I, like many others, own various effects that allow you to dial in your tone. When I set my tone, I usually use my EQ pedal to cut the mids like a lot hard rockers do. But when it comes to setting up my eq for anything else I'm LOST! Maybe someone here may have some more insight on setting up an EQ for diffent tones.
Example. ( in three band cause I'm lazy)
When I'm playing TooL for instance, I use something like Bass:6 Mid:1 Treble:7
Then I try to play something like Lynyrd Skynyrd and it sounds all wrong, obviously. And the problem is I don't know what to do about it.
ps. I know playing through a boss metal zone doesn't help when trying to emulate clasic rock so anything on that would be appreciated too.
Well, for heavy Metal, the "scooped" Mids tone is very popular. This is especially good when playing power chords and getting heavy palm mute chug.
But this setting is not usually good at all for a lead solo. Many times you can barely hear a solo played in this setting. For a lead solo that will be heard through the mix of all instruments you need LOTS OF MIDS.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is basically Blues guitar. They have their Mids turned way up.
You just have to experiment with tones. On my HRD I used to set Bass around 4, Mids all the way up to 12, and Highs around 6 1/2-7. I used those settings for a long time. Now I am in a band that plays heavier type tones (Black Sabbath, Cream), and so I have come way down on the Mids to about 5. I mostly play rhythm guitar so this gets me a heavy tone. I still keep Bass around 4 as the HRD really pumps Bass, and Highs around 5-6. I turn Presence way up though, this gets me a Marshall type Crunch. I use the Bright switch too.
You might try setting your amp for heavy rhythm tones with the scooped Mids. Then, if you have an EQ pedal, turn Volume up for a boost, and boost your Mids up too. When it's time to solo just step on the EQ. You will get a solo that will cut like a knife. :twisted:
As far as your Boss pedal, try turning Gain all the way down and then turn the Volume up. The problem is that a lot of these Metal pedals still have way too much gain even at the lowest settings. Try getting an Overdrive or Blues pedal for tones like LS.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Thanks wes, for the information concerning the mids and solos. Thats what I was really wanting to hear more so than how to mimic a particular band. I've never really seen a thread where people talk about how they set up their EQ and why they choose those settings. I.E. using mids for the solos.
:lol:
MisterJog
I forgot to welcome you to GuitarNoise.
So, welcome to GuitarNoise. :D
Yep, a really great guitarist told me once you gotta have lots of mids. And this guy had awesome tone when he played. But he was pretty much a straight Blues player. He also would turn his amp up unbelieveably loud, but then turn his guitar volume down. On solos he would just go up on his guitar volume. This is the old fashioned way early electric guitarists played.
But it really works and sounds awesome.
Here is an article you will probably enjoy.
http://www.bn23.com/channels/Music/turn-it-up-.html
Once again, welcome. Hang around, we have lots of fun here.
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Here's what I'm talkin' about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4xhS3dPTdk&mode=related&search=
Some find it hard to play without a distortion pedal. But if you really wanna hear some great guitar, crank up you amp real loud. Turn up those mids. Let the amp distort on its own. This is the types of tones you'll hear. And man, live, this sounds better than Metal. 8)
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I love the way he adjusts the volume on his amp - no wimpy sound engineers for Albert :lol: :lol:
I bet that concert sounded far better live, than the recording would indicate.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
Yeah I played just my compressor and eq with high mids and I did get that crisp blues type sound. Nice trick! But don't turn on your metal zone on when you do that unless you like painful feedback. Maybe I need a different distortion/overdrive pedal for that kind of sound. Any suggestions?
Wes, I just copied your bass, mid, treble suggestions into a Word file for the days I'm not liking my sound. I use a lot of mids for most songs and I don't know why.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Good advice Wes. Sometimes I just get LOST trying to find the right tone. Your suggestions should help a bit.
Dennis and ColoradoFenderBender
Thanks for the compliments, but I'm just like you, I am always searching for that perfect tone. I know that Joe "Forrok Star" means when he talks about his lifelong "quest for tone". It is really difficult to make a guitar sound great. And specific tone settings on one song do not always work for another.
I have really been working on tone a lot myself lately in my band. I mostly play rhythm guitar, and it is difficult to find that range of frequency where I am not buried by the bass or our lead guitarist.
We play a lot of old but heavy classic Rock like Black Sabbath and Cream. So you want a very heavy tone with lots of bottom end. But if I go too low on tone I get buried by the bass. It's like my rhythm guitar just disappears although it is very loud. And our lead guitarist plays very loud with lots of Lows and Mids. This leaves me the high frequencies, but this type of tone does not sound right with the music we play. If I use higher tones it sounds harsh and tinny, and even weak compared to the other instuments. Our drummer also plays very hard and has a great Rock type sounding kit. So twangy Strat or Tele like tones do not work at all.
I wrote on another post about Eric Clapton's famous "woman tone". To me, this is the ultimate Rock tone. I still love the sounds of Eric Clapton with Cream more than any other Rock guitar tone I've ever heard.
I know how to get this tone, and have been using it very successfully lately. But a lot of it has to do with playing your amp very loud. But with these tone settings it does not sound so loud.
The true woman tone you are supposed to turn all tone controls, Lows, Mids, and Highs to max. Then you turn the tone control on your guitar all the way down (bass). Now at low volumes this does not sound very good at all. It is very muffled sounding. But when you get your amp volume up the highs come out nicely. I also use a Marshall modeler on my Zoom GFX-1 and only about 50% gain. I am going for that famous Marshall crunch tone. It is best to use the Bridge or Neck pickup positions for this tone, but I have discovered the Bridge/Middle pickup position works exceptionally well too. I have read this was EC's favorite pickup position on a Strat. This position will normally make a Strat sound a lot like a Tele, very tight and kinda twangy. But with the tone turned all the way down you get a very tight bottom end. The highs come out real well but are not harsh or twangy sounding at all.
Luckily for me my band plays really loud. I tried to get these guys to come down a long time ago, but it is never going to happen. But for this tone I need volume. I crank my amp really loud, but it is not blaring sounding because of the low guitar tone setting. If I turn tone up it is blasting loud.
Anyway, kinda rambling here, but I have finally found a tone that squeezes in between the bass and lead guitar. I can be heard clearly now, and the tone is pretty awesome if I say so myself.
So, I don't know all that much about this stuff, I just turn knobs and listen. I am still searching for those perfect tones like everyone else.
If anybody is confused by this, here is a great example of the tone I am going for. I am going for a "live" guitar tone. This is not something for recordings, it is a tone that kicks your you-know-what live. You have to be there in person to truly appreciate this tone. So here is Eric Claptons famous "woman tone".
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wow, Wes, I feel enlightened. That was a clinic on tone. Trust me, your suggestions will be put to good use!
xg5a
Thanks, but that is just a tone I like for Rock music, others may hate it completely.
Lots of folks love Eddie Van Halen's tone, I cannot stand it. So everybody has their own tastes and opinion about what great tone is. I like pretty basic overdriven guitar tones myself, some folks love lots of heavy effects.
But it is fun talking about various tone settings. :D
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I usually boost the mids and highs with minimal bass (as to not seem weak sounding), these settings on my JCM800 give me a very focused sound with my tone control turned down and can usually give me a nice clean sound if I drop the volume. I dont lose highend cause of the treble bleeds installed in all my guitars volume controls. So I can get an almost acoustic like clean sound or that nice gain drenched sabbath / cream / zep tone. Not to mention setting up a EQ pedal to drop the mids and trim the highs for that superior Zakk Wylde tone!
hope this helps some.
GN's resident learning sponge, show me a little and I will soak it up.
OK, so at the gig tonight, I had my mids up way more than usual, and my solos cut through a whole lot better! Thanks for the help, Wes!
Thanks Wes, I will try that out asap 8) BTW i read in a recent interview with Johny Winter that he turns his treble to 10 and bass and mids all the way down on his amp. --the dog
