heard of him before, glad I've heard of him now. Very nice tribute to Les, great job!
Look up his solo live shows, one of the best medleys ever played!
Les Paul was awesome. And I'd say John5 nailed this! Very cool take. The guy is an amazing player. Cool guitar, too. I bet Les would have had a good laugh, and enjoyed this. So cool that his influence, and his music is still being discussed, and enjoyed!
Seeing how the MASTER Les Paul did this 73 years ago ( and inventing the techniques ); using what "primitive" ( by today's standards of recording etc,. ) equipment was available. Makes Les Paul's version OUTSHINE this wide and by far!
Well sure, if you want to look at it that way. Les was great - hence why people want to tribute his work. Taking Les' work and putting a fresh spin on it doesn't mean you're trying to compete with the original, only that you're trying to share something you like with others who might appreciate it.
Thank you John for a fitting homage to the colossal talent of Les Paul.
Wonderfull some that young artist knows about Les Paul´s work because the most people relate him to the Les Paul guitar but not any further. Mary Ford did amazing music with Les
John 5 -wow, just wow. Thanks!
Outstanding. I never quite imagined how excellent Les Paul was until seeing this upclose from John 5.
Wonderful to see such a talent pay tribute to the great Les Paul. Cool to know the music that inspires these new stars.
Probably the most complete guitarist around, possibly ever! J5 does it all to a world class level, rock, blues, metal, blue grass, you name it, he can play it. If you feel like being made to give up playing, go watch him playing SugarFoot Rag 👀
It was so awesome when I just got to see him play this in Columbus!!🤘💀
I saw some listing of top guitar player this week . Interestingly Les Paul was on the list but not featured in a top 20 where he should be . John 5 does justice to make reference to greats that are not with us physically . We owe some much to Les Paul his inventions , multi tracking , playing and entertainment .
He never fails to impress! ❤❤❤
Finally a metal master covers the GOAT - Les Paul. Thank you John and GW. Excellent job on the tone and dynamic. You're the man.
Western Swing
Les Paul and Mary Ford had that genre on lock
Anything they composed was so natural and beautiful
Along with sophisticated
Les Paul was not only a brilliant guitarist but also a master innovator, he invented and pioneered so many things
Wow so cool...first I ever heard this...glad I did...thanks j 5 dude😅
The peppermint paint job looks gorgeous on that Tele.
Impressive. Dude's a monster on the guitar.
John 5 is always monstrously skilled and the white / red telly is sexy as hell! (and I'm not even a Telecaster fan myself)
This is carnival music!
bro that tele is GORGEOUS
I've loved this ever since hearing the marching band do a rendition of it. Always awesome to see and hear!
I respect this man so much for what he can play besides his original stuff. Amazing and awesome doesn‘t describe his ability adequately. Les Paul would be so proud of him, even playing a Tele.
THIS IS ME..
THIS IS MY KIND OF GUITAR PLAYING...
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS VIDEO....THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING THIS VIDEO..
Inspiring, thanks John.!.!.!.
Right on right on
What the hell, shadow arpeggios! Mind blown!
That made me grin, top notch.
Excellent, well played
Excellent!
great cover. love the original and i love this!
Wonderful.
How cool this guy is ❤