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 – The 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 the strings are in good condition, have the proper gauge, and are tuned to the proper pitch. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to get 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, guitar pickups are the next most important item. 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’ve put outstanding pickups on guitars that were made from less desirable woods and got great sound. When I refer to pickups, I am also including with this the other electronic components that work together to make the pickups work. Elements such as wiring, pots, sockets, etc.
- WOOD – The wood a guitar is made of absolutely affects the tone. The wood that I think produces the best tone is the solid mahogany body, with a mahogany neck. However, this is subject to personal taste. If you’re new to playing guitar, I’ll point out that the mahogany neck and body combination is mostly found on Gibson guitars or their imitators. Some guitars have bodies made of 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 vibrates up and down the neck.
- TUBE AMPLIFIER – Let’s face it. If you care enough about guitar tone to read this article, then you want a tube amp. At one time I was spending 3-4 nights a week at live music events. My ears were so attuned to the sweet sound of overdriven power tubes, that I could tell the difference within 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 being overdriven until it is clipping, producing what is known as “power tube distortion.” There’s no pedal, rack unit, or digital effects processor that can recreate that sound. While it may be tempting for a new guitar player to buy the $200 special at the big box music store, he’ll be kidding himself with Killer Guitar Tone. A quality tube amp will cost a bit more. The advantage is that with a tube amp, you can get a little combo around 40-50 watts that is so loud that you can’t stay in the same room with it when it goes up to 8, and you’ll be evicted. at that volume level. In today’s world, there is no music venue where you need this much power.
- YOUR FINGERS – A major part of your sound actually comes from your technique and the way you play the strings. This requires a bit of experimentation to dial it in.
- PEDALS AND EFFECTS – This is so low on the list for a BIG reason. pedals and effects to improve your tone they don’t to create your tone YOU CANNOT 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. 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 turn on a bunch of effects. Basically, he buried what little tone he had under a huge pile of BS. The sound became so muddled and watered down that the subtleties of his playing (which was actually quite decent) were completely lost.
…That said, here’s a list of pedals and effects that can give your tone that killer edge IF used correctly.
a) Ibanez Tube Screamer. This unit should be run IN FRONT of your tube amp to give it a boost. One way that heavy metal musicians use this is to reinforce the low-end muddy sound that can be heard when the gain is turned up. This is used to give more definition to the subtleties of often intricate selection techniques. There are 2 versions of this pedal. One is very expensive and sought after by the “boutique” crowd. The other one costs about as much as any other average pedal. I can’t tell the difference myself so I have the cheapest one and it’s pretty sweet. It definitely does the job.
b) Choirs. This effect comes in many different packages. Lots of multi-effects units have it, lots of amps come with it built in, and you can get several great pedals that have it. Boss does great. This effect, if used correctly, can give your sound that electricity heavy metal edge It can make your tone sound like it has a deeper level of distortion and overdrive than it actually does. Many beginning guitarists buy cheap distortion pedals, looking to get that certain heavy metal guitar tone 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 really harsh and tinny, and can become completely overbearing. It tends to bring out the mids and highs, and should therefore be used in small, subtle amounts, until it’s time to step it up a notch for solo 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 you’ll be heard. HAS 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 multiple setups (ie hall, hall, theater, etc.), find one that most closely matches the size of the room you’ll be playing in for the most natural sound.
d) Noise suppressor. Often called a noise gate. This will clean up the hum and buzz and give a cleaner overall sound. I use a Boss NS-2.
These elements, when put together correctly, will help any guitarist achieve Killer Tone.
Remember, nothing will make you sound better than PRACTICE. Enjoy!
