What contributes most to Eric Johnson's tone?

[70strathead]

Years ago I went to a small local shop looking for some Marshalls for my metal rig o doom lol. I plugged into a couple of JCM800's that sounded pretty beat and then out of the corner of my eye I saw an old Marshall JTM45. I plugged into that sucker for a goof and it sounded like Eric johnsons tone right out of the gate. The amp seemed to be down on power and it distorted like a mother with moderate volume. The amp did not have the usual marshall crunch , it had that buttery EJ violin type of tone NAILED. If I was a bit older and I had more money I would have scooped that sucker up, but Because I could only afford one amp, I did not have the luxury of picking it up especially since I did not play that style. I still think about that amp and I wished I had it.
People can give you the tone is in the fingers bullshit all they want but this amp had that sound nailed. Technique is what makes EJ...EJ.... but the underlying guitar tone was in that amp in spades, So much so that the owner of the shop said...fuck that sounds like Eric johnsons tone.

i remember seeing Warren Dimartini play an old JTM45 in a local San Diego guitar store where he used to work years ago, it sounded so earthy and had a cool mid growl to it...never forget that. !

 

[van hellion]

his hands.

peace
A Wood

edit, I see you think that's what counts "most", but don't you think if we both hit an open a chord or even an open low e string (like the beginning of Cliffs of Dover), it would sound pretty close if we were playing through his rig?

depends, i really believe A TON of our own tones comes from how we come in on the strings with the picking hand. have the same acoustic guitar played by 5 different players and its gonna sound tonally extremely different. i believe at least 70 percent of our tone is in the picking hand attack/angle whatever.

peace
A Wood

 

[dstroud]

Years ago I went to a small local shop looking for some Marshalls for my metal rig o doom lol. I plugged into a couple of JCM800's that sounded pretty beat and then out of the corner of my eye I saw an old Marshall JTM45. I plugged into that sucker for a goof and it sounded like Eric johnsons tone right out of the gate. The amp seemed to be down on power and it distorted like a mother with moderate volume. The amp did not have the usual marshall crunch , it had that buttery EJ violin type of tone NAILED. If I was a bit older and I had more money I would have scooped that sucker up, but Because I could only afford one amp, I did not have the luxury of picking it up especially since I did not play that style. I still think about that amp and I wished I had it.
People can give you the tone is in the fingers bullshit all they want but this amp had that sound nailed. Technique is what makes EJ...EJ.... but the underlying guitar tone was in that amp in spades, So much so that the owner of the shop said...fuck that sounds like Eric johnsons tone.

i remember seeing Warren Dimartini play an old JTM45 in a local San Diego guitar store where he used to work years ago, it sounded so earthy and had a cool mid growl to it...never forget that. !

Funny you guys mention JTM45 -those JTM45's have a "shared cathode" on the 1st tube - I've been meaning to hook mine up that way and see how different it sounds - I heard it made a smoother tone. I think I have a night off tomorrow, I'll be firing up the soldering iron!

 

[Gainfreak]

his hands.

peace
A Wood

edit, I see you think that's what counts "most", but don't you think if we both hit an open a chord or even an open low e string (like the beginning of Cliffs of Dover), it would sound pretty close if we were playing through his rig?

depends, i really believe A TON of our own tones comes from how we come in on the strings with the picking hand. have the same acoustic guitar played by 5 different players and its gonna sound tonally extremely different. i believe at least 70 percent of our tone is in the picking hand attack/angle whatever.

peace
A Wood

We will have to agree to disagree here. I have always been able to separate "TONE" from "Technique"
EVH can play through any amplifier and you will be able to tell that it's him playing because of his technique but the underlying guitar tone is different depending on what rig he plays. Are you going to tell me that his 5150's sound like his old marshalls? They do not.
His underlying tone is different but it is his technique that gives him away. Tone and technique or style are two different animals. Let anyone plug into a rockman and guess what....its going to sound like a Rockman. No amount of finger tone is going to mask that. With that said a persons technique or finger tone will affect the sound of an amp but
Id be willing to bet its the other way around. 70% of the tone comes from the amp.

 

[mrp5150]

We will have to agree to disagree here. I have always been able to separate "TONE" from "Technique"
EVH can play through any amplifier and you will be able to tell that it's him playing because of his technique but the underlying guitar tone is different depending on what rig he plays. Are you going to tell me that his 5150's sound like his old marshalls? They do not.
His underlying tone is different but it is his technique that gives him away. Tone and technique or style are two different animals. Let anyone plug into a rockman and guess what....its going to sound like a Rockman. No amount of finger tone is going to mask that. With that said a persons technique or finger tone will affect the sound of an amp but
Id be willing to bet its the other way around. 70% of the tone comes from the amp.

+1

I've always thought the same thing.

 

[Anonymous]

his note choices and the intervallic type signature licks...

even though he has an original tone the patterns and notes he gravitiates to make it more "Eric Johnson" than the gear...

also the fusing of Texas Blues, Jazz , Fusion, and country type influences help make the awesome style!

 

[ratter]

We will have to agree to disagree here. I have always been able to separate "TONE" from "Technique"

Not to rehash the whole classic argument all over again, but I think the mistake is trying to separate it in the first place. Gear, technique, style - it is all interconnected.

I wish it was all in the gear. Especially since I just bought an EJ strat lol...

 

[timbo]

Well, shouldn't his tone be getting suckier now that he's gettin older?

 

[ratter]

Well, shouldn't his tone be getting suckier now that he's gettin older?

Lots of people would say that it is...

 

[Gainfreak]

We will have to agree to disagree here. I have always been able to separate "TONE" from "Technique"

Not to rehash the whole classic argument all over again, but I think the mistake is trying to separate it in the first place. Gear, technique, style - it is all interconnected.

I wish it was all in the gear. Especially since I just bought an EJ strat lol...

I agree but sometimes I think people need to separate the gear from technique. It's a pet peave of mine because when I was a kid I asked a shitload of people who were suposedly in the know how to get a particular tone and most of the guys would give me the tone is in the fingers BS answer. That would have been all well and good if it was true but years later I nailed every single tone I was looking for. I guess my fingers changed 5 times in the course of my search

 

[ratter]

We will have to agree to disagree here. I have always been able to separate "TONE" from "Technique"

Not to rehash the whole classic argument all over again, but I think the mistake is trying to separate it in the first place. Gear, technique, style - it is all interconnected.

I wish it was all in the gear. Especially since I just bought an EJ strat lol...

I agree but sometimes I think people need to separate the gear from technique. It's a pet peave of mine because when I was a kid I asked a shitload of people who were suposedly in the know how to get a particular tone and most of the guys would give me the tone is in the fingers BS answer. That would have been all well and good if it was true but years later I nailed every single tone I was looking for. I guess my fingers changed 5 times in the course of my search

Did your diet change? Maybe tone is in the fiber!

 

[Gainfreak]

Did your diet change? Maybe tone is in the fiber!

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Well, shouldn't his tone be getting suckier now that he's gettin older?

 

[AmpliFIRE]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AoaS38-vb6s&feature=related

 

[ratter]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AoaS38-vb6s&feature=related

https://youtube.com/watch?v=X3yDRw1V0-Y

 

[AmpliFIRE]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AoaS38-vb6s&feature=related

https://youtube.com/watch?v=X3yDRw1V0-Y

I saw that one as well. That kid sounded great!

 

[Telephant]

Another vote for his hands as #1. Moreso than most "shredders" IMO, he pays lots of attention to each pick attack and where the note is fretted. I think he would probably be much faster (a la Gilbert fast) if he didn't do that, but at the expense of tone.

Gear wise, he gets very similar sounds out of his vintage and new sig strats, and vintage and new 1959HW marshalls. So I think again it comes down mainly to how he uses them and how he dials things in. The Tube Driver with controls set very low. The Marshall set pretty dark, etc etc.

Im with you brother. From that GC vid where he shows his rig if you look at the Tube Driver and he's got the bass and treble knobs almost all the way rolled down. And the treble and presence on his amps are usually way down low too.

His fuzz tones are too die for. I dont understand how he gets such a dark tone to cut through so well. I guess the echoplex's help quite a bit. I also wonder how he gets that articulation out of his fuzzes, especially when he goes into those fast runs on the low strings...

EJ is a God amongst men.

 

[Meathead]

Another vote for his hands as #1. Moreso than most "shredders" IMO, he pays lots of attention to each pick attack and where the note is fretted. I think he would probably be much faster (a la Gilbert fast) if he didn't do that, but at the expense of tone.

Gear wise, he gets very similar sounds out of his vintage and new sig strats, and vintage and new 1959HW marshalls. So I think again it comes down mainly to how he uses them and how he dials things in. The Tube Driver with controls set very low. The Marshall set pretty dark, etc etc.

Im with you brother. From that GC vid where he shows his rig if you look at the Tube Driver and he's got the bass and treble knobs almost all the way rolled down. And the treble and presence on his amps are usually way down low too.

His fuzz tones are too die for. I dont understand how he gets such a dark tone to cut through so well. I guess the echoplex's help quite a bit. I also wonder how he gets that articulation out of his fuzzes, especially when he goes into those fast runs on the low strings...

EJ is a God amongst men.

I agree too.
Eric's tone suits him great for his playing and writing style.
Same with Andy Timmons and his darker/smooth tone...I love hearing him play with it, but when I dial in an amp smooth and dark using the BB pedal it doesn't really work for me in general...other than 'Timmons style'...it's kinda limiting what you can play songwise.

Timmons tone mixed with Gibbons and the aggression of old EVH would be ideal to me....if that's possible.

 

[Telephant]

Timmons tone mixed with Gibbons and the aggression of old EVH would be ideal to me....if that's possible.

Now you're speaking my language!!!

 

[Meathead]

Timmons tone mixed with Gibbons and the aggression of old EVH would be ideal to me....if that's possible.

Now you're speaking my language!!!

Chasing a tone that has never been heard and will never exist.