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| URL = [http://www.paulgilbert.com Official website]
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'''Paul Brandon Gilbert''' (born [[November 6]], [[1966]] in [[Illinois]], [[United States of America]] ) is an [[United States|American]] guitarist best known for his work with [[Racer X (band)|Racer X]], [[Mr. Big (band)|Mr. Big]], and his more recent instrumental albums. Following his departure from Mr. Big in 1997, Gilbert began releasing solo albums. He also joined [[Joe Satriani]] and [[John Petrucci]] on the 2007 [[G3 (tour)|G3]] tour.
'''Paul Brandon Gilbert''' (born [[November 6]], [[1966]] in [[Illinois]], [[United States of America]] ) is an [[United States|American]] guitarist best known for his work with [[Racer X (band)|Racer X]], [[Mr. Big (band)|Mr. Big]], and his more recent instrumental albums. He is currently maried Emi. She has been playing keyboards during Paul's tours in 2007. This is Paul's second marriage, the first was in the late 90s.
Following his departure from Mr. Big in 1997, Gilbert began releasing solo albums. He also joined [[Joe Satriani]] and [[John Petrucci]] on the 2007 [[G3 (tour)|G3]] tour.


He is also notable for his alternate picking, string skipping technique, and was named #4 on GuitarOne's "Top Shredders of All Time".<ref>[http://www.randyciak.com/guitar/top_shredders_of_all_time.htm Top Shredders of all Time<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
He is also notable for his alternate picking, string skipping technique, and was named #4 on GuitarOne's "Top Shredders of All Time".<ref>[http://www.randyciak.com/guitar/top_shredders_of_all_time.htm Top Shredders of all Time<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>




==Racer X==
==Racer X==
Line 57: Line 56:


In the intro to "Get Out Of My Yard" Paul uses a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal to achieve the altered pitch looped effect at the beginning of the track. This was also demonstrated by Paul on the instructional DVD of the same name.
In the intro to "Get Out Of My Yard" Paul uses a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal to achieve the altered pitch looped effect at the beginning of the track. This was also demonstrated by Paul on the instructional DVD of the same name.

==Trivia==
{{trivia|date=May 2007}}
*Gilbert suffers from [[tinnitus]], primarily in his left ear, due to playing at excessive volume, and now wears headphones on stage to prevent further hearing damage. When Eric Johnson and Gilbert each did their first [[G3 (tour)]]'s, (Johnson in 1996 and Gilbert in 2007) they both were wearing headphones during the closing group jam. <ref>[http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=347&Itemid=52 Metal Sludge - 20 Questions with Paul Gilbert, 4/27/04 - The Power & Glory since 1998<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.petrucciforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45088 Just Got Back From G3 Phoenix! - John Petrucci Forums<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* In the track "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Drill Song)" by Mr. Big, the final 16 bars of the solo were played using a cordless drill with three picks attached to the end. After playing this song, Mr. Big got a sponsorship from Japanese power tool manufacturers, Makita, whose drills were used on all occasions from then on.
*He appeared several times on [[Marty Friedman (guitarist)|Marty Friedman]]'s Japanese music show [[Rock Fujiyama]] as they are good friends.
*On the 31st of March 2006 Paul got married to Emi, a Japanese woman from Tokyo. She has been playing keyboards during Paul's tours in 2007. This is Paul's second marriage, the first was in the late 90s.
*On April 14 2007, during the [[G3 (tour)|G3]] tour of 2007 at Sayereville, New Jersey, Paul orchestrated a small prank on stage during John Petrucci's song "Glasgow Kiss". He and his entire band dressed up in [[kilts]] and came on stage unexpectedly just after the guitar solo, performing a mock [[Scottish highland dance]] during the song's main theme melody.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mkMmtbh_o4&mode=related&search= YouTube - Gilbert Kilts Petrucci G3 '07<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


==Discography==
==Discography==

Revision as of 07:02, 15 June 2008

For the actor, see Paul Gilbert (actor).
Paul Gilbert

Paul Brandon Gilbert (born November 6, 1966 in Illinois, United States of America ) is an American guitarist best known for his work with Racer X, Mr. Big, and his more recent instrumental albums. He is currently maried Emi. She has been playing keyboards during Paul's tours in 2007. This is Paul's second marriage, the first was in the late 90s. Following his departure from Mr. Big in 1997, Gilbert began releasing solo albums. He also joined Joe Satriani and John Petrucci on the 2007 G3 tour.

He is also notable for his alternate picking, string skipping technique, and was named #4 on GuitarOne's "Top Shredders of All Time".[1]

Racer X

Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, Racer X originally comprised Paul Gilbert (guitar), John Alderete (bass), Harry Gschoesser (drums) and Jeff Martin (vocals). They were heavily influenced by Judas Priest and Gilbert's playing was reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, displaying fast-driven solos with extreme-level technique. Gschoesser was replaced by Scott Travis (later known for being the drummer for Judas Priest) in 1986, and Bruce Bouillet was added as a second guitar player. Bouillet was a very skilled player, as he had to play over Gilbert's always difficult and challenging phrases. Paul Gilbert gained recognition as one of the fastest guitar players in the world due to incredibly technical pieces like "Frenzy", "Scarified", "Y.R.O." and "Scit Scat Wah". Gilbert left Racer X in 1988, but he eventually would rejoin the band in 1999. Currently the band is inactive, but Gilbert has said that he'd like to do another Racer X record sometime in the future.

Mr. Big

When Billy Sheehan left David Lee Roth's band in 1988, he joined with Paul Gilbert, who had left his former band, Racer X. They founded Mr. Big, with Pat Torpey on drums and singer Eric Martin. The band was a huge success in Japan, and became famous in 1991, with Lean Into It, their second album, which featured the ballad "To Be With You", which received strong media play and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Gilbert continued playing in Mr. Big until the late 90s. He left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Richie Kotzen. Mr. Big disbanded in 2002.

Projects

In May of 2003 he played on an only twice-performing project called Yellow Matter Custard, a Beatles cover band consisting of Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Neal Morse (ex-Spock's Beard), and Matt Bissonette. A CD and DVD are available. They took their name from a lyric in "I Am the Walrus": "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye".

He rejoined Portnoy along with Dave LaRue and Daniel Gildenlöw for a Led Zeppelin tribute band called "Hammer of the Gods" in 2004, again with Portnoy in September 2005, with Sean Malone, and Jason McMaster in the Rush tribute band "Cygnus and the Sea Monsters", and yet again with Portnoy, Gary Cherone, and Billy Sheehan in May 2006, as Amazing Journey: A Tribute to The Who, playing three shows. The band (excluding Sheehan) destroyed their equipment after the show in homage.

He was also revealed to be the guest guitarist on the Neal Morse solo album, Sola Scriptura.

In 2007, Paul Gilbert toured with Bruce Bouillet for promotion of his first instrumental album, Get Out of My Yard, which was released in 2006. Paul Gilbert also joined Joe Satriani and John Petrucci in the 2007 G3 tour. This was the 5th North American G3 run and the 12th tour worldwide since its inception.

Paul's new instrumental CD titled Silence Followed By A Deafening Roar was released in Japan on January 23, 2008, in Europe on March 31, 2008, and in America on April 8, 2008. This is Paul's second instrumental album.[2]

Influences and Style

Talking about his influences, Paul mentions many different artists, including Jimmy Page, Robin Trower, Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen, Akira Takasaki, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, and The Ramones. He is also a great fan of The Beach Boys and The Beatles. He states on the Space Ship Live DVD that George Harrison is one of his favorite guitar players. Guitar World magazine decleared him one of 50 of the world's fastest guitarists of all time, along with Buckethead, Eddie Van Halen, and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, jazz, funk and classical, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed, which helped him be named as one of the "Top 10 Shredders Of All Time" by Guitar One Magazine. He is also considered to be one of the best proponents of alternate picking and string skipping.[citation needed]

Instructor

Paul Gilbert wrote his own section of the British guitar magazine, Total Guitar, where he normally demonstrated guitar techniques in the magazine and accompanying CD. Even before that, he contributed instructional articles to Guitar Player Magazine in a late 80s/early 90s series entitled "Terrifying Guitar 101". His period of working with Total Guitar spanned thirty-one issues until the November 2006 issue. Paul also teaches at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) regularly, and is also an "honorary dean" of the GIT division in Japan. Before relocating to LA, Paul lived in Japan in hopes of learning Japanese like his Shrapnel labelmate Marty Friedman, who to this day still lives in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently.

Gear

Paul Gilbert primarily uses his Ibanez PGM signature series guitars, identified by their unique painted "f-holes". Although earlier PGM models featured the Ibanez Lo-Pro/Edge double locking tremolo system, many of his guitars (such as his main PGM300) have since been modified to accommodate a fixed bridge, hence the Ibanez PGM301 series. Along with his signature guitars, Gilbert often uses his sticker-covered "Dino" Ibanez RG750, in addition to a wide variety of Ibanez solidbody and semi-hollow electric guitars. Recently, Gilbert started using specially-designed Ibanez Iceman guitars with reverse bodies. Regarding amps, Gilbert has used Laney amplifiers for many years, praising them as having "the best natural distortion of any tube amp ever heard". Since the G3 2007 tour however, Gilbert stated that playing with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci inspired him to take a closer look at his own guitar sound. As a result of his search he found the Marshall Vintage Modern series. Paul will be using two 2266c combo amps on the European G3 tour. Gilbert uses few effects, especially in comparison to some of his peers. He uses a Dunlop Wah, a delay, t.c.electronic flanger/chorus, Electro-Harmonix electric mistress flanger and an MXR phase 90, running the delay pedal in the effects loop of his Laney amps. On stage he has also been seen using a Fulltone OCD Overdrive, most recently at The Benefit for Cliff concert that took place at the House of Blues Los Angeles September 30, 2006.

He used ADA preamps and rack effects units prior to switching to Marshall. He currently uses the Marshall Vintage Modern 2266c combo amps.

Paul also used a modified vintage ADA Flanger from the 70s. You can hear it on tracks like 'Bucket of Rocks' and he also uses it on the 'Snowball of Doom' DVD.

Paul claims the Flanger has been modified and he uses it to change the pitch from high to low to create a sound similar to a dive bomb.

In the intro to "Get Out Of My Yard" Paul uses a Boss DD-3 Delay pedal to achieve the altered pitch looped effect at the beginning of the track. This was also demonstrated by Paul on the instructional DVD of the same name.

Discography

Racer X

Mr. Big

Solo albums

Other appearances

  • Pump It!' - Jeff Berlin (1986)
  • Out of the Sun - Joey Tafolla (1990)
  • Humanary Stew - A Tribute to Alice Cooper
  • Guitars That Rule the World (1992)
  • Merry Axemas - A Guitar Christmas (1997)
  • Mikazuki "In Rock" Sound Track, Guitar on tracks "Crescent Moon" & "Theme for Kazeo" (2000)
  • Becker 2001, Warmth in the Wilderness -A Tribute to Jason Becker(Guitar and vocals for Hawkin)
  • Hughes Turner Project - HTP (2002)
  • Atomic Basement Tapes - Missing Lynx
  • Battle Gear III: The Edge (played on "Charge and Discharge," "Morning View," and "The Machine of Rage" bonus tracks) (2003)
  • Guitar Wars (2003)
  • Return to the Planet Earth - Kim Fox (2003)
  • One Night in New York City - Yellow Matter Custard (2003) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
  • "Mieze" - Marco Minnemann (2004)
  • "Contraire de la chanson" - Marco Minnemann (2006)
  • Light at the End of the Tunnel - War & Peace (2006)(with Richie Kotzen, John Norum, Jeff Pilson)
  • Two Nights In North America - Hammer of the Gods (2006) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
  • One Night in Chicago - Cygnus and the Sea Monsters (2006) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
  • One Night in New York City - Amazing Journey (2007) Available @ MikePortnoy.com
  • Spin The Bottle - An All Star Tribute To Kiss (guitars on "I Want You") (2004)
  • Numbers from the Beast - An All Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (guitars on "The Evil That Men Do") (2005)
  • Evil Lives: A True Metal Tribute to Black Sabbath (with Racer X on Track 4: "Children of the Grave") (2006)
  • The Fool - Jeff Martin solo album (2006)
  • Sola Scriptura - Neal Morse (2007)
  • G3 Tour 2007

Videography

  • Intense Rock - Sequences & Techniques VHS version
  • Intense Rock II VHS version
  • Guitars from Mars Japanese DVD release
  • Guitars from Mars II Japanese DVD release
  • Terrifying Guitar Trip VHS version
  • Eleven Thousand Notes DVD
  • Guitar Wars DVD
  • Space Ship Live DVD
  • Complete Intense Rock (DVD)2006
  • Terrifying Guitar Trip (DVD)2006
  • Get Out of My Yard Instructional (DVD)2007
  • Get Out of My City Instructional (DVD/VCD)2007
  • One Night in New York City - Yellow Matter Custard (2003)
  • Two Nights In North America - Hammer of the Gods (2006)
  • One Night in Chicago - Cygnus and the Sea Monsters (2006)
  • One Night in New York City - Amazing Journey (2007)

References

  1. ^ Top Shredders of all Time
  2. ^ News
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