DAN HOOD

Guitar Tone 101

Jun 3, 2009 Blogroll, Charlotte Music, Guitar, Guitar Gear, Threshold Church, Worship, Worship Leader
Posted by admin

I am going to start a series of posts on guitar tone. As a guitar teacher, I am asked regularly on what pedals, amps, and guitars to buy that sound good, and also how to set everything up… These will eventually lead to some type of workshop, but for now the thoughts will live here.

What is good tone?

Acoustic guitars need to sound like acoustic guitars and Electrics need to complement the sound of the band. Electric guitar tone is a very subjective thing. Some guys actually like shrill, piercing, thin tone. The audience, I have found, tend to be a bit more particular. “Round” sounds that don’t interfere with the vocals tend to work out the best, in my experience.

So, the path to guitar tone has to start somewhere right?

PRACTICE!

Yes, that is first. More particularly, You have to develop “touch”. Touch is how the instrument is played, or the interaction between the fingers and the strings and wood and pickups. Practice away from effects. Practice without an amp even. Learn to get different sounds from just where and how you play the guitar. You can pick closer to the bridge for a stronger attack and more “aggressive” tone, or closer to the neck for rounder, softer sounds. The possibilities are endless. Practice playing rhythm on one string. Make that one string hold the song together. Learn to listen to yourself.
The best learning experience I had early in my guitar playing, was going into a studio to record my first CD, and being asked to turn off the reverb. I had to learn quick how to play with convincing rhythm. We added reverb later, but I learned to get the sounds I wanted without it.

So, Step 1. PRACTICE!