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Play electric guitar like Mike McCready
Mike McCready of Pearl Jam is your idol and you want to sound like him? Then you aryou're in the right place. Here you'll learn everything about the guitars, amplifiers, effects and accessories Mike uses. We show you equipment from all price ranges with which you can achieve the best possible alternative rock sound and emulate Mike McCready's look. Have fun browsing!
About Mike McCready
Mike McCready was born in 1966 in Pensacola, Florida. Mike's family moved to Seattle shortly after his birth. He started playing guitar at the age of 11. Already during his school years he founded his first band, Warrior, which was soon renamed Shadow. After the band ended he stopped playing guitar for a while and started studying. A friend, however, convinced him to return to music.
In 1990 he founded the band Pearl Jam with his schoolfriend Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. The debut album Ten brought the band its mainstream breakthrough and became one of the best-selling alternative albums of the 1990s. Mike McCready often performed as a soloist and gave Pearl Jam's music a bluesy touch. Mike plays by ear and is known more for his feel than for virtuosity. The single Jeremy was nominated in 1993 for the Grammy Award in the categories Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock Performance. For the music video for Jeremy, Pearl Jam received four awards at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1993. On the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, Ten was placed at number 207 and the single Jeremy reached number 11 on the list of the 100 best songs of the 90s. To date Mike can look back on a long career spanning ten studio albums.
Discography and achievements
With Pearl Jam:
- 1991: Ten (Diamond)
- 1993: Vs. (Multi-platinum)
- 1994: Vitalogy (Multi-platinum)
- 1996: No Code (Platinum)
- 1998: Yield (Platinum)
- 2000: Binaural (Gold)
- 2002: Riot Act (Gold)
- 2006: Pearl Jam (Gold)
- 2009: Backspacer (Gold)
- 2013: Lightning Bolt
- 2020: Gigaton
- 2024: Dark Matter
With Mad Season:
- 1995: Above
Affordable electric guitars in Mike McCready's style
What's crucial for Mike's unmistakable style is above all the right feel. That's why it's worth checking out more affordable guitars as well. We've put together for you a selection of guitars in Mike's style that won't make you break the bank:
High-end electric guitars from Mike McCready
The guitars Mike himself plays are of course, partly because of the age of some pieces, significantly more expensive and also harder to find. Mike mainly plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard and his Fender Stratocaster models. With us you'll find a whole range of instruments inspired by Mike's vintage instruments as well as modern models that also appear in his collection.
Mike and his guitars
Mike prefers his Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul models for live performances and studio recordings. He is so highly regarded at Fender and Gibson that he even received his own signature versions of his two favourite instruments. While the Gibson Mike McCready Les Paul from the Murphy Lab is unfortunately no longer available, the Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster (see left) is available both as a Custom Shop and a Masterbuilt variant. If you want to enjoy the best Pearl Jam sound without investing a fortune, you should go for the Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster RW 3TS , which is considerably cheaper. This Stratocaster was reproduced in detail after Mike's favourite model, a 1960s Stratocaster in 3-tone sunburst, developed in collaboration with the Pearl Jam guitarist and is the ultimate all-rounder for any guitarist who wants to rediscover the incredible power and the legendary, electrifying sound of a true 90s grunge guitar icon.
The Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster RW 3TS
The Fender Mike McCready Stratocaster captures the distinctive sound and timeless spirit of one of the most enduring and influential rock bands. After a Custom Shop Stratocaster, the Mike McCready signature Stratocaster is already Mike's second signature model from Fender. The Fender Mike McCready Signature Stratocaster is equipped with a set of newly designed Fender Custom Mike McCready '60s single-coil Strat pickups. These custom Stratocaster pickups deliver the characteristic chimey, articulate sound Mike is known for. They are designed and voiced so they can precisely reproduce the Strat single-coil tone of Mike's original instrument. The Mike McCready Stratocaster features a handcrafted, heavy relic Road Worn finish on an alder body that recreates the wear and tear and damage Mike's Strat picked up over three decades of punishing, sold-out tours and legendary performances. For the perfect signature feel, the back of the headstock is signed by Mike.
Alternative high-end models for the Pearl Jam sound
The perfect guitar for you doesn't necessarily have to come from Fender or Gibson. There are also other manufacturers that make guitars in the high-end price range that can easily compete with the instruments from the well-known brands. Here you'll find a selection of such guitars that Mike McCready would surely like:
Mike McCready's amplifiers and speaker cabinets
Mike McCready plays a whole range of amplifiers, most of them from Fender. Every now and then Mike also turns to a Marshall JCM-800 or one of his boutique amps. Of course the right cabinets are also essential. Mike mostly uses 4x12 cabinets because he plays on large stages and these cabinets showcase his powerful sound best. We've put together a selection of Mike's amplifiers and speaker cabinets here to inspire you:
Mike McCready's effects pedals
Mike McCready uses a whole array of effects pedals to shape his sound. Here we've compiled a collection of effects units for you with which you can emulate Mike and achieve the perfect Pearl Jam sound:
The perfect accessories for Pearl Jam fans
With the following accessories you can perfect your look and sound and sound even more like Mike McCready. Whether strings, picks or other accessories, here you'll find everything a Pearl Jam fan could wish for!
Wide selection
From pick to amp, from stick to kit: we're your one-stop shop for everything you need!
