Steel Panther’s Satchel Explains What He Thinks About Paul Gilbert

Steel Panther‘s Satchel, recently had an interview with Guitar World, speaking mainly of the times when he lived with Paul Gilbert. When asked about his alternate picking technique and whether he learned this from Gilbert when they lived together, Satchel replied:

“I used to hang out with Paul a lot. He was very inspiring, but one thing I realized early on was that I’d never be able to play like him. He has really big hands and this ability to cross strings really fast… only he can do it like that. If you get really good at doing Paul Gilbert licks, you’re only going to sound like him.”

Seemingly, he didn’t get all of the things he learned on guitar only from Gilbert. He mentions another important guitar player:

“So I took things from him that I felt were really important, like the way he attacks the strings. There’s a sound and conviction to that. Another player I learned a lot from is Eric Johnson.”

Satchel then talks about the differences between both guitarists and how he learned different things from the two:

“I don’t talk about him a lot but he’s one of the best on the planet. And he’s the opposite of Paul Gilbert in how he picks; Paul is a metal guy and Eric is more on the jazz side and picks more lightly. I’m still learning and figuring out the best way to approach my solos.”

This was not the first time Satchel praised Gilbert. Back in 2019, Satcher told:

He’s been a huge influence on me, not just as a lead player, but as a musician. He’s a very creative person, he loves to play piano and other instruments and bring all of that into his songwriting. He’s incredibly well-rounded because I guess he wanted to play everything.”

You can reach all the details of the earlier interview right here.