Achieving An Icon's Tone,et al.

[Gstring]

As I read the replies to getting Jimmy Page's tone,but try Brian May's, Stevie Ray Vaughn,even Slash it is a difficult thing to accomplish.A lot of it has to do with the fret's and fingers-I don't know about the other readers, when I try I still sound like myself even with the requisite equiptment as they used.

[1wahfreak]

You are exactly right. No matter how many pedals you put in front of you to sound like a certain individual, it ultimately sounds like you. Stevie Ray would sound like Stevie Ray even playing though my set up and i would sound like me playing through his set up. Don't for get it takes years to refine a personal sound. People like Brian May and SRV have $50,000 in amps with technicians to tweak them and every available guitar and effect at their disposal. While you may get close in tone, it mostly comes down to techinque and note choice to ultimately "sound" like your favorite geetar idol. Sometimes this hobby can be frustrating in the fact that I forget to actually practice playing the guitar!! The magic happens when you build a effect that matches your playing style. You get a great pedal that makes you sound like you, only better!  

[smoguzbenjamin]

Wah pedals

[Rodgre]

I believe it's 99% fingers, and 1% gear.

I get really irritated by all the people out there who are desparate to get "so and so's" sound. I love a lot of guitar players' tones as well, and I'll even buy gear because I love their tone, but I know full well that I will always sound like myself through them.

There are also folks who are good chameleons. They can cop other guitar players' tones by just how they play. I know some great guitar players who can pull out a Jeff Beck riff that sounds authentic, and then play something else that sounds like Daniel Lanois. Etc. They can do all that, and when they are playing their own thing, they sound like themselves.

I run a studio. My job depends on getting good guitar tones. It amazes me how different everyone is. I can plug in the bass player's rig, set it up, play  it and tweak it until I think it sounds good. Then they play the bass, and it sounds TOTALLY different. It's all in the fingers.

I bet if SRV (nothing against him at all, but he and his tone are the ultimate cliche in blues guitar player's wanting someone's tone...How about Bloomfield for a change?) played a Les Paul through a Vox, he'd still manage to sound like SRV. You're not going to sound like him just because you play an SRV strat into a TS-808 into a Vibroverb with a 15".



Roger

[smoguzbenjamin]

Maybe people should start worrying about developing their own sound instead of worrying on how other people get their sound... Or something like that :? I'm not making sense today... What he said... :roll:

[Kilby]

I agree with trying to sound like yourself (though it would be nicer for everybody concerned if I sounded like just about anybody else).

However (don't ya just hate that word).

However I have to say that certain tracks caused me to want to start playing (rather than being a listener), and for me it was the tracks such as 8 miles high, See Emily Play, Another Brick, Voodoo Chile, You really got me, etc.

Many of those tracks inspired me not for the fretboard gymanstics but for the sounds and tones they just sounded like nothing else on earth.

However even with all the effects in the world you won't even get close unless you pay attention to how it's played.

Lets face it we don't need much else other than echo, distortion, phasing and a little boost, but it sure is fun having all those boxes to play with.

Hendrix with a danelectro and a 5 watt practice amp would still sound like hendrix.

Rob...

[petemoore]

I try to limit 'junk buys'
 Junk: could be considered anything that is lesser.
 I found out that even something 'pretty good' in the face of something 'better', tends to not get used...therefore to me, an item like that functionally becomes garbage, junk, or soemthing that needs to be liquidated.
  I think many of the 'Icons' with those finely tuned rigs started out with a great amp...and developed from there.
 As an alternate theory to 'Mimic' theory, [trying for say SRV tone perfection, which may or may not work for me]...
 I decided to go for the 'find it' theory...which is more of a start with the finest stuff you can get your hands on and see what you can get going.
 All these amps, speakers, guitars etc sound different, [many components 'change', wear out, need replaced etc.]...what remains as a constant that can be calculated is quility...by A/Bing.
 Watching bands re-create these tones of past [Like on that Rolling stones Video] using Mesa, Marshall, Soldano, Fender, Vox, etc amps,...wide pallete of guitars...
 So...taking pages from my perception of Icon tone finding, and drawing my theory: Go for the highest quility components you can get, work with them, and you'll be finding the tones you can get and use...using other professionals experiences to choose what you attain [equipment], is usually a good idea...in my case that would be old style tube amps and speakers [but vintage re-issue electricals...I'm not into old dirty pots, connectors, baked amps etc]...or some modern facsimilies [as long as the signal path IS all tubes and the quality is the BEST ...A/B wise]...I would add to NOT let someone elses past choices be the final determining factor on your choices...things change ya know...

[petemoore]

If you to after that tone...you're talking alot of 'alternate' engineering from what I've read.
 The [famous] twin [all this is from what I've seen/read, don't believe all you read etc] that he used wasn't really a 'normal' Twin Reverb...it had eztra transformer, was setup for very clean with way more power than a twin, and used [I forget exactly] 'clean reproduction' type huge power handling speakers.
  Playing at levels that required earplugs, with so many amps in a room they had to shield the amps individually with metal cages...engineers were brought in to find out why the squealing woul not subsist...and determined that it was caused by MICROWAVE emissions from all the amps pumping out electrons...don't try this at home.
  Even if you could get every note to sound EXACTLY like the live shows [do you want the stage sound or that of the room?]...or the doctored' recordings of them...or the studio sounds...it STILL wouldn't be as much fun as 'He' was having...you have to find your own sounds and songs to be having that much fun.
  Using what others achieved as guidelines is cool but you're likely missing 'Your' boat [of tones  by chasing that [ever elusive?] other guys tone.
  I think even if one attained every schematic and component of what a given Icon  used...and meticulously re-created it, it still wouldn't be exactly the same...

[Doug H]

Maybe people should start worrying about developing their own sound instead of worrying on how other people get their sound... Or something like that :? I'm not making sense today... What he said... :roll:

No, that makes a lot of sense.

The whole point of all this IMO is to give you sounds that inspire you to play better and develop your skills. I understand being inspired by other peoples' sounds and learning how they get them. I don't understand getting so clinical about it that you forget what you are all about.

As in all things, moderation is the key, IMO...

Doug

[smoguzbenjamin]

Well, I guess playing guitar is a lot more fun if you sound really cool instead of kinda cool :mrgreen: I love the LPB because it sparks up my guitar and it just sounds better. After I built the LPB into my guitar, I played a whole lot more. Cool! You're right Doug!

Tone for everyone!

[Bill_F]

I think that learning how to get another's tone is good for education purposes. How to use distortion, reverb, phasing etc. by those who know what their doing. Its definitely not the final destination though, that should be our own sound. Hopefully something that inspires others like we've been inspired ourselves.
I think its part of the same process we take in learning how to play. We start by copping others licks. Eventually we find that were playing our own.

Just my opinion,
Bill

[petemoore]

For reference, famous recorded tones make for interesting discussion.
 I've always used recordings of various guitar players as a standard for what I'm looking for in that tone 'zone'.
 Say early Stones guitar sounds...very basic sounding, but beautiful IMO, and seemingly very hard to nail without a VOX [what AC30 TB?]...I don't have one of those so I do well with my Tube amp and booster.
 Say JH FF type sounds...well those I can get pretty darn great...SCoils>Mosfet Booster>GE FF>Reverb/echo[probably the 'digiweakpoint']> MkII 50w Re-issue.
  I'm glad to have a FF that works so fantastic. The Mosfet pushing the Tube amp is awesome. I throw in an OD like TS or Dist+ for more generic rock OD stuff...with two basic gain stages above clean [clean is Mosfet on] [one of those being the highly variable FF at guitar volume], I can get 'happy Fuzz" and/or Agressivimean Fuzz..and pretty much everything inbetween...fairly close.

 Pretty darn close and likable has become a very usable compromise.
 The fact of wiring, switching, debugging, cabling, etc etc various amps, speakers and complex dedicated patches for each tone [like the 'big boys' do] say where throwing one switch takes you from Boost with echoverb // to heavy Boosted Fuzz with wha wah and long echo, and having numerous switching options such as this...too much for yer basic 'gigger'.
 I think using these famous recorded tones as a 'reference barometer' is especially useful...for finding what you 'like from what you can GET...using the experiences and ckts that others have 'tried and tested' and for trying to use words to dexcribe tonal characteristics...
  Nothing 'wrong' with going overboard chasing a particular tone...if you have BUX you can probably find 'sound type X' or something you really like that is very close to 'sound type Y'...if you get the 'best' or top quality components [to use..amps speakers being two BIG influences in tone] whatever it is...I think I would like it 'better'.
  I find it is easy to identify a 'great' peice, when it's A/b'd against a 'good' piece of equipment

[aron]

I think that learning how to get another's tone is good for education purposes. How to use distortion, reverb, phasing etc. by those who know what their doing.

Good points!

Most people start out trying to emulate a sound/feel etc... It's natural to move on at some point for most people.