School me on brutal playing and getting that tone

[Vrad]

I think it's a bit more clear-cut with amps... Most of these guys seem to use 5150/5150II/6505/6505+ and Rectos. Those amps are instant modern metal tone. There are others out there Diezel etc... but those just nail it right away. Throwing a boost in front of those amps adds some additional saturation.

The rest is all over the map. Some guys use 7 strings, others use 6. Some tune down to drop Q-flat and put telephone cable-sized strings on their guitars, others tune down to Eb and use 9s. Some use Actives others use passives it's really hard to say. In most cases it's WHAT they're playing that's brutal.

Also bear in mind, that you don't want the guitar to compete with the bass for low frequencies. Alot of times when you hear something super heavy, there's a distorted bass behind it adding context. The guitars themselves not tuned that low.

 

[petejt]

Alot of times when you hear something super heavy, there's a distorted bass behind it adding context. The guitars themselves not tuned that low.

Yep that's absolutely right.

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

There are some killer bands that tune down, but then again, Deftones, I'm a fan.... BUT when Steph was still playing 6 string was when they were at their best.

I agree he sounded much better and heavier during Adrenaline & Around the fur after that his sound just smoothed out like de tuned Pop

 

[headlessdeadguy]

I think people get to caught up in that mentality that you have to tune down to sound brutal.

Some of the most brutal stuff I have ever heard was in Eb.

That's what my band tunes to. I figure good enough for Sabbath and Slayer.....
I hate the down tuned stuff as well. I really cant tell much about a guitar/amps tone when it's tuned to drop z.

 

[rottingcorpse]

I hate the down tuned stuff as well. I really cant tell much about a guitar/amps tone when it's tuned to drop z.

this, times a million.

yes, tuning down does make for a heavier sound. but eventually it all becomes the same note, no definition....you cant hear the note progression.

i like heavier strings, tuned to D, or sometimes drop C#. i "cheat" as most do, and use a gate to get the tight start/stop at high volumes. i also insist on a decimator in the loop to get rid of pre-amp hiss.

but brootals can be achieved in a million different ways. you gotta find what works for you.

 

[redrol]

Honestly this is a pet peve of mine. These days brutal equals super aggressive LOOKING guitars and amps tuned to Z or whatever. Thats nice and all but the RIFFS are what make a song heavy not the fucking tuning.

 

[leib10]

I don't like anything lower than drop C. Gotta boost the amp, aggressive speakers, active or high output passive pickups. Amps: Mesa, 6505/5150, Diezel, Bogner, ENGL, etc.

 

[Dr. Swamp]

I hate the down tuned stuff as well. I really cant tell much about a guitar/amps tone when it's tuned to drop z.

this, times a million.

yes, tuning down does make for a heavier sound. but eventually it all becomes the same note, no definition....you cant hear the note progression.

Correction, YOU can't hear the note progression. Doesn't mean others can't. Different strokes.

 

[glpg80]

I hate the down tuned stuff as well. I really cant tell much about a guitar/amps tone when it's tuned to drop z.

this, times a million.

yes, tuning down does make for a heavier sound. but eventually it all becomes the same note, no definition....you cant hear the note progression.

Correction, YOU can't hear the note progression. Doesn't mean others can't. Different strokes.

+1

if you cant hear the note progression the amplifier you are using is a sloppy POS, you have no mids dialed in, you need more string tension, wrong pickups, your hearing is gone, or your speakers have poor neutral recovery which runs all of the notes together.

 

[D-Rock]

I just get very tired of hearing that low E "GONK GONK GONK" sound. It isn't even a chug anymore.
I'm more than comfortable in half step down drop D tuning. 11-49 strings on a 24.75 scale.
I do listen to some bands with lower tunings, but that doesn't mean I what my guitar to sound like that.

 

[thenine]

Honestly this is a pet peve of mine. These days brutal equals super aggressive LOOKING guitars and amps tuned to Z or whatever. Thats nice and all but the RIFFS are what make a song heavy not the fucking tuning.

This!

My other guitar player and I have a mutual friend. He is not really a metal guy, more of a boogie-woogie guy, not into Maiden, Priest, more into SRV, etc. Well, when we get together he cant really play along with some of our chuggy stuff. His right hand is just not there. My other guitar player says, "He doesnt have the 'chunk gene'." Or "wasn't born with the 'chunk gene'."

 

[Devilinside]

Descent high gain amp, descent guitar, and very good picking technique!

 

[Badronald]

Honestly this is a pet peve of mine. These days brutal equals super aggressive LOOKING guitars and amps tuned to Z or whatever. Thats nice and all but the RIFFS are what make a song heavy not the fucking tuning.

This!

My other guitar player and I have a mutual friend. He is not really a metal guy, more of a boogie-woogie guy, not into Maiden, Priest, more into SRV, etc. Well, when we get together he cant really play along with some of our chuggy stuff. His right hand is just not there. My other guitar player says, "He doesnt have the 'chunk gene'." Or "wasn't born with the 'chunk gene'."

It's true.
I don't have the chug gene. I can speed pick quite fast for soloing, but when it comes to the chug it's just not the same. I'd have to work on it for quite some time to get it down well.

Tried to explain this to a buddy recently. He didn't quite understand how I could pick so fast and not really be a good metal player. Two completely different things.