Jason Richardson at Ernie Ball | NAMM 2026

Ryan was floating around the NAMM 2026 hall, and when he reached the Ernie Ball booth BAM! Jason Richardson was standing right there! Well, he was sitting there, but you get the picture.

We got to talk to Jason all about his extensive guitar collection, the difference between writing and practicing, and how to constantly raise the bar — and his love for Crocs. It’s always a good time at NAMM 2026 when you mix Jason Richardson and Ernie Ball. 

When we interviewed Steve Morse (also at NAMM 2026), he was checking out one of Jason’s signature 8-strings — but thought there were two too many strings... Jason said, “Yeah, I told him we’re gonna give him one. He said ‘Don't know what I would do with that,’ and I am just like… take it”.

Ryan thought it was a treat to hear Steve on the eight because it sounded so clean that way — not quite the sound you’re used to coming out of an 8-string. 

Jason Richardson loves to shred, but life is about balance! “I’m in the mindset that it’s good to take breaks from anything. But I never intentionally take breaks from guitar. Sometimes you get home from a tour and you need a break to do something else for a minute.” It seems like practicing comes in ebbs and flows. “I tried getting out of playing NAMM (snickers). I didn't know I was definitely playing till like a week before.”

Last time Jason and Ryan spoke, he was trying to get into new projects. “There is a big difference between writing and practicing. Recently I have been doing a lot of writing for other projects, getting hired to re-track guitar stuff or like trailer film stuff which is sick. It's finally happening. I am getting lots of bites. A lot of stuff in that industry is cut throat, and the deadlines are so super tight.” But when there’s an event, he makes sure to practice. “I usually try to give myself like two weeks if I know I have to go on tour. I practice how I usually would like I did back in the day to make sure the endurance is there.”

Ryan asked “I don't know what's scarier scoring a film or someone saying ‘yeah we are about to go play in five minutes and it's gonna be improv.’” Jason replied “I wouldn’t do that!”

When it comes to improvising, Jason finds his skills to be a dice roll. “It’s not something I focused on. I should have put more time into improvising. Like I can do it but I have seen videos of me where I did a really good job and other ones where I was like ‘that’s on the internet… Can’t get it off, oops.’” 

Playing shows is Jason’s safe space. “Playing shows is much less intimidating than having someone two feet in front of you with their phone out. You are just right there, the only one on stage. I was more comfortable at the Baby Metal show at the intuit dome. I opened by myself for 8,000 people there. That's more comfortable for me than performing at NAMM.” 

Ryan said “What do you do to raise the bar? Because what you’ve been playing is so insane, do you ever find a way to say ‘let's do something slow and melodic?’”

Jason replied, “I always try to keep dynamics in the song ‘cause it can't just be shred the whole time, even though some people might hear my music and beg to differ.” Jason noted that it’s on his mind a lot actually. “If it’s like crazy shred, even if it's the programming behind like the orchestration and the synths and stuff, if that is carrying more of the melody or the foundation, I do try to keep the melodic stuff in there too.” Jason definitely does shred a lot and feels pigeonholed to some degree.

The world will always ask… How do you stay on top? “I just got this question out in the crowd when I was signing stuff. The younger kids asked me how to break into this industry, and it has changed so significantly. I started touring in 2009 when Myspace was still a thing.”

A lot has changed since Myspace but not all for the better. “There used to be a lot more money in music. Now it’s a lot more of the time a marketing thing.” 

Either that, or it’s AI, right? Jason isn’t a fan of AI in music, but he has used it for a few things. “I use Chat GPT for more technical stuff like a more efficient google like how to fix things on my computer.” But perhaps its place is not in music… 

We got the scoop on what it’s like to be a modern musician in 2026. “With how modern things are, working with people is a lot of emails and files. Especially with a lot of the stuff I am getting hired for now.”

Ryan said, “What do you do then when you finally feel like you’re in a rut because you’re so prolific, are there ever moments where you feel tapped?” Jason replied, “I’ve been working with an artist writing recently. We’ve already done one song together that was really successful, but I'm going to keep trying obviously ‘cause I know it's going to click again. We’ve already written 20 minutes worth of stuff, but the right one in his opinion hasn’t happened quite yet.”

If you want a stellar 8-string or want more Jason Richardson content, you know where to find it: Right here at American Musical Supply! We have all the Ernie Ball gear you could ask for, and they all come to your door in two days or less. And don’t forget to subscribe to the AMS YouTube channel for more content just like this.