3 replies to this topic

[pat0321]

Does anyone have any tips on matching the tone of a song with that of my amp?
i usually end up sitting there for 20 minutes turning the knobs trying to figure it out but i just end up getting frustrated.
so if anyone has any tips on how to match tones besides just messing with the knobs it would be appreciated
thanks

[timvass]

I know what you mean I have been playing guitar for a long time but I am only recently getting to grips with electric guitar tone especialy when playing in a band . Here are some things I have figured out.

1. Elecronics and gear are great fun but don't under estimate playing technique . A lot of tone is done with the hands .I have had people just pick up my rig and play and the sound is nothing like when I play.Vibrato, accurate bends ,muting ,ect can produce an infinate number of different tones .

2.Don't forget the guitar. Pick up selection,volume and tone control are often bypassed as we reach for the next box of electronic trickery .

3. EQ one the most important parts of finding that tone.This requires a delicate touch .I am guilty of being to heavy handed with eq sometimes resulting in lots of knob turning an frustration.Also sometimes less is more . Taking away a little bass and treble for instance can sound better than just boosting the mids .

3. Pedals... I have both digital multi units and individual pedals. I find I understand effects better from using the individual pedals.Multi effects are great value but teasing out the settings for each effect and trying different combinations can be a bit tricky. The easy tones to copy are those where someone has used a lot of a single effect,but more often the sound you are looking for is subtle blends of effects .Again a light touch is the way to go .

4. A sound man once told me the thing which looks most like an elephant is an elephant and so it is with sounds . He said he had spent hours working with clever digital simulations but in the end the only thing that sounds exactly like an ac30 being driven to destruction by a vintage guitar is an ac30 being driven to destruction by a vintage guitar . I you really want a particular sound find out what they used and get as close as your budget will allow

Hope some of this helps

Tim

[mantablueraider]

timvass said:

I know what you mean I have been playing guitar for a long time but I am only recently getting to grips with electric guitar tone especialy when playing in a band . Here are some things I have figured out.

1. Elecronics and gear are great fun but don't under estimate playing technique . A lot of tone is done with the hands .I have had people just pick up my rig and play and the sound is nothing like when I play.Vibrato, accurate bends ,muting ,ect can produce an infinate number of different tones .

2.Don't forget the guitar. Pick up selection,volume and tone control are often bypassed as we reach for the next box of electronic trickery .

3. EQ one the most important parts of finding that tone.This requires a delicate touch .I am guilty of being to heavy handed with eq sometimes resulting in lots of knob turning an frustration.Also sometimes less is more . Taking away a little bass and treble for instance can sound better than just boosting the mids .

3. Pedals... I have both digital multi units and individual pedals. I find I understand effects better from using the individual pedals.Multi effects are great value but teasing out the settings for each effect and trying different combinations can be a bit tricky. The easy tones to copy are those where someone has used a lot of a single effect,but more often the sound you are looking for is subtle blends of effects .Again a light touch is the way to go .

4. A sound man once told me the thing which looks most like an elephant is an elephant and so it is with sounds . He said he had spent hours working with clever digital simulations but in the end the only thing that sounds exactly like an ac30 being driven to destruction by a vintage guitar is an ac30 being driven to destruction by a vintage guitar . I you really want a particular sound find out what they used and get as close as your budget will allow

Hope some of this helps

Tim

GREAT POST!

[Stratrat]

+1 - Great post above by Tim! There's a lot of helpful information there.

When trying to achieve a certain sound, it definitely helps to know what gear/effects the artist originally used, and get as close to that as you can when "chasing" their tone. If they were playing a Les Paul through a Marshall using a Boss DS-1 pedal and flanger, you're not going to come anywhere close if you're playing a Strat through an AC30 using a Digitech Bad Monkey!

Tim's #1 point is crucially important too - probably even more important than the gear itself! For example, you could plug me into Eddie Van Halen's rig and I'd sound nothing like him, because I can't play like he does. He makes extensive use of tapping, pinch harmonics, sweep picking and lots of subtle little things that you hardly notice, but make a big difference in his sound. If you plugged Mark Knopfler into EVH's rig, it would sound like Mark Knopfler - but through EVH's rig. Their playing styles are very different and they use different techniques. You could hand either one of them a $99 Squier guitar plugged into a Pignose amp and their playing would still be immediately recognizable.

Technique may not be as important if you're trying to play like a guitarist with a less distinctive sound. If you're just going after the generic heavy metal "Drop D, chugga chugga" sound and you can play that kind of stuff, then it's all about the gear....but if you're trying to ape someone with a "signature" sound like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, Pete Anderson (sorry, my country music roots kicking in!), etc., then it's technique before gear.