Seymour Duncan artist Joshua Ray is a young up and coming blues guitarist from San Diego, California. At 20 years of age, Josh has done more than many could hope to achieve. A finalist in the Guitar Center 2009 “King of the Blues” contest, he’s gone on to work with artists and producers such as Johnny Sandlin (producer of the Allman Brothers Band, Highly Kind), singer Bonnie Bramlett, Beth Hart, Japanese superstar Koshi Inaba (vocalist for legendary Japanese band B’z), and Grammy-winning producer Ross Hogarth.
Josh is currently playing alongside Shania Twain as a part of her “Shania: Still The One” Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.  We thought we’d ask Josh a few questions about his start to guitar playing, his gear, and of course his favourite Seymour Duncan pickups.
You’ve played with a wide range of artists covering a large array of musical styles. What styles or bands first got you into playing? What was that musical “moment” that moved you towards playing the blues?

I first started playing guitar when I was 14. At the time, punk rock was my entire existence. The raw energy and power of the songs and players was what made me want to pick up a guitar in the first place. The simple techniques involved with playing punk were a great base of knowledge for when I started venturing into other styles.
I was quickly interested in classic rock bands such as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Cream, etc. I became obsessed with playing along to those records, as well as reading who their influences were. I kept seeing Albert King’s name as an influence for all my favorite rock guitar heroes, so I decided to go out and buy Born Under A Bad Sign. That was it. I was hooked. The great thing about blues is that you can truly hear how each guitar player’s interpretation of the same three chords is completely different.
We will never know what Jimmy Page would have played over a Black Sabbath song, but we know what Jimi Hendrix sounds like playing over an Albert King blues. These songs have been passed down through generations and I find it very interesting seeing how players adapt to those same chords in a modern context.
What are your main influences when it comes to playing guitar?
Albert King, Larry Carlton, B.B King, Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, Wes Montgomery, Leslie West, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck.

What sort of rig do you use currently? Do the guitars, amplifiers, effects, etc in use vary between studio and live work, or the different artists you work with?

My rig varies quite a lot between gigs and sessions, but at the base of every setup are my Yamaha Guitars and Rivera Amplifiers. I have been working very closely with both of companies since the beginning of my career. Since I have tour with a wide variety of artists, as well as play in studio sessions whenever I am back in LA, I need a very wide range of guitars and amps to accurately create my own tone or recreate a tone from a record.
Some of my main Yamaha Guitars include:

• SG1802
• SG1820
• Custom Shop Pacifica
• Custom Shop Pac1511MS
• LJX26CP Acoustic
• A3M A-Series Acoustic

Rivera:

• Quiana
• Venus 6
• Fandango
• 2×12 Rivera Cab with Eminence Red Fang Speakers

My pedals vary a lot depending on the specific situation. Here is a photo of my current in town pedal board: This does change from day to day but this gives a good idea of my favorite pedal companies and types of effects.

You’ve been a Seymour Duncan artist for a while now. What are your favourite Seymour Duncan pickups to use and why?

I am a huge fan of low output vintage styled pickups, and the Antiquity pickups nail that tone. I put them in my humbucker guitars, P-90 guitars, as well as single coil guitars. They give the feeling that the guitar is what’s dictating the tone. When I play high output pickups, I sometimes feel they mask the true tone of the wood.
Also for my tele styled guitar, I love the Five-Two pickups. For country style, playing these are perfect. I play with hybrid picking almost all the time and often switch to fingers only for lead playing. But the problem with most tele style guitars, is that on the high end it get’s very shrill and tinny. But on these pickups that never happens, it retains it’s fullness on the high end without getting too bright.
You’ve worked with a number of fantastic artists in such a short period of time. Is there anyone in particular that you would like to work with in the future?
I am very fortunate to work with some of my favorite artists in music and I will be forever grateful to them for selecting me as one of their band members. One artist that has been a constant source of inspiration to me is Eric Clapton. The way that he navigated his career path and consistently evolved over the years is something I hope I can do as well. I’m amazed that his live shows have songs that were written anywhere from 1900 to 2013. Being able to play such show with his always awesome band would be a dream come true for me!

You can check out Joshua Ray on stage as part of Shania Twain’s “Shania: Still The One” Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.