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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... -
Top 5 Fender Tele Tone Tips
Some background before we dive into my top 5 Fender Tele tone tips: When Leo Fender introduced the Fender Telecaster, early in 1951, it was derided by some as a “boat paddle” and “snow shovel”. You may still hear modern players affectionately refer to their Telecaster as a ‘plank’. Little did Leo or anyone else realise what a monumental shift this humble electric guitar signalled for the future of... -
Top 5 Fender Strat Tone Tips
The legendary Fender Stratocaster is the electric guitar that has set the industry standard for the modern age of music since the 1950s. It is set as the face of the electric guitar through the iconic artists and songs that we have come to know. Here are my top 5 Fender Strat tone tips for your Fender Stratocaster guitar. Now, assuming you own a Strat or if you’re considering... -
Top 5 Electric Guitars
The universe of guitars can appear to be overwhelming to explore. Every guitar has a soul of its own, so it can be hard to choose when buying a new “axe”. However, there are guitars that have become staples of the music industry. Here are the top 5 electric guitars that I recommend checking out: 1. Fender Stratocaster (Bolt-On Neck) Designed in 1954 by Leo Fender, George Fullerton and... -
Funk Guitar Lesson: The Muting Technique (Part 1)
In this lesson, we’re going to work on three things: Developing your 16 note rhythmic prowess at different tempos. Feeling 16 notes to a metronome is considerably more challenging than 8th notes. The muting technique – playing all the strings without a single note or harmonic ringing out. This gives it a very percussive feel. Strumming speed (increasing tempo gradually), consistency (keeping a 16 note pulse for a long... -
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... -
Funk Guitar Lesson: ‘Get The Funk Out’
In this Funk guitar lesson, we’re going to work on playing chords and adding muted strumming in-between. This exercise is designed to help you work on getting your muted notes perfectly silent while playing your chords flawlessly too. Always make sure that there is a clear difference or contrast between your muted strumming and when you strum a chord. You need to be able to quickly switch between muted... -
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... -
Digital Guitar Tone – Part 2
In the previous article, ‘Digital Guitar Tone – Part 1‘ we spoke about how ‘going digital’ has made our lives as guitarists more convenient in many ways. We also spoke about the downside, and how some would argue that the quality of sound still isn’t on par with the traditional ‘analogue’ gear used by all the top dogs. If this were 2-5 years ago, I would have to agree....