The New Tone Thread

Telegram Sam

Telegram Sam

New member
Post and Discuss Guitar Tones!

Here's my first contribution.

This is not intended as a great guitar tone (it's not);
I'm just pointing out an amp / technique characteristic that I was attending to today in the interest
of perhaps discussing some of the elements of what makes up (or perhaps ruins) a good tone.

I used the same tone settings throughout the sample, however I struck the strings harder as the track evolved.
The notes at the beginning end up being pretty clean, where there is considerable breakup in the chords at the end.

A lot of amp sims demonstrate that playing the guitar with the guitar's volume turned down halfway results in clean notes,
and pleasing distortion is introduced when the guitar is turned up full.

This tone example demonstrates that a sensitive amp will also respond favorably based just on picking intensity.

I had the guitar volume turned up full for the duration of the recording.

Pardon my poor playing, this is just to illustrate the effect:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65994164/Sound 1.wav

Please post some of yout tone samples and discuss, if you like.
 
Last edited:
If you want this to actually be useful, post up details about your amp, amp settings, cab, speakers, mic, mic position, signal path, effects (if any)
 
Telegram Sam said:
Post and Discuss Guitar Tones!

Here's my first tone sample.
It's not so much to demonstrate a great tone, as to point out a technique characteristic that I was attending to today.
I used the same tone settings throughout the sample, however I struck the strings harder as the track evolved.
The notes at the beginning end up being pretty clean, where there is considerable breakup in the chords at the end.
I had the guitar volume turned all the way up for the whole piece.
Pardon my poor playing, this is just to illustrate the effect:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65994164/Sound 1.wav

Please post some of yout tone samples and discuss, if you like.
Click to expand...

As far as tone goes, the piece lacks any body to it, unless that's what you were after? I like chorusy sounds like that - very 80s/90s indie, but a bit thin for my tastes. Like Greg said, post up the details. :)
 
Greg_L said:
If you want this to actually be useful, post up details about your amp, amp settings, cab, speakers, mic, mic position, signal path, effects (if any)
Click to expand...

Good point, please be somewhat detailed about how you are getting your bitching toans...

2011 Fender Jeff Beck Strat - Bridge P/U

Axe FX II
Matchless Chieftan Amp Sim
Drive 5.7, Master 10, Boost "off"
EQ is not worth posting.

2x12 cab Sim
U87 cond mic Sim

Recorded direct with Sony Sound Forge 10

My main interest in this first test was how well a modeler duplicate the dynamics of a tube amp.
I'm pretty pleased so far, it is very responsive.
 
Bubba po said:
As far as tone goes, the piece lacks any body to it, unless that's what you were after? I like chorusy sounds like that - very 80s/90s indie, but a bit thin for my tastes. Like Greg said, post up the details. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, the tone is pretty scratchy to me too, but I had to start somewhere.
Guess mebbe I should have come up with a good tone to start my thread about tones. :rolleyes:
But, I was more thinking about pointing out at the beginning how something as simple as playing
technique can have a profound influence on the tone.

It's not going to be an easy thing to nail down.

I'll put up a killer tone next time...
 
Telegram Sam said:
Good point, please be somewhat detailed about how you are getting your bitching toans...

2011 Fender Jeff Beck Strat - Bridge P/U

Axe FX II
Matchless Chieftan Amp Sim
Drive 5.7, Master 10, Boost "off"
EQ is not worth posting.

2x12 cab Sim
U87 cond mic Sim

Recorded direct with Sony Sound Forge 10

My main interest in this first test was how well a modeler duplicate the dynamics of a tube amp.
I'm pretty pleased so far, it is very responsive.
Click to expand...

I suspected it was a modeller, but I didn't wanna call you out. It doesn't sound very good to me. Really thin and lacks air. I don't think it did a good job of duplicating a tube amp at all. :o
 
Greg_L said:
I suspected it was a modeller, but I didn't wanna call you out. It doesn't sound very good to me. Really thin and lacks air. I don't think it did a good job of duplicating a tube amp at all. :o
Click to expand...

That wasn't really the point of my post, but, OK.... thanks for the input.
 
I wasn't trying to be harsh. Just giving an opinion. I've used modellers before. Sometimes they can be very good and fool even the most hardcore tone snobs. Maybe you just need to keep tweaking it.
 
Well, this is the first day I've had to sit down and really play with this and try to record something.

And it really wasn't the point of the first post.

This box had literally endless tweaking possiblities, I've scarcely turned it on.

Let me start over.

Are any of these less thin and phony sounding?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65994164/Sound 2.wav

(Amp/ cab - different p/u's with and w/o drive.)
 
Last edited:
Telegram Sam said:
Well, this is the first day I've had to sit down and really play with this and try to record something.

And it really wasn't the point of the first post.

This box had literally endless tweaking possiblities, I've scarcely turned it on.

Let me star over.

Are any of these less thin and phony sounding?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65994164/Sound 2.wav

(Amp/ cab - different p/u's with and w/o drive.)
Click to expand...

The last tone was the best. Bridge pickup solo? A bit more body but hard to compare with your last clip because it's a totally different style of playing. Keep it up. :)
 
I like the last one too, it is the bridge pickup with no OD.

1) neck - OD
2)bridge - OD
3)neck - Clean
4) bridge- Clean

I just don't want to let the treble get away from me.
I've got more, but I want to hear the honest feedback on these first so I can incorporate it into my tweaking.
Some others are going to have to put some stuff up too if this thread is going to be interesting.
 
Telegram Sam said:
I like the last one too, it is the bridge pickup with no OD.

1) neck - OD
2)bridge - OD
3)neck - Clean
4) bridge- Clean

I just don't want to let the treble get away from me.
I've got more, but I want to hear the honest feedback on these first so I can incorporate it into my tweaking.
Some others are going to have to put some stuff up too if this thread is going to be interesting.
Click to expand...

We've already got our thread going. :D
 
Those are better, but they still have something in the upper mids that give it away. Seems that way to me at least. Do a parametric EQ sweep around 2500-4000 and see where it gets spiky, then notch it out.
 
Greg_L said:
Those are better, but they still have something in the upper mids that give it away. Seems that way to me at least. Do a parametric EQ sweep around 2500-4000 and see where it gets spiky, then notch it out.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's the kind of advice that I need and can use.
 
Sounds like a pretty good starting point. I have a POD and it's much darker.

As far as the Cave thread it has jumped around quite a bit but the primary objective was, and to some extent remains, the recreation of particular tones from favored artists; me - Ronno, Greg - Ramones, Bubba - Floyd. There may be an interest around here for an "elemental" tone thread. We'll see.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top