The New Tone Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Telegram Sam
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Most of my goof off playing is low volume stuff with the JVM.

It's fairly ironic that we both own an amp - the same amp - that has insane amounts of gain on tap, but usually content ourselves with a medium crunch.
 
It's fairly ironic that we both own an amp that has insane amounts of gain on tap, but usually content ourselves with a medium crunch.

Lol. Yup. I use my JVM at about 1% of it's full feature and tone capability. I didn't like the JVM when it first came out. Too ugly, too many knobs....and I still think that. I hate all those knobs. And it seemed way too complicated. But when I finally really sat down with one, I really liked it, and it's not complicated at all. Even it's gnarliest highest gain modes sound good to me....I just don't use those sounds.
 
me neither - it sounds pretty poodle-haired though.

I was at a GC a few weeks ago and there were these two young adults, maybe older kids, playing a bunch of shred licks on Flying Vs. They were very good. Between licks they would discuss Dorians and Lydians and Mixolydians and all that shit. I kind of paid attention because of what you've been trying to teach me, but it was all way over my head, and nothing they were playing, while impressive, has anything to do with anything I do.
 
I was at a GC a few weeks ago and there were these two young adults, maybe older kids, playing a bunch of shred licks on Flying Vs. They were very good. Between licks they would discuss Dorians and Lydians and Mixolydians and all that shit. I kind of paid attention because of what you've been trying to teach me, but it was all way over my head, and nothing they were playing, while impressive, has anything to do with anything I do.

When I was trying out amps the other day I heard some crazy guitar playing - there was a guy there trying out a Line6 Helix and was doing this crazy sweep picking - his timing was a little off and it didn't sound great, but what he was doing was very tricky. I listened for a little while longer and realised he was crap. He could barely play normal tuneful riffs and stuff - he sounded like pretty much a beginner, but he'd obviously sat there for fucking weeks trying to learn sweep picking.
 
I was at a GC a few weeks ago and there were these two young adults, maybe older kids, playing a bunch of shred licks on Flying Vs. They were very good. Between licks they would discuss Dorians and Lydians and Mixolydians and all that shit. I kind of paid attention because of what you've been trying to teach me, but it was all way over my head, and nothing they were playing, while impressive, has anything to do with anything I do.

You don't need any of that shit. You just need to know what chords fit into a key using that chart I gave you and you're done for what you need.
 
When I was trying out amps the other day I heard some crazy guitar playing - there was a guy there trying out a Line6 Helix and was doing this crazy sweep picking - his timing was a little off and it didn't sound great, but what he was doing was very tricky. I listened for a little while longer and realised he was crap. He could barely play normal tuneful riffs and stuff - he sounded like pretty much a beginner, but he'd obviously sat there for fucking weeks trying to learn sweep picking.

Lol. I always have my lead guitar player with me when I go finger banging amps and stuff. We go out about once a month and just spend the day window shopping. The benefit of having him come along is he can play. I'll grab something, plug in to something, and ham fist my way through a bunch of powerchords and Ace licks. I can't really put anything though it's paces though because I basically suck. He doesn't though, so I then hand the guitar off to him and let him go wild while I twist knobs and push buttons to really hear what the gear can do. He usually draws a crowd. He flings notes all over the place and since he can play I don't have any problem with turning him up real loud in the store and usually the employees don't either.
 
You don't need any of that shit. You just need to know what chords fit into a key using that chart I gave you and you're done for what you need.

I think I need the opposite. I don't think or write in keys. I already know the chords and intervals I wanna use. I never know what the actual key is.
 
I think I need the opposite. I don't think or write in keys. I already know the chords and intervals I wanna use. I never know what the actual key is.

That's what I mean. Just write your song as you normally would. Overlay your chords on that chart and it'll tell you what key your in and then what scale you should use.
 
That's what I mean. Just write your song as you normally would. Overlay your chords on that chart and it'll tell you what key your in and then what scale you should use.

It goes against everything I stand for, but your fucking method does seem to work. :laughings:
 
Lol. Anyway....

I need to think of something to spend 500 dollars on within a week. An 8-string pointy guitar is not on the list. So here's what I'm thinking so far...

1) I could use a better pedalboard. This self-powered thing I'm using is starting to act buggy and a little noisy. It's pretty cramped too. I like those metal Pedaltrain things that come in a hard case. Big, beefy, sturdy, but I'd need a power supply. That would eat up about $250.

2) Another interface for more inputs would be cool. I don't know if I can daisy chain my US-1800 though. I need to find out. I suppose I could use the preamps of the 2nd interface and then line level them into the 1st interface, or something? Beats me. I do already have a dormant Firepod sitting here....

3) Speakers. I could get two. Don't know if I wanna do that, but some G12Hs would be cool.

4) There aren't any amps I'd want in the $500 range, but I could get another Marshall "A" cab. Totally unnecessary, but two full stacks would be fun.

5) Maybe a mic? I don't really need one. I'm pretty set with what I have. I'm not a big mic guy. I sound like shit through any of them.

6) Accessories. I could fill up a shopping cart with pedals, cables, drum heads, strings, etc. Bunches of little things.
 
It goes against everything I stand for, but your fucking method does seem to work. :laughings:
that's the kind of stuff you need to further your lead playing that I can't give you ..... my explanation of lead playing is essentially "ummm .... play a lead" ..... this kind of stuff will get you down the road to where you want to go.
Adaptable to the style and benchmarks of that style that you want without having to actually learn theory.

Good stuff!
 
that's the kind of stuff you need to further your lead playing that I can't give you ..... my explanation of lead playing is essentially "ummm .... play a lead" ..... this kind of stuff will get you down the road to where you want to go.
Adaptable to the style and benchmarks of that style that you want without having to actually learn theory.

Good stuff!

Haha yeah. Left to my own devices, every lead I play sounds pretty much the same. This little chart JDOD came up with is pretty slick. It's two pieces of paper. One half has mode names and major/minor. The other half has notes. You line up your notes with the major/minor and it tells you what modes fit over the rhythm. It works. Most of the modes sound like neo-classical ass, but it does work!
 
Personally, I'd go for the accessories and shit like that. Buy a bunch of shit that you always quite fancy and sometimes need, but you generally can't be arsed to spend your hard earned cash on.
 
Haha yeah. Left to my own devices, every lead I play sounds pretty much the same. This little chart JDOD came up with is pretty slick. It's two pieces of paper. One half has mode names and major/minor. The other half has notes. You line up your notes with the major/minor and it tells you what modes fit over the rhythm. It works. Most of the modes sound like neo-classical ass, but it does work!

I was gonna make a fancy circular version with colours and pictures on it, so that the outer circle of major and minor modes would rotate around the inner circle of notes. Think I could sell it?
 
I was gonna make a fancy circular version with colours and pictures on it, so that the outer circle of major and minor modes would rotate around the inner circle of notes. Think I could sell it?

Lol. Maybe. I don't think many guitar players struggle as much as I do. Most of them are happy to take lessons or they at least have influences to draw from. I have none of that.
 
If anyone is still interested... Or was even interested to start with, I've just DId my guitar into my other interface... Old TonePort and played very hard through the bridge pickup and it's not clipping. This interface doesn't even have a gain control on the guitar input either. It seems like the focusrite just can't go low enough.
 
If anyone is still interested... Or was even interested to start with, I've just DId my guitar into my other interface... Old TonePort and played very hard through the bridge pickup and it's not clipping. This interface doesn't even have a gain control on the guitar input either. It seems like the focusrite just can't go low enough.

What focusrite do you have?
 
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