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Top 5 Tone Tips For Improving Your Tone
Acolytes of Tone, gather round, as I share with you my top 5 tone tips for improving your tone! Let me preface this, however, with a disclaimer: tone is, by its very nature, a very subjective thing. Often, tonal differences come down to the individual player’s personal taste. Don’t stone me for my suggestions, rather let your ears guide you and go with what makes you want to pick... -
Guitar Effects Buzzwords Volume 3: All Analogue
The ‘Golden Age’ of guitar effects you say? Sounds fantastic! Anything I should know about, any words of caution? Well, yes, actually. Digital or all analogue? Don’t fall for the hype. Be informed regarding ‘the latest and the greatest’ trend. Know what the buzzwords are all about. The following for your edification: “All Analogue’ – What is all the fuss about? Surely we live among the wonders and... -
Guitar Effects Buzzwords Volume 2: True Bypass
This time we look at the concept of ‘true bypass’. Do you have it? Do you need it? Will it make you sound better, and therefore play better? As I’ve mentioned before, the ‘Golden Age’ of guitar effects we find ourselves in can have some accompanying pitfalls, one of which is deciphering the buzzwords that appear to be ‘all the rage’, and not falling for something that may simply... -
Guitar Effects Buzzwords Volume 1: Transparent
I’m not the first to say it: we are living in a ‘Golden Age’ of guitar effects. The boom in the guitar industry, perhaps coupled with the Internet and social media platforms like YouTube, has us spoiled for choice when it comes to effects pedals of all sizes, shapes, and functions. This plethora of effects covers a wide price range and we are seeing more and more small boutique... -
Top 5 Useful Guitar Gadgets
We’ve put together a list of guitar gadgets that we find most useful. We think that every guitarist needs to either own one or at least try it out once in their lifetime. You might just find something you fall in love with and can never live without again! Here they are below: The EBow This little beauty allows you to create a sound on your guitar that you... -
Digital Guitar Tone – Part 1
The music industry is one of the main industries that are taking full advantage of the latest advances in technology with digital guitar tone. There have been massive amounts of debates about digital amps and if they can compete with the top analogue amps out there. Even though these opinions on tone can differ, this article aims to point out the undeniable advantages that digital amplification has over analogue... -
Top 8 Guitar Amps & Songs That Made Them Famous
This is our list of the top 8 guitar amps and the songs that made them famous: Marshall Super Lead #1959 Song: Running With The Devil Artist: Eddie Van Halen With the release of Van Halen I in 1978, they changed the world of rock forever. Edward Van Halen hit the scene with a new guitar sound that was so fast and furious, no one had ever heard anything... -
Crunch Guitar Sounds
Crunch guitar tones are now part and parcel of the pantheon of recorded rock guitar. Everyone loves the sound of an electric guitar that screams! From the earliest rock ‘n’ roll recordings, where amplifier speakers were torn on the way to the recording. This results in a clipping and distorted sound EG: Rocket 88. To the early recordings with effects pedals that ‘distort’ or crunch the guitar sound like... -
Digital and the Future of Guitar
There’s no doubt the influence of digital has been huge in the music world in the past decade. However, being performance specific (with the exclusion of digital album sales and the music business), the guitar has evolved due to this influence. The question is: where will guitar performance be in the next 30 to 50 years? In the words of Peter Kirn, in his article discussing digital guitar equipment,... -
Pedal Signal Chain
Is there a correct sequence in regarding a pedal signal chain? Which order should your pedals go in? The answer to this question is not a quick YES or NO. Many masters of the guitar have broken all the rules in particular sonic contexts to come up with awesome, original sounds. However, there are some very helpful guidelines and hints that have been established by guitarists and sonic gearhounds,...
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