Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
- Thread starter '59
- Start date
Techy Beccy
Member
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
I was thinking something similar! But every different context has different approach. If you play live the sound comming out of the amp in front of you on stage sounds different to what the audience hears through the PA.. and then again with recording.. All different.. for me I just concentrate on what I can control - the amp , guitar pickups/ wiring , and let the sound guys do their thing.
In all honesty, I doubt it really matters to other people. You can get anything to sound appropriate. Even the worst sounding gear and players can get away with it if they have character , personality.
I was thinking something similar! But every different context has different approach. If you play live the sound comming out of the amp in front of you on stage sounds different to what the audience hears through the PA.. and then again with recording.. All different.. for me I just concentrate on what I can control - the amp , guitar pickups/ wiring , and let the sound guys do their thing.
In all honesty, I doubt it really matters to other people. You can get anything to sound appropriate. Even the worst sounding gear and players can get away with it if they have character , personality.
Francois
New member
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
Yes and it is so complex... Depending on the music style...
For example in early PIL the top 1 would be a cranked Flanger but there are many types of music that does not require pedals...
So pedals as top 1 sometimes yes sometimes no.
There cannot be a general rule.
Yes and it is so complex... Depending on the music style...
For example in early PIL the top 1 would be a cranked Flanger but there are many types of music that does not require pedals...
So pedals as top 1 sometimes yes sometimes no.
There cannot be a general rule.
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
Brian Wampler did a thing about guitar amps all sounding the same through the same speaker cab, and it was pretty much true. You can take 5 amps of similar ilk and they will sound relatively the same through a common speaker cabinet. So I would say that the speaker cabinet is the single largest things that affects the tone.
The amp itself is probably next on the list followed by the pickups of the guitar. I always say get it right from the source and while speaker cabs and guitar amps are technically last in line, they are the two single largest factors in guitar tone. The actual guitar sound is next and the pickups are what really dials that in. The Effects pedals are not as big a deal I think. If the pedal is off, then it has little or nothing to do with the sound you get. So if you love the amp and your guitar, pretty much any pedal you like will do the trick for you.
Another large factor people forget about is the guitar cable and length of it you're using. A long high capacitance cable is going to sound dull and dark, while a short low capacitance cable will sound bright and possibly brash. You can actually dial in your sound by using different guitar cables of varying brands and lengths to fine-tune your sound. Too bright of a guitar, use a longer, higher capacitance cable. If your guitar sounds too dark, use a shorter lower capacitance cable. The pots of the guitar can also do this, but the cable is a large factor to consider. A lower value pot will not favor longer cables as much as higher value pots.
I don't really think that " tone is in the hands " as much as it's the ability of a guitarist to exploit a sound. A great guitarist can make a cardboard box amp sound great, whereas a crappy guitarist will still sound crappy on a Diezel VH4 rig. The touch and feel a guitarist has is going to translate to anything they play, so it really isn't that they make an amp sound better, it's simply they adjust their playing to suit the amp or to work with the sound they are getting. More or less, it is an adaptation, more so than creating tone. Without the ability to adapt to an amp's tone, you really can expose yourself in a negative way. At some point a guitarist learns to play more than just notes, they learn how to actually manipulate their playing to suit the situation, while still sounding like them.
Micing an amp is another thing I think is perhaps a large factor, but also not one that makes or breaks a guitarist. Good mic technique is, of course, desirable, but one's opinion of sound is different from another's. Being able to recognize what you're hearing from a mic. on your speaker and then adjust its placement or the amps settings is typically not something that you have to worry about. Generally, a sound engineer or recording engineer will do that task. While spending hours and hours of your life finding the exact spot you want to put and SM57 on your speaker cab seems important, what do you do when you are presented with a Royer 121, or a Sennheiser E609? You didn't spend hours working with those mics to dial it in and how do you know if you will like either one or not? You don't, and honestly, it doesn't really matter. As long as the person responsible for that decision is able to asses and address any issues, you should not really have to worry.
Tuners, nuts, body wood, neck wood and all that do make a difference, but any one part alone is a very small percentage of what is essentially the " some of all parts". If you only have an Ash body Strat to play with, it doesn't matter much if you want to compare it to an Alder body strat with all the exact same stuff on it, you don't have an Alder body Strat. The difference between a Bone or Graphtech nut will be so minimal that if you have to split hairs on that single part, you would have to be neurotic to do so! The stuff with a known minimal effect need to ignored until you have the big stuff dialed in.
Case in point, I recently started buying guitar speakers to alter my sound. I picked up a couple G12t-75's and a couple of G12M-25 Greenbacks. I thought for sure I would dig the G12M's more, and I really do like them, but I tend more to the G12t-75's. I never would have thought so had I not tried them. I am building amps and in my pursuit to see what I prefer with them, I started pickup up options to play with. So far it seems that what I build is more favorable to the G12T-75. The point is that If I am stuck with X amp and X speaker, what is the next thing down the line that effects tone the most? I would try the guitar cable first, then the pickups then the pots and then the little things like nuts and strings. I don't find any real appreciable difference in different strings of the same gauge. I have tried the EB Cobalts, The D'addario NYXL, Blue steels, and others and while the feel and lifespan is different, tonally, they are all so close you would again have to be bordering on crazy. I am a D'addario XL nickel 9-42 kind of guy. Yes, different string gauges and types will sound different, but I don't think changing string gauges and design types to get a sound is really a prudent way to get to the desired tone. In all honesty, you should be able to get your needs dealt with long before you even have to go that deep with it. You want to play comfortably and naturally, and string gauge is a large part of that. If you like Cobalt strings, go for it. If you like all-steel strings ( no nickel ) go for it. In the end, it's up to you, but I feel that strings are kind of a large marketing ploy to make you spend more on them. If you sound like crap on a $5 set of strings, I don't think a $15 set is going to take make you any better, let alone sound better in the process.
Brian Wampler did a thing about guitar amps all sounding the same through the same speaker cab, and it was pretty much true. You can take 5 amps of similar ilk and they will sound relatively the same through a common speaker cabinet. So I would say that the speaker cabinet is the single largest things that affects the tone.
The amp itself is probably next on the list followed by the pickups of the guitar. I always say get it right from the source and while speaker cabs and guitar amps are technically last in line, they are the two single largest factors in guitar tone. The actual guitar sound is next and the pickups are what really dials that in. The Effects pedals are not as big a deal I think. If the pedal is off, then it has little or nothing to do with the sound you get. So if you love the amp and your guitar, pretty much any pedal you like will do the trick for you.
Another large factor people forget about is the guitar cable and length of it you're using. A long high capacitance cable is going to sound dull and dark, while a short low capacitance cable will sound bright and possibly brash. You can actually dial in your sound by using different guitar cables of varying brands and lengths to fine-tune your sound. Too bright of a guitar, use a longer, higher capacitance cable. If your guitar sounds too dark, use a shorter lower capacitance cable. The pots of the guitar can also do this, but the cable is a large factor to consider. A lower value pot will not favor longer cables as much as higher value pots.
I don't really think that " tone is in the hands " as much as it's the ability of a guitarist to exploit a sound. A great guitarist can make a cardboard box amp sound great, whereas a crappy guitarist will still sound crappy on a Diezel VH4 rig. The touch and feel a guitarist has is going to translate to anything they play, so it really isn't that they make an amp sound better, it's simply they adjust their playing to suit the amp or to work with the sound they are getting. More or less, it is an adaptation, more so than creating tone. Without the ability to adapt to an amp's tone, you really can expose yourself in a negative way. At some point a guitarist learns to play more than just notes, they learn how to actually manipulate their playing to suit the situation, while still sounding like them.
Micing an amp is another thing I think is perhaps a large factor, but also not one that makes or breaks a guitarist. Good mic technique is, of course, desirable, but one's opinion of sound is different from another's. Being able to recognize what you're hearing from a mic. on your speaker and then adjust its placement or the amps settings is typically not something that you have to worry about. Generally, a sound engineer or recording engineer will do that task. While spending hours and hours of your life finding the exact spot you want to put and SM57 on your speaker cab seems important, what do you do when you are presented with a Royer 121, or a Sennheiser E609? You didn't spend hours working with those mics to dial it in and how do you know if you will like either one or not? You don't, and honestly, it doesn't really matter. As long as the person responsible for that decision is able to asses and address any issues, you should not really have to worry.
Tuners, nuts, body wood, neck wood and all that do make a difference, but any one part alone is a very small percentage of what is essentially the " some of all parts". If you only have an Ash body Strat to play with, it doesn't matter much if you want to compare it to an Alder body strat with all the exact same stuff on it, you don't have an Alder body Strat. The difference between a Bone or Graphtech nut will be so minimal that if you have to split hairs on that single part, you would have to be neurotic to do so! The stuff with a known minimal effect need to ignored until you have the big stuff dialed in.
Case in point, I recently started buying guitar speakers to alter my sound. I picked up a couple G12t-75's and a couple of G12M-25 Greenbacks. I thought for sure I would dig the G12M's more, and I really do like them, but I tend more to the G12t-75's. I never would have thought so had I not tried them. I am building amps and in my pursuit to see what I prefer with them, I started pickup up options to play with. So far it seems that what I build is more favorable to the G12T-75. The point is that If I am stuck with X amp and X speaker, what is the next thing down the line that effects tone the most? I would try the guitar cable first, then the pickups then the pots and then the little things like nuts and strings. I don't find any real appreciable difference in different strings of the same gauge. I have tried the EB Cobalts, The D'addario NYXL, Blue steels, and others and while the feel and lifespan is different, tonally, they are all so close you would again have to be bordering on crazy. I am a D'addario XL nickel 9-42 kind of guy. Yes, different string gauges and types will sound different, but I don't think changing string gauges and design types to get a sound is really a prudent way to get to the desired tone. In all honesty, you should be able to get your needs dealt with long before you even have to go that deep with it. You want to play comfortably and naturally, and string gauge is a large part of that. If you like Cobalt strings, go for it. If you like all-steel strings ( no nickel ) go for it. In the end, it's up to you, but I feel that strings are kind of a large marketing ploy to make you spend more on them. If you sound like crap on a $5 set of strings, I don't think a $15 set is going to take make you any better, let alone sound better in the process.
NegativeEase
New member
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
Technically Guitar pedals or onboard amplifier DSP is number one -only because they have the ability to alter the signal so dramatically you can make it not sound anything like a guitar anymore.
But remove gratuitous overuse of pedals and DSP from the equation and the player and their playing style is the number one part of a sound.
A great player can illicit great tone from a Peavey Bandit or a Pignose.
Then speakers
Then pickups
Then everything else can be argued, but it's different for styles and such...
Technically Guitar pedals or onboard amplifier DSP is number one -only because they have the ability to alter the signal so dramatically you can make it not sound anything like a guitar anymore.
But remove gratuitous overuse of pedals and DSP from the equation and the player and their playing style is the number one part of a sound.
A great player can illicit great tone from a Peavey Bandit or a Pignose.
Then speakers
Then pickups
Then everything else can be argued, but it's different for styles and such...
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
I havent used a pedal in 3 or so years
. I am thinking i might start building a pedal board again but i soert of like just plugging straight into the amp and going for it.
I havent used a pedal in 3 or so years
. I am thinking i might start building a pedal board again but i soert of like just plugging straight into the amp and going for it.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
Tames the high frequency reflections
Keeps you from tripping over cabling
Tames the high frequency reflections
Keeps you from tripping over cabling
NegativeEase
New member
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
You forgot beer. Higher on the list than wood. (What is wrong with this forum?)
You forgot beer. Higher on the list than wood. (What is wrong with this forum?)
NegativeEase
New member
mojosman
New member
Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
https://youtu.be/38l2CowhIs8
If anyone reading this is ever in Nashville on a Monday night you can see first hand evidence to support the opinion I’m about to share. Go to the Bluebird and see Mike Henderson’s blues show. Mike is a Nashville studio guy, who’s made a pretty good living playing as a studio player on country records, he was part owner of a small label, and had a bluegrass band and cowrote pop songs with Chris Stapleton. He’s also a killer slide player, plays mandolin, and harmonica. Oh yeah, he also sings like Kim Wilson.
My wife and I saw him at the Bluebird. He played a Chinese Squier Tele, and an old Sears and Roebuck’s Silvertone guitar. He probably spent less than $500 on the two guitars.
This guy played straight into an amp with no pedals. Great tone from two very low end guitars. I’ve seen him photographed with these two guitars before and since. Do they have upgraded pickups and wiring? I have no idea, but this guy could sound great on anything.
The great Ronnie Earl once signed my custom shop Robert Cray Strat. I said you’ve got play it. I just wanted to hear it in his hands. It was in the dressing room after a gig. All there was in the room was a Roland jazz chorus. He plugged into it and ripped on my guitar. It’s never sounded better. Before or since.
My opinion is practice and playing time is the biggest factor. Pro players can make crap gear sound great. Why? Because they’ve worked at it. Check out Mike at the Bluebird and tell me I’m wrong.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
https://youtu.be/38l2CowhIs8
If anyone reading this is ever in Nashville on a Monday night you can see first hand evidence to support the opinion I’m about to share. Go to the Bluebird and see Mike Henderson’s blues show. Mike is a Nashville studio guy, who’s made a pretty good living playing as a studio player on country records, he was part owner of a small label, and had a bluegrass band and cowrote pop songs with Chris Stapleton. He’s also a killer slide player, plays mandolin, and harmonica. Oh yeah, he also sings like Kim Wilson.
My wife and I saw him at the Bluebird. He played a Chinese Squier Tele, and an old Sears and Roebuck’s Silvertone guitar. He probably spent less than $500 on the two guitars.
This guy played straight into an amp with no pedals. Great tone from two very low end guitars. I’ve seen him photographed with these two guitars before and since. Do they have upgraded pickups and wiring? I have no idea, but this guy could sound great on anything.
The great Ronnie Earl once signed my custom shop Robert Cray Strat. I said you’ve got play it. I just wanted to hear it in his hands. It was in the dressing room after a gig. All there was in the room was a Roland jazz chorus. He plugged into it and ripped on my guitar. It’s never sounded better. Before or since.
My opinion is practice and playing time is the biggest factor. Pro players can make crap gear sound great. Why? Because they’ve worked at it. Check out Mike at the Bluebird and tell me I’m wrong.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited:
NegativeEase
New member
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
I saw a guy in breakfast place the night after my gig in Nashville last spring that had about the best voice and guitar chops I've seen.
literally performing for people eating eggs and ham.
I hope that dude is a super star one day.
I saw a guy in breakfast place the night after my gig in Nashville last spring that had about the best voice and guitar chops I've seen.
literally performing for people eating eggs and ham.
I hope that dude is a super star one day.
mojosman
New member
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
There is no shortage of talent in Nashville. Great players everywhere it seems like.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There is no shortage of talent in Nashville. Great players everywhere it seems like.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
Ok you guys know I'm into voodoo but here's a good one. I assembled a guitar today and forgot to buy ferrules so the strings are strung thru the body but the ends are against the bottom of the bridge instead of the ferrules. I wonder if that does anything lol.
Ok you guys know I'm into voodoo but here's a good one. I assembled a guitar today and forgot to buy ferrules so the strings are strung thru the body but the ends are against the bottom of the bridge instead of the ferrules. I wonder if that does anything lol.
Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?
The player.
If you're talking about the actual properties of the instrument, if I had to narrow it down to 5 things I'd say wood types, scale length, hardware quality, a proper set-up and construction (bolt-on vs set neck, etc). Maybe not in that order.
The amp and speakers are just as important as the guitar. A low-quality guitar through a good amp rig will sound better than a good guitar through a low-quality amp rig.
The player.
If you're talking about the actual properties of the instrument, if I had to narrow it down to 5 things I'd say wood types, scale length, hardware quality, a proper set-up and construction (bolt-on vs set neck, etc). Maybe not in that order.
The amp and speakers are just as important as the guitar. A low-quality guitar through a good amp rig will sound better than a good guitar through a low-quality amp rig.
