Share your Secrets of Tone

[HTH AMPS]

My right hand. My left hand. My ears.

Cliched, but I think it's the greatest truth in the endlessly pretentious, mystic and superstitious world of the musician.

To further substantiate this and your later comment ( just above this post ) NFE ; - here is a short video clip of an old man with his electric guitar plugged straight into the house P.A. system, no amp or pedals between.  The tone is ( to my ears ) enviable.

I know this won't impress the cranked valve amp affectionados - but ' listen without predudice ' .   :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsAiap_BwIM 

and Pete Townsend proving it once more... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxZ77w9bnm8

[HTH AMPS]

I'm going to add to my earlier cliched statement another.

If you can't sound decent with a squier and a Marshall MG. Then chances are you wont sound any use with a '59 Les Paul and a Plexi. Gear NEVER makes up for lack of ability.

It's the player not the gear in my opinion.

I know Satriani's tone is somewhat divisive, but on a cheap strat copy and god knows what amp...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9v5e1TTwts&feature=related

I actually think thats one of the best tones I've ever heard Satriani get.

[dave_mc]

Havent we been through the gear/player thing before?

Like, a meeeeeeeelion times?

yeah, definitely :lol:

it's certainly a bit of both, if you ask me. i just don't like the eejits (not that there are necessarily any here, i mean on other forums) who refuse to believe that either the player, or the gear (depending on their viewpoint) makes any diference AT ALL. :lol:

There's truth in this, but I think you have to get into really, really terrible gear before it starts to make a huge difference. A level of quality that virtually nothing you can buy in the current market new, obviously)  falls below.

I've always kinda thought if you can't comfortably get through, say a wedding gig, with a bargain bucket squire and a cheap as chips transistor amp then you simply can't play guitar.

It's just the implied snobbery of the the more expensive the better opinion of a couple folk in this thread annoys me.

Being skint and getting on with what you've got does more for your tone than any amount of money will. Actually, I'm going to make that my mantra.

i disagree. there are plenty of new guitars and amps which i've tried which i wouldn't want to have to use. i could "get by" on them, but i don't see why i should have to. plus it depends on what i'm playing- if i'm just playing powerchords etc., i could get by on almost anything. if i'm trying to play a sweep-picked arpeggio at a million miles an hour, i need all the help i can get :lol: and seemingly minute differences in quality can make all the difference.

then there's the whole "personal preference" thing, where a neck shape isn't necessarily a measure of quality, but if it doesn't suit you, it can affect how well you play.

[sebby123]

+1111111111111111111111111111111111

I love my les paul but the neck is so damn thick when i pickup a strat i can play so much faster and more comfortably it really does affect your playing.

[nfe]

Of course it effects your playing.

What I'm saying is that your hands and ears make more of a difference than any gear ever will.

[sebby123]

True but the whole reasons we have these forums in my opinion is that we all know where we are at in are playing and want to improve are tone I’m sorry but if your hear a good guitarist with so much ear raping treble you want to turn away that of course is an extreme but the reason we are hear at Bareknuckle forum's rig-talk etc. is for tone there’s section for technique and working on your playing yes but this post as stated in above is for little things that improve your tone not all the tone is in the fingers correct? Don’t mean to sound like an asshole if I’m coming off that way but, I’m just saying tone is something we all throw are money at, having amazing tone inspires you... it makes you feel confident.. and in end can help you get to that next level in your playing who doesnt want to feel like they have the best tone and have infinite sustain  i know i do :)


It also tone works hand in hand on how you write I mean having huge chunky rhythm will cause for a more staccato approach which is awesome a fluid lead sound will lead for more slow runs because that sustain is there but when you try that sustain lead approach with the rhythm sound that have a compressor and noise gate your sustain gets cut off and you don’t have that warmth and feel you did with that same lead sound which in my case would have oh so much delay :)

IMO everything has to do with your tone period.

[nfe]

Punctuation? :lol:

That makes my eyes tired  :(

[sebby123]

Ha i just wrote it in word first and it did it all for me probably all wrong though

[dave_mc]

Of course it effects your playing.

What I'm saying is that your hands and ears make more of a difference than any gear ever will.

agreed, but you can set up extremes of gear too- plug a strat into a fender twin, and then something with EMGs into the modern channel of a recto, and you're going to sound different. personally, the gear i'm using makes me play differently too.

[nfe]

Oh I'm not trying to say that your hands can pull a high gain sound out of a jazz box and a JC120, but that you're hands make more more of a difference to the quality of any particular sound than anything else.

[hunter]

Oh I'm not trying to say that your hands can pull a high gain sound out of a jazz box and a JC120, but that you're hands make more more of a difference to the quality of any particular sound than anything else.

Also settings are key- some guys have great gear but too much gain, treble or bass or effects or whatnot.

[sebby123]

No the quality comes from the mic amp and cab with a decent guitar of course what your playing and how your playing play a part but quality thats "tone" try going into a studio/live with a sure c606 and try to see if you can make any amp sound good

[sebby123]

Another thing i want to add adjusting your settingto the acoustics of a room is a huge one!

[nfe]

No the quality comes from the mic amp and cab with a decent guitar of course what your playing and how your playing play a part but quality thats "tone" try going into a studio/live with a sure c606 and try to see if you can make any amp sound good

Mics are a completely diffirent topic.

[sebby123]

They fit into the topic of tone because when you play live your tone sounds nothing like what it sounds like out of the PA system, I play out alot and have played in places with horrible and great sound systems your tone could sound amazing out of the amp but horrid out of the PA.

EDIT: Well i guess what ive been saying everything has to do with your tone ill leave my opinion to that. Just like taste of tone we all have prefrences and we all are going to agree that different things make up your tone more a argument no one is ever going to win.