Tone like Paul Gilbert, can I get from a pedal?

[pushpin&poetry]

I have recently been getting into Shred type stuff and my favorite tone is similar to Paul Gilberts.

I currently have a Marshall JCM800 2204 50watt 1982 and an Avatar closed back cab w/ 2 vintage 30's. I use a Carl Martin Plexitone pedal.





While I cannot currently afford a new amp, Is there any pedals that could get me somewhere close?

[Nordhauser]

Get a Tone Zone.

[LethalAe86TypeR]

Originally Posted by Nordhauser

Get a Tone Zone.

And Wire It In Parallel.

[mi2tom]

I think his tone comes from his picking technique.

[David McCarroll]

Originally Posted by mi2tom

I think his tone comes from his picking technique.

Not to mention amazing fingers, years and years of non-stop practice and enormously high intelligence to start with......

Tone, to use a cliche, tends to be the product of experience, and a certain playing style and attitude - you might get one step of the way with a padal of some sort, but studying the dude's actual style and technique will most likely get you there, or closer to there, in the end.

[pushpin&poetry]

coo, coo great answers. I know you guys are right esp. about practice and picking technique.

Although as far as just speaking about equipment.

I believe he uses a Laney and a tube screamer as well. I feel my JCM 800 is too tame. Even with my plexitone. And with a tube screamer it sounds even more tame.


Maybe I need a straight up ballsy distortion pedal and I need to stay away from overdrive pedals. Or maybe I just need a differen't head.


I just don't know what that distortion pedal would be. I don't want it to sound to Modern metalish.


thanks!

[wallie!]

Originally Posted by pushpin&poetry

coo, coo great answers. I know you guys are right esp. about practice and picking technique.

Although as far as just speaking about equipment.

I believe he uses a Laney and a tube screamer as well. I feel my JCM 800 is too tame. Even with my plexitone. And with a tube screamer it sounds even more tame.


Maybe I need a straight up ballsy distortion pedal and I need to stay away from overdrive pedals. Or maybe I just need a differen't head.


I just don't know what that distortion pedal would be. I don't want it to sound to Modern metalish.


thanks!

mm, you might need a head with a bit more gain then a JCM800
how keen are you on getting a tone in his zone?lol

[wilch]

Put a BBE Sonic Maximiser in the FX loop.

The JCM will sound like a brand new amp.

[RSVampire]

well a Laney is a pretty British sounding amp, so the Marshall is in the right place for that, maybe trying putting a Boss SD-1 (like a tube screamer but more crunch and harmonics) in front of it instead of a tube screamer, or a Zakk Wylde overdrive pedal will work too. The JCM800 isn't a slouch when it comes to gain.

Those will get you in the ballpark and the rest, as everyone has pointed out, is all in the fingers and experience.

[mi2tom]

If I'm not mistaken pauly is currently using marshall, I read that from somewhere.

[Martyr Machine]

Originally Posted by David McCarroll

Not to mention amazing fingers, years and years of non-stop practice and enormously high intelligence to start with......

Tone, to use a cliche, tends to be the product of experience, and a certain playing style and attitude - you might get one step of the way with a padal of some sort, but studying the dude's actual style and technique will most likely get you there, or closer to there, in the end.

Articulation may be in the fingers, but tone is all gear. He's not asking how to play like Gilbert, he;s asking how to get Gilbert's tone.

[toshiro]

Yeah, he's using a Vintage Modern now.

The Laneys he used to use are very much like a boosted JCM800 in terms of gain. You shouldn't have a problem getting something like it with an 800 and a TS9 or similar overdrive. Set the 800 into a gainy crunch, put the overdrive's gain on about 2, level on about 6, tone to taste, and let 'er rip.

[mi2tom]

I remember him coming over here for clinic and using a cheap marshall amp and he sounded like him, without looking too I know it's pauly. That's where I believe it's all in the player, playing and tone wise. I once saw two pro guitarist using the same gear and guitar they both sounded totally different, not just in term of playing but tone as well.

[Batchimp RG]

This will get you relatively close on a tight budget.


1. Hi gain amp modeller

2. Change pick-ups to Tone Zone/PafPros (not cheap)

3. Mimick his picking style

A fixed bridge Ibanez would be ideal. Alot of his tone comes from that.

[Batchimp RG]

Originally Posted by Martyr Machine

tone is all gear.

Tone is also affected by picking style and the way/angle of the pick strikes the strings. If you pick the same lick in 2 deliberately different ways you get slightly different tones.