Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

[cronnin]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I will never catch it.

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I can honestly get almost there by just plugging in any decent guitar into a simple amp and cranking it.

Seems stupid and I still do buy too much stuff but I can get what I need out of a few basic things.

It's really just the feel and style. Everyone can play how they want to if they just take a few minutes to focus and hit a single note. If that note sounds good then so will the rest of them.

[TimmyPage]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

Sort of by the nature of the places I play and my genre of music (jazz), most places just hand me an amp and be done with it. Given, most of these amps are some great old Fender *descriptor* Reverb amps (Deluxe, Princeton, Twin etc), some places hand me a Fender FM amp and tell me to go to it. I've even been plugged direct into the PA once or twice.

Though that I've had to make my tone much more about my hands and guitar. To that end I use a Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin strung up with flatwound 12's, with a nice big comfy leather strap set so I can lean back in my chair and have it at the same height as sitting on my knee (the angle matters to my sound, at least in terms of stretching to chords). The guitar absolutely rings acoustically, and that has become part of my sound that I can't live without.. some pitches over the neck just resonate with the guitar so deeply that it rings out even after the string has stopped vibrating, even showing up in the amplified sound. Its a beautiful quality that struck my ears the first time I heard it and I've been so happy since.

I use a little Fender Medium Teardrop pick.. for the longest time I kept hearing this sound in my head, with this round bouncy attack, with the attack of chords being light and airy. After trying my guitar with every amp I could I came to the conclusion it couldn't be done and I was doomed, until I found that pick, and my attack improved until I got that sound.

Nowadays I'm happy to use whatever amps sitting around as long as it has a reasonable clean tone and relatively flat response. I've hit a weird point where.. I still look at gear and consider improvements to be made, new guitars and amps but I rarely feel the urge to buy any of them when I'd still end up playing the Godin unplugged 95% of the time anyway.

[El Dunco]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I will never catch it.

...'Duude this is awesome'.

I can get a sound I like out of pretty much anything. I like 'weird' rigs, I love unsuspected rigs and unusual unique sounds. In fact I know a way to completely change the sound of an amp in studio that doesn't sound right.

[crguti]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I will always tweak the knob until I find myself comfortable with the sound I'm achieving. But I'm not getting more gear. If I play 1 time per week it will sound bad independently if I have the most expensive gear. If I play everyday I can make sound good even the cheapest gear.

[NecroPolo]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

In the quest for the grail, the most important step is to realise that the grail is you.

Technically, for me it is all about simplifying things most of the time.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

In the quest for the grail, the most important step is to realise that the grail is you.

I subscribe to this theory as well. I'd say THE tone is you. As far as catching good gear combinations, here's some I like a lot.

Any Gibson or Fender with nice sounding pickups into any of my Bogner XTC's 3 channels. Covers almost everything with 100% beautiful tone.

ES-335 into a Klon Centaur or MXR OD > Matchless Chieftain 212 combo or Gibson Goldtone 212. More like Robben Ford or Carlton.

SG Diablo w/Burstbucker 1/2 into a cranked Marshall Jubilee stack. Classic metal tone to die for. Use a McCarty w/C5/59 instead of the SG and it's one shade more modern and fatter.

Dearmond guitars w/Bigsby and 2K singles into the Matchless, Blackface, or EL-84 Gibson Goldtone = awesome 50's rockabilly sound or Chris Isaac vibe.

Not to mention I like the tone of my Martin D28, Cordoba C5-CE classical, and Johnson Resonator.

Overall, I don't obsess over details. Even though I'm using high end gear, I don't tend to chase anything, because at that point I'm easy to please.
If it's a nice usable sound, I just work it and make myself meld into it for the other half of the equation.

[tc]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I think I'm one of the few here in the sense that I'm just happy with what I play, whatever it is. Most of the times I can find a tone I like with most gear. So yeah, tone chaser but not tone obsessed.

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I subscribe to this theory as well. I'd say THE tone is you. As far as catching good gear combinations, here's some I like a lot.

Any Gibson or Fender with nice sounding pickups into any of my Bogner XTC's 3 channels. Covers almost everything with 100% beautiful tone.

ES-335 into a Klon Centaur or MXR OD > Matchless Chieftain 212 combo or Gibson Goldtone 212. More like Robben Ford or Carlton.

SG Diablo w/Burstbucker 1/2 into a cranked Marshall Jubilee stack. Classic metal tone to die for. Use a McCarty w/C5/59 instead of the SG and it's one shade more modern and fatter.

Dearmond guitars w/Bigsby and 2K singles into the Matchless, Blackface, or EL-84 Gibson Goldtone = awesome 50's rockabilly sound or Chris Isaac vibe.

Not to mention I like the tone of my Martin D28, Cordoba C5-CE classical, and Johnson Resonator.

Overall, I don't obsess over details. Even though I'm using high end gear, I don't tend to chase anything, because at that point I'm easy to please.
If it's a nice usable sound, I just work it and make myself meld into it for the other half of the equation.

You and I aren't all that unlike each other Joe

If I've learned anything it's that the one constant is always going to be your own style. If you have the right touch, you can really make anything sound pretty decent.

What has taken me so many years to do is to just trust using my ears on things. I now choose pickups after hearing what the natural sound of guitar is to properly compliment it (which is really why they have all those EQ specs on websites in the first place). I've learned how to get my amps EQ'd right to compliment the guitars. I've stopped listening to other people's definitions of what works and what doesn't and found my own way of doing things. The best thing you can do is screw all the internet mumbo jumbo about all these "tone chasers" and the endless trading around. There will never be a perfect tone. Every rig has some pluses and minuses somewhere. It's finding what sounds good enough to you that you can start writing with your gear instead of fighting it.

The most progress I've ever made was when I had a small rig. It's easy to get lost changing out things, but in the end it becomes a colossal waste of time (playing would have been so much more productive).

It seems a lot of people kinda gravitate towards American or British tones. I fall in the latter category. EL-84s and EL-34s are my thing. I can sound like myself through a Fender or a Mesa, but Vox and Marshall is more my thing. I'll use my Vox when I want that classic rootsy rock/pop jangle and light breakup (Tom Petty). If I want some trashy rock tone, I'll throw a good overdrive pedal in the mix (R.E.M.). If I want fatter and smoother, I'll use my Bogner (Further Seems Forever). The cleans are warm and round and the overdrive is very saggy and compressed. Between two very different amplifiers and a few different guitars I can get a lot of tones and textures.

I've got a solidbody with humbuckers for power chords and lead work (more rock oriented stuff). I've got a solidbody with single coils to really bring out the pop and funk playing. I've now got a hollowbody I've changed by adding in single coil-esque pickups to add even more versatility (now I can get better jazz tones and it also doubles as a cool compliment for any of the other styles I mess around with).

It all comes down to finding some tones you really like and then finding what combination of elements will get you there. It never hurts to try to find a balance with equipment either. For instance, if you've got a really bright guitar, you'll probably want some warmer pickups to balance it, so look at getting something with alnico II magnets or if you've got a really dark amplifier, try using some brighter voiced speakers to counter it.

[MetalManiac]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I'm glad you guys are ecstatic with just about anything..cause I most definitley am not.
Expanding on my last post, Im contantly tearing apart guiatrs to find the right pickups ( I have umpteen guitars around here, and 7/8ths of them are unplayable awaiting different pickupos.I gues I'm just wired difefrently than you guys who are so easily pleased.
I do have several guiatsr that are good as is, my wine red '05 Paul sd., my Duncan equipped flying V , my Duncan equipped '80 SG , and a few others.
Speaking of pickups, that is THE most dynamic chpice you can make with your guitar, and I have an assortment of 6 of my favourite Duncans amonmg a few others.
Speaker cabinets ands speakerds are more immidiatly rewarding if you do your homework. I am working on a open backed 2x12 EV12L cabinet for its glorious bottm end and articulate cleans.
I have a 70's Marshall cabinet with two original G12h-30 hendrix speakers, and will put an AvatarG12h-30 ANNV . and probably a Scumback to fill it out.
I have a 80's JCM Marshall G12-65 cabint. This is the single greatest 4x12 cabinet ever made . Thats my main rig now through my mint fully restored 100 watt '77 JMP.
Like I said, Im really inot sepakers now. I am recap[ping my '66 Fender bassman head, and am going with somehting that can take some abuse volume wise, which is a 12" Red fang/ Wizard Emi combo through the '689 bassman cabinet.
Waht else, hmm, I just bought a 4x10 cabinet thats a 90's Mesa cabinet. I tookj\k the 20 watt Alnico eminence speakers pout of it and will be getting a set of 35 watt Emi 1028 Alnicos. Contrary to popular belief the old Si\un are basically tweed basmans with the right speakers and cabinet and I can prove it.
Otherwise I got a Crate Stealth Lee Jackson going on through a Geroge Lynch cab., and it gioves me my daily reccomended allowance of hotrod Marshall sound.
Got a British Carlsbro 30 EL-84 watt class a amp that I just put a 12" Emi red Fang in and it subsequently chimes like O"ol Big ben-think Vox !.
For Plexi flavor I am working on having a Traynor Bassmaster "plexified" , and run into a JCM 800 blackback/heritage g12m genbqacck cabinet.
Hell I forgiot my 70's Marshall Greenback cabinet. its 70's rare british elephant geen tolex reissue loaded with 70's blackbacked greeenbacks...and I have no idea how it got over here, except the guy I got it from was from L.A.
I also have a Ampeg B15n fliptopawaiting recapping.
Also love to dick around with small cheaper vintage amps of back in the day that might cost a company 1000.00 to make now with the same qiality.
Now Im working on a Traynor Bassmate 200 watt el84 amp. a old awesom about 50 pound vintage teisco tube preamp, a couple pof hombrew fendewr vintage voiced PA amps I hade made,and a real cool old 50 watt tube amp from the 6's -just the chassis_ i gpot today.
Im not throwing money at this stuff, so Im not bragging. I bought this over a perid of 5 years lookign for the absolute best setals I could fi9nd, and even at that ratye Im going to have to sell my nicre truck to fund it all.
Anyhow, juts saying ignorance ios bliss so bee happy with waht you got!!

Anywhoo, Ive got some pedals I love , but they are all vintage.I have about 15 old ones. I really want a Seymour Duncan tap Delay!!!

[eschoendorff]

Re: Tone chasers - anyone ever catch "it?"

I think I'm one of the few here in the sense that I'm just happy with what I play, whatever it is. Most of the times I can find a tone I like with most gear. So yeah, tone chaser but not tone obsessed.

More and more, I am becoming this. There are simply too many sounds that I like that distract me...