Introduction
Get the right guitar, amp and effects and you too can nail Paul Gilbert’s tones, whatever your budget...
We won’t forget the day we filmed Paul Gilbert’s ‘School Of Shred’ series of video lessons. Apparently unfazed by being ‘chauffeured’ from his hotel to our studio in a Skoda, Gilbert quietly set up his gear and gave us the slickest lesson we’ve seen, replete with trademark, unbelievably accurate bursts of alternate picking.
Gilbert is the player most of us aspire to be: technically awesome and tasteful - with a glug of rock ’n’ roll spirit to boot. By the age of 15, he was already showing signs of awesomeness, conquering his local live scene with his band Tau Zero and being featured in Guitar Player.
Later, he attended the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, where he became an instructor and formed the shred group Racer X. His next band, Mr Big, had a hit single with the unashamedly poppy To Be With You before Gilbert went solo, debuting with the album King Of Clubs in 1998.
Today, Paul still performs as a solo artist, as well as with Racer X and Mr Big. He’s used a variety of gear over the years, but has settled recently on a rig with his signature Ibanez guitars and a Handwired Marshall at its core... so he’s tonally awesome, too!
As always, here we're looking at two rigs - one budget, one blowout - that will get in the tonal ballpark...
Ibanez RG421
BUDGET: This will get you close to Gilbert’s signature Ibanez PGM, with two humbuckers, double cutaway and a hardtail.
Marshall MG101CFX
BUDGET: Gilbert favours amps from Marshall’s expensive Handwired range, but this will give you the Marshall roar at a fraction of the price.
Bullet Cable Classic Coil Cable
BUDGET: It’s hard to find Paul’s trademark coiled cable in the UK, but you can order it direct from www.bulletcable.com.
Alpine Music Safe Pro Earplugs
BUDGET: Gilbert suffers from tinnitus and is hard of hearing, thanks to years of high volume levels.
Can’t afford Paul’s cool-looking headphone-style attenuators? Give these musician-friendly plugs a try instead!
Total spend on budget rig: £574/$871*
(*approx. based on web prices)
Ibanez FRM100TR
BLOWOUT: Paul’s latest Ibanez signature axe, aka The Fireman, is his take on the Iceman design.
Marshall 2061X & 2061CX Cab
BLOWOUT: PG’s all about clarity these days, and this valve amp with solid state rectifier is his current fave.
Majik Box Fuzz Universe Custom
BLOWOUT: This Custom version of the Fuzz Universe has extra features, as requested by Gilbert himself.
Makita 8391DWPE 18V Combi Drill
BLOWOUT: Gilbert’s famous for taking a Makita fitted with guitar picks to his guitar strings for the ultimate exhibition of speed picking.
Total spend on blowout rig: £2,786/$4,281*
(*approx. based on web prices)
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“After every take, Mutt would say, ‘Check the tuning, man!’ This went on and on for almost a year. One day, I just gave him the guitar and said, ‘You tune it. I can’t take this anymore!’”: How legendary producer Mutt Lange drove the Cars half-mad
“I was shocked. That was the exact sound that I had been chasing for years”: Nirvana tone sleuth Aaron Rash solves his epic tone mystery and finds the guitar that Kurt Cobain used for In Utero
