SOUND ADVICE

Everything you need to know before playing ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’

Back in 2011 guitarist and frontman Billy Gibbons told TG, Gimmeallyourlovin’ is “all about tone. Get the grind and you got it goin’ on. That’s the starting point, then learn to play what you want to hear, crank it up and rock on”.

Dubbed ‘synthesiser with soul’, Gimme’s sound was fresh: bluesy riffs retro-fitted with cutting-edge production. Eliminator’s lead single defined the band’s 80s renaissance.

When you learn the guitar parts you’ll be focusing on powerchords and pentatonics. The solid-sounding two-note shapes are easy – most of the rhythm parts can be played with only your first and third fingers. Aim to keep your timing tight on those stabs in the verses. Billy’s solos use a couple of minor pentatonic shapes. Even where he plays two-note shapes he stays mainly within the scales. Learn the scale patterns and Billy’s solo should make more sense.

This track was cut using Gibbons’ custom Dean Z guitar with a bridge position Dimarzio Super Distortion high-output pickup. The Dean was recorded dry with a Legend 50-watt hybrid unit with valve preamp and transistor power amp. For best results, use a humbucker-equipped guitar, select the overdrive channel on your amp and keep the treble and mids high and the bass low. If you’re using a guitar with single coils, increase your gain and maybe dial in a little more bass to compensate for the thinner sound of this type of pickup.