Watch Jared James Nichols Shred + Play His Favorite Riffs

Subscribe to WGBF-FM on

Jared James Nichols is the latest guest on Loudwire’s Gear Factor, powered by Sweetwater. The guitarist met up with the Music Experience‘s Squiggy earlier this year at the Gibson Guitar Room and laid down some lightning licks while reflecting on his beginnings as a guitarist.

“The riff that made me want to pick up the guitar? ‘Electric Funeral’ from Black Sabbath,” says Nichols, breaking off a piece of the riff for viewers. “When I heard that, and I think I was like 12-years-old, I thought man that’s song’s evil. What is that? How did they make that sound?”

Check Out Jared James Nichols’ Gear

The guitarist says it was truly a chance discovery that led him down this path. His friend’s father oversaw an apartment complex and he recalls, “This guy left a stack of CDs in an old apartment and they’re like, ‘You can have whatever you want.’ There was like a pocketknife, a lighter, and I was looking through a stack of CDs, like, ‘Oh, that’s cool. Neil Young and all this stuff, but there was a Black Sabbath Paranoid CD and I was like, ‘I’ve heard of this band I think. I want to hear this.'” Once he played the album, the “Electric Funeral” riff transported him. “That was it, that was game over,” says Nichols.

The guitarist also recalls and plays a bit of Metallica‘s “Seek and Destroy,” the first song he learned in full, the counts off some of his earliest favorites like Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as Jimi Hendrix.

Also with Nichols right from the early days was Gibson Guitars. “I’ve been with Gibson for as long as I can remember. My first guitar I had was an Epiphone Les Paul and I kind of just grew up with the brand and grew up with the company and it felt right, it felt good,” says Nichols, adding, “It’s cool because you can go back to the guys and the classics in the ’50s and ’60s and they’re still playing with these. It’s just a cool heritage thing, man.”

As this is Gear Factor and we love to see musicians play, Nichols also chugs and wails his way through a sick shred for the viewing audience that can be seen in the Gear Factor video.

If you interested in investigating more about Gibson Guitars, check here. You can also get all your gear needs serviced at Sweetwater.com. As for Nichols, he’ll be back out on the road in May with dates booked through the summer into early fall. See all of his scheduled stops here.

30 Most Underrated Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists

Source: Watch Jared James Nichols Shred + Play His Favorite Riffs