Paul Gilbert has been a shred icon for over 20 years. His work with Racer X, Mr. Big, G3 and as a solo artist has earned him accolades and fans around the world, as has his longtime instructional articles in UK's Total Guitar magazine and in Guitar Player stateside. With his signature Ibanez PGM models (noted for their painted “f” holes), Gilbert is a versatile musician whose playing encompasses classic rock, metal, pop, blues and funk, and his gear choices and sonic explorations continue to thrill audiences as Mr. Big regrouped earlier this year.

John: You have been an Ibanez endorsee for a long time and have a number of signature PGM models. What are the best aspects of each one?

Paul: I really like the newest model called the Fireman. It's basically an Ibanez Iceman but with the body design flipped upside down. It started as a crazy experiment that I did on my computer using Photoshop. I gave the idea to the Ibanez custom shop and they built me a couple different versions. I love them all. The neck is thick and has incredible resonance and sustain, and I like the 22-fret neck and 24 3/4” scale of the fretboard.

My other newest model is the PGM401. It has a lot of small changes that improve the overall tone a lot. The neck joint is the same as the late 80's RG guitars. It still has good access to the upper frets, but it's a little bit thicker than the 90's neck joints for better sustain. The bridge pickup is moved 1mm closer to the neck. This is very subtle, but makes the tone a little bit thicker and warmer, still with plenty of bite. The frets are skinnier than earlier PGMs and quite tall. This makes the intonation more accurate, and still makes bending and vibrato easy. I like the sunburst finish too. I like seeing the wood. Somehow it makes me want to practice more.

John: You use sealed headphone type hearing protectors on stage, similar to those used by shooting enthusiasts. Since they normally reduce all sound, are yours modified in any special way to allow you to hear dynamics and nuances below 90 dB?

Paul: My headphones are called “Extreme Isolation” headphones. They block out as much of the exterior sound as possible. I don't know the dB number, but it makes a huge difference. I plug them into a Sennheiser wireless monitor system, so the monitor engineer can give me whatever mix I want. I love the way it sounds, and it keeps the stage volume lower to protect my hearing.

John: Ibanez released your signature AF2 Airplane Flanger earlier this year. Can you tell us about how that pedal was developed and what songs have you recorded that we might hear it in action?

Paul: I used it on the newest MR. BIG live CD and DVD that is coming out soon. I used to have a vintage A/DA Flanger that made some great crazy noises (until it broke). I asked Ibanez to make a new, reliable flanger that could make similar crazy noises, but also footswitch to other flange sounds. They did an amazing job. I love the Airplane Flanger. I made a bunch of samples of the different sounds that I like and you can hear them on the Ibanez website. Check them out! http://www.ibanez.co.jp/na/news/f_products/2009/AF2/sample.html

John: You have had a long career with Racer X, Mr. Big, as a solo artist and in other collaborations, such as G3. How would you say that your style varies between projects in terms of technique, approach and gear?

Paul: I'm pretty much the same guy no matter what kind of music I'm playing, but I do try to adapt to the song. So if it's metal, I play something metally, if it's got some blues elements, I'll add some of that. I still learn a lot of cover songs just to keep expanding my vocabulary and get new ideas for chords and solo techniques.

John: You've cited a wide range of musical influences in past interviews, ranging from the Beatles and Beach Boys to the Ramones and Black Sabbath. You also have listed Akira Takasaki of Loudness, who is relatively unknown in the USA. How did you get turned on to Loudness and Takasaki's playing, and what elements of his playing do you admire?

Paul: I heard Loudness for the first time on a heavy metal radio show when I was 17. After that, I bought two Loudness albums, “Disillusion” and “Law of the Devil's Land”. I still love both of those records.

John: Unlike many famous rock musicians, you've been in a few “tribute” bands after your initial success, covering The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rush and The Who. Can you tell us about those projects and why you did them?

Paul: I learned to play guitar by learning songs. Of course, I spent some time learning scales, chords, arpeggios, and music theory, but the core of my playing comes from having played a ton of songs in rock bands when I was a teenager. Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater recently organized some cool tribute bands and asked me to play. We only did a couple shows with each one, but I had a fantastic time learning songs by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and The Who. Billy Sheehan also played in the Who tribute, and that was a part of the inspiration to get MR. BIG back together.

John: Your latest release, United States, is a collaboration with Freddie Nelson. How did that come about?

Paul: Freddie and I are from the same town in Pennsylvania. I always knew that he was a great guitar player, since all my friends were always telling me about him. But I never knew he was such a good singer. After I heard him sing, I thought we could do a great collaboration.

John: In most of your bands, you are the only guitarist. Was it different sharing guitar duties with Freddie Nelson, and how did that affect the recording and songwriting process?

Paul: On the album, I played almost all the guitars, but live we did a lot more guitar battles and harmonies. But Freddie really has become a lead singer, so most of the time he's concentration on that.

John: You have also been a noted instructor in the past, with teaching DVDs and Buckethead listed among your students. Are you still interested in teaching and what is it about teaching that you enjoy? Would you ever consider involvement in a school, such as Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch

Paul: I like teaching a lot, especially private lessons, because then I can listen to the student and see exactly where they are and what they need. I still take lessons myself sometimes. I like the idea that a musician never stops learning and improving.

John: There's a Fulltone OCD photo in the United States insert. Your's or Freddie's? - and what songs was it used on?

Paul: My photographer really liked the way that pedal looked, so he put it in the photos. It's a great pedal, but I can't remember exactly which songs I used it on. I'm constantly changing my pedalboard just to keep myself inspired with a variety of tones.

Thank you,

Paul Gilbert