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Electric  Guitar  Tone  Secrets  

What  is  "good  tone"?    There are so many players with such wildly different, yet great signature sounds, that this is clearly subjective. But what I think it comes down to is finding the sound/guitar tone that inspires you to play better music - this is what they all have in common.

Why  is  it  important?    Being in control of your tone is part of being able to be expressive when playing. It’s an element of music that can be just as important as playing the right notes, or the right rhythm.

Touch    How you touch the strings is important. The way you fret the notes, the way you strike the strings with your pick/fingers. All of this has a profound effect on your tone. In fact, it’s possibly the most important aspect of all.

Strings  and  Action    Heavier/thicker strings generally sound better, but are harder to play/bend. Similarly, a higher action/string height from the fretboard will produce a better tone but the strings are harder to press down/it’s harder to play fast. Flat wounds vs round wounds – flatwounds sound great for jazz (especially on a hollow-body guitar), but can also work on a solid body for funk/blues. Don’t be afraid to try them out.

Knobs  and  switches    Learn to use the controls on your guitar! Watch Jeff Beck for a masterclass in this J Pickup selector Try using the neck pickup when playing higher up the neck, the bridge when playing lower. Get used to changing between these 2 main pickup settings as you are playing – don’t just leave it stuck in one position all the time. Volume and Tone Many players run their volume and tone controls on 7 or 8. It helps to have a little volume in reserve (for example when you take a solo). When using a decent

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overdrive pedal or amp, you can very effectively clean up your sound by backing off the volume.

• Strat, get the tone controls re-wired so that you have a tone control on the bridge pickup. Explore the in-between pickup settings. Bridge and middle - Knopfler, Robert Cray, Sweet Home Alabama. Neck and middle - Little Wing.

• • Les Paul - the middle position offers an enormous range of sonic

possibilities. Experiment with different settings of both volume and tone controls. Try the “secret” setting of bridge pickup tone off, neck pickup tone on full. The Clapton Cream era “woman tone” is achieved by using the neck pickup with the tone rolled off.

Where  you  pick  along  the  length  of  the  string    Many players don’t experiment with this enough - try playing right near the bridge (very bright), or over the end of the neck (warm and mellow). Experiment with doing this with different pickup selections. It’s very effective.

The  Pick    Thickness – thicker picks are harder to use, but will give you a bigger sound. What it’s made of – plastic, wood, metal, bone – they all sound different. Experiment with lots of picks and see which suits you and your style best! Also be aware that how tightly you grip the pick affects your tone – you want Using back corners of the pick instead of tip – players like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford and Scott Henderson (amongst others) do this. You get a warmer, thicker sound…

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Using  fingers    And try not playing with a pick at all. Listen to how someone like Robben Ford or Mark Knopfler create certain sounds using their fingers (and yes, Mark Knopfler does sometimes use a pick). Or how SRV would use his fingers to really dig in.

Amp    As an electric guitarist, your “instrument” is your guitar and your amp combined (not to mention effects pedals used etc). Learn what the controls do, where the “sweet spot” is (what volume it works best at), where to place the microphone for the best sound if you’re recording etc. Get to know your amp as well as you do your guitar.

Effects  pedals    This is a whole topic in itself. But a bit of brief advice here - don’t just blindly buy the ones your heroes use. Try them out, find the ones that you like, and which ones work best with your guitar/amp setup.

Boutique  gear    Remember the old adage that Hendrix used terrible equipment (by today’s standards)…. Spend time developing your tone at the source rather than attempting to get effects pedals to do the work for you. Although known partly for his use of effects, many of David Gilmour’s most famous solos (eg Another Brick in the Wall) were recorded straight into the desk – no amp/effects… (this goes back to the first point – it’s all about “touch”).