Finding YOUR Tone

You ask…”how do I find the perfect tone??!!”

There is no perfect tone. The "ultimate" tone (The Tone) does not exist. "Tone" is a shifting object that varies depending upon song, emotional context, venue, audience, genre, physical environment, etc.

Some of the "best" guitar sounds are rather lop-sided when analyzed in isolation. I hear players all the time say they finally found the perfect tone or they're still searching for the Holy Grail of tone. Most of these people are sitting in their bedrooms or are gear collectors perpetually in search of excuses to buy more stuff. The real discovery comes when they play with a band or try recording.

In short, you can take any guitar and amp in good working order and get plenty of useful sounds.

I've gotten what I thought were perfect sounds from my guitar only to find that they didn't work at all when you take your sound out of your garage or bedroom. Instead of looking for "The Tone" you need to think about finding your place within the frequency spectrum.

Think about it this way, you've got your drummer pounding away, another guitarist, vocals, bass, plus whoever else is in your band. Say
you join a band where the other guitarist plays a Strat and a Fender Twin. With the addition of another vocalist, a lot of the spectrum is taken by instruments and voices that would compete with another guitar.

Are you going to shove another bright Strat into the mix?

Why? Rather than trying to compete (‘VOLUME WARS!’) you've got to cooperate and find a space that you can occupy that does not step all
over other people that might just mean finding a sound that you don't like (say, in isolation) but sits well in the mix or work well in comparison to some other guitar tone in the group. That might mean, in the above context, finding a thicker sound (say a Marshall-type middominated
sound with humbuckers) and let the Strat guy have his sparkle and snap.

Likewise, in some situations, a paper-thin guitar sound will cut through a mix that is heavy on bass and mids. Your tone may sound like crap, if someone soloed your mixer channel, but remember the whole is greater than the parts so what might sound like crap by itself could very well sound super in the total mix.

So, in your band or when you record, the vocals and drums are going to be the least flexible elements. Start there, let the bassist take the
bottom, and then divide the relatively small portion of space left over between the guitars. And when the vocalists are singing select a sound that will compliment. When there is a vocal-free space you can go for something with more substance to it you might find that in any given song, you'll need two or three different sounds for different areas of the piece.

Your tone will sound differently at practice, at sound check, and every venue, even if you use the exact same equipment and settings. Be prepared to alter it based on the room, temperature, humidity, and the amount of people and sound absorbing objects in the room.

And, lastly, your tone is going to be the product of being reasonable and considerate. Cooperate with your band members. You will not be
appreciated if your ‘awesome tone’ conflicts with what other people are doing.

You are the guitar player. Unless you are also the singer or you are a featured guitar god, you will be pretty much ignored. Find a cool groove to get into with the drummer and the bassist. That's how to be a musician, and not just a guitarist.

What’s that? How do you sound like Eric Johnson/Eddie Van Halen/Yngwie etc.?

If you want to sound like EJ or whoever then do not read this!

Instead, take out a loan on a vintage, pre-CBS Strat ($12,500) + vintage TS808 Tube Screamer ($500) + vintage Marshall JTM45($1200) then you will have all the gear necessary to sound like EJ…note that I said you'd have the gear for the sound not the sound  itself.

For Example, please realize that just because you own a 1954 Strat, wo Fender Deluxe Reverbs and a vintage 50 Watt Marshall, you
probably won’t sound exactly like Eric Johnson… Don't get me wrong, that would be a good starting point. But great tone comes from the heart, soul and fingers of the person playing. Equipment, in and of itself, is only part of the battle. The remainder, literally, rests in your
hands and fingers.

Wonder why I would say a thing like that? Read on!

Amp/Effects Debates

Don't get caught up in the tube vs. solid state vs. digital debate. That is a never-ending argument that will probably never be won. Great
tones can be coaxed out of any kind of amp as long as it is well designed and in good working order.

If Mike Stern and B. B. King can get their sounds out of, in Stern's case an ancient Yamaha G100, and in King's case an old Gibson Lab
Series amp, then the matter is really pointless. I've seen many tube purists who couldn't tell the difference between solid state and tube when they had to rely solely on their ears. So, trust YOUR ears and don't get something merely because it has tubes -- there are many of those amps that sound plenty bad.

• DO get something that sounds good to YOU!
  
• Do get an amp that will be reliable, durable, and versatile, and inspires
  you to play it!
  
• Don't worry so much about the power or wattage an amp has.

Tube amps are going to sound better cranked, so lower wattage amps tend to be favored. When playing within the context of a band, your going to mic the amps anyways, so loudness shouldn’t be so much a factor as some folks think.

If you are using a tube amp be sure that the tubes are in good shape. Don't settle for the cheapest you can find; you'd be better off shelling
out the bucks for some good ones. Be aware that different speaker sizes can radically affect your sound.

Some people swear that a 4X10 cabinet loaded with Jensen speakers is the only way to go (i.e., the Fender Bassman sound) while others will only play through a 2X12 cabinet loaded with Celestion speakers. Try them all out and decide for yourself. Great sounds can be obtained
from all of them. A cab with 4X10s typically sounds punchier and more immediate while a cab loaded with 12s will sound looser and will allow for a more compressed sound. Also, a closed-back cab like a big 4X12 will generally sound much darker than one with an open back configuration.

Never base your equipment decisions on aesthetics. Considerations like tweed, leopard skin, and boa snake coverings, chicken-head
knobs, or metal armor should be secondary to the sound. Never base your amp purchase decisions on the reviews you find in
guitar magazines.

The current crop of periodicals has, over the last few years, become nothing but propaganda machines for manufacturers (who, incidentally, are paying their bills through advertising dollars). In short, you simply can't trust them.

Go to online resources for the reviews that real owners have posted. But, you must be careful here as well. Most of these reviews are posted by well-meaning folks just like you and me but most of them have been posted by people after just a few days of owning a piece of gear. You can’t accurately know the in’s/out’s, and shortcomings of an amp that quickly.

Look for reviews from people who have owned and used the amp, or guitar, for at least six months or more. And every now and then you'll find people making second reviews of the same piece after some use.

Effects sound best in moderation. Though, in the pursuit of weird sounds it is fun to hook together an altogether immoderate quantity of effects. It all depends upon your sound. Sometimes it's cool to use old digital effects from the 80s and early 90s the ones that sound horrendous in their attempt to emulate tube preamps; they get this terrible fuzz, which can be accentuated by clipping the input way too far.

Some love it.

But for most folks, the general rule is the fewer the better. Effects can become a crutch for sloppy playing and a general lack of skill. Try cutting back on what you use if you are practicing, and trying to get better. Use the effects when you perform…you’ll get much better in a shorter period of time.

Try and keep fresh batteries in your effects, or use a power source. Some people claim that weak batteries will get that 'vintage sound.' I
can't tell the difference. Maybe you can-I can’t, and most tests won’t show an audible difference, but when you perform, no one will ever
know the difference. In this instance, better safe than sorry-use fresh power.

Thats all I have to say in a nutshell. I hope you'll find it useful and do digest the information as it is quite a long guide.

If you've learned something or you have further clarifications, feel free to drop us an email. We'll love to hear from you! Till then, have a great day and keep on practicing!

Do also visit our store for specialized guitar backing tracks. At DollarBackings,  we've a wide range of unique and original guitar backing tracks covering all genre and all playing styles! See you soon.

Regards,
DollarBackings Admin
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