Joe Satriani's guitar strings: the Ibanez JS rig, sourced
Documented string gauges and tunings Joe Satriani uses on his Ibanez JS signature electrics. D'Addario nickel-wound .009-.042 / .010-.046 across his solo catalog, Chickenfoot, and G3 tours. With citations.
Solo / Chickenfoot / G3 · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Joe Satriani uses D'Addario nickel-wound strings, primarily .009-.042 (D'Addario EXL120) on most of his solo catalog and .010-.046 for heavier material. Long-running Ibanez signature relationship with the JS line, in continuous production since 1990 and one of the most-recognized signature-guitar partnerships in modern rock. He plays primarily in standard E with occasional Eb standard and drop-D. Satriani's catalog from *Surfing with the Alien* (1987) onward has defined the modern instrumental-rock-guitar lane.
At a glance
Role
Active
Affiliations
- Solo career (1986–present)
- Chickenfoot (with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Chad Smith, 2008–present)
- G3 (with Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, others; recurring tour series)
- Ibanez (JS signature line, 1990–present)
- D'Addario (documented string user)
Notable credits
- Surfing with the Alien (1987)
- Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)
- The Extremist (1992)
- Crystal Planet (1998)
- Shapeshifting (2020)
- The Elephants of Mars (2022)
Official media
Who Joe Satriani is
Joseph "Joe" Satriani (born July 15, 1956, Westbury, New York) is the lead guitarist + sole featured artist of his solo instrumental-rock catalog, dating to his self-released Joe Satriani EP (1984) and broken into the mainstream with Surfing with the Alien (1987). His catalog of 19+ studio records through The Elephants of Mars (2022) defines the modern instrumental-rock-guitar lane.
He's also a founding member of Chickenfoot (with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith) and the founder of the recurring G3 instrumental-guitarist tour. His Ibanez JS signature line, in continuous production since 1990, is one of the most-recognized signature-guitar partnerships in modern rock. Before his solo career he was a guitar teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett, and Larry LaLonde among his documented students.
What he plays
Ibanez JS signature electrics across his catalog, with D'Addario EXL120 .009-.042 nickel-wound strings, primarily in standard E tuning with occasional Eb standard and drop-D variants on selected songs. Multiple JS production models are in current Ibanez catalog, including the JS2400, JS24P, JS3CR, and various special-edition finishes. DiMarzio pickups (Mo-Joe, Fred, PAF Pro depending on the model) drive the high-output, articulate signal into his tube-saturated rigs.
His signal chain into Marshall and Mesa/Boogie tube amps drives the saturation. He's a prolific pedalboard user, multiple wahs, an Ibanez Tube Screamer (sometimes a TS9 or his signature Vox Time Machine delay), various boost and modulation pedals, all of which are documented across his Premier Guitar Rig Rundown coverage.
Why this fits the rig
The .009 set on the 25.5-inch Ibanez JS scale sits at low tension, which suits his fluid, vocal-quality lead phrasing, exaggerated bends, sustained notes, and the trem-arm-driven pitch dives that are part of his signature lead vocabulary. The DiMarzio humbuckers (warm but articulate) into Mesa or Marshall tube saturation produce the harmonic-rich, vocal lead tone he's known for; the .009 strings preserve the fluid feel under the high-saturation amp settings.
The Ibanez Edge tremolo (a double-locking tremolo derived from the Floyd Rose system) keeps the .009 strings in tune through aggressive trem use, the dive-bomb passages on tracks like 'Surfing with the Alien' and 'Satch Boogie' depend on the locking trem to maintain pitch.
If you want this rig
D'Addario EXL120 .009-.042 is the documented gauge.
EXL120 Nickel Wound Super Light (.009-.042)
Why this one: Satriani's documented D'Addario signature gauge. Light-gauge nickel-wound for the fluid, vocal-quality lead phrasing and the trem-arm-driven pitch work that defines his lead voice.