How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

Gypsyblue

Gypsyblue

New member
You don't need hot pickups, a new neck pickup or any of that stuff. The secret is simply being a great player:

 
Re: How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

Never realised Draco Malfoy was such a whizz on bass.
 
Re: How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

It's IN the trousers...you know...gotta use the hydraulics to maximum potential.
 
Re: How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

Seriously though: tone really is in the player - not the gear. If someone wants to get the tone of EVH, or Robben or even Keith Richards that player has got to be able to play with the same sense of time, touch, taste, rhythm and SKILL as the player they want to emulate. We all know that. There's a thread right now on the pickups page about what pickups to buy for a Stratocaster to get Robben's or Larry Carlton's tone. The truth is that either of those guys could pick up a stock Strat or Tele and sound just like they always do. There are no short cuts. It's not the guitar, pickups, distortion pedal or amplifier - that stuff just has to be good quality. We all know this...just wanted to post some great playing by a great player who could plug any decent guitar into any decent amp and sound like the master that he is. And that's where his tone and great tone comes from: from being a master musician. Just like EVH or Yngwie are as well. It isn't the pickups or amplifier. But we all know this. I just need to remind myself of it now and then.
 
Gypsyblue said:
Seriously though: tone really is in the player - not the gear. If someone wants to get the tone of EVH, or Robben or even Keith Richards that player has got to be able to play with the same sense of time, touch, taste, rhythm and SKILL as the player they want to emulate. We all know that. There's a thread right now on the pickups page about what pickups to buy for a Stratocaster to get Robben's or Larry Carlton's tone. The truth is that either of those guys could pick up a stock Strat or Tele and sound just like they always do. There are no short cuts. It's not the guitar, pickups, distortion pedal or amplifier - that stuff just has to be good quality. We all know this...just wanted to post some great playing by a great player who could plug any decent guitar into any decent amp and sound like the master that he is. And that's where his tone and great tone comes from: from being a master musician. Just like EVH or Yngwie are as well. It isn't the pickups or amplifier. But we all know this. I just need to remind myself of it now and then.
Click to expand...

^^ Truth
 
Re: How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

Gypsyblue said:
It's not the guitar, pickups, distortion pedal or amplifier - that stuff just has to be good quality.
Click to expand...

This isnt even necessarily true. In the late 90's at NAMM Leslie West was in the Peavey booth and someone asked him to demo a few of his riffs. He plugged a whatever low end Peavey strat copy they had sitting there into a solid state KEYBOARD amp and wailed away. Sounded as amazing as ive ever heard.


Keep in mind though its tone chasing that largely keeps this place in business though. If we got rid of all the threads asking what pickup to cop X or Y tone there would be a lot less traffic around here. Tone chasing itself isnt bad when it comes before your playing then it is. I have a friend who will spend an hour tweaking his pod then never practice cause he wasted all his time chasing tone thats when its bad.
 
Re: How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

the tone is largely influenced by the gear.

If not I would have kept my flying v , DAPHON phaser and peavey 212.
 
Re: How to get a great tone from a stock Telecaster:

Gypsyblue said:
You don't need hot pickups, a new neck pickup or any of that stuff. The secret is simply being a great player:

Click to expand...

And playing through a couple of Dumbles helps quite a bit!
 
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