Late last year, Jared Dines put guitar fans on high alert when he announced the preliminary lineup for the fifth installment of his “biggest shred collab song in the world” YouTube series – an event that, on paper, looked like it would be the most star-studded shred-a-thon of all time.
On December 26, Dines’ mammoth festival of electric guitar greatness finally arrived in all its glory, and though there were some notable absences from the initial announcement, the 37-minute masterclass still turned out to be one of the greatest shred guitar collabs ever.
When Dines revealed the first wave of players he had approached for the event on social media, legends like Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, John Petrucci, Yvette Young, Tim Henson and Synyster Gates were all named as potential participants.
Alas, none of the above made it on to the final roster, but their omissions did not dampen the level of elite six-string action that was ultimately served up by the likes of Matt Heafy, Nita Strauss, Michael Angelo Batio, Herman Li, Hedras and countless others.
In total, 70 electric guitar and acoustic guitar heroes took part in Dines’ video, making it quite literally the biggest shred collab song in the world. To put that into perspective, the previous edition only featured 27 artists.
In just the first five minutes, Mike Dawes, Jason Richardson, Gus G, Nita Strauss, Herman Li and Manuel Gardner Fernandes are all given the opportunity to flex their six-string chops, while players such as Ichika Nito, Marcin, Angel Vivaldi, Kiki Wong and TheDooo help cap off a staggering opening 10 minutes.
The next phase is equally impressive: Hedras, Cole Rolland and FM Guitars founder Felix Martin all deliver their trademark prog and double-fretboard antics aplenty, with Elizabeth Cannon, Bernth, Annie Shred, I Built the Sky and Dines himself following suit.
In the final 16 minutes, the spotlight is given to Ola Englund, Michael Angelo Batio, Matt Heafy, Courtney Cox, Nik Nocturnal, Sophie Burrell, Rabea Massaad, Dre Dimura, Max Ostro, Charlie Parra Del Riego and Alan Gogoll, who help close out the shred-a-thon in style.
Highlights – of which there are too many to count – include Herman Li’s hands-free effort, which is fueled by the DragonForce maestro’s Hot Hand wah ring controller, Marcin’s furious fretboard frolick – delivered via the fingerboard of his Ibanez signature guitar – and Lari Basilio’s tasteful-as-ever contribution that gives viewers another glimpse of her new-look Ibanez LB1.
Honorable mentions must also go to Fernandes – who uses both a six-string and a golden eight-string – as well as Strauss, who makes light work of some spectrum-spanning legato and two-hand tapping licks.
Truth be told, we could spend all day unpacking the 37-minute masterclass, so it’s probably best you check out the video above for yourselves.
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