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

[Scott_F]

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

John do your bandmates get pissed when you constantly change your tone/gear or do they just roll their eyes and love you anyway?

once you get the band sounding a certain way and everyone is happy, does a gear ho just screw up the mix?

 

[fatigueofheart]

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

try playing some holdsworth esque runs with nu-metal distortion or some srv lick with some 80's reverb drenched tone. Just not the same is it. Thats why people own multiple guitar, amps, and have all sort of doohickey that ENHANCE their sound.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

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

John do your bandmates get pissed when you constantly change your tone/gear or do they just roll their eyes and love you anyway?

once you get the band sounding a certain way and everyone is happy, does a gear ho just screw up the mix?

Great question Scott....Well...The guys always tell me I get great tone and I always sound like "me" regardless and this is a good thing....I'm in a position in my life I guess,where I can afford to buy stuff..After awhile I guess I get bored with the same amp,so I go out and buy something new or different..I'm always pretty happy with my tone though,but I'm also always tweaking stuff..

I guess the guys roll their eyes and talk behind my back,but they also trust my ears and they know everything is done to enhance the overall sound of the band...I'm also the band's maintainence guy and if they piss me off,then they can fix their cables,and bias their own amps etc....LOL...

Funny thing is Scott....I don't sell much of anything I buy...I just keep adding stuff and it gives me the ability to mix and match,rotate my gear around,and I'll use a different amp on any given day,simply because my ears are always changing...I say more is better with gear anyway.. :dance:

"once you get the band sounding a certain way and everyone is happy, does a gear ho just screw up the mix?"

No Scott....We play in small clubs and we normally don't mic out any of the guitar amps,but we do have monitors that we pull off the PA so we all hear the vocals really well...If we play outdoors,we have a buddy mix us,but it's pretty rare....I always make sure my stage volume and tone is happening and then the sound guy tweaks things up right for the audience to hear...We've been a band for 11 years now and we pretty much just plug in and play...It gets easier as you go..
"

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

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

try playing some holdsworth esque runs with nu-metal distortion or some srv lick with some 80's reverb drenched tone. Just not the same is it. Thats why people own multiple guitar, amps, and have all sort of doohickey that ENHANCE their sound.

I'll never be him so it's not a problem in my case! LOL :smack: :laugh2:
I'm all about classic rock and blues!

 

[JB_From_Hell]

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

Of course if you're spending half of your live with buing and installing pickups, that's just stupid (unless it's your job )...

I strongly disagree. I'm at a skill level now where if I were to compare 15 minutes of practice to 15 minutes of swapping a pickup, the pickup swap has a lot more noticeable outcome

 

[That90'sGuy]

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

I think there needs to be a balance with it.

If you want great tone, there's nothing wrong with searching for it. There is so much out there that it will take a while before someone knows what will work exactly for them. Things would be simple if it was one or two variables, but I mean you have different types of tubes, cables, amps, cabinets, speakers, pickups, woods, electrical components and strings that all impact the tone one way or another.

I see this as a cheaper investment than say automobiles. I see people shelling out ridiculous amounts of money on turbos, new engines, etc. There are always those collectors that need the 300 grand cars. I don't see a boutique amplifier or guitar around 2 grand as being silly in comparison.

There will always be collectors of guitars. Those doctors, CEOs, or lawyers that love the history of guitars and have a passion for collecting different guitars.

As players, who cares what route we go to get what helps us write our own music? Originally, I felt like crap buying gear I didn't feel I measured up to. Through time, I've been able to concentrate more on the music because my tone was fitting what I've been looking for. I found it important and others do too if they're looking at this forum. If you're happy with a Bandmaster and a strat and don't find any limitation to what you're doing, then that's really great and I'm happy for you . However, if I want Santana/Robben Ford one second, U2 one second, and Black Crowes/Goo Goo Dolls another, I don't think I'm stupid for looking for it Different strokes for different folks.

Different tones bring out different things in a player. With the right tone, I tend to bring out fusion or jazz, with another, rock and roll etc. I like writing on an acoustic, but sometimes I feel it's easier to write something in your head when you're matching the tone exactly (if I hear distortion in my head for the chorus and clean for the verse, I generally like to be writing the parts under those circumstances).

 

[Ocifer]

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

There's a difference between wanting good tone, and getting carried away with GAS. I've got an average guitar with a Vox ToneLab. I can get great tone from it, and I'm content. Eventually, I'll want a tube amp and some pedals for gigging, but I'm comfortable with playing with ANY tone, as long as it's not crap.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

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

There's a difference between wanting good tone, and getting carried away with GAS. I've got an average guitar with a Vox ToneLab. I can get great tone from it, and I'm content. Eventually, I'll want a tube amp and some pedals for gigging, but I'm comfortable with playing with ANY tone, as long as it's not crap.

You're lucky and you're also in the minority! Guitar players are from a weird breed....Why do you think I've done so many pedal mods for numerous forum members? :wink:

 

[Quencho092]

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

i guess a strat with surfers through John's special recipe TS9 to blackface bandmaster and 2 15 inch JBL's is "my tone" for my ears. Just turned out simpler than i thought.

One thing that changed alot, though, was my style and genre of music. These days i hardly ever strum distorted chords anymore, save for my bridge pickup on my strat with the TS9 on. Back then i used to play hardcore type music and metal. I'm glad i didnt pursue my tone back then as much as i did now, because it would be a waste of money if i had a triple rectifier through 2 marshall 4x12's sitting in my room.

Yeah, i figure tone has alot to do with guitar playing, but I'm with scott on this one. I found a pretty slick tone, and i don't want to mess with it anymore cause my bank account is crying!

 

[boraborablue]

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

I would have to say that it's OK to 'waste' time getting your tone; having your own voice is part of your art. You are only really wasting time if you are trying to get someone else's tone, because you never will. Spending five years and 10 grand won't make you sound like Jeff Beck, because:
a) he uses pretty cheap and easily obtainable stuff, and
b) he is a mutant/demigod.
Far too many factors account for a player's tone, least of them being equipment. Moreover, the world already has an original, so why would they settle for a copy?

 

[Guitar Toad]

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

Yes, I plead guilty to saying I want such and such tone. I have mentioned SRV, Clapton, even Phil Collen. But in my case it's for the purpose of getting in the neighborhood sound/tone wise.

I know o too well that need to sharpen my chops more than whether or not I need/want to change pickups or switching.

But, I do seek a tone or sound that when I play I can say that sounds good and inspires me as a player. Sure the greats EVH, BB, Clapton inspire me.

When, I play something that sounds cool and inspires me, that's when I get excited as a growing player. That's cool and all part of this guitar players game.

But, where I think some guys get in trouble is the seeking of fame or attention or the die-hard individualist who wants his playing to be noticed and rewarded for his sound/tone/playing is not like anyone elses. Like the penguin among the flock of peguins that shouts out "I just gotta be me!" In some regards, as in life, guitar playing is a thankless exercise, you have to satisfy yourself first, there may be no thanks or applause.

If you can satisfy yourself as a player, and others enjoy hearing you play then you have accomplished a great deal as a guitar player. Then, the tone you have (unique or not) is working

 

[NecroPolo]

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

I do it all because cranking the amp to 11 still makes me smile. IMO style and tone belongs together.

 

[TheProphet]

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

I've found that even as you search for tone you still develop as a player.

As time passes and you continue to play you develop who you are.

I've been playing for 10 years and searching for my tone for about half that. My 'sound' comes from my natural selection of notes and chords. If I search for different equipment to suit me better that's just a side product.

But unwilling or not, people will still develop themselves as players whether or not they search for their tone

 

[aleclee]

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

John do your bandmates get pissed when you constantly change your tone/gear or do they just roll their eyes and love you anyway?

once you get the band sounding a certain way and everyone is happy, does a gear ho just screw up the mix?

I'm not John but in the 15 months I've been playing with my band I've used five amps (and three guitars). In order:

• Soldano Decatone
• Peters 3CP1
• Rivera Rake Reverb
• Rivera Rake (non-reverb)
• Fuchs-modded Traynor

The singer and bassist don't really notice when I change things up. The drummer is an audio engineer and he definitely notices. I think he liked the Peters' distortion the best but the Fuchs gets his approval as well. I might be dealing for a Two Rock Emerald Pro so that count might go up to six amps in 16 months. :smack:

Even though I've gone through a number of changes, I don't think I'm "screwing up the mix". This may be hard to believe given the range of amps but the gear swaps have been more about refining my tone to fit into the band. I don't know that the timbre differences were so radical that it changed the band's sound.

 

[B2D]

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

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.

`

THANK YOU JESUS man I'm glad someone else understands that Like I do.

 

[Gearjoneser]

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

I know I ramble on and on about gear, but I mostly use this forum to make my day funner, talking about things I love.

Gearwise, I just use use my stuff the same way a mechanic uses his tools, or a racer tweaks his cars or motorcycles. I've never been someone who cares about copping other player's actual sound, but I do gravitate toward the best tones that compliment my playing.

At this point, I've pretty much found what gear makes me happy. I don't obsess about it much.....I just pick up my well worn strat, eeny meeny miny moe on my humbucking guitars, and plug into the Bogner Ecstasy/2-12 in a band setting, or my Valvetronix/2-12 at home.

Over the years, I've also developed into another aspect of the guitar world, and that's collecting. If you aren't a collector, that's fine, but to some it's a separate hobby.
When I was younger, I always thought it was for rich guys, and I only owned what I used. Having never married allowed me to collect musical toys. It's my passion, but it's really not related to what I am as a player. People get into the hobby of cars, guns, knives, porn, cigars, gardening, etc. My hobby is aquiring choice pieces of gear that are highly desireable, highly collectible, and rare. At this point, I own some holy grail pieces, which I'm proud of, and they're a heck of a lot more fun to own than stock certificates!

 

[Tony_H]

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

I think finding yourself as a player goes hand-in-hand with having the right tone. I think you find yourself when you no longer think of your tone - and that may happen when you find the perfect guitar and amp combination, or figure out the best pickup set-up in a guitar that you have had for a long time.

I do accumulate gear - but to justify new purchases I approach it as building a collection that will suit any tonal needs. I have been to the studio and I can tell you that having a few guitars to pick from when a song needs a specific tone (or when the sound engineer thinks so) is great. So I have a nice Strat, a nice Tele, a few dual-humbucker guitars that are not quite the Les Paul but pretty close, two guitars with the Floyd Rose trem, two guitars with custom wiring, my recently acquired semi-hollowbody, and in the future I want to add a guitar with P-90s too. Yes, it's gear lust, but I'm trying to steer it towards owning a choice of various tones when I need them.

And recently I've realized that having a few unique guitars may be nice too. Nothing wrong with those tried-and-true designs - I still wish I had my Les Paul Studio back. But having a few guitars that no one else has is cool I think.

Sorry if I wandered too far from the topic ... hopefully there's something relevant in my post.
Tony