Tone - The Wholy Grail Of Guitar Playing! |
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Feb 7 2013, 12:00 PM
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As some of you guys know (I've noticed you noticed it on Facebook
 ) I've been to one of the greatest gigs on Tuesday - one that I've been dreaming of since around 1997 or even 1996! I'm talking about seeing a live performance of the guitarist responsible for me picking up the 6 strings - Slash!It was just perfect! Great atmosphere, great sound, awesome playing and as a bonus, I got to see one of my favorite vocalists - Myles Kennedy! Now, I've been amazed by Slash's tone! I've also witnessed the line check done before the show and guess what - his tone is as dry as a desert. Very little gain in there and he doesn't use separate clean or distorted tones but works a lot with the volume knob. I respect him even more for playing as he does, using a tone on which I couldn't probably come up with a decent phrase, but, to each his own! We all have all sorts of perspectives on the tones of the great players out there and we usually end up a bit confused by the fact that one tone or the other is not even close to what we actually imagined so I found this article which will offer some good insight in my opinion on some principles involved in building a good tone, by taking care of all the important elements, such as amp and guitar settings or maintenance! Tone tips What were your first experiences building a tone? How much do you feel you have evolved in time from that moment till the present day? This post has been edited by Cosmin Lupu: Feb 7 2013, 12:00 PM |
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Feb 7 2013, 12:35 PM
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Very cool! Cheers for the post Cosmin.
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Feb 7 2013, 12:57 PM
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Thanks man! Glad ya like it
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Feb 7 2013, 07:23 PM
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Super Huge Congrats Cos!!! That's just AWESOME. Slash really is killer player, and I gotta say, undervalued in terms of what he can do with one channel and a volume knob. Most of us, need several channels, fx, etc. Not Slash, an Ancient Marshall, Vintage Less Paul and BAM. It's really all in his fingers. He's a great example of what you can do just with the guitar. He does ad in some fx of course, for some songs, (wah, etc.) but mostly he plays staggeringly dry as you mentioned. Playing with no effects is a great way to display the weakness in anyone's playing, there's nothing to hide behind. And he manages to sound great.
Todd QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Feb 7 2013, 06:00 AM)  As some of you guys know (I've noticed you noticed it on Facebook ) I've been to one of the greatest gigs on Tuesday - one that I've been dreaming of since around 1997 or even 1996! I'm talking about seeing a live performance of the guitarist responsible for me picking up the 6 strings - Slash!It was just perfect! Great atmosphere, great sound, awesome playing and as a bonus, I got to see one of my favorite vocalists - Myles Kennedy! Now, I've been amazed by Slash's tone! I've also witnessed the line check done before the show and guess what - his tone is as dry as a desert. Very little gain in there and he doesn't use separate clean or distorted tones but works a lot with the volume knob. I respect him even more for playing as he does, using a tone on which I couldn't probably come up with a decent phrase, but, to each his own! We all have all sorts of perspectives on the tones of the great players out there and we usually end up a bit confused by the fact that one tone or the other is not even close to what we actually imagined so I found this article which will offer some good insight in my opinion on some principles involved in building a good tone, by taking care of all the important elements, such as amp and guitar settings or maintenance! Tone tips What were your first experiences building a tone? How much do you feel you have evolved in time from that moment till the present day? |
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Feb 8 2013, 04:39 AM
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Completely agree.
The biggest killer of good tone is too much gain and too few mids. -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Feb 8 2013, 10:09 AM
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I think the tone is just another skill to practice as with any guitar technique. I had the luck to perform on stage with my band from the early years of playing/development and it was such a valuable experience. We all learned how to set the tone because we played hundreds of gigs in various conditions from really bad to awesome. Gear was always different - tone stayed the same.
I think that the biggest obstacle in the early playing years is that you need to learn and get a taste for what actually sounds good. Seems trivial, but having an idea in your mind what is a good tone and what isn't is half the job. Once you know what you want - the half of the job is done. Its just moving around a few pots on the amp etc and you should be there. I always tried to setup a same tone for my bass, on any gear I would play, let me try to put it in words if possible : * Dark/Black thundering lows that are very clear yet very low * Good amount of mids to provide definition * Very clear and bright high end but subtly so that it still contains "mass" * Overall tone must be punchy * Dead notes must sound like playing a percussive instrument * Individual notes should be clearly heard (no mud) Interesting thing was also that I would get the same character of the tone on both cheapest and most expensive bass and people in the audience (and fellow musicians) wouldn't notice that much of a difference during the performance. -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Feb 8 2013, 10:48 AM
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Glad you like the article guys
 @Bogdan - I know quite a few people which are able to obtain great tones both onstage and in the studio with cheap gear and in nasty conditions, just because they know very well what they want to hear  As you say, it comes with experience, so the more we practice, the better we get at it! Just bumped into a great article -> http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issu...iller_Tone.aspx Andy Timmons - a master of tone, in my opinion - talks a bit about how he achieves his
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Feb 8 2013, 11:47 AM
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What sounds like an awesome tone when playing the guitar by itself, doesn't necessarily work in a mix either in a live or recorded setting.
Listen to some of the isolated guitar tracks that are about and the tone can sound awlful, but sounds great and works in the mix. -------------------- My SoundCloud
Gear Tyler Burning Water 2K Burny RLG90 with BK Emeralds Fender US Tele with BK Piledrivers Epiphone 335 with Suhr Thornbuckers PRS SE Custom 24-08 Ax8 Fessenden SD10 PSG Quilter TT15 |
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Feb 8 2013, 11:49 AM
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Exactly! Good point here!
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Feb 9 2013, 06:56 PM
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I'll play a lot with a fair amount of gain but I too like normal or low output pkups. A2 mags generally. I like to let the amp and even the pedals do the work. I've found that with normal output pkups but higher gain amps and pedals that I get a clearer and bigger tone.
-------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Then turn it back up just a tad and play!
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Feb 11 2013, 09:19 AM
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Alright! Guys! Do I have a treat for you! Click here please: 50 Greatest guitar tones of all time (with audio) |
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Feb 15 2013, 07:30 PM
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Great subject Coz!!! I consider myself to be on a life-long "tone quest".
One of my most important discoveries, was (again... "to each, his/her own!") to keep it simple. I like to be very in control of my tone, and would rather have 2 great, usable tone settings, as opposed to thousands that I just can't seem to dial in. For example, I mod'd my Parker from S-S-H, to a dual humbucker with a gibson 335 '57 PAF pickup in the neck. Now, I constantly get compliments on the parker's tone, even through a cheap practice amp. But, I can dial in decent tone on damn near anything I touch....but it took years to learn HOW to do it. And, it will be different for me, than for you....because of how I play, how I pick, how I strum, the angle of my pickstroke, etc. Other than that, I fell in love with Mesa clean tone. It is so rhythmic, and punchy....my notes just seem to "dance" more. Oh, and v-picks were the biggest, and cheapest tone upgrade I ever found. --------------------   Check out my awesome Nintendo Cover-band, EMULATOR!! http://www.reverbnation.com/emulator Now.....go practice!! |
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