Josh Smith Masterclass

The man with a black Chapin T-Bird, scorching tone and astounding technique brought his mojo to the UK recently and stopped by to film a very special private lesson… David Mead is your guide.

- David Mead

When you meet Josh Smith, it soon becomes apparent, that he’s as big a gear head as you’re ever likely to meet. Everything in his signal chain is there because it’s survived rigorous comparisons to other units in its class – and his style is a riotous mix of red raw country, searing blues and the slickest jazz that simply stupefies the senses.

He’s been playing since he was three years old when his father surprised him with a guitar for his birthday. “I banged it around for a bit, then at six I asked to have lessons,” he laughs when we sit down for our chat.

By the time he reached 12, Josh started attending blues jams in his native Florida. “The first time I went I got up to play at this well-known blues club in Fort Lauderdale and the crowd went crazy,” he says. “In retrospect I realise it’s because I was four foot five with a little baseball cap and the guitar was bigger than me… I was hooked and thought, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life’.”

A move to LA at 22 saw Josh working his way up on the session and sideman scenes, but now he’s breaking out to do his own thing. A self-confessed obsessive where tone is concerned, we asked him when his quest for the ultimate gear began.