BIO

Best known for his role as lead guitarist for the multi-platinum rock band Shinedown, Zach Myers has been a faithful PRS player throughout the band’s explosive career. Since their formation in the early 2000s, Shinedown have sold over ten million records worldwide and currently hold the distinction of having the most number one singles (sixteen) in the history of the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. As a PRS Guitars Signature Artist, Zach has overseen the release of three generations of the SE Zach Myers. First introduced in 2010, Zach’s signature model has become of one the most popular and enduring guitars in the history of the SE line. For 2021, PRS & Zach have teamed up to release the latest iteration of the SE Zach Myers.

^{5 MINUTES WITH ZACH}

PRS: You have amassed an amazing collection of one-off PRS Private Stocks over the years, which of these was your favorite to design and which ones see the most action?

ZM: I always like to say my favorite one hasn’t been designed yet. Haha! PRS made me 2 guitars when both of my sons were born that were all maple and did a really cool inlay with baby blocks and Oliver & Avery’s names; those are my favorites for sure. The guitar that sees the most action is probably the Copperhead 3 humbucker with a lotus inlay on the fingerboard. This guitar has been around since 2012 and I’ve played it at every show since.

PRS: You recently released a fifteen-year-old album The Fairwell, Schizophrenic Love Songs, Pt. 1. (Congrats on the success by the way!) Knowing what you know now about the music industry, what advice would you give to yourself back when you were recording Schizophrenic Love Songs, Pt. 1?

ZM: I certainly wouldn’t have talked about “falling” so much in the songs. Ha! I don’t really know; I was very young when I wrote those songs, between 16-21 years old and I was very angry (mostly frivolous reasons ie. girlfriends, etc. ) and listening back, it feels very angry. I’d probably tell myself not to sweat the small stuff; that it’s all small stuff.

PRS: In your songwriting process, what typically comes first, the lyrics, the melody, or the harmony?

ZM: As cliche as it is, it changes every time. Usually, a title or lyric comes first for me, but not always.

Below, watch Zach chat about the newest iteration of his PRS signature mode, the SE Zach Myers.

PRS: You are a well-known sneakerhead, recently gifting Paul Smith himself a pair of re-issue Air Jordan’s. When did this passion begin and how many pairs are currently in your collection?

ZM: It was way more about Michael Jordan in the beginning and then I fell in love with the culture as a kid. Sneaker Culture & Hip-Hop culture - it always seems like the ultimate accent piece. About 1,000 pair later, maybe it has gone too far, but it did get me my very own pair of Air Jordan’s that I got to design with the Jordan team. This, along with my signature PRS, is by far one of my greatest accomplishments.

PRS: Who were the players that initially inspired you to pick up the guitar and are there any up-and-coming players that you are paying close attention to?

ZM: Stevie Ray Vaughn was the first for sure. I didn’t really hear guitar solo’d out in my head until him. Other players like BB King, Freddie King, Jimmy Page, and The Edge were also influential to me. Not to mention, being from Memphis we had no shortage with James Burton and Scotty Moore and even someone like Garth Brooks made me want to play a guitar onstage.

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For a more offbeat Q&A with Zach, watch his episode of "Feedback Loop," filmed onsite at the PRS studio.