Song Rig

Technical Difficulties

Paul Gilbert · Second Heat · 1987

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

The textbook 1980s shred tone — scooped mids, high gain, tight low end, and a razor-precise picking attack that reveals every note in a blur of 16th-note runs. The Ibanez HSS adds single-coil bite to the lead humbucker, giving the tone slight treble crystalline clarity that pure humbucker rigs lack.

Signal Chain

1Ibanez RG550 (HSS configuration, DiMarzio pickups)
2Marshall JCM800 2203 (high-gain channel)
3MXR 6-Band EQ (mid-scoop in effects loop)
4Furman PQ-3 Parametric EQ

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume9

Bass7

Mid4

Treble8

Presence7

Classic scooped-mid shred setting — presence high for pick attack definition, mids dialled out to remove muddiness between fast notes. The MXR EQ in the effects loop cuts the 500Hz–1kHz range further.

Technique

How to Play It

Strict alternate picking with a drilling-motion wrist technique — Paul advocates economy of motion, keeping the pick close to the strings and using minimum movement per note.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

HSS Stratocaster or superstrat → Boss MT-2 or MXR Distortion+ → MXR 6-Band EQ for the mid-scoop. A Boss NS-2 noise gate is essential at this gain level.

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