I have found the tone I always wanted!! - Just wanted to sha

carlos seo · #1 03-01-2002, 08:38 PM

Guess what? Yesterday I was sick and tired of working and I decided to play a little. I had here only my amp, my guitar and a Spectraflex cable. I plugged the guitar straight into the amp then adjusted the EQ to 50% bass, 50% mid, 100% treble and started playing some "Little Wing".
WOW! The tone I always wanted was there! Just this simple: guitar straight into the amp!

I guess I won't have to carry all my pedals around anymore! :biggrin:

Has anyone felt like this before? I mean, finding something amazing in the simplest of things?

musicdr · #2 03-01-2002, 10:12 PM

Yes,when I first held my 7vwh,it was somehow spiritual.

caprile · #3 03-02-2002, 08:50 AM

i sold all my pedals (well, 2 lol) and i actually just lower the volume pot for a semiclean sound. that's my tone. i really have to try a legacy, which supposedly is kind of designed for that.

bduersch · #4 03-02-2002, 09:12 AM

Congrats on finding your tone!! Having only recently found mine (mostly thanks to the good folks at Mesa Boogie), I know the feeling.

I was trying to explaing to one of my friends how excited I was that I found my tone, and she asked me, "Is that like finding Jesus or something?"

--B

JESTER700 · #5 03-02-2002, 09:27 AM

I found it once in high school - Kramer Pacer direct into Rockman... ;-)

Since then I've found several that I like (somehow the desire for the rockman sound diminished... ;-) but none that say to me, "this is IT, pal, you're leaving your controls HERE".

Problem is, "my tone" is such a moving target I can't seem to hit it... *I used to want to sound like Scholz; then Eddie, now I dunno...Blackmore, Tabor, Petrucci...Setzer?

I better keep my DG Stomp. *Much easier to be "sonically schizophrenic"!

carlos seo · #6 03-02-2002, 01:29 PM

Quote:

JESTER700 on 10:27 am on Mar. 2, 2002

Problem is, "my tone" is such a moving target I can't seem to hit it... *I used to want to sound like Scholz; then Eddie, now I dunno...Blackmore, Tabor, Petrucci...Setzer?

That's exactly the point where I was wrong. When I was looking for my tone, I was focused in one of these great guitar heros' tones. I didn't realize that if I sounded like EVH, it wouldn't be MY tone, but Eddie's tone! When I left this idea of searching for something like EVH or Vai, I could open my mind and let the ideas flow. And guess what? It didn't take a week for me to find my tone after that!

But that's just my opinion...

Two hands31 · #7 03-02-2002, 03:11 PM

My main problem is that I have a few tones. *:biggrin: *I listen to players that use many different amps. *A majority use Mesas, some use Marshalls, one uses Legacys (guess who this is :biggrin: ), and one, who has one of my most favorite tones, uses Matchless Super Chief stacks (a company which is out of business). *Therefore, I'm sticking with my Flextone II for now. *:biggrin: *I've found a few tones that are almost "my tone", but not perfect. *Doesn't help that I never play above bedroom volume, and have little to no cashflow at all times. *I found my clean tone, which I was really thrilled with, but have a few distortion tones: *1 for nu-metal/metal stuff (Mesa Dual Rectifier), 1 Marshall sound, 1 Matchless tone, and one kinda Vai-ish tone, that's very cool, but gets muddy when the volume's too high. *All of these still need some tweeking, but are pretty close to what my main tones are. *I've written a song or two using each of these tones. *I feel bad for liking my Mesa-ish tone, it's basically this:

Rectified2, Gain-10, Bass-10, Mid-10, Treble-10, Reverb-3, No effects, Distortion On, Presence On

I've tried other models, but prefer the Rectified2 model for this kinda sound. *I have tried other EQ settings, but this is the only one that sounded right to me. *Keeping in mind that this will most likely sound crappy when using a JEM model guitar, cuz I have a Super Distortion in my Strat. *

crossjem · #8 03-02-2002, 07:35 PM

I found my "tone" in a Yamaha DG80. *With my Jem I can get all kinds of Satriani/Vai tones and with my Strat, anything from Clapton to Malmsteen. *I think it is impossible to have "your" tone without it being made up of all of your "hearing" experiences. *Since none of us live on an island, totally surrounded by some kind of static bubble that lets nothing inside, we will always seem to reproduce something to the effect of one of our heroes. *I think that is cool. *Even when I'm playing a tab book of Clapton's, a little Satch comes through. *I can't help it. *I guess what I'm trying to say is that: *Add 1 tbsp Satch, 1 tbsp Vai, 1 tbsp Malmsteen, 1/4 cup Clapton, a pinch of Johnson and mix it in a bowl. *Cook for 1 hour and get...ME!! *:thumbsup:

JESTER700 · #9 03-02-2002, 11:04 PM

Quote:

carlos seo on 12:29 pm on Mar. 2, 2002

Quote:

JESTER700 on 10:27 am on Mar. 2, 2002

Problem is, "my tone" is such a moving target I can't seem to hit it... *I used to want to sound like Scholz; then Eddie, now I dunno...Blackmore, Tabor, Petrucci...Setzer?

That's exactly the point where I was wrong. When I was looking for my tone, I was focused in one of these great guitar heros' tones. I didn't realize that if I sounded like EVH, it wouldn't be MY tone, but Eddie's tone! When I left this idea of searching for something like EVH or Vai, I could open my mind and let the ideas flow. And guess what? It didn't take a week for me to find my tone after that!

Well, I didn't really mean I wanted to sound just like Eddie, it was just easier to write than "single hot bridge bucker thru hot rodded tube amp". *Or Tabor instead of "high gain single coil...". *I don't try to ape exact sounds, but there's a great difference in general sounds available and I can never say "THIS is my sound" because the very next day I prefer something else. *Problem is, you're as defined by what you DON'T sound like as what you DO. *So I guess I'll never have "my tone"...and that's OK.

carlos seo · #10 03-03-2002, 01:16 PM

Quote:

JESTER700 on 12:04 am on Mar. 3, 2002[br
Well, I didn't really mean I wanted to sound just like Eddie, it was just easier to write than "single hot bridge bucker thru hot rodded tube amp". *Or Tabor instead of "high gain single coil...". *I don't try to ape exact sounds, but there's a great difference in general sounds available and I can never say "THIS is my sound" because the very next day I prefer something else. *Problem is, you're as defined by what you DON'T sound like as what you DO. *So I guess I'll never have "my tone"...and that's OK.

Hey.. don't give up! Searching the perfect and unique tone will give you a lot of fun!

Carlos

nuno · #11 03-03-2002, 10:37 PM

as i always say:
LESS IS BETTER

i found MY tone just by 'keeping off', instead of 'adding on', a couple years ago.
now i play thru a TubeScreamer, just a bit, to give the sound that little bit of... you know... kinda flesh & blood...

nuno

crossjem · #12 03-04-2002, 01:03 AM

That makes a lot of sense, Nuno. *I sometimes find "myself" when all I do is plug straight in to the amp and only have a clean tube tone with a little reverb. *My particular "feeling" which is made up of emotion and energy of the day comes out in the nuances of play. *That is the tone that I like to use in the quiet of my home. *I don't know if anyone else would be interested in hearing it. *It's kind of a private tone. *But, I wax philosophical. *

*Keep searching for that elusive tone that defines you. *You'll find it!! *:thumbsup:

babahi · #13 03-04-2002, 10:10 AM

Many, many years ago I bypassed everything and plugged directly into the "input" and I said "hey, what's that sound?" I plug and play, direct. No pedals, nothing. It's all in the fingers. I will never sound like Joe or Eddie or Steve or Django. I can get pretty close, but why bother? A lot of people ask me at my gigs what I use and I show them my cable. Not even any reverb. I don't care what my equipment is, I just want to play. I will plug into any amp anybody gives me. Touring did this to me...

Polaris20 · #14 03-04-2002, 03:15 PM

I don't want to have "a" tone. I want to have many tones. That's why I have a Line6.

carlos seo · #15 03-04-2002, 04:47 PM

Quote:

nuno on 11:37 pm on Mar. 3, 2002
as i always say:
LESS IS BETTER

i found MY tone just by 'keeping off', instead of 'adding on', a couple years ago.
now i play thru a TubeScreamer, just a bit, to give the sound that little bit of... you know... kinda flesh & blood...

nuno

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm now using a TS-808 for lead boost. It works fine with my amp settings.