Have you ever wondered how your rock heroes get their guitars to sound the way they do? Here are some tips that will get you closer to that elusive sound, that Killer Tone.
- STRINGS – Tone ALWAYS starts with the strings of your guitar. They are the source of the sounds that eventually come out of your amp. There are several high-quality rope companies that are well known. Make sure your strings are in good shape, the proper gauge, and tuned to the proper pitch. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to get a great guitar tone without good-sounding strings.
- PICK UPS – This is the subject of much debate in the electric guitar community. In my PERSONAL opinion, the guitar pickups are the next most important element. However, there are many people who will tell you that the WOOD of the guitar is the second most important part. In my experience, I have put standout pickups on guitars that were made of less desirable wood and produced great sounds. When I refer to trucks, I am also including with this the other electronic components that work together to make the trucks work. Items such as wiring, pots, plugs, etc.
- WOOD – The wood a guitar is made of absolutely affects the tone. The wood that I think makes the best tone is the solid mahogany body, with a mahogany neck. However, this is subject to personal taste. If you are new to guitar, I will point out that the mahogany body and neck combination is mostly found on Gibson guitars or their imitators. Some guitars have bodies made from Alder, Swamp Ash, and Bass Wood. Many guitar necks are made of maple. Fender guitars are a great example of this. The wood from which the guitar neck is made also greatly affects the tone, as most of the length of the strings vibrate across the length and width of the neck.
- TUBE AMPLIFIER – Let’s face it. If you care enough about the tone of the guitar to read this article, then you want a tube amp. There was a time when I spent 3-4 nights a week at live music events. My ears were so in tune with the sweet sound of overloaded power tubes, that I could tell the difference in 2-3 notes, between a solid state amp and a true tube amp. In my opinion, the sweetest guitar sound comes from the power section of a tube amp that is overdriven until it overdrives, producing what is known as “power tube distortion.” There is no pedal, no rack unit, and no digital effects processor that can recreate that sound. While it may be tempting for a new guitarist to pick up the $ 200 special at the big music store, you’ll be fooling yourself with Killer Guitar Tone. A quality tube amp will cost a bit more. The silver lining is that with a tube amp, you can get a little combo of around 40-50 watts that is so loud that you can’t stay in the same room with it when it goes to 8, and it will dislodge you. at that volume level. In today’s world, there is no music venue where you need so much power.
- YOUR FINGERS: An important part of your sound comes from your technique and the way you play the strings. This requires quite a bit of experimentation to mark it up.
- PEDALS AND EFFECTS – This is so low on the list for a BIG reason. Pedals and Effects to get better your tone. They do not to create your tone. YOU CAN’T MASK A TERRIBLE TONE WITH A LOT OF EFFECTS. I was at a concert about 2 months ago and a decent metal band was playing. The guitarist had one of those $ 300 half stacks that you can buy at “big” music stores all day long. His songs were decent enough to ignore the fact that he was playing through a solid state amp and his tone was terrible. And then he decided to activate a bunch of effects. Basically he buried the little pitch he had under a huge pile of BS. The sound became so muddled and watered down that the subtleties of its playing (which was actually quite decent) were completely lost.
… With that said, here is a list of pedals and effects that can give your tone that killer touch IF used correctly.
a) Ibanez Tube Screamer. This unit should run ON THE FRONT of your tube amp to give it a boost. One of the ways heavy metal musicians use it is to intensify the diffuse bass sound that can be heard when the gain is high. This is used to further define the subtleties of the often intricate selection techniques. There are 2 versions of this pedal. One is very expensive and sought after by the multitude of “boutiques”. The other one costs as much as any other medium pedal. I can’t tell the difference myself so I have the cheapest one and it’s pretty sweet. It definitely gets the job done.
b) Chorus. This effect comes in many different packages. Many multi-effects units have it, many amps come with it built in, and you can get several great pedals that have it. Boss makes a great one. This effect, if used correctly, can give your sound electric heavy metal edge. It can make your tone sound like it has a deeper level of distortion and saturation than it actually has. Many beginning guitarists buy cheap distortion pedals, looking to get that heavy metal guitar tone that their rock heroes have, when what they really need is a good chorus. However, if the chorus is overused, or used with the wrong EQ settings, it can sound like a really rough and tinny sound, and it can become completely overbearing. It tends to improve the mids and highs and therefore should be used in subtle small amounts, until it is time to improve it for a soloist or solo. Also, some amps (like the Roland JC) can have a very aggressive chorus, so learn to tame that beast!
c) Reverberation. Again, less is more. Sure on your masterpiece record you can create some very dramatic sounds with reverb, but in a live setting, the more reverb you use, the less it will be heard. TO very little It will give your sound a subtle thickness and depth. Additionally, Reverb is designed to mimic the way sound moves in rooms of different sizes. If you have different setups (ie room, hall, theater, etc.) look for one that is closer to the size of the room you will be playing in for a more natural sound.
d) Noise suppressor. Often called a noise gate. This will clean up hum and hum and give a cleaner overall sound. I use a Boss NS-2.
These elements, when combined correctly, will help any guitarist achieve Killer Tone.
Remember, nothing will make you sound better than PRACTICE. Enjoy!
