What makes you sound unique?

[Chistopher]

Music-wise?

 

[Snake Aces]

Definitely not my skill yet, although I'm working on that. In the end, I want the combination of my tone, skill, and play style/songwriting to be something that actually makes me sound unique. I'm not there yet.

What does sound unique is my rig. I've been experimenting with my knobs all morning since work is slow on this particular Friday.

I keep finding ways to tweak my amps that make them sound better instead of stubbornly sticking to my 20+ year-old amp setting habits on guitar. This has led me down a path of some sweet tones I never knew I could find instead of always sticking to a smoky jazzy/bluesy clean LP tone and a doom/hard rock dirty tone. I'm getting some sweet dirty tones that are more like modernized 70s tones of some of my favorite players. Now I need my skill to catch up to my tone. My clean tones are seeing more gain than I used to use too.

For bass, what makes me sound unique is definitely my GK 1001RB-II settings. Most bass players don't run their tone as low and as flat (contour, not tuning) as I do.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Tap-o-rama:

Stunning Visualizations:

Tap-o-rama + Stunning visualizations:

Shredelicious robot/random notes which drive DoT (Dork's Of Theory) nuts:

East meets west:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

And last but not least....

TONE: (without forgetting unforgettable melodies + shred-0-rama/tap-0-rama)

In conclusion: Being unique is tough ...but nice

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I spent four years in the Middle East as a lad, and so there's a good helping of outside (to Western ears) tonality in my playing. I also pay a good deal of attention to how and where I touch the guitar, both fretting and picking, mainly to control gain without worrying too much about this or that pedal. And at one time I was pretty solid with improv in a rock context.

But to be perfectly honest about my playing, it's not terribly unique. I'm still mostly rock and blues with a little jazz thrown in to add garlic, as Zappa would say.

 

[Chris Pile]

At my age? My total lack of chops.

 

[Sam SG]

What makes me unique?
The amount of applause I get when I finally shut my amp off after a 4 hour gig.

 

[Mincer]

Well, I tend to not use a lot of the licks everyone else does. Mostly because other people do it better than I do, but I purposely avoid patterns that show up in particular styles of music.
I also use a lot of sounds that don't sound anything like a guitar.

 

[jeremy]

i sound like me regardless of gear. though i have some strong preferences for what i use. i was playing a festival a few years ago and the monitor tech came over and said i sounded like derek trucks and jimmy herring with a little grant green thrown in... i cant be mad about that.

 

[Mincer]

I had been compared to Grant Green, but at the time, I had no idea who that was. I had to do a deep dive. But I also tend to sound like me no matter the gear, so I just use whatever is comfortable.

 

[magillver]

The crowd shouts in unison: "We are all individuals!" (Old Monty Python reference, sorry)

 

[magillver]

Years ago I was playing in a loose jam session, we were messing around with 'L.A. Woman' by the Doors. I had just gotten a couple of new pedals, so I was messing around with different sounds during the song. When we ended, my guitar was still ping-ponging and making some sad, dying noises, and the drummer (of all people!) turned to me and said, "Whatever you just did, don't EVER do that again!", so I guess that was kind of unique...

 

[NotDemanic]

I don't know as I do sound unique. I have enough vids in "tips and clips" for people to see and hear. And I have yet to hear many comments
from others saying that they think I sound unique. So I probably don't.
But then, I play because I like the way I sound, and that's it.

 

[weepingminotaur]

I don't sound unique, at least not yet, but I am trying!

 

[ehdwuld]

I play fingerstyle on most everything
So the attack is softer more organic

Mostly noodling

 

[Wattage]

hmm never really thought of it quite like that. I don't know that I sound all that unique but I definitely have my sort of style

 

[Phantasmagoria]

But then, I play because I like the way I sound, and that's it.

This.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

I also use a lot of sounds that don't sound anything like a guitar.

When I first got my "Grote" semi-hollow from China ($210 shipped) the pickup's were actually more 'unique-sounding' than my playing . So dry/grainy/choppy & honky that they kinda made the axe sound like a trumpet.

While it was kinda cool for a while I swapped them out with a pair of killer Russian "Fokin" pup's and then everything sounded 1000 times better

 

[ehdwuld]

My Grote semi hollow had a chimey chorus like tone to it

When I changes strings I found the Low E nut slot cut way too deep

Once repaired, the chime was gone

 

[Phantasmagoria]

My Grote semi hollow had a chimey chorus like tone to it

When I changes strings I found the Low E nut slot cut way too deep

Once repaired, the chime was gone

In this case it was definitely the pups though. Once the new Fokin's went in it sounded totally different/way better. The guitar was pretty much perfect otherwise, fretwork was incredible, nut was cut/installed great etc..