Kiko Loureiro and Megadeth never officially stated they were completely done with one another, with both parties only extending Loureiro's absence. Megadeth has since recruited Wintersun guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and now Loureiro is selling all his Megadeth equipment. So it's probably safe to assume both have moved on permanently.
Loureiro has teamed up with Reverb to set up the shop, which includes some of the following gear:
- A surprise Gibson Les Paul Modern that Kiko played on two songs every night during the 2022 Megadeth tour;
- A few acoustic guitars, including a Godin Multiac ACS SA Grand Concert used on the on tour all over the world in 2023, a Godin Arena Pro CW, and an Ibanez GA6CE-AM used on tours in 2019, '21, and '22 as well as backstage and in hotel rooms for practice;
- A couple of well-used Kramer models, like a SM-1;
- A super portable DV Mark Neoclassic 1×12 guitar speaker cab, and DV Mark Multiamp from the Megadeth jam and rehearsal room;
- Several Neural DSP Quad Cortex units that have been main pieces of Kiko's touring rig since 2022;
- Some non-gear extras, like Kiko's sweatbands, a few shirts, and even a Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi.
The shop is open from now until next Wednesday, so go check it out here.
To recap, the situation with Megadeth and guitarist Kiko Loureiro has been a confusing one. It all started in September 2023 when Loureiro announced he wouldn't be going on tour with Megadeth and that Teemu Mäntysaari of Wintersun would replace him. At the time, the situation seemed temporary, as even Dave Mustaine said he wasn't sure when Loureiro would return to the band.
Then in November 2023, Loureiro revealed he'd extend his leave of absence into 2024. At the time, Loureiro said in part that he and the band "have collectively agreed that it is the right move to extend my absence," which certainly felt like he was coming back – a leave of absence implies a return at some point.
A few weeks after that, Loureiro said in a separate interview that "due to circumstances in my life, I have taken the liberty of choosing not to be in Megadeth." Then in an interview with Guitar World, Loureiro was asked "What led to your departure being a permanent situation rather than just a temporary thing?"
Lourerio replied: "My proposal was not to do the September shows and help them find a replacement, which turned out to be Teemu. But then I had some situations with my kids and had to go to the doctor, and I felt like I wanted to be home.
"And I get it – Megadeth must go on, right? Being able to pick and choose where and when I play is not going to be a thing. I mean, I guess it could be, but that's not the way it turned out.
"Maybe they felt like, 'Well, Kiko might come out on the next tour and say the same thing,' which I understand. So I told them, 'I understand if you guys feel that I'm unreliable,' They kept asking me, 'Are you sure?'
"Ultimately, I had to take control because I knew I needed and wanted to be home. People who don't have kids won't understand, while if you do, you will."
So… I mean, yeah it's safe to assume Loureiro ain't coming back.
