why do people try to get someone else's tone?

[Lewguitar]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

why do some people try to get the same tone/sound that someone else has?

Because we admire our heroes who got us started playing in the first place for one and because most of us fear we are not original or creative enough to come up with our own interesting signature tone for another.

We make it to hard...all you really have to do is just keep it simple, do what comes naturally and be yourself and you'll sound just like you.

It's all about being honest and playing with feeling...that's what people get off on: real emotion.

Lew

 

[Warheart]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

There are only so many tonal possibilties that sounds good to the human ear. On the path to finding ones own tone you discover what sounds good and what doesn't. If a person hears a tone they like, I think they should follow it. Once they have that, then the ultimate factor of a signature tone comes into play: The fingers.

 

[Pandemonium]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

I don't even understand the concept of having "a" tone, whatever fits the tune is my philosophy. And come on, there are unlimited combinations and possibilities available. At least half your tone comes from your heart anyway.

 

[matt99camero]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

IMO when you start out knowing nothing about tone you just hear other people's tone and think it sounds cool so you want to reproduce it. As you learn what different effects different artists use to get their sound then you have a basis of what goes into making tone so you can incorperate that into shaping your own sound. When I started playing I had no idea what that kind of talking sound that was so I wanted to find out what they were using and know now it was a wah. I don't like every effect that any one artist uses but taking the parts you do like and combining them with things you like from other artists shapes your sound. If you couldn't hear and find out what people are using and the only way to find out was buying them and trying them out it might get a little expensive. I think everyone bases some of their tone off of what they hear from other people. I think that's the only way to learn by finding out how others get their tone.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

i dunno, my feeling is, if there was one 'best' setup, there would only be those products available, so you should start with one piece of gear that you like & build around it. Once you stop building, or get something you're 80% or so happy with, that's YOUR tone, its less likely that someone else has it, and its one thing that defines you as a player. but getting there is half the fun

 

[Mincer]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

I don't even understand the concept of having "a" tone, whatever fits the tune is my philosophy. And come on, there are unlimited combinations and possibilities available. At least half your tone comes from your heart anyway.

Well, the way I always thought of it, is that 'tone' is the idea that someone can hear 3 notes of your playing and instantly identify it as you. Now that particular timbre of guitar might not be to your liking, but at least you carved out something original in the often copied world of guitar.

As far as 'whatever fits the tune' goes, that is great if you play standards or are in a cover band. For me though, I start with guitar sounds first, then originate a tune from that. Sometimes backward pitch transposing is just the thing to initiate a creative idea. Sometimes it is just a scale, who knows.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

There are only so many tonal possibilties that sounds good to the human ear. On the path to finding ones own tone you discover what sounds good and what doesn't. If a person hears a tone they like, I think they should follow it. Once they have that, then the ultimate factor of a signature tone comes into play: The fingers.

Totally agree. There are an infinite amount of tones you can achieve out there, but most of them are hogwash.

 

[some_dude]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

Gear and "your own tone" is complete crap.

YOUR tone comes from YOUR heart.

Gear is just a forge, your heart is the hammer that shapes the sound.

If you buy a PRS/Mesa setup and sound like every other PRS/Mesa pop punk band out there it's because that's what YOUR heart is saying; it has nothing to do with the gear.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

Screamingdaisy is right....think of every great guitarist's tone. You don't think Marshall, Fender, Vox, or Mesa, you think "what did the guitarist play? What notes or ideas did he/she have?

 

[Neeradj]

Re: why do people try to get someone else's tone?

When I want amp, pick up or guitar recommendations I always state my favorite players, who ofcourse have my favorite sound. That's actually a way of giving people an idea about my playing, sure I'm not near the level half of them are at, but their styles have shaped my playing which I then want to express through these three things.

Over the years my tone has changed it's shape dramatically. That's not really because I've been listening to new artists, but more because my playing has let me to it. Like listening to Marty Friedman has led my playing to a more melodic tone, and not by changing gear, but carefully trying to play his songs. I also notice that when I'm not able to play a song immediately, I add the style of playing to mine and I guess that's how I got my unique-ish sound