MR. BIG GUITARIST PAUL GILBERT

MR. BIG GUITARIST PAUL GILBERT ON BEING CALLED A "SHREDDER" - "IT USED TO BOTHER ME BECAUSE I FELT THAT MY MUSIC WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN SHRED, BUT I HAVE GROWN TO APPRECIATE THAT LABEL"




Positive Grid recently spoke with Mr. Big guitarist Paul Gilbert about all things guitar, tone, and what inspired his new Spark Mini Limited Edition amp. Check out the interview below.

On playing fast

Gilbert: "To me, that’s the cool thing about the rock 'n' roll do-it-yourself method with a lot of my guitar heroes — if you hear Yngwie (Malmsteen) or Eddie Van Halen playing fast, they don’t play the same. It’s not like, 'Okay, we both are doing exactly the same patterns.' No, that’s the method. They’ve all got their own fingerprint and when they get to that level, whether their own physiology and their influences gave rise to this particular way of approaching the faster stuff. And the same thing when you hear Neal Schon (Journey) play fast, and it’s a whole different animal... or Gary Moore or Michael Schenker. There might be overlap here or there, but essentially, you’re gonna be able to spot who it is. To lay down a rule like, 'Oh, it must be exactly…' to me, that’s like crippling yourself. Just take what works and run with it."