What exactly is modern tone?

[dreamist]

I want a pickup that gives me modern sounding tone.

That's what I told myself. Now that I think about it, I wonder what exactly is modern tone. I can listen to a sound and tell whether it is vintage or modern, but what is it that makes it vintage or modern?

Is it the bump or notch in certain frequencies that gives it this quality? Or is it the dynamics, the frequency range, the output, or what?

So what exactly is it, in your opinion, that gives modern quality to a sound?

 

[Mephis]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Uneven coil windings.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

What style of Music ?

 

[adrian]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Modern to me means a more balanced EQ. Traditional single coils often were quite agressive on the treble side, "modern" are smoother. Traditional humbuckers had less power and were also more trebly, modern are more powerful and also more balanced. I like modern.

 

[Diego]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Modern to me means tight tight tight. Don't even think about sponginess. Compressed, too.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

I think it has to do with tightness, agressiveness, attack and also the distorion texture that is more compressed. The crunch is more rapid and more square (if this makes sence). I'd say clarity but there are also vintage pickups that are very clear (but also constructed in our times and not in the past........). Maybe these pickups are vintage with a modern injection. I don't know about the eq. It varies so much in every pickup....

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Are we talking about modern metal?

I think EMGs, along with the DiMarzio D Sonic and Steve's Special (Or DiMarzio Blaze, if we're talking 7-string guitars) are pretty much THE definition of the modern metal tones.

 

[fab.regnaut]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

To my ears modern tone is when the guitar sound like a keyboard !
It happens with hot/compressed pickup .
Listen to Mickael Romeo's solo with its Tone Zone in the neck and you will know

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

If we are talking modern metal ... the sound that actually deserves to be called a modern tone is stuff like EdGuy, Stratovarious, Rammstein, Blind Guardian, Nightwish, this is more of an amp thing like Engl for the mos part with variations of H&H, VHT, Mesa. I don't think its a pick up thing, most of the stuff is still JB, DD, Invader which aren't new time wise. The only thing that is distinctive enough to consider is Screaming Demon, but its not exactly a new pup either.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Modern to me means tight tight tight. Don't even think about sponginess. Compressed, too.

That's exactly what I think of. Also, pickups that sound "Hi-Fi" if you can relate to that term. Compressed, focused, tight...all things that sound modern to me.

Things that don't sound modern...open, airy, smooth, 3D, complex, harmonically rich.

 

[book_of_lies777]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

vintage = Black Sabbath, Rainbow

in between = Judas Priest, Iron Maiden

modern = Lamb of God, Dimmu Borgir

tightness & mids, or the lack thereof...

I love it all - just depends on my mood.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

vintage = Black Sabbath, Rainbow

in between = Judas Priest, Iron Maiden

modern = Lamb of God, Dimmu Borgir

tightness & mids, or the lack thereof...

I love it all - just depends on my mood.

So, EdGuy, Stratovarious, Rammstein, Blind Guardian, Nightwish I guess are not modern because, they are into an actual concept of songwriting and actually sing instead of scream and cough ???

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

hmmm I might say

Very Vintage = BB King / Beatles
Vintage = Hendrix n Cream etc etc thru Queen
Transitional = Yngwie / Rainbow / Dio / rhodes OR 70s/80s Metal
Modern = 80s pop like Lukather / Steely Dan / a lot of instrumental players and fusion players like Scofield

A lot of vintage tone comes from Tube Technology (mics, etc) and amps that were cranked

Modern is the attempts at getting those sounds without the actual red lining of equipment or slashing of speakers as Mesa Boogie amps brought preamp distortion to the scene. Rack equipment integrating sounds and DSP chips definitely hadn't succeeded in giving pure distortion gained from volume and attitude.

"Modern" pickups tend to be either more tight, more compressed, and less "open" in their frequency spectrum - they focu on being very balanced and perfect. "Vintage" tones let loose and can tend to have little spikes and hiccups in tonal ranges that give you that "old school" attitude.

 

[stonabus]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

these last two posts have modern tone /\

 

[dreamist]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

I agree.

 

[Mephis]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

People are having a major problem getting jokes these days. Seriously guys you need to get drunk or something.

 

[rayrgdx]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Yeah, they should get a room.
To me modern is vintage, vintage is modern! What pickups you use is not the end result sound. I think it's more amp settings and effects.

 

[Stratovarious]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

I think modern tone always has a frizzyness to it and has a more buzzsaw 'contour' and I think that vintage sounds have a more wavy 'contour'

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

Modern tone = humbuckers and lots of gain, duh

seriously, there is no provision for single coils in "modern" tone in my opinion

 

[Simon_F]

Re: What exactly is modern tone?

I think it has more to do with songwriting and production values than any specifics of instrumental tone. Just look at how much old "tone" is sampled in "modern" music. I'm not convinced there is any distinction.