Plug in and play...


If you or others don't think you sound that good... Chances are, its not your amps tone.

I've got one...HIgh-gain lovers take note:.

Turn down your preamp gain and crank the master volume instead. You can get some cool sounds that way by driving the power section of your amp hard instead of getting all your gain from the preamp. That's why I like my amps in the 50 watt range instead of the super-powerful triple-rectifier type of rig that seems to be all the rage. You can crank the master volume without getting too loud to be practical. If you're not gonna drive the tubes hard, what's the point of having an all-tube amp? A 50 watt amp running balls-out to keep up will almost always sound better than a 150 watt amp at the same volume level.

Another thought: If you're playing with a full band, don't aggressively scoop your mids. That bottom-heavy scooped mids sound that sounds so great when you're standing alone in front of your amp can and will turn to mud when there's a drummer, a bassist, a vocalist, and another guitarist all trying to be heard at the same time.

Remember to use the knobs on the guitar and the way you play to adjust your tone as well. The volume and tone knobs on the guitar are very useful in modulating tone, and the volume knob may have more affect than you would think. Also, picking/strumming force/position have a huge impact on tone, as do string choice and, to a lesser extent, pick choice (yes, it does make a difference).

Another thing to remember, is that just because you don't get any buzzing, doesn't mean your action isn't too low. Every guitar has a "sweetspot" where it really opens up. For some guitars, that spot is just above the buzzing point, for others, you may need to have the action significantly higher.

DON'T AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME YOU JUST NEED TO SET THE AMP!!!!!!!!!! Every guitar sounds different, if you can't get the tone you want, it might not be possible with your guitar, regardless of amplifier/effects used; which is why the most important thing is to play a guitar before buying it. Remember, a shitty amp can make a good guitar sound like ass, but the best amp in the world can't make a "dead" guitar sound good.

Other tips I've picked up....

Whenever possible, use the smallest amp with enough power for what you're trying to do. This is especially true of tube amps. The componentery and speakers sound best when under a bit of load. Not only will a 30W 1-12" combo be more than enough to play most small bar gigs, it will actually sound better than a 200W full stack under those circumstances. It will also be much easier to haul into and out of said bar.

Expensive cables do make a significant difference. Whether or not that difference is a good thing depends on your particular rig and tastes.

Don't play too loud. It is easier to hear everyone in the band when the volume is kept at a comfortable level. If you don't know the appropriate level for the room you are playing, ask the sound guy.

This guy obviously thinks like I do. I'm tried & true simple when it comes to tone. Guitar- Amp with alot of gain. Simple as that. I know people who play with Hughes & Kettner expensive heads with on-board effects and it just doesn't have the tone of my Dual-Recto with a 4x12 Vintage-30 cab. Just my .02.

Try different speakers and cabinets. My own main amp, which is a fully custom built amp, sounds like two totally different amplifiers entirely when I switch from my
EVM-12L cabinets to a Marshall 4x12 bottom loaded with Vintage 30s. The tonal character is as much in the speakers and cabinets as anywhere else.

CJ

The difference can be surprising. Sometimes, all the difference between a "modern" tone and a "vintage" tone is the speaker/cabinet selection,
with the same amplifier.

My custom amp is downright mean. I've stacked it up side by side with some really GOOD high gain Marshalls, and my amp is considerably meaner
and with more tonal texture to it as well. That's with EV's. When I tried it out with a Marshall 4x12 loaded with Vintage 30s, it sounded more like
a classic British tone but still with more gain and balls. But the character changed completely when I changed from one speaker cabinet type to another.
You really would not have thought it was the same amp.


Speakers and cabinets are a huge part of the tone.


CJ

I have to disagree with the statement "big strings, small frets, high action" for big tone.


2 out of 3 isn't bad, but big frets are what I prefer. The huge Dunlop 6100 wire isn't too big!

Taller fretwire means easier fretting with less pressure, allowing faster play and easier bending
when your fingertips never have to touch and drag on the fingerboard.

Most people who try bigger fretwire end up liking it, based on what I've seen for myself.

I personally don't know a single really FAST player that likes low fretwire.


CJ

Here's a huge tone tip: STEREO RIG.


I (finally) had my Mesa/boogie SOB (first "reissue" of the Mark 1) rebuilt and restored to service. It features a fully buffered all tube effects loop now, too.
Though it's not the high gain modern rock monster that I like to play, it has the virtue of having a power amp section that is identical to the power amp
section of my main, fully custom made amplifier. Same exact output transformer, almost identical plate voltages and bias levels, pretty much the same
amp from the effects loop on through to the speaker output. So it's a perfect satellite amp for running with my main rig in stereo. Even the speaker cabs
are matched. (Single 12s of the same cabinet design, with EVM-12Ls)

I just got to play with both rigs together in stereo last night, and I think my brain is smoking. I've got a big tone already, but in stereo, it's huge on
an entirely new level. What few tonal differences there are between the two amps were able to mostly be massaged out of them by judicious tweaking
of the 1/3 octave EQ. Each amp has its own EQ channel.

I can't wait to try it out at a time when I can crank it up without (much) fear of complaining neighbors. In my neighborhood, most people work during the
day, and those that don't are elderly and pretty deaf, so I can get away with it on the next weekday I take off.

Stereo MORE than doubles the fun factor.

CJ

Yep, stereo sounds awesome.

But....

while having identical setups on both sides is fine, there is something about having different amps/speakers/cabinets running at the same time. There's something about mixing things up that, well, sounds better.

This is also why I don't like to have a cabinet with identical speakers in it.

But don't overdo it. George L's cable is good and not overpriced. Monster guitar cables ARE massively overpriced.

Any cord built with Belden cable and Switchcraft connectors, properly terminated, is a good quality cable. It doesn't have to cost much.

CJ

It's for that reason that I like to use a delay set to a VERY short delay time, and minimal feedback/regeneration.

If you set it up right, it'll even do a good job of emulating cabinet resonance and can put an already thick tone over the top, well into massive territory.


CJ

Here's my latest tone tip:

The Alesis DEQ230 digital programmable EQ. This model just went on closeout so I got one brand new in the sealed box
for 129 dollars.

I'd have preferred to get the midi-enabled DEQ230D version but for the price, I could not pass this up and I can get the D version
later. Plus as I don't have a midi controller yet, it'd be a "future" feature for me anyway.

There's an even fancier model, the DEQ830, and it provides EQ for up to 8 channels at a time instead of just two, but that's
really overkill for my simple rig.

One thing I can do with the 230 or any stereo EQ is use an A/B footswitch to switch two EQ curves without changing the EQ
preset program. Just set each channel to a different curve. This is useful when switching from rhythm to lead voicing or
clean to dirty voicing or whatever you want.

I can not state this strongly enough: If you are not using an item such as this (a 1/3 octave equalizer) in your effects loop, and
have taken the time to learn what it can do for your tone, then you are not getting the best possible tone that you could.


CJ

Im a rock guitar player and sing so here is my advice.

Ive found that for the places I play (bars and parties, and seems like never the same place twice in a row), that the more simple I keep my setup the better, I try and limit the amount of effects I use and dont use anything that is not easily adjustable. My rack gear is long gone and I dont miss it at all. The smaller the place Im playing, the smaller the rig I take. I have 15, 40 and 100 watt amps and different cabs I can pick from to suit the venue and stage size. My Marshall 4x12 may look Rock and Roll but it can be too much for a small venue even with the 15watt head on it.

As has already been said, more mids and less gain if you want to cut through.

If you can get him to do it, and I know its hard cause rock drummers tend to be high strung, get your drummer to try and play softer. The lower stage volume can really benefit your overall sound and ability to groove with each other. Those plastic ring thingys also work really nice for tone/volume.

As far as singing, always have a bag of cough drops just in case, try and pick songs early in the set that wont strain you so you can warm up.

And then theres the rule I broke last gig, watch your alcohol consumption. Everyone said it was our best show ever, wish I could remember more of it.