PAUL GILBERT: “vibrato and bending is becoming more rare with modern guitar players, and I don’t want that style to die”

(Music Media Magazine, September 2017)

  

As one of the top guitar players of his era, Paul Gilbert really raised the bar for shred obsessed guitarists in the late ‘80s. The former GIT instructor had brought some of the most lead guitar intense recordings in the history of metal with his band Racer X before joined forces with bassist extraordinare Billy Sheehan in Mr. Big and hit the charts with number 1 radio-friendly singles such as the acoustic driven “To Be With You”. Almost 30 years and some break ups/reunions later the band is still here, their latest offering “Defying Gravity” has just been released on Frontiers Records. As usual the album is full of their trademarks including unmistakable chops from Gilbert, who once again proves that not only has he terrifying technique and command on the instrument, but he’s no stranger to balls out blues and can still deliver catchy as hell rock tunes, too. In this recent interview Paul talks about the making of “Defying Gravity”.

The new album has an overall ‘70s classic rock vibe and your guitar sound is perfectly in accordance with it. How did you figure out this pure yet chunky rhythm tone?

PG: My ears crave clarity. I want to hear and feel the notes that I play, and if I use too much distortion it seems to make my guitar sit in the distance. So I try to use a cleaner sound to bring the guitar more “up front.” Of course, it’s still got some distortion, but I try to get most of the aggression from the way that I hit the strings, and just a lot of volume.

Defying Gravity is one of Mr. Big’s most versatile albums so far in my opinion, there are so many different musical aspects on it. Did it require special approach from you?

PG: Mr. Big songs are always challenging for my guitar sound. There are songs like “Daddy, Brother…” that have an almost metal chunky rhythm sound, songs like “Just Take My Heart,” that are very clean, chorused, and compressed, and slightly overdriven twangy blues stuff like “Alive and Kickin’.” I’ve been using a 100 watt Marshall set clean, and then a lot of pedals to help me get different sounds from that one amp.

What excites you the most about this particular new record?

PG: There are new songs to play live! There are lots of cool guitar riffs and solos, and also a lot of harmony vocals. I always love singing harmony in Mr. Big.

The album has a huge spontaneous sound. Did you guys record it all live, without overdubs?

PG: I tracked most of the guitars live, including the solos. There were some overdubs, but probably less than I have done on any Mr. Big album. The other album that was really “live” in the studio was “What If…” I like that one too.

You got a great blues solo on “Be Kind”. Your playing was getting more and more into the blues over the years. Is this some kind of maturity? Do you enjoy playing this way?

PG: My dad had a lot of blues albums when I was a kid, so I heard John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and B.B. King when I was young. But blues wasn’t so interesting to me back then. For some reason it’s much more interesting to me now. I love it! I’m always humming blues solos and melodies to myself every day. I’ve also noticed that vibrato and bending is becoming more rare with modern guitar players, and I don’t want that style to die, so it makes me want to do it more.

Obviously you delivered some typical crazy shred stuff as well, such as “1992” and in particular “Mean To Me”, which has a truly one of a kind riff. How did you come up with this?

PG: The “Mean To Me” riff was inspired by hearing the drum programming on a Christina Aguilera song [this might be “Genie In A Bottle” - editor’s note]. The pattern reminded me of the way that Scott Travis plays double bass. I tried using my low string like the bass drum, and some chord stabs like the snare. I often get inspiration from other instruments and this is a good example.

 “Mean To Me” also has a jaw-dropping solo section. Did you set the delay to dotted 8th repeats here?

PG: Yeah. I’m using the delay to give me tight 16th notes. I’ve done that before in songs like “The Echo Song,” but I think this is the fastest solo that I’ve ever done this way.

What kind of gear were you using during the recording process?

PG: I mostly used a custom shop Ibanez Fireman. It’s purple and has an Ibanez Edge Tremolo. I hadn’t used a locking tremolo in a long time, and I had fun with it. Overall, it’s just a great sounding guitar… It’s got a huge neck! I used a Marshall 1959SLP 100 watt head into a Marshall 4 x 12 cabinet. I used various distortion pedals, depending on the song… mostly the TC Electronic MojoMojo. Others were the Catalinbread Karma Suture, and the Supro Drive. I used a Catalinbread Callisto Chorus, and a Voodoo Labs Micro Vibe sometimes. The delay pedal was a Catalinbread Belle Epoch. For acoustic guitars, I borrow Billy’s Taylor!

Aside from your early works with Racer X you were never a big whammy bar abuser. In spite of that the new PGM80P NT model features a vintage styled Wilkinson whammy. Why did you go this way with it?

PG: I’m a big Robin Trower fan, and I bought a Robin Trower Strat at one point. I was surprised how well it stayed in tune with just locking tuners. So I asked Ibanez to modify one of my PGM guitars in a similar way. It turned out great, and I’ve been enjoying whammying every since.

You always prefer low output pickups such as the DiMarzio Air Classic or the PAF Master. Is it better for you to get distortion from the amp rather from a hot pickup?

PG: Pickups not only affect the sound, but also the feel of the sound. The DiMarzios that I use feel so good to me. I’m not really sure why… They just do. And of course, they sound great too.

You just participated in Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience along with Phil Collen of Def Leppard and Warren DeMartini of Ratt. How was jamming with these guys?

PG: We had GREAT jams at G4. It was so much fun. I also jammed with about 80 students. Whenever I do these camps, I try to jam with as many people as I can. I’ll be doing a similar thing at my own “Great Guitar Escape” camp next year.

Joe Satriani recently said that “Paul's one of those guys that can really play anything, and I'm not.” - How do you feel about it?

PG: It’s nice getting compliments from Joe! And of course, he doesn’t have to worry about what he can play. He always plays beautifully. Also, there are so many things that I can’t play. I’ve never been into fingerpicking, so that whole Chet Atkins style is really foreign to me. Tommy Emmanuel is so good at it. I don’t even try!

Which guitarists do you listen to these days that really could improve your playing?

PG: I mostly listen to blues guys. I love a new player named Kid Andersen. And the original blues guys like B.B. King, Big Bill Broonzy, Otis Rush, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. I’m still blown away every time I hear Robin Trower. I’ve also been enjoying a new band called “The Lemon Twigs.” I love their song, “I Wanna Prove to You.”

What advice would you give to younger players who want better tone and technique?

PG: Join my online rock guitar school at Artistworks! If you can’t do that, then just make sure to stomp your foot to keep in time, and bend your strings a lot. In the end, the key to everything is listening and feeling. Try to look less, and listen and feel more.

Photos by William Hames