Ok, so maybe it's not quite THAT bad, but I am certainly having troubles getting the right noises out of it.
I've been playing an acoustic for a handuful of years, and I'm not awesome but I can certainly entertain the muggles. Recently, I saw a video of some misc. guy playing the solo to bark at the moon, and aftwards I looked over at my electric and the amp and drooled.
I have a not-so-horrible, strat-like, JT electric guitar, a BrandX 75 wat amp, and a small programmable effect pedal. I've had them for awhile but rarely touch them. Basically, it looks more impressive for the girls who come over to have two, then you knock their socks off (or possibly more) with the acoustic. Anyway...
Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuh5IbF-K_0&mode=related&search=
So awesome... and I know most of those moves! I'm nowhere near that fast, but it's something to aim for. However, I can't get my electric to make that fairly typical rock sound.
And here are a couple more of the same solo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwvdmV7jtLE&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMx2aVgDJvc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA2cVotch3E
And here's one with some awesome echos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCtQkuhmJG4
How do they get their guitars to sound like that? None of my 40 preset effects sound anything like that, and I played with the options and still couldn't get anything close. At best I can describe it as a "Scrubbing" sound with high distortion and a very long hold. Sorry, my electric lingo isn't very good.
Anyway, I hope someone can let me know how to setup my electric for this sort of playing or point me to a lesson/tutorial/fact sheet about electric setups.
Thanks,
"Now people put you down for the way that you lived
But those people never knew you the way that I did
Don't be ashamed of who you were of how you died
I know you just wanted to find the brighter side..." - OPM
- Matthew
When I first started playing my electric, after playing acoustic for 2 years I really didn't like what I heard either. Now after playing for 2 more years I've pretty much dialed in my sound. The long and the short of it is you got to put in your time and get a feel for what sound your missing, change your settings ever so slightly and play again. Eventually you'll find a tone you like and you'll be able to imitate others. Just don't give up.
Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear!
ChuckNorrisFactsdotCom
+1 for what a&l is saying. You need to play with your settings till you find the sounds you like. Of course, high end equipment will help, but you should be able to get decent sounds out of your equipment.
All of those are a little different. The first two are definitely using phase, and either a heavy reverb or delay.
Probably all solos are using compression to give long sustain and even volume, and light chorus. Chorus gives a sort of doubling effect like two guitars playing the same notes, thickens up the tone.
So, try some phase, compression, distortion (of course), chorus, and delay. I have given the order I would put these effects, but experiment for yourself.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Its been said before many time here, But its worth repeating. so here it is agian....are you ready :P {insert fan fare here}.....90% of your tone is in the fingers :wink: Eric Clapton is going to sound like Clapton no mater if he is using a $5000 hand wired custom made amp or a $150 berhringer GMX 110 :D Just keep on playing!! You will develop your sound 8)
EDIT: Post some sound clips!! you probably sound a lot better than you think :wink:
I've only ever been able to be in the ballpark when it comes to imitating other's tone. I know I'm not alone. I listen to local cover bands and hear the same thing. You can copy the gear used to a and still have a difference because of your fingers like Smokindog was saying.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Many years ago ( 1981) A musician I knew ( Who was an excellent bass player that had toured with Hot Tuna back in the day) :D Told me :"Ken...Don't try to sound like anyone else but YOURSELF!!" Yes, half of these guys on this site can play circles around me, I still strive to create my own sound. I might not be there yet but I'm working on it :D --ken
I tend to agree. the tone is in the fingers. I had been having the same problem with my cheap but ok electric not sounding great so when I decided to buy a new one I made sure I got the guy at the shop to play something good on a clean setting so I could see how it sounds, not being a great player myself.
It was beautiful, I fell in love, & paid a couple $ more than I wanted to but it was worth it.
Then I get it home, plug it in & it sounds exactly like my other one- ie not good. I know it's the same guitar, I carried it out myself so I'm thinking how can he make it sound so good & I sound like I'm strangling a bad-tempered cat? I think it takes a while to get used to a new instrument especially electrics and takes a long time to get that sound out of your fingers.
Hey bigstu, Just a hunch here but if your fingers look like your avatar.....(it might be time to shave?) :D
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
