Why Are Most of Us Guitarist Always Chasing Tone?

[stephen sawall]

The majority of the bands I see around here seem to have a Line 6 Amp, Dual Rectifier or Marshall JCM 900 / regardless of what kind of music they play ..... usually they seem to know little or nothing about how to use the gear. I am not talking about new players .... I mean people that have been playing many years.

 

[Zachman]

The majority of the bands I see around here seem to have a Line 6 Amp, Dual Rectifier or Marshall JCM 900 / regardless of what kind of music they play ..... usually they seem to know little or nothing about how to use the gear. I am not talking about new players .... I mean people that have been playing many years.

Yup... I think the guys who are more into it, like us, have an interest in engineering too. I can't tell you how many guys in their 50's+ flip over my MXR Dyna Comp, asking what is it... Is it new etc... because it's a sound that they find familiar and pleasing, but have found to be elusive IF they even were astute enough to recognize it until they'd seen/heard it in use.

I like Lukather's take on it... For some of us, it isn't just the chords/notes-- it's the sonic colors and textures too.

 

[stephen sawall]

Something magical about the little orange & red MXR boxes...

 

[Dimebag11]

Takenr years to realize I'm a VHT guy. Just addictive to play. I like the el34 ones.

 

[Zachman]

Something magical about the little orange & red MXR boxes...

My thoughts too.

 

[stephen sawall]

Fender Champ or Deluxe and 2or3 pedals. Plenty for any size show and sounds better than most rigs....

 

[Zap]

3 words for me: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

 

[Ventura]

It's an excuse to not practice

This was the first thing that came to mind when I read the title to the thread.

It's an excuse.

Godly players can get a shitbox Champ to sound like money. It is what it is - too much money and spare time, not enough hard love left with only a guitar and a broken soul

[Edit: To funny, I hit REPLY before scrolling down to see all the replies, and there it is - mention of a Champ, great minds Stephen, great minds)

 

[Badronald]

I've seen so many players over the years, GREAT players included, with bad tone that I always want to make sure that I'm not 'that' guy.

You hear me and it always sounds good. Whether the band is killing it or not, my tone is on.

No other reason than that. I find the chase tiresome these days. It was fun, but a Plexi and a Mesa and I don't even have to think about the tone.

 

[Zachman]

I've seen so many players over the years, GREAT players included, with bad tone that I always want to make sure that I'm not 'that' guy.

You hear me and it always sounds good. Whether the band is killing it or not, my tone is on.

No other reason than that. I find the chase tiresome these days. It was fun, but a Plexi and a Mesa and I don't even have to think about the tone.

I pretty much agree.

I figure there are around 6 "Core" tones, (w/ variances of course Marshall, Fender, Vox, Hiwatt, Mesa/Boogie, Roland JC120-- and everything is an off shoot of those-- at least the ones that interest me.

The rest of the crazy gear, is sprinkles and icing on the cake, and gear to control all of the rest of it.

 

[steve_k]

I cringe at the thought of an amp requiring a pedal to get a core tone that I like - whether it is a Fender Champ or a VH4. Some people are fine with it. That's just not why I do what I do......

 

[supersonic]

I admire guys who run the same rig for years on end. They realy know how to squeeze the most out of their setups. Then there're some guys just don't seem to care too much about "their" tone and plug into any old amp. Problem is no rig will cover everything perfectly, so it's realy a matter of settling on something you can live with. Something with a few solid great sounds. You need to remind yourself there is no ONE perfect tone.

 

[Devilinside]

I cringe at the thought of an amp requiring a pedal to get a core tone that I like - whether it is a Fender Champ or a VH4. Some people are fine with it. That's just not why I do what I do......

Agreed!!!

 

[Heritage Softail]

I got found by the group I play with while I was noodling in Guitar Center. I guess it was dumb luck or fate. The one guy that has the music studio in his basement floor was in getting some gear. They have all Mesa, Marshall, VOX amps and quality guitars. All over 40 and play well and do it for fun. It is the exact situation many mentioned. Older guys with money to spend on gear but in the busiest part of life where time is now the rarity. The band leader has reached some lofty music industry heights. Humble and cool cat. Huge house on a lake. He is teaching me about writing songs and the mentality of playing and being "good enough", and I am teaching him scales and how to play less notes that feel more. Always a respectful give and take.

So I think we just have our love for music and the feel of playing it. The right gear gets that sound.

If you play in front of 10,000, it must be awesome. A couple hundred is my max. But it was living the dream and that's what makes me happy. It's like a different kind of family. The amazing thing about rig talk is the guys that have done it big, kick it with the keg party garage players like me.

People ask why I ride this old chromed out Heritage Softail, same answer to why I chase perfect tone, if I have to tell you why, you wouldn't understand.

 

[guitarmike]

It seems like every guitarist I know including myself is always chasing that coveted tone!!! It is like a dog chasing it's tail!!! Will we ever be satisfied? Probably not!!! Let the quest continue until it drives us mad or renders us broke!!!

You hit upon the answer-- Budget. "A" coveted tone is a singularity. MANY coveted tones are another potential stratosphere of budgetary constraints

I agree!!!! Most people have some budget constraints!!! If I was married I wouldn't, but I probably would not be where I am at without my lovely wife!!!! It is all relevant since I have heard great players play through normal gear and they sounded awesome!!!!

There is another reason most of us chase tone; we want to sound like: ________. Yet it seems almost impossible to get that tone. I believe there is an explanation for that and it has nothing to do with it being in the fingers, at least when it comes to strumming basic chords. Pull out a cd with your favorite guitar tone, I'll bet the artist's amp was screaming loud when it was recorded. Most of us cannot play that loud for any length of time if at all so we don't get that tone. Go see most pro's live, they are still loud. A screaming Marshall or Mesa gets "the tone." Played at home levels it is lacking and we keep looking. Those amps were designed to sound best loud.

Take a good condition JCM 900 and dime it, it will sound good. You or me playing may not sound good, but the amp will.

I slowed down the tone quest when I got the Friedman Marshall and the CCV. They sound incredible at the low volumes I play at and have cured me.....sort of.

 

[Ventura]

I cringe at the thought of an amp requiring a pedal to get a core tone that I like - whether it is a Fender Champ or a VH4. Some people are fine with it. That's just not why I do what I do......

+1

The amp has to have it, in spades, or it's a fail for me. Whenever there's talk of "this incredible amp" (but you need to stick an 808 or a TS in front of it to "tighten it up"), I decline. No dice.

On most cats' defense, styles change. Hell I've been playing in some capacity or another for 30 years... Damn straight I've changed my tonal pursuits. Hell, I was more than happy with a TS-15 SS amp with an MXR Distortion pedal in front of it for ALL my needs back in my Judas Priest/Saxon/Scorpion daze

 

[Mailman1971]

Was chasing for years...
But realized I am a modded Mesa guy.........Grabbed my tail....and am happy!

Me too....just a straight up Mesa guy though with a bit of modded Marshall for good flavor. It was a great $50,000 ride!

Yeah I was in my flipping for at least $30,000 myself. Fun ride.....not gonna do it again.
I blame alot of my flipping to just being curious...and also Rig-talk.
I was fine and happy with me Ada Mp-1 into a power amp for years.....until I was shown this site from a buddy (THANKS NEDDY!! ) and started hearing all these amps.
I was like a drug addict. Just had to check out all these amps. And the Youtube clips didnt help me either.
Thats when the OCD came into play....the splitting hairs....the micro fine tuning amps when it really didnt matter.
Much better these days no worrying or constantly turning around mid-song and trying to adjust the EQ of the amp.
Thought my drummer and bass player were going to kill me a few times.
Nowdays.....just plug.....and play. But yeah....my amp sounds killer.

 

[colimofsmoke]

I do not think most guitar players are much into gear. Only a small percentage....
From people I have talked with and watching what people use at gigs most are not. Just about zero of the musicians I know are familiar with the amps & other gear many of us are here on these forums.......

This is really true. In chicago, my friends that are great players in great bands just use whatever they have, and rip doing it. Most of the guys play mesas or old shitbox solid states, but they sound awesome on stage and spend alot more time playing and gigging than i do. When i got my vht, they were all like "v h what? Never heard of it." always makes me feel like i should stop tone searching and just play.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

a lot of guys that i know who play wayyy more gigs than i do live have never heard of half the $hit i talk about. furthermore a lot of them don't bother with rack effects etc... my buddy said it best to me a few months ago when he was asking for my opinion on his rig. Essentially he thanked me for all the info but said that when it came down to it, it was SO much easier just to have a visual sound jekyll and hide at his feet for rythms and leads, have the amp set to clean or light crunch for the cleans, and then just have delay at his feet. You know what, he's right.. half the time when you add the mics and the sound system at the front of the house, nobody will really hear the nuances in your tone except for us freaks. I'm thinking that if i get to play guitar again live in the near future, it is JCM800 or my YBA-1 set to light crunch, a marshall in a box pedal, an OD, and a cheap delay and chorus. Done and done. None of this no effects loop so run wet/dry etc..or cart my seemingly 100lbs Lynchbox around with a rack and separate cab. combo amp/crunch/delay DONE.

 

[glip22]

Because we came on Rig_Talk

Pain is the shell of understanding when it comes to the pocket on gear flipping. Without flipping gear how could most of us know what suits us best. If I had the greatest gear, I would have flipped it because I would have always thought there is better.