Equalization and YOU?

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!

xg5a

Glad to hear that. First, I am no expert on tone, as I wrote, I just turn knobs and try to find those perfect tones like everyone else. And what I like may not be what you like at all.

There is a big difference between playing by yourself at home and playing in a band situation. At home you want those truly "heavy" tones, so you crank bass way up and mids down. And this sounds great. But if you use these same settings at a gig you will completely get buried by your bass player. You can have your amp cranked high and barely be able to hear your guitar at all.

So, you gotta let the bass player have the low end. That is what he (or she) is there for. You want to find a tone a little above the bass. Then you will hear both.

Recordings fool people a lot. Many times the guitar sounds really heavy, but it is the bass guitar you are hearing. If you were to isolate the guitar you would find it is not nearly so bassy as you thought. And this is what you have to go for in a live situation. Listen to Slash. He sounds pretty heavy, but if you really listen carefully, he does not have huge bass in his tone. In fact, Slash substituted the stock Celestion G12T-75 speakers in his Marshall cabs with Celestion Vintage 30s. The G12T is known for having big bass, subdued mids, and piercing highs. This is the classic Marshall "scooped" mids tone. But the Vintage 30 is known for having attenuated or subdued bass and highs and big mids. And the Vintage 30 has always been a big favorite for lead guitarists. This speaker has a very smooth, creamy, and pleasing tone that really cuts through the mix. Slash recognizes this and this is where his great lead tone comes from. He lets the bass do it's job and supply the heavy bottom end.

So let the bass player put the heavy thump in your music. Find a tone that works with your bass player to make a truly heavy sound.

Smokindog

Yeah, Johnny Winters and many other Blues players use lots of mids and highs. I think it is Albert King who was known for his "icepick" tone. That stuff sounds great. You will absolutely hear it at all times.

Very interesting. I play piano sometimes, too, and I have a digital piano. I've found that the key to cutting through when playing rhythm is to turn up the higs and lows. Too much mids on the piano creates mud. So I guess this theory holds true for other insturments besides guitar.