Steuart Smith

Steuart Smith is a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, writer and producer currently working with American rock band the Eagles.

Smith was hired by the Eagles in 2001 after Don Felder left the band as a result of legal issues, which led to protracted litigation. A settlement between the parties was reached in May 2006, for an undisclosed amount. Steuart shares lead guitar duties with Joe Walsh.

In addition to performing live with the band, he co-wrote several songs on the Eagles' 2007 studio album "Long Road Out of Eden" in which he also shared producing duties with the four band members and drummer Scott Crago.

Smith is a well respected and sought after studio musician with credits on many top name albums, actually starting out as a session keyboard player. He is also known for having performed with Rodney Crowell and Shawn Colvin among others, prior to joining the Eagles.

His main guitar is a 60s Fender Stratocaster, but also is very fond of Ernie Ball Musicman guitars. In fact, the guitar he plays in concert on Hotel California is a custom EBMM double-neck that is one of only two of a kind. The guitar is particularly unique because the six string neck is on top, and the twelve string neck is on the bottom. This is reversed from how a typical double-neck guitar is set up because Steuart wears his guitars up high and therefore requested it be built that way.

Steuart is also a member of Don Henley's solo touring band, and occasionally is tapped to play solo concerts with Glenn Frey as well.

Smith is also an expert in pinch harmonics (represented in the Hotel California solo), which traditionally are played by picking the string with the plectrum and then lightly catching the string with the thumb, resulting in a high-pitched squeal being produced by the guitar. However Smith uses a thumb plectrum and produces the harmonic by picking the string and then lightly touching the string with his first finger, a very difficult technique to master.