Paul Gilbert sits down with GW’s Mike Astley-Brown at NAMM 2026 to discuss his newfound passion for Ernie Ball’s 7-gauge strings, the most fearful bend in guitar playing and why his guitar lesson with Wolfgang Van Halen never worked out…
0:43 Getting calluses back with 7-gauge “Zippy Slinkies”
2:55 Stripped-down jamming with Steve Morse at NAMM
3:58 Playing with Vai, Satriani, Nita, Polyphia & top-tier players
4:56 Lesson from Eric Gales – how to properly hand off a solo
6:26 New album inspired by George Washington’s Rules of Civility
7:41 How Paul’s teaching philosophy has changed over the years
10:09 The Eddie Van Halen / Wolfgang lesson phone call
10:44 Recording a song with 100 guitars from his collection
12:46 Playing a Telecaster as a birthday gift at a local store
13:59 Keeping guitar fun (and avoiding becoming the “angriest guitarist”)
#paulgilbert #ernieball #wolfgangvanhalen #ericgales #guitarworld
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