Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

[Quencho092]

I finally settled down on a pretty reliable rig. My strat and bandmaster are great tone wise, loudness wise, and offer me a large palette to fill with playing. I've been spending more time playing with my band and stuff and i couldn't be happier.

I find that guitar is like any other instrument-it sounds like it sounds, if you know what i mean. A trumpet is a trumpet, you didn't see miles davis whining about having too bright a tone, or not sounding smooth enough-he made it sound awesome, not the trumpet. An instrument should sound like itself and not lend itself to a million variations equipment wise-make the variations in your music!

What I'm saying is, i realized that i don't need to have 'my tone' or an 'original tone' to be a good guitarist. So i just got the gear that is most sensitive to playing dynamics-a strat and a blackface amp, and play away. It's mindless to spend thousands to get a certain tone, then not being satisfied and spending more to get another tone, etc. Just find something you play well with and work with it, and try doing what you're supposed to do-PLAY!

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

Must say I disagree a little with you on this one. I play way more when I'm satisfied with "my" sound and equipment. But then again, you can get cought up in the hunt for the better.

 

[Anthem]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

Most of the time I practice unplugged so I understand where you're coming from. Good post!

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I think thats a very valid viewpoint... but one of the factors of finding yourself as a player includes the tone you have. Different tones can make phrasing sound different compared to others.

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

It's probably right that a good tone won't make you a better player, but it will improve a good riff even more.
Of course if you're spending half of your live with buing and installing pickups, that's just stupid (unless it's your job )... then you should probably let SD make a custum pickup for you which is cheaper than buying tons of not-your-sound pups

 

[ex-250]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

i dunno.....im completely obsessed with gear (mainly just guitars really). its a lot more fun and entertaining to always be looking for that next peice of gear than have one thing your whole life

 

[AmirH]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I agree. It's a lot more important to develop as a player then to search for tone. It's blasphemous to say so here, but if the music is good enough you can get over bad tone. Having said that, I'm in desperate need of an actual tube amp because it REALLY detracts from the music when it just plain sounds bad. I have been making due using the moderately ok sounding clean on my bandit though, and relying a bit more on vst's. Oh sweet xxx, how I need you so! lol

 

[Mincer]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

working on your individuality as a player is as important as your sound- they go together. Some people spend thousands replicating someone elses tone, and hours replicating their style. Others try to find their unique voice and get to gear to match that. Guess which one I am.

 

[AmirH]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

The one I try really hard to be?

 

[Old Ghost]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

working on your individuality as a player is as important as your sound- they go together. Some people spend thousands replicating someone elses tone, and hours replicating their style. Others try to find their unique voice and get to gear to match that.

You nailed it right in the head!
***See my signature on the bottom
V
V

 

[Marinblues]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I think that personal tone and style are closely related.

I also think that everyone should look for their own "voice" otherwise, it's like being able to speak without having anything of your own to say.....


....or it's like being a typist and not a writer. I'd rather be a bad writer than a good typist!

 

[B2D]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I developed my style and my tone simultaneousy... whenever my tone took a turn for the better usually my playing would follow because good tone speaks to me, inspires me, and opens doors that make it easier for me to play better. And when I DO play better I can usually sound better on the gear and with tones I already have. I take the tones that I've created and learn how to exploit them to their fullest.

And neither my tone nor my chops are ever going to stop evolving, both of them will continually evolve as I do and change as I change as a player and a musician.

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I'm sure it's differant for everybody but for me I had to first "find" a good OD and a good clean tone that were pleasing to my ear in order to try and progress. The only way for me to find what I was hearing was to go thru a trial and error period of purchasing differant things. Not that I was gear obsessed, I was just trying to find what I was hearing. Amp, differant speakers, tubes, pedals, more pedals, new guitar, another pedal, amp mod......you know. Basically there was a certain type of tone that I needed to hear while I was playing. I know this is backwards to most people but it's worked for me. I know the tone is good so if it sounds bad I know I can't blame the gear.

 

[pac112]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

Most of the time I practice unplugged so I understand where you're coming from. Good post!

+1

 

[Artie]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I agree to some extent, but disagree a bit also. I think its somewhat silly to find "someone else's" tone, although, if you're having fun, who cares. You can, however, put the wrong pup, in the wrong guitar, and stab yourself in the ears everytime you play.

I'm very close to honing in the right, exact balance of sound that I want for my setup. I play more, now that I'm enthralled with "my" tone.

 

[nuntius]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I practise on acoustics, so fiddling about trying to find a tone insn't really and an issue...

On electrics, I like to keep stuff simple by not using effects, except for delay/reverb for solo parts. However, I do like to have a decent (doesn't have to be perfect) tone, and I like having different guitars.

Different guitars make you play differently, different tones make you play differently. One of the reasons I couldn't get into the line 6 variax was because no matter what tones I was getting out of it, it still felt the same.

Record yourself improvising clean on a Strat, then with an overdriven sound and a humbucker guitar like a Les Paul and I garuntee you will not play the same way.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

Most of my opinions have already been adequately expressed but

An instrument should sound like itself and not lend itself to a million variations equipment wise-make the variations in your music!

Why not? Would Jimi's playing have been as mind-blowing if he had believed that electric guitar should sound like amplified acoustic? Would Eruption have been as mind-blowing if EVH decided that he shouldn't depart from BB King's tone.

IMO, one of the great things about electric guitar is the broad palette of timbres you can get out of it. You can get that amplified acoustic tone, a hornlike timbre (e.g., Holdsworth), country twang, or metal chainsaw sounds. Why should folks limit themselves?

What I'm saying is, i realized that i don't need to have 'my tone' or an 'original tone' to be a good guitarist. So i just got the gear that is most sensitive to playing dynamics-a strat and a blackface amp, and play away. It's mindless to spend thousands to get a certain tone, then not being satisfied and spending more to get another tone, etc. Just find something you play well with and work with it, and try doing what you're supposed to do-PLAY!

Glad you've found something that works for you but I don't think the viewpoint is any more or less valid than the player with the "rack of doom" who think that it's boring and limiting who claims that your rig is unnecessarily limiting.

As for the tone quest thing, for some, that's a hobby that's only peripherally related to playing. Think of folks who get fast cars only to dote on them in their garages. There's nothing wrong with spending money that way as long as they're meeting their financial obligations to their dependents.

Another factor you overlook is taste. It frequently changes over time. Somebody might decide that they don't want to chase the brown sound anymore but instead want to capture Holdsworth's tone. Ain't nothin' wrong with that in my book 'cause there's not one guitar sound that's right for everyone.

As for the "buy less and practice more" thing. It comes up a lot on gear-oriented discussion boards. The first thing I'll say is that it's none of my business how folks want to spend their money. If someone wants a wall of guitars and a warehouse full of amps and can afford it, who am I to say regardless of how much effort they put into developing facility on the instrument? The other thing I'll say is that I know some folks with a expensive rigs who can play rings around most of us. Folks who think that everyone with exotic gear buys it to compensate for playing deficiencies are flat out wrong.

Timbre is a big part of playing and, contrary to many folks' claims, it's not all in the hands. EVH might be recognizable playing a jazz box through a twin but it's a stretch to say that he sounds "the same" as through his customary rig. If it were all in the hands, he'd sound the same through his Peaveys as he did through his Marshalls. I think most folks would agree that it was not the case.

My $0.02, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

When playing, I have a tone in my head, and if I can get my amp to replicate that same tone I'm laughin'.

I've come across some great guitar players who have no idea how to play their amp. They've obviously spent their time in the woodshed working on their chops and their style, but their sound is so blaa it's a real shame.

In my opinion, your amp is an insturment too. If you're going to play electric, you should also take the time to learn to play your amp.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

I don't think it's so much " 'my tone' or an 'original tone' " as much as "good tone" for me.

I went around the block a few times trying to find good tone that made me smile inside. I'm there. Les Pauls into a Two Rock with Seymour's pickups. Good tone. My inner rockstar is smiling. I think I might be done with my search for now.

Unless that demon "Change" that Alec talks about hits me... or his twin demon brother "Boredom".

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wasting time on getting 'your tone' instead of finding yourself as a player

As a guitar player,one thing I Know is common to most of us,is that we like to always try something better....It's just a sickness that alot of players develop over time..I find this to be even more true with lead players...Example: My rhythm guitarist is happy if he switches his amp on and everything works...My bass player plays with either a relic Jazz or Precision bass through an Ampeg...These guys never worry about anything else unless there's a problem..My other guitar player has been wanting to put new Duncans in his strat for several years now knowing I'd do all the work for free...But he hasn't? :smack:

Meantime....I spend every bit as much time playing as I do searching(constantly)for a more inspiring tone...I also like to tweak,take things apart,and know how things work..I Like repairing all of my own gear also..For some of us it's pure G.A.S over something old,something new,or something better.I'd have to say with me,it's all of these and the overall fun of learning and doing things as I try to make my tone better..I also like alot of variety,so I own several amps(both tube and modelling amps)and several guitars and effects...There are also alot of tones that have been fixed into my head for many years and my ears help me to try and recreate at least the vibe...

In closing....Guitar players are a truely rare breed of musicians...It's an obsession and a sickness with alot of us,but I'm fine with it...