I Think I'm Starting To Figure Out Tone!

[shogunlegend]

i think i'm starting to figure out what good tone is all about. for like the 1,000th time, i analyzed my eric johnson, yngwie, and paul gilbert videos. i've been all over youtube and the web looking for great tone players and trying to piece it all together.

now, i think i'm starting to really figure it out. good equipment does have a lot to do with it, but it's a combination of the equipment (amps, pickups, woods, even pick guages), the eq, and the expression you put through your fingers.

the way i figured this out is by recording an ridiculous amount of short clips with different gain and eq settings and trying to play the same generic clip with different feelings. there is a certain consistency you get from your equipment, so hearing that and understanding what you can do with it really makes your tone.

another important factor is knowing your equipment. switching between so many different amps and comparing them side-by-side for several weeks, i've really learned to feel the amp tone in combination with my pedals, guitar volume knob, and other effects. it wasn't until recording the same things over and over and over again with the same equipment that my tone started to really improve.

i think that when you learn how to play pretty proficiently, you always tend to sound pretty good on most equipment, but you will always sound much better on your own rig. should you be extremely picky and exact in your equipment and settings - hell yes!

furthermore, i've realized that you have to have a small repository of tones to draw from. right now, i have about 4 basic tones that i use. each with individual gain and eq settings which vary slightly depending on guitar/pickups/amp. but they are generally uniform.

i have arranged like this:

clean tone
blues tone
rock tone
metal tone

i also figured out that i like a certain amount of reverb, delay, chorus, etc... for each tone. i'm pretty conservative with effects though and try to use them only to augment the underlying tone rather than alter it.

lead tones? well, i can't seem to ever really find a "lead tone." i don't think it works that way for me. my metal rhythm tone is the same as my metal lead tone now, and the same with all my other basic tones. i don't like a volume boost or additional gain for my leads. the reason behind this really is because i've learned to play with a lot less gain than i used to. now i don't really need a lead tone per se.

i've also decided to make my equipment more uniform. from now on, i'll only buy fender us strats, mesa boogie, and marshalls. i will use boss effects and my current distortion/overdrive pedals always.

in summary, you have to realize your own individual style before you can really get great tone - IMO. then you tweak your tone according to your playing style. as they say, every player should be identifyable by their vibratos, bends, etc... this, i think, is the starting point for developing good tone.

i guess we'll see because now that i'm starting to figure it out, i'll be posting some material for you guys. hope this helps anyone else who may be struggling to find great tone.

 

[Smilemon]

Re: I Think I'm Starting To Figure Out Tone!

Tone is such a relative term........

 

[Osensei]

Re: I Think I'm Starting To Figure Out Tone!

You don't need a lead tone ???

You haven't heard nothin yet! Wait till you begin hearing the the harmonics and overtones you can get out of your rig while playing lead. Different elements of your playing can cause any given note or passage you play to take on a variety of tonal colors w/o touching any knobs. The meat on your fingertips, the way that you dig in with your fretting hand, the angle that you use with your pick attack can all change the tonal color of your lead lines.

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: I Think I'm Starting To Figure Out Tone!

You don't need a lead tone ???

You haven't heard nothin yet! Wait till you begin hearing the the harmonics and overtones you can get out of your rig while playing lead. Different elements of your playing can cause any given note or passage you play to take on a variety of tonal colors w/o touching any knobs. The meat on your fingertips, the way that you dig in with your fretting hand, the angle that you use with your pick attack can all change the tonal color of your lead lines.

oh, i definitely play leads/solos. i just don't find a need to establish a separate tone for leads than i do for rhythms. i use the same tones to play rhythm or leads usually.

 

[ErikH]

Re: I Think I'm Starting To Figure Out Tone!

Good observations. I've sat and listened to some of my favorite players and subconsciously would begin paying attention a little more to what they could be doing, the gain level, the EQ, etc. Most of the time it's not on purpose, it just happens. I'll start out listening to some stuff just for enjoyment and next thing I know I'm trying to pick apart the sound.

Do you play in a band? If so, you'll want that volume boost, if not a boost in the mids as well. At home it's one thing, you can use the same tone for both rhythm and lead. I do that myself when practicing at home. But in a band setting, you *need* a separate lead tone to cut through. A slight boost in the volume and mids is usually all that is needed. Extra reverb or delay or anything else can be added as seen fit to taste.