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The mind-blowing, face-melting, sultans of shred, Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan (above right) of Mr. Big, met with PG during a recent Nashville date to talk tone.
Gilbert has been an Ibanez artist since his teens. Today, his No. 1 is this new signature Ibanez FRM150 featuring a DiMarzio Air Classic Bridge, DiMarzio Area 67 (middle), and DiMarzio Air Classic Neck. He currently uses Ernie Ball RPS (.009–.042) strings, but Gilbert anticipates going back to .010s as the tour progresses.
When Gilbert wants to whammy, he picks up this Ibanez Custom Shop Fireman with an Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge Tremolo. It’s equipped with a DiMarzio Air Classic Bridge and a DiMarzio Air Classic Neck and strung with Ernie Ball RPS (.010–.046) strings.
For something with a bit more jangle, Gilbert goes with his Ibanez Custom Shop 12-string “Jazzmeister” with DiMarzio Humbuckers from Hell in the bridge and neck.
There’s a part of the set that calls for over-the-top, insane guitar aerobics. That’s when Gilbert reaches for his three-string Ibanez PGMM31 that sits on a stand. The guitar features Ibanez Infinity R pickups and is strung with Ernie Ball RPS strings (.046, .018p, and .011)—all tuned to E.
Gilbert plugs into channel two of a 100-watt Marshall 1959SLP Super Lead head that feeds two Marshall 4x12 cabs loaded with Celestion 25-watt Greenback speakers. A second Marshall serves as a backup.
Although Gilbert’s pedalboard isn’t that complicated, this diagram lays everything out. Notice the Peterman Puck ’N Stompa off to the side that Gilbert uses for some added percussion.
Gilbert's signal chain starts with a small pedalboard (not pictured) that has a Keeley Looper, which is used for guitar swaps, and a Boss DD-3 delay for the “secret” function of infinite echo. That pedalboard feeds into his main board which sports a Boss CS-3 Compressor, MXR Phase 90, Xotic Effects AC Booster, Catalinbread Karma Suture, TC Electronic MojoMojo, Catalinbread Callisto Chorus, and a TC Electronic Alter Ego V2. Everything is powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus and sits on a homemade plywood board that leaves ample room for Paul’s big feet.
Yamaha is currently on the third version of the Billy Sheehan Attitude bass. The bass incorporates all of the tweaking and modifying that Billy has done on his personal gear since the ’70s. Although Billy carries a spare, he tends to stick with one bass for the entire show.
Sheehan runs three Hartke LH1000 heads for a total of 3,000 bone-crushing watts of power. A spare amp waits in the rack should something blow up. The amps run into three Hartke Hydrive 115 cabs.
Sheehan’s signal starts with two Line 6 G75 wireless units. From there, the signal hits his signature EBS Billy Sheehan Signature Drive Deluxe. Sheehan likes them so much that he runs two of them (the other is the original version) at different settings. Both EBS pedals run into one channel of an Ashly CLX-52 Peak Compressor/Limiter that’s kept in his rack. The other channel is used on the insert of the Hartke LH1000 for the neck position pickup. After each EBS pedal, sits an EWS Japan BMC. Sheehan also uses an ISP Decimator, EBS OctaBass, and an Electro-Harmonix POG. Last in line is a Rolls SX21 Tiny Two-Way Crossover to give more overall clarity and punch. A Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus powers the whole board, which sits on top of his amps and is rarely touched. For his foot pedals, Sheehan uses Keith McMillen 12 step which triggers sounds from an iMac running MainStage.
John Bohlinger is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist best known for leading the band on NBC's Nashville Star, serving as music director for the CMT Awards and specials on PBS and GAC, and of course for his appearances in PG Rig Rundown, Review Demo, Axes & Artifacts, and What Bohlinger Plays videos.
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