TOP SECRET TONE

[Zachman]

Of course there is an interesting tone that happens upon impact as well... Difficult to reproduce

Aw c`mon man, you know I`m a cat lover...

I am a Cat lover too... Just foolin around. Like saying, "Cat-- the other white meat". Sorry-- had to do it.

 

[scottywompas]

These top secret tens of thousands of dollar rigs don't contain any tone mojo.

Mostly there is redundancy built into them so If one goes down the back up is right there. They have a lot of flexability built in so the artist can recreate some of the signature tones off albums. There are some rather plain looking pieces of gear that do nothing to the sound but are there for switching, routing, etc...

When it comes down to it. A good player should sound good through a decent guitar and amp. Everything else is just sprinkles on your ice cream.

Scott

 

[Zachman]

These top secret tens of thousands of dollar rigs don't contain any tone mojo.

Mostly there is redundancy built into them so If one goes down the back up is right there. They have a lot of flexability built in so the artist can recreate some of the signature tones off albums. There are some rather plain looking pieces of gear that do nothing to the sound but are there for switching, routing, etc...

When it comes down to it. A good player should sound good through a decent guitar and amp. Everything else is just sprinkles on your ice cream.

Scott

Good observation! There are Many things that can be included into rack rigs which don't directly or necessarily produce any sonic finger prints-- Power Conditioners, Tuners, Switching/Signal Routing Systems, Amp Selectors, Line Mixers, Drawers, Power Supplies, Lights, Fans, Spacers for ventilation, etc...

And- Sprinkles can make the biggest difference

 

[thiswaythatway]

Ive been looking for that killer tone for years, and its really a million dollar sound. Its a sound that comes with professionalism, and I hate to say it but it all seems so top secret unless you know a someone famous or a guitar tech. The instrument and amp makers arent dumb, that know what sounds good so its really a money thing. The more money you spend on the best gear the better your going to sound. But its not so easy as looking something up, I think alot of trade secrets are locked up in $20,000 rigs and the guys that know that stuff dont cough it up easy. It takes years to learn and know your gear and ive been playing 18 years and I still havent found the optimum sound. But ill tell ya, I demoed a dual rec with a les paul and it came close.

I got a question, many years ago I owned a crate blue voodoo 100 watt all tube head. I was only half satisfied with it and it was when i was younger and less experienced with running my lines. I realize it wasnt a high end amp, but many years after I sold it a friend hooked up a digitech death metal pedal to one and man for some reason it roared, and I couldnt figure it out I never got mine to sound like that. I currently use a marshall, and I heard your not supposed to use high gain pedals with a marshal head. Just wondering if anyone heard anything about this and if anyone has any great tone stories for metal/hard rock and if you have any examples of a million dollar "GOD" tone, post em. Thanks

 

[steve_k]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline. Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up - and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

 

[Zachman]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline.

Yup

Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up

Most so called sound guys aren't even qualified to turn on my radio, and don't usually go out of their way to "Hook you up". They are usually wanting to do only the bare minimum, without a fuss.

- and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

Unless you're hiring the sound company, and/or the engineer works for you-- it's a gamble.

 

[D-Rock]

This song, and title, is for the OP...

 

[thegreattailz]

Well I guess ill just stick with the tone and worry about the sprinkles after I make the big time. Ever hear that song H by tool? The distortion is freekin amazing and the clean tone has the perfect blend of rev chorus and delay at the :40 second mark. Also, always loved the intro to sanitarium. They captured the very 'twang" you get from new strings. That low E is so refined it almost sounds like a keyboard synth rather than a guitar. Well, we shall see after I get my mesa. Its not all about money, you gotta know how to run your equipment, and some people are so tone anal they even wanna tweak their individual tube brand names and use monster cables. And maybe it works for the professionals that have cash to spend of that stuff. It just sux you buy what you can, and maybe its good maybe it isnt but it takes years to know what equipment produces your tone that your lookin for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iXMhphebGI

 

[FourT6and2]

Well I guess ill just stick with the tone and worry about the sprinkles after I make the big time. Ever hear that song H by tool? The distortion is freekin amazing and the clean tone has the perfect blend of rev chorus and delay at the :40 second mark. Also, always loved the intro to sanitarium. They captured the very 'twang" you get from new strings. That low E is so refined it almost sounds like a keyboard synth rather than a guitar. Well, we shall see after I get my mesa. Its not all about money, you gotta know how to run your equipment, and some people are so tone anal they even wanna tweak their individual tube brand names and use monster cables. And maybe it works for the professionals that have cash to spend of that stuff. It just sux you buy what you can, and maybe its good maybe it isnt but it takes years to know what equipment produces your tone that your lookin for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iXMhphebGI

Hate to break it to you, but the tone on H., by Tool, is just a Les Paul into a Super Lead and a Dual Rectifier. Nothing special, or secret about it. You can walk into any Guitar Center and grab off-the-shelf gear that will do the same thing. The real secret is just like any other trade or skill, it comes down to the person using the tools, not the tools themselves. People always ask good photographers, "Wow, what kind of camera do you use? It takes really nice photos." lol. Not the camera. How ridiculous would it be to ask a painter what kind of brushes he used and spend your whole life searching for the perfect unicorn-hair brush!

Get an amp or two or thirty and play your guitar and be happy.

Here's an interesting story:

I was playing guitar in a Guitar Center a few years ago. Just testing out some gear I had no intention of buying. I had plugged an Ibanez RG something something into one of those digital Vox modeling amps and was just having fun noodling around. I was playing some mellow jazzy stuff. And I shit you not... a blind man walked by with his spotter. As he passed, he smiled and said aloud, "Mmm sounds good. Sounds like a jazz guitar." And here I am playing a floyd-equipped metal guitar into a digital modeling amp and a blind guy compliments my jazz tone.

 

[mniel8195]

Tone is so subjective but I have found that these are the keys for me to be happy with my tone. Nice guitar with pickups that compliment the tone wood and overall sound of the guitar. Great amp with a cabinet that compliments the amp. Sometimes different tubes but I tend to buy amps that don't need switching. Great pedals and a clean signal coming from good quality cables. the rest comes down to how well you play really. I'm always trying new things but the three constant I never change are ddarrio strings, bareknuckle pickups, and picks that have a sharp tip.

 

[steve_k]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline.

Yup

Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up

Most so called sound guys aren't even qualified to turn on my radio, and don't usually go out of their way to "Hook you up". They are usually wanting to do only the bare minimum, without a fuss.

- and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

Unless you're hiring the sound company, and/or the engineer works for you-- it's a gamble.

Right Zack.......an, I am talking about some professional, experienced, gig-hardened soundmen here. Not your average weekend warrior DJ cum-soundman. They are the worse and love to drown everything out with bass and run at 142 beats per minute....bang, bang

 

[Zachman]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline.

Yup

Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up

Most so called sound guys aren't even qualified to turn on my radio, and don't usually go out of their way to "Hook you up". They are usually wanting to do only the bare minimum, without a fuss.

- and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

Unless you're hiring the sound company, and/or the engineer works for you-- it's a gamble.

Right Zack.......an, I am talking about some professional, experienced, gig-hardened soundmen here. Not your average weekend warrior DJ cum-soundman. They are the worse and love to drown everything out with bass and run at 142 beats per minute....bang, bang

Even then-- the sound guy at G3 mixed Eric Johnson, and Vai terribly compared to Satch. Why?? Satch was the headliner.

 

[Heritage Softail]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline.

Yup

Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up

Most so called sound guys aren't even qualified to turn on my radio, and don't usually go out of their way to "Hook you up". They are usually wanting to do only the bare minimum, without a fuss.

- and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

Unless you're hiring the sound company, and/or the engineer works for you-- it's a gamble.

Right Zack.......an, I am talking about some professional, experienced, gig-hardened soundmen here. Not your average weekend warrior DJ cum-soundman. They are the worse and love to drown everything out with bass and run at 142 beats per minute....bang, bang

I saw Seether and My Darkest Days here. Both great bands with a ton of good material. The bass and kick was so loud it muddied things badly. Thinking of how we spend time to get the right guitar, right amps, effects, strings, picks, and for some even nail polish

It can all get wrecked by a sound guy mixing a metal band like a rap DJ.

And that was probably Sick Windsor doing his awesome sound engineering

 

[steve_k]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline.

Yup

Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up

Most so called sound guys aren't even qualified to turn on my radio, and don't usually go out of their way to "Hook you up". They are usually wanting to do only the bare minimum, without a fuss.

- and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

Unless you're hiring the sound company, and/or the engineer works for you-- it's a gamble.

Right Zack.......an, I am talking about some professional, experienced, gig-hardened soundmen here. Not your average weekend warrior DJ cum-soundman. They are the worse and love to drown everything out with bass and run at 142 beats per minute....bang, bang

Even then-- the sound guy at G3 mixed Eric Johnson, and Vai terribly compared to Satch. Why?? Satch was the headliner.

Right again....if you ain't the lead dog, the view is always the same!

 

[thegreattailz]

[/quote]

Hate to break it to you, but the tone on H., by Tool, is just a Les Paul into a Super Lead and a Dual Rectifier. Nothing special, or secret about it. You can walk into any Guitar Center and grab off-the-shelf gear that will do the same thing. The real secret is just like any other trade or skill, it comes down to the person using the tools, not the tools themselves. People always ask good photographers, "Wow, what kind of camera do you use? It takes really nice photos." lol. Not the camera. How ridiculous would it be to ask a painter what kind of brushes he used and spend your whole life searching for the perfect unicorn-hair brush!

Get an amp or two or thirty and play your guitar and be happy.[/quote]

Im pretty happy with my equipment maybe ill post pics if anyones interested. But I gotta disagree, hes def got some kind of effect in there, rev, or chorus definately a delay, albeit minute amounts. But ill agree its not just $$$ and equipment. Its how you run and tweak your gear thats actually harder than buying the stuff, IMHO. Ive spent weeks researching what pedals to get, and how to arrange them. Ill do some recordings and let yallz know

 

[Mailman1971]

"Cat-- the other white meat". Sorry-- had to do it.

Hear they taste like Chicken.

 

[Zachman]

"Cat-- the other white meat". Sorry-- had to do it.

Hear they taste like Chicken.

You have to braise it first and it really depends on the sauce, not so much the garnish.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

You can walk into any Guitar Center and grab off-the-shelf gear that will do the same thing

Probably not quite the same thing...the setups on Guitars at GC are usually horrible. If you have a decent guitar, bring it to a quality tech for a setup, perhaps replace the wiring and pots too, as even the most expensive guitars will often have crap in there muddying up your tone. Go to an amp guru who can clean out your amp and check bias, new tubes, etc.

All of this stuff I have overlooked for years and just recently started doing...the results will leave you slack jawed and googly-eyed.

Also, Im noting the OP is looking for great tone, but seems to refer to reverbs and fx quite a bit. I don't think of that as tone- get your dry tone to be as clear as possible, inspiring without the fx. Applying fx should be the cherry on top, and really is a simple cherry with all of the hi end gear out these days...as long as you don't go overboard and and put swirly swirly noises on everything you play

 

[H Golf Sport]

"Cat-- the other white meat". Sorry-- had to do it.

Hear they taste like Chicken.

Everyone knows cat is red meat.

Growing up in HI you should know this Zach.

 

[Zachman]

"Cat-- the other white meat". Sorry-- had to do it.

Hear they taste like Chicken.

Everyone knows cat is red meat.

Growing up in HI you should know this Zach.

That's just food coloring-- C-mon