Great Guitar Escape Picks

Wed, 07/20/2016 - 5:24pm
Written by PaulGilbert

The excellent people at Tortex picks have made some special picks for my Great Guitar Escape camp. The shape is a version of the Tortex pick called "The Wedge." It feels slightly larger than the standard shape (which makes it easier to grip.)

I've been using .50mm gauge for a while now, and I really like the "thwap" of the single notes, and the way that a thin pick allows me to play hard without getting tangled up in the strings. Everyone attending the camp will receive some of these picks, so there should be some good thwapping going on. And did I mention the pick scratches? Thin picks do pick scratches the best! Anyway, I hope to see you at the GGE!

Thank you,

Paul

Pedalboard Du Jour

Thu, 06/02/2016 - 12:21am
Written by PaulGilbert

I always love spending some time with Velcro, patch cables, and tones. Here is my pedalboard... until I change it again. I haven't used the MXR Phase 100 in a while, so I'm excited to get some swirly tones from that. The strange looking pedal in the upper left is a delay pedal that Josh Rand from Stone Sour gave to me. I think he might have built it. It has a light in the middle that is so crazy that I had to cover it with tape so it wouldn't distract me. But it's a great sounding pedal. The BOSS delay is set for infinite repeats, which I sometimes use to sample a small chunk of my playing, and loop it as an effect. The blue pedal is an Empress Effects Para EQ. I had to get out my reading glasses to help read the labels for the knobs, but it's nice for eliminating any harsh frequencies. The TC Electronic MojoMojo, MXR Distortion Plus, and MXR Phase 90 are almost always on my pedalboard. And the Foot Bass pedal is being send to a Roland TM-2 Trigger Module to get a bass drum sound. Now it's time to ROCK!

Thank you,

Paul

4000th Video Exchange Will Win My Ibanez PGM80P

Wed, 05/04/2016 - 11:29am
Written by PaulGilbert

I've nearly reached my 4000th Video Exchange here at the ArtistWorks Online Rock Guitar School.

Whoever is reaches that magic number will win my Ibanez PGM80P. I've toured the world with this guitar, and it's a great one!

I couldn't do these Video Exchanges without YOU, so I appreciate everyone who has submitted them over the years. 

Thank you!

Paul

Rock Face of The Month

Tue, 05/03/2016 - 11:28pm
Written by PaulGilbert

Clarke Robinson always plays great, and this month his delivers the goods with a rock face of obvious sincerity. 

Bending strings is the usual method for achieving rock faces, but It was the B7/F# chord from Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" that made it happen this time. Never underestimate the power of a pop piano chord banged out convincingly on a guitar. 

Great job, Clarke! 

Thank you,

Paul