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Hi;
My question is for Brian. I really love the blues, but I am having a hard time getting the right tone. I have an Epiphone Les Paul. My question is: to get the same kind of tone that you do, what can I do? Is it the guitar or is it me? Please help me. I at least want to sound good when I play.
Bobby
Oilcan
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Okay, sure, this question is for Brian, but I’m sure everyone here has dealt with this issue. So my two cents…
Welcome! You’ve just taken the first step on your never-ending quest for The Perfect Tone.
And it will never, ever, ever end.
Brian’s pretty helpful about this, actually. He’ll often take a moment at the beginning of a lesson to discuss which pedals he’s using, and why.
You don’t say what kind of amp/pedals you’re using — that’s a big part of the equation. In fact, it’s probably the biggest part.
And of course, it’s difficult to get a Les Paul to sound like a Tele or a Strat, which won’t ever sound like a Les Paul. That’s why most guitarists end up having more than one guitar.
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Hi;
My question is for Brian. I really love the blues, but I am having a hard time getting the right tone. I have an Epiphone Les Paul. My question is: to get the same kind of tone that you do, what can I do? Is it the guitar or is it me? Please help me. I at least want to sound good when I play.
Bobby
Hi Bobby
Check out your user manual for whichever amp you are using, base settings will be found in there. This will give you a starting point to finding the tone you are hearing and want your guitar to sound like.
This is a page out of the manual for the amp I had when I first started playing electric guitar
But the amp is only part of the tone/tones you will get as you can also alter the settings on your guitar too.
personally I like a warm clean tone with an added touch of reverb just to add a little depth to the amp, my guitar (which is a Strat style guitar so has different pick ups from your guitar) I like to set the the tone switches no higher than 7 and the vol switch at 10..learn a phrase or passage of lead/blues and then when you are playing on your practise session try different combinations of settings to you find something you like, ( take a note of the settings) and then change the settings again to find something else that you like, you wont be long in tuning your ear in to listening for what you want..
good luck man..Billy..
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Thank you, Billy. I can really use the help.
We have all been there man, just dont frustrate yourself. It will all come right…trust me.
..Billy..
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Agree with Marty V, once you get started chasing the “perfect tone”, your journey will never cease
At some point, you might want to consider a modeling amp. With a modeling amp, you would have effects built in and you could learn how to use effect and more importantly, what effects you want. Pedals can get expensive very quickly so if you know which ones you want, you won’t be spending a lot of money trying to figure out your sound. Modelling amps range from about $100 – $600 and are great to get good tones at a volume levels that will keep you in the good graces of family & neighbors
I use Blackstar’s programmable amps, many on the forum use the Fender Mustang amps, some use the Roland Cube amps, some use Vox modeling amps, Peavey Vypyr and Line 6 amps get great reviews
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If you’re on a tight budget, then have a look around for a multi-effects pedal. Zoom, Boss, Korg, Digitech all make good pedals and you can find older pedals used for next to nothing.
These will give you all the sounds you need to start out with — they’ll usually have presets as well, so you won’t even have to fuss with the settings right out the back.
No need to replace your amp, no need to replace your guitar. All you’ll need is a second cable.
I really think that this is the best place to start, especially since you already have an amp.
Plus, multi-effects pedals are FUN!
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How to get the tone you hear others play (Santana, Jimi, BB, Gilmour, Brian) or you hear in your own head?
There’s a thousand variables and combinations: your guitar model, strings, pickup selection, volume/tone settings, your amp/settings, pedals/settings, and/or software modelling programs (Garageband, etc) not to mention your own touch – pick or fingers, etc.
So how how to navigate all these factors?
Personally, I’d start with finding your own “core tone” – a guitar/amp combo that you like, that you can then start to tweak and experiment with – maybe a dd a little reverb, or a little more (or less) Drive/Gain. Generally less is more, a little bit of effects is like salt and pepper, you don’t want too much.
There’s a few quote come to mind. An interviewer asked Santana how he got his tone, and Carlos said “give me your guitar and I’ll show you”.
David Gilmour said he could walk into any guitar store, take an axe off the wall and plug into an amp, and with a few pedals get the famous Pink FLoyd tone.
And then, my favorite, Jimi once said “you don’t need more pedals, you need more practice.”
Start small, find a nice tone that suits YOU, and then play the hell out of. And hopefully, love every minute.
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