Paul Gilbert shared his thoughts about Randy Rhoads in a recent chat with Ultimate Guitar. He recalled seeing the late guitarist at a Pennsylvania show with Ozzy Osbourne in 1982:
“Oh, [I] absolutely [could tell he was a special guitarist]. Well, I’d also seen him before, when they were touring on the first album. And Def Leppard opened up. And it was the original line-up, with Pete Willis on guitar.”
Gilbert also touched on Rhoads’ sound and named it ‘the best’:
“That was great. Both shows were great, but that one was a little better for me, because it was in a theater, so it was a little smaller venue. And Randy’s guitar tone was just amazing, the best heavy metal guitar sound I’ve ever heard live. And it was the classical things.”
Gilbert Asked For Advice From Rhoads
Paul Gilbert attended one of Randy Rhoads’ guitar clinics at Music City in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, that day, as well. He asked the Ozzy Osbourne guitarist about some picking techniques as a 15-year-old beginner:
“I remember asking him about picking because I was struggling with that at the time. And he told me the truth, which was he just does what he does. Which wasn’t particularly helpful in helping me copy him. But in a way, that’s an honest answer.”
He explained:
“I think a lot of players, they stumble upon things that work for them, so they don’t have to go through this painful ‘metronoming thing.’ It’s like, ‘Oh, I found one thing is working, and I just use that.’ So, sometimes that’s good advice.”
He Indirectly Learned From The Late Guitarist
Gilbert did find a way to learn some of Rhoads’ techniques and riffs, though:
“And the thing that indirectly I learned was I knew the guys at the music store, and they were able to spend a bunch of time with Randy before or after the clinics. And he showed them, like, his exact fingerings for ‘Diary of a Madman’ and all these different riffs. And so when I hung out with my buddies that owned the store, later, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, this is what Randy showed us.’ So, I could get some of the fingerings that way.”
The 57-year-old guitarist is now getting ready to release his new album with Mr. Big. ‘Ten’ will hit the shelves on July 12. The band will support it with a tour that will start the next day.