When your trying to get a tone, how do you do it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 64Firebird
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One of the many guitar players I have worked with (and I have worked with a few hundred) gets the best tone I have ever heard. He owns over a dozen axes - and as many amps and no matter what combination he uses - he always has great tone. We often refer to him as the Tone Master"

I once asked him how he always manages to get such great tone.

He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers - so there ya have it!!
 
"You know... I've been saying the exact same thing when talking about pickups and over priced guitars and everybody has been telling me how wrong I am."

Sorry Firebird, I would disagree with that also ;)

Right after technique the most important thing is the guitar. Then the amp, then the effects. Try a cheap guitar and a good guitar on the same amp and there will probably a really noticeable difference.

The reason a good instrument is important is because a cheap instrument with poor sustain, action and response will not allow a good player to use all of his technique. A fine axe can translate all the subtle nuances of a great performance much better than a crappy one.

This applies to all musical instruments.
 
I just think there are too many variables at work to go around copping tone. I'm content to get good sounds out of the rig I've got. How can you expect to copy the tone of somebody whose setup is probably different, and of course, whose playing style and fingers are probably also different? Be you when playing, that's what I say.
 
TexRoadkill said:


Sorry Firebird, I would disagree with that also ;)

Right after technique the most important thing is the guitar. Then the amp, then the effects. Try a cheap guitar and a good guitar on the same amp and there will probably a really noticeable difference.

The reason a good instrument is important is because a cheap instrument with poor sustain, action and response will not allow a good player to use all of his technique. A fine axe can translate all the subtle nuances of a great performance much better than a crappy one.

This applies to all musical instruments.
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I have a blonde 1964 Fender Bassman 2x12 50w amp with vintage 30 speakers. I can sound just as good playing my cheap Squiar strat as I can with my 64 Gibson Firebird or my Les Paul Jr Special.

I can also sound just as good plugging into my J-Station. I know this because I've looked at it on my spectrum anylizer. I can't get it perfect, but it's real damn close.

When I hear Albert Collins or Buddy Guy ride the same note for 3 or 4 bars I know it's ALL tone. It sure isn't technique!
 
64Firebird said:
When I hear Albert Collins or Buddy Guy ride the same note for 3 or 4 bars I know it's ALL tone. It sure isn't technique!
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It kinda depends on what you mean by technique. If you mean speed and flashy chops, then they don't have much technique. But I would suggest that technique also can refer to timing sublteties and that mysterious thing called a "groove" and in that case Albert and Buddy and BB.King have technique out the wazoo. I've heard many players who have the one kind of technique but not the other. We've all seen players who had speed and chops galore but no way they could play a simple slow ride that needed groove more than flash.
I think tone, technique, the instrument you use,...they're all part of it. I have numerous guitars but I have one that's head and shoulders above my others in tone and despite the fact that they are all played by the same guy (me) that guitar will always sound better than my others. It just does and there's no way around it. I play whichever guitar I happen to be in the mood to play, so it's not that I don't like my other axes. But they do sound different and that one's the best.
 
Your right Bob, I'm over simplifing. I certainly don't mean to suggest that Blues is easy! I been trying to play blues for over ten years now and I'm almost okay at it.
 
Every guitar I've ever owned sounds different. I have three strats. They all sound like Strats, but each one sounds identifiably different. I have owned a mess of Teles. Again each one sounds different. Same for amps. I think its just a question of what you are after. I made my mind up to get a sound that was unique to me and I went through amps, guitars and effects until I found the gear that came closest to what I had in mind. Its just so personal. Its a combination of technique and the right gear--for you. We might sound like crap if we played on each others rigs--then again--maybe not!

I settled on a 70 maple neck Telecaster with Joe Bardens. That goes through a Dynacomp, A fulldrive, Tubescreamer, Rat, Dan-Echo, Micro amp (not all on at once!) My amp is an Allen Old Flame. I can get a wide variety of tones with all this stuff. From fat and jazzy to mondo distortion to rip your face off blues.

I have this theory that the lighter your touch, the less the personality of a guitar seems to matter. I think a hard attack really brings out the differences. Thus, a player like Eric Johnson can play a Strat or a 335 and sound almost the same on either. Play hard and the transients jump out of a Strat or Tele.

I'm probably not even answering your question, but maybe part of the answer is in there somewhere.
 
64Firebird said:
Your right Bob, I'm over simplifing. I certainly don't mean to suggest that Blues is easy! I been trying to play blues for over ten years now and I'm almost okay at it.
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Sorry, but I had to comment on this. I have played blues off and on with 64firebird for over 10 years, (closer to 16 or 17 bud, your older than you think), and he is more than ok at it. In fact, he's pretty much a bad ass. Especially slide. And I got the MP3's ta prove it.
 
Well then in that case, I need him to play on some of these group collaborations I'm putting together. How 'bout it Firebird? Can I get you to play? If you might want to try some you can PM me or there's an e-mail button in my profile.
You too Bdgr, if he's good and you're playing with him.........well I'd like to hear you too. ;) I'd especially like some nice slide work, that would be cool.
 
Lt. Bob said:
Well then in that case, I need him to play on some of these group collaborations I'm putting together. How 'bout it Firebird? Can I get you to play? If you might want to try some you can PM me or there's an e-mail button in my profile.
You too Bdgr, if he's good and you're playing with him.........well I'd like to hear you too. ;) I'd especially like some nice slide work, that would be cool.
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Sounds cool to me.
 
When looking to emulate someones tone, I read up on the artist and find out what gear he uses from guitar to amps to pickups, to effects and what not, then I go out and buy all of that stuff and set it up and tweak everything how they tweak their rig, and then I say "damn it still doesnt sound the same."

No not really. I've never really tried to emulate anyones tone. I just use what I have and get it to where it "tastes good" to me. Like when I make a hamburger, I don't try to make it taste like a Big Mac. But it sounds like it would be fun to try to closely match someones tone. I've just never bothered to try it.
 
Lt. Bob said:
Well then in that case, I need him to play on some of these group collaborations I'm putting together. How 'bout it Firebird? Can I get you to play? If you might want to try some you can PM me or there's an e-mail button in my profile.
You too Bdgr, if he's good and you're playing with him.........well I'd like to hear you too. ;) I'd especially like some nice slide work, that would be cool.
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Cool!!! How do I sing up? I'll send you a PM.
 
as long as you guys are here...

I have a tone question.
I play a G&L Comanche with those z-shaped pickups, which I bought because it had such a variety of tonal possibilities. The tech who sold it to me did not have the manual, so I don't even know what some of the toggles and knobs do for sure. I still can't quite get the sonic thickness I want out of the high strings, even on the thicker setings of the guitar. I turn up the bass on the EQ, do some compression, use thicker strings, but I still can't get that jazzy thickness out of it consistently live. I don't have lots of gizmos, just my Crate tube 12" and Boss GT-5. Any simple ideas of how to widen the top without taking the bass way to far or extreme compressing?
 
That's an interesting guitar. I had to look it up on the G&L web site. Here

The first thing I notice is that the neck pickup looks like it's a little too far back. How many frets? 22? That's one of the reasons the old Fenders sound so good. The old ones only had 21 frets. This put the neck pickup in the right place under the strings for max vibrations.

The only thing I could tell you is to try strumming closer to the neck instead of the bridge. Or, try using your fingers instead of a pick. Maybe that'll help.
 
What do you mean..Z shaped pickups?
Hey firebird, I sent you a PM and an e-mail.
 
If you want to hear a lot of variables in tone on a cd check out Third Eye Blinds self titled cd's. They would have tons of guitars and amps set up. the took up on most songs generally 10 tracks for guitars.
 
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