Looking For a Sound

[KickButa]

I’ve been playing guitar for a couple years now, I'm pretty good with theory and jamming and I know my equipment (Ibanez GRG170DX, Boss ME-20 Effect peddle and a Traynor 15 watt amp) fairly well, but I'm bad at figuring out new sounds.

Recently a commercial for digital television keeps popping up on TV and I really like the sound of the guitar but I can't seem to get anything close to it with my fiddling, so I was hoping I could get some pointers on how to get this particular sound (or something close to it).

And since without an example it would be near impossible to be helped, I found it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8MUn4I2dkw

Oh yeah and I wasn't sure if this was the right section.

[al3d]

personnaly..i hear a Gibson LP with either a Fender reverbe 65 reissue or 57 tweed.

[devnulljp]

...I really like the sound of the guitar but I can't seem to get anything close to it with my fiddling, so I was hoping I could get some pointers on how to get this particular sound (or something close to it).Just sounds like straight guitar to me. What am I missing?
Have a listen to Billy Bragg (http://youtube.com/watch?v=J7d6ZwAp28Y)

[smorgdonkey]

Drop your gain back a little-no high gain there but middle of the road...roll your guitar's volume back a little to about 5 or 6...have a neck humbucker?

That should get you close.

[WEEZY]

what smorgdonkey said but add a Keeley compressor

[KickButa]

al3d I never even thought of using any reverb, it sounds really good with the style I've been playing, thanks, sometimes I don't notice things that are right in front of me...

And devnulljp Billy Bragg is quite nice, I should look into getting some of his music.

And smorgdonkey and weezy I'm going to try doing those things later tonight when I have a chance to practice longer.

[devnulljp]

Real low gain very slight overdrive, just plug into a little tube amp. I don't hear much reverb, but as it's an ad I agree with weezy about use of a compressor. I don't think Billy Bragg (best thing to come out of England since the road to Scotland (http://youtube.com/watch?v=FknxIkLbn7E) :D ) uses anything but guitar->amp and he's sounded like that for decades...

[satch09]

Yeah definitely sounds tube to me, it's hard to get the round sound out of solid state amps, but that being said Joe Bonamassa wrote a great article in a guitar magazine about tone, actually come to think of it I believe the article is called "tone ranger", I can't find the article online otherwise I would have posted the link, but the article was about using the tone controls on the guitar. As he put it, while touring or jamming with friends you're always using new amps, equipment, different P.A.'s etc...so you can only rely on the one constant, your own guitar. As he said, and also as I've noticed far too many players just leave their tone and volume knobs on 10 on their guitars and fiddle too much with amps, there's so many different tones to be found within the pick-ups themselves, not too mention, you can always try little and heavier attacks with picks, using your fingers (for a rounded bassier sound) and such. I know this thread was to help you find that particular tone but everyone seems to have already done a very good job with that, so I figured I'd share my thoughts (and joe's) of how to find different tones, without having to get any different gear. Hope that sparks some ideas...

[KickButa]

Yeah I have to agree with you satch09 theres so much you can do with just your guitar, I actually have a tendancy to leave my amp settings the same and focus on my guitar and peddel, which I'm trying to correct since the amp's just as important.

It's always good to hear what other players have to say about tone and styles, and I wouldent mind hearing some sugestions for settings that lend themselves well to certain styles, it could help me tap into my gears full potential. That being said, I should probably find that sort of thing out on my own but still wouldent mind a point in the right direction.

[mario]

Hey KickButa,

His tone is coming from his hands. Do not be fooled by this guitar, that amp, that effect...in the end it is from you! LOL, he is a great player! Just try to absorb as much as you can from him and others.

[satch09]

Another thing I found while messing around with my amp is my distortion has two settings, a modern and vintage distortion, and its a little flip switch that allows you to go back and fourth between the two sounds, so by accident one day as I was trying to flip the switch it only went half way...Totally different sound. The vintage was all about bluesy tube type gain, and the modern was more of a numetal type distortion, and in the middle is a perfect balance. So on this whole topic, try messing with the guitar and the amp in this way, depending on how your gear works, theres a world of new tones out there, that you can already tap into with what you have