Guitar Tone Clinic

[Rodgre]

Hopefully this isn't totally off topic, but I'll be doing a guitar tone clinic in the Worcester MA area this Saturday. I'll be demonstrating tone, technique and creative use of effects. It will be pretty free-form, but hopefully informative.

This will be at Dynamo's records at 158 Main Street, South Grafton, MA (rt 122A) at 1PM. Free Admission.

Any suggestions from you folks about what I should discuss? I'm still putting the outline together....

Roger

[Dylan]

Why midscooping is not good.  :shock:

[Rodgre]

Why midscooping is not good.  :shock:

You don't have to tell me that, but to be perfectly uncool, for some folks, it's totally cool, and the secret to "their" guitar tone. That's one place where I'm going to have to strike a balance, and not let my personal taste and biases alienate everyone. Good tone is good tone, and bad tone is bad tone, but to some, Loveless is the ultimate guitar tone, to others it's Couldn't Stand the Weather, to others it's Blizard of Oz, and to other's it's Beano.

At some point, I will have to touch upon "metal" guitar tone (and drop tuning) and do my best with a Jazzmaster and an AC30  :lol:

Maybe I'll have to bring the Flying V just for that occasion.

I'm anticipating that the core of the audience will be younger folks from the area who haven't been exposed to anything like this, so I'm hoping I can shed some light on the basics as well as more advanced stuff (such as why an Electric Mistress sounds different from a Boss BF-2.)

Roger

[WGTP]

I think pre and POST distortion EQ is GROSSLEY under appreciated.

[Rodgre]

I think pre and POST distortion EQ is GROSSLEY under appreciated.

Great point. I was going to touch on effect order and how it affects the tone you get. I really hate it when people swear that there is a right way and a wrong order to place your effects, be it where the tone control is in a distortion circuit, where the wah pedal is placed, or where your delays and modulation effects are. In some context, it's all correct.

Roger

[gez]

If you have a jazzmaster and an AC30 you don't have to worry about metal-heads, they'll come round to your way of thinking...

[puretube]

I`d love to be there....  but...
:cry:

[bwanasonic]

Any suggestions from you folks about what I should discuss? I'm still putting the outline together....

Topic: What those little knobs on your guitar, labeled *tone* and *volume* are for  :wink:

Topic: The effect of string gauge and *action* on tone and intonation.

Topic: Right hand technique and pick/hand position tonal variations.

Topic: "I never play clean, what do I need a *clean* boost for?"

Topic: Don't believe the hype: A vintage TS808 or $400 clone will NOT make you sound like SRV.

Topic: All about off switches, or " My Mega-Gonzo-Hyper distortion hisses like crazy when I stop playing- what should I do?"

Topic: "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" (practice, man, practice!)


Kerry M

[Rodgre]

Kerry, you should come!

I'd love to meet any other stompbox folks there!!!!!

Roger

[BDuguay]

Um... ah... so just what is the difference between an Electric Mistress and a Boss BF-2?

Brian
Former owner of a BF-2, current owner of an Electric Mistress

[Rodgre]

Um... ah... so just what is the difference between an Electric Mistress and a Boss BF-2?

Brian
Former owner of a BF-2, current owner of an Electric Mistress

Simple

One is purple and one is silver and green.



Also, their modulation waveforms are pretty different, giving the Mistress a more bendy, out of tune flange, whereas the Boss is a little more smooth. I prefer the Mistress. it's got a unique tone and does better chorusey flange effects, but I've gotten great effects from the Boss too.

Roger

[AL]

I have a thought for whatever it's worth. It seems that a lot of players are always concerned with the next amp or guitar - I understand that too a point but I think you need to learn to work what you have. If you go out and buy a new amp/guitar every 3 months you will never have "the sound" because you're too busy trying to figure out how your equipment works. Just a thought.

AL

[donald stringer]

What I am entirely interested in is creative use of delays ..say for an u2 type tone reverbs. What is the secret to eric johnsons tone besides his wealth of talent. I have got his books cds but if I could a little of that out of this world big tone in a small space that would be a good start. If I were in the area I would def. be there.

[Ge_Whiz]

1. What AL said.

2. Why digital multi-effects are good for bedroom, not so good for stage.

3. How to get a good stage sound.

[black mariah]

I'd say it depends *COMPLETELY* on your audience. If you have a room full of country players, explaining to them what a scooped thrash tone is would take more time than explaining why it's bad.  :lol:

Personally, I'd go with a more generic 'This is how tone is made' clinic. Some good topics would be how woods produce the tones they do (it's not how most people think), how string gauge effects tone, why your amp sounds different anytime you change what room your amp is in (most people just don't get this)... whatever comes up, basically. You'll probably find that once you get into it, whatever plans you had will go flying out the window as you think of other things on the fly.

[smoguzbenjamin]

Here's a few:

Why DIYing effects is useful and handy.
Why a 20W amplifier isn't twice as loud as a 10W amp.
Why the exact same rig will still not sound like the same guy.[/list:u]

[Joe Hart]

Black Mariah, why do different woods sound different (you said it's not what I think)?

Back to the topic at hand, how about the fact that changing one element changes how other pieces of the puzzle fit together? Does that make sense? Like brighter pickups is not the same as turning up the treble.

-Joe Hart

[David]

Hey, how about discussing the fact that effects will not react the same to humbucking pickups as they will to single coils?