How to Get Great Guitar Tone (for beginners!)

[brianlarsen]

I no longer feel it … Am I

1. cured?
2. in remission?
3. dead?

[DarrellW]

You’ve missed one out which is the most likely option:
4) In denial.

[Jamolay]

@brianlarsen

I no longer feel it … Am I

1. cured?
2. in remission?
3. dead?

I would simply like to point out this thread from all of 2 weeks ago.

NGD - The Arrival

The other week I was expounding how fiddling with my amp led me to question the need to ever buy another pedal or indeed guitar for that matter. Well now, I can report an interesting follow-up study reveals that GAS does indeed trump well-reasoned arguments and rational thought. Less than 12 hours after @DarrellW pointed out a nice guitar, I had already hit the buy button for my birthday. It arrived today The I could not find any faults with it, despite being B-stock. I like the (…

Apparently, you are not dead, Brian. You are just in a short lull.

[brianlarsen]

(+ the characters)

[Richard_close2u]

Brian got a NGD on the boil and I missed it!
Say what?

[brianlarsen]

I’m a big boy now, Richard and have shed my trainer wheels NGD. (I blame @DarrellW )
If you tune in next week I’ll give it a spin at the OM.
btw. are you up for playing? I’m happy to donate 5 min of my banter time.
I’m sure Toby would slot you in.
I don’t mind which one is the warmup act

[edselh]

I hate to be that guy, but filtertrons are humbuckers. They have the same basic layout as Gibson PAF’s

[Jtroutt19]

Has anyone ever used flatwound strings? I used them on my electric when I had it and I loved them.

On an acoustical note, I had to use a custom set to get the right sound. If I used lights the small e string would ring out so loud it almost drowned out my bass and mids.

[Jozsef]

I’m using a set of D’Addario EHR310 10-46 half-rounds on my Epiphone Casino and while they are comfortable to play, the low E string sounds a tad duller than the rest of the set. It’s the 2nd set like this where I noticed this, so I guess it’s normal, but also quite strange. However, as I’m not hell-bent on having a token hollow-body jazz guitar tone, I’ll switch back to normal roundwound strings (most likely Rotosound 10-46 Roto Yellows) at the upcoming string change.

[Stuartw]

Well I have to say that this lesson has been a bit of an eye opener for me. The bit about having all knobs on 10 as the default has just changed things no end. OK so I have to compensate by turning the amp volume down but the guitar just sounds different. I use to keep the volume down on the guitar and up on the amp!

[Stuartw]

Also this lesson should be in Grade 1 not 3!

[CT]

Once again, Justin for the win!

This lesson is more “Foundational” than “Beginner” to be honest. A lot of value here regardless of your skill level.

[oztelemann]

@Stuartw

The bit about having all knobs on 10 as the default has just changed things no end.

I don’t really understand that. What happens if you are playing and want to boost the volume at some point. Say you are looping and want to record a rhythm backing, then increase the volume for a lead loop.

[sequences]

@oztelemann

then increase the volume for a lead loop

I have the same thought. I really understand the idea of keeping the guitar volume as high as you can. this places the guitar signal well above the hum and hiss of the cabling, amp, pedals, etc. This is just good signal chain design.

I tend to keep my volume just under max so I have some headroom to add more if I want. How far tends to depend a little on the guitar, amp, and other stuff I may have in the chain, but I rarely keep the guitar totally maxxed out. Having headroom is just good planning for imperfect situations that are always going to happen.

[Stuartw]

@oztelemann

I don’t really understand that. What happens if you are playing and want to boost the volume at some point. Say you are looping and want to record a rhythm backing, then increase the volume for a lead loop.

You are asking the wrong person and to be honest I’ve no idea!! Perhaps Justin or one of the AT’s can explain. I’m just going by what it says in the lesson.

[oztelemann]

@sequences

I really understand the idea of keeping the guitar volume as high as you can. this places the guitar signal well above the hum and hiss of the cabling, amp, pedals, etc.

That’s a good point. Hadn’t considered that.

@sequences

I tend to keep my volume just under max so I have some headroom

Yes, I think I will be doing the same.

[Majik]

@oztelemann

I don’t really understand that. What happens if you are playing and want to boost the volume at some point.

That’s a common thing that many more advanced guitar players do.

But this is a grade 3 lesson. If you are new to amps and setting them up, there’s enough to think about without worrying about the guitar controls as well (which can vary somewhat with different guitars).

I think this lesson is about getting some basics under your belt, leaving more complicated stuff for later.

Cheers,

Keith

[Richard_close2u]

@Stuartw

The bit about having all knobs on 10 as the default

Justin only suggests a default of full for the tone control, not the volume.
See highlighted sections.

[oztelemann]

I hadn’t actually read the notes, but at about 18:30 on the video he says

If I’m doing a workshop and someone gets up to play, the first thing I do is volume on 10, tone on 10… just make sure that that’s a kind of good default setting … you definitely should learn to experiment with all of those things, but as a general setting that’s probably where you want to start…

I think that is what stuck in my head. But he also talks about reducing volume to clean up the sound, so obviously it is something that needs to be tweaked to suit.

[Stuartw]

@Richard_close2u

Justin only suggests a default of full for the tone control, not the volume.

Strangely I hadn’t read the notes but watched the video first but as @oztelemann says it’s in the video about the volume knob. As others have noted reducing the volume does give some flexibility.