[Yair Matayev]

We all know that achieving the perfect guitar tone can be a never-ending quest, and sometimes the best advice comes from fellow guitar players. That's why I've created this thread, to give us all a space to share our tips, tricks, and experiences in the pursuit of crafting our ideal electric guitar tones.

Whether you've found the perfect combination of gear, stumbled upon an unconventional technique, or discovered the magic of a specific guitar pick, we want to hear about it! Feel free to share your insights on any aspect of tone creation, such as:

1. Your current guitar, amp, and pedal setup.
2. Any specific techniques you've found useful in shaping your tone (e.g., picking style, string gauge, etc.).
3. Unconventional gear or settings that have helped you achieve a unique sound.
4. Tips for dialing in specific tones inspired by your favorite artists or genres.
5. Any challenges you've faced in your tone quest and how you overcame them.

Remember, the goal of this thread is to learn from each other and help our fellow guitarists on their tone journeys so let's share our wisdom and experience!

Looking forward to hearing your tips and discovering new ways to make our electric guitars sing!

 

[cdntac]

“Whether you've found the perfect combination of gear, stumbled upon an unconventional technique, or discovered the magic of a specific guitar pick, we want to hear about it!”

Who is this “we”?

 

[Steadfastly]

1: Tune it
2: Practice.
3: Practice some more
4: Keep practicing
5: Practice daily
That is all.

 

[Budda]

Know when you sound like you. No gear will change that.

 

[Grab n Go]

Nicely articulated. This is a great idea for a thread.

I could go on forever, so I'll just stick to some key findings for me.

I know that if I'm warmed up and my playing is together, everything sounds so much better.

Once I started spending as much time on my fretting hand technique as my picking hand, I started feeling much more fluid. Legato work and building fretting hand strength really helped. Before that, I would try to pick every note with an underdeveloped left hand and everything sounded really staccato, like a typewriter. Using a Dunlop Jazz III also helped things sound less clacky.

The Kemper helped me learn about amp types and helped me gain an appreciation for them. It helped me realize that there are so many pathways to a great sound and none of them are wrong. When recording, I see them all as colours on a palette that can be mixed and matched through re-amping. It's helped me have a more open mind when it comes to gear.

Same thing with pickups. I like my EJ Strat pickups because they're fairly neutral and it gives me latitude to shape the sound with gear. At the same time, there's something fun about a higher output humbucker that totally shapes the sound without any help. Just plug straight into a crunchy Marshall and you're good to go. Different paths, same place.

Speakers have the last word on your sound. I played Celestion G12-65's for years only to realize that I was constantly fighting with them to get the sound I wanted. Once I switched to a more neutral-sounding speaker like the Eminence Wheelhouse, my amp controls started working the way I wanted them to. It became so much easier to dial in what I wanted.

 

[Jim Soloway]

Commit to your right hand technique and play with purpose. If your picking hand is moving all over randomly you'll never have any control of your tone.

 

[BGood]

Twist those knobs ... and again, twist those knobs ... and again ... until you find your tonez.

 

[Thunderboy1975]

Play a guitar you’re not afraid to scratch up and go to town.

 

[zztomato]

A Clinchfx ep-pre is my only "tone tip". That and a nice reverb.

 

[Doug Gifford]

Turn the volume up and play lightly.

 

[Judas68fr]

Use your ears not your eyes when you're setting up gear. Other guitar players bitch about my Mesa Rectoverb 25 and its shiny knobs when they play on it, saying they can't see where the treble is set at. I always respond who care, can't you hear if it sounds good or not?

 

[Budda]

3 posts in 3 months. Interesting.

 

[JivRey]

Timmy

 

[Thunderboy1975]

3 posts in 3 months. Interesting.

Must have got booted from TGP 😜

 

[DavidP]

...what @Steadfastly said, and this:

 

[cdntac]

3 posts in 3 months. Interesting.

And outside of Canada.

 

[Grab n Go]

3 posts in 3 months. Interesting.

I agree. But I counted one video on his YouTube channel so far. I'm not sure he stands to gain much by posting.

I've thought of posting something similar, but couldn't find the words. Maybe that was for the best. 😁

 

[TheGASisReal]

1) Practice
2) Get an amp with the appropriate amount of headroom for the rooms you're playing
3) Make your rig work via focusing on your playing
4) Avoid trying to perfect your tone via gear, because it won't happen

 

[zontar]

Keep in mind what sounds great in your basement or bedroom, may sound like crap in the rehearsal space or on stage.
So yeah--follow advise above so you can adapt--and don't hold it too tightly, unless you do all your playing in one spot...

 

[Paul M]

For me, it's like carving an elephant out of soapstone. Start with a big piece, and remove everything that doesn't look like an elephant.

While I own far too many pedals, I rarely use them. Generally, I start, (on the amp),with tone knobs in the middle, volume at conversation level, and generally turn the tones until I sound like me. For me, that's generally a neck 'bucker, and a dark-ish sound, light reverb. I prefer a subtractive process to get there. I'm a "less-is-more" kinda guy. (See what I did there? I could have typed "kind of", which has seven characters, (including the space), but instead I typed "kinda", which saved two characters. Then again, I could have typed 7 and 2, which would have saved 6 characters of typing. I do my best, but living the less-is-more lifestyle takes some effort......where was I?)

Oh yeah...... I prefer reverb and delay to be relatively low. I like it so I don't notice it when it's on, but leaves a hole in the sound when bypassed. Fx are salt and pepper. They add to the steak, but are not the steak. There are times when fx are the meat and potatoes, but those are special effects, not regular effects.

In my last band, fx were there to serve the needs of the tune. Chorus for Echo Beach, wah on the funk-y tunes, a bit of OD for the rock and/or roll. I've always played to make sure whoever is fronting the band looks good, and the audience is enjoying show.

I don't believe that my methods are better or worse than any other, but they work for me to sound like me.

FWIW, "I wish I could play guitar like Paul" - no one, ever.