When contemplating the importance of tone, there are a number of predictable yet valid responses. Thinking more globally (about the band and or your audience) one might intuitively recognize that good tone contributes to how good the band sounds. It ideally allows your playing to be heard in the mix without being overly loud or obnoxious and when playing covers, can help those songs come across as more convincing or authentic thereby increasing your credibility with the audience. In many cases, its actually tone that can make or break a song, yet the casual listener wouldn't even realize it. Something that might sometimes be overlooked or misunderstood by others is that to a guitar player, better tone makes you a better player. Guitar tone is important to the guitar player even if nobody else cares or appreciates it, and they often don't. Here's a common scenario to support my claim:
As a gigging musician, I cannot tell you how many times I've played in bands where the drummer doesn't know how to tune his drums or when his heads need to be replaced. Or when the bass player is playing through some old muddy-sounding rig and hasn't changes his strings in a year and doesn't realize that even a bass needs to be intonated every once in a while. And what takes the cake is that the vast majority of gigs, house sound or hired, results in the sound man spending all of two minutes sticking an old 57 in front of your amp (usually in the wrong position relative to the speaker), getting a level and then doing absolutely nothing to attempt to ensure that the tone coming out of the FOH/PA system is anything close to the tone coming from your amp. You're lucky if your leads are even heard throughout the night, yet your use of a boost to ensure that they are invariably irritates that same sound man. Yet with all of those things working against you, you envelop yourself in your own sound in your own space on stage, and hearing what's coming out of your rig is what inspires you to new heights, or limits you to mediocrity. Heck, your clean boost isn't even really intended to goose your signal through the sound system as much as it ensures that YOU hear it and offers you that little bit of additional gain and sustain that allows the seamless connection of mind to hands to guitar to amp and back. It's great tone that can ultimately lead to your very best playing.
Guitarists are some of the most tormented by G.A.S., or Gear Acquisition Syndrome. We're always looking for that piece of equipment that will bring our sound and ultimately our playing to a new level. And while generally I agree that practice is important, if you're not sounding good, you're probably not playing to your potential. Heck just the other night I was playing a gig and had a 12AX7 preamp tube go south on me. I basically had no clean tone and you guessed it, not only did the clean parts not sound right tonaly, but I could tell that the alteration of my clean sound negatively impacted my ability to play those parts as well as I normally would have. It neither sounded not felt right and it was a fight all night to get through those parts. Just look at any field and you'll find professionals that need the appropriate tools to help them achieve their best work.
As a guitar player, you should be spending a lot of time finding tone that inspires you; and remember that tone comes from both your equipment as well as your hands. Its not necessarily about copying the sound of others as it is finding something that inspires you, and when you find that you will also find that even your covers songs become more convincing. With the right tone and technique (the hands piece of the tone equation), you can cover those high gain triple rectifier songs on a Marshall rig just fine; or even with a decent distortion pedal in front of your favorite clean amp. I'll go out on a limb here to and say that while I am fortunate enough to have some very high-end gear, I believe it is possible to get good tone out of some of the most modest even digital gear (because I have done so), but more on that in a future post. Certainly there are no rules about what should or should not inspire you.
When you do find the right tone, you'll get even more satisfaction out of playing guitar, and will be playing better than ever before. If there's anything I can do to help you get there, than post a comment and I'll do my best to try!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Visual Sound H20: Possibly the very best deal in a chorus and delay pedal
I've been through a lot of gear over the years, yet there are some pieces of equipment that I have purchased and sold only to re-purchase because, come to find out, the item I let go really was the best of its kind. One example of this is the Visual Sound H20. I owned the original version, traded it, then purchased the V2 and sold that, then recently purchased another V2 because it served a number of purposes better than any other competitive pedal I could find, and I looked very hard. Here's what I mean:
Chorus
My primary use of the H20 is Chorus. I wanted an analog chorus, which it is, but got into the True Bypass craze and insisted on a TB chorus pedal. After agonizing over what the best choice would be I went with the Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus. This pedal is a truly great Boss CE-1 clone with wonderful chorus and vibe effects on a clean guitar, but put an overdrive pedal in front of it, even a very high quality one like my Xotic Effects BB+, and the pedal became un-usable; significant volume boost and just overall non articulate sound. So remembering that the only chorus pedal I ever really liked after a drive pedal was the H20, I then contemplated TB versus buffered, because the H20 is a buffered pedal (not True Bypass). Suffice it to say however that as a chorus pedal, the H20 is analog, appropriately warm yet transparent and extremely versatile; very tweakable to virtually any chorus effect you could be after. It doesn't boost your volume and remains intelligible even after drive and distortion pedals.
Delay
Even if you are looking at the H20 as a chorus pedal, it is equally as good as a delay pedal. Where the chorus side is analog, the delay side is a digital/analog hybrid bringing the best of both worlds; the warmth of an analog delay with the longer delay times available only in digital units along with a certain clarity that is not overly sterile like some very high end digital units I've owned in the past.
So in summary, whether you are looking for a top notch chorus pedal, a top notch delay pedal or both, you really should put the Visual Sound H20 on your list. The fact that it's not hand made in America by our industry's most elite boutiques should not necessarily dissuade you. It even has printed circuit boards inside, oh no! ;-) Try it and I think you might just agree. And to add a little more controversy to this post, the True Bypass thing isn't always all its cracked up to be. It has its place, but that doesn't mean its place is everywhere all the time!
Chorus
My primary use of the H20 is Chorus. I wanted an analog chorus, which it is, but got into the True Bypass craze and insisted on a TB chorus pedal. After agonizing over what the best choice would be I went with the Voodoo Lab Analog Chorus. This pedal is a truly great Boss CE-1 clone with wonderful chorus and vibe effects on a clean guitar, but put an overdrive pedal in front of it, even a very high quality one like my Xotic Effects BB+, and the pedal became un-usable; significant volume boost and just overall non articulate sound. So remembering that the only chorus pedal I ever really liked after a drive pedal was the H20, I then contemplated TB versus buffered, because the H20 is a buffered pedal (not True Bypass). Suffice it to say however that as a chorus pedal, the H20 is analog, appropriately warm yet transparent and extremely versatile; very tweakable to virtually any chorus effect you could be after. It doesn't boost your volume and remains intelligible even after drive and distortion pedals.
Delay
Even if you are looking at the H20 as a chorus pedal, it is equally as good as a delay pedal. Where the chorus side is analog, the delay side is a digital/analog hybrid bringing the best of both worlds; the warmth of an analog delay with the longer delay times available only in digital units along with a certain clarity that is not overly sterile like some very high end digital units I've owned in the past.
Two in One
Since I was after a chorus pedal, this was an added bonus, because I use my Deluxe Memory Man for longer delays, but now have another delay pedal in the H20 to setup for slap-back. The H20 costs as much or even less than some of the more boutique-like chorus-only pedals out there, so getting a great chorus and a great delay in one box makes good economic sense. While it is a big pedal, it is still smaller than two individual pedals connected with a patch cable thereby conserving valuable real estate on your pedal board and requiring one less power supply.
Buffered Signal
This was an interesting conundrum that ended up a revelation. I have recently been investing a lot of effort into my tone. My natural instinct was to ensure I went all True Bypass. The thing is, once you add a 12' guitar cable to your first pedal, seven more patch cables on your pedal board and then another 12' to 20' from your last pedal to amp, you end up with a lot more of what is called capacitance. The short version (and you can get the very long version with more technical details on some of the better forums, like The Gear Page), is that more than a certain amount of capacitance will suck the life out of your guitar signal. It not only sucks tone, but it alters the way your amp and effects respond to your playing technique. I realized this when I played a straight cable into my amp and then through my whole pedal board (pre the H20, which was all TB pedals at the time) and noticed a significant difference in the quality of my guitar signal. Once I put the H20 in the system and performed the same test, the difference to my ears between straight cable and pedal board was not detectable. I kid you not. A high quality buffer placed in the right place in your signal chain will reduce or eliminate the capacitance associated with long cumulative cable runs and a chain of TB pedals. And it turns out the H20 V2 (I don;t know about the original) contains the very same high quality buffer circuit that Visual Sound once sold as its own separate dedicated buffer pedal.
So in summary, whether you are looking for a top notch chorus pedal, a top notch delay pedal or both, you really should put the Visual Sound H20 on your list. The fact that it's not hand made in America by our industry's most elite boutiques should not necessarily dissuade you. It even has printed circuit boards inside, oh no! ;-) Try it and I think you might just agree. And to add a little more controversy to this post, the True Bypass thing isn't always all its cracked up to be. It has its place, but that doesn't mean its place is everywhere all the time!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuning to Eb: What you need to know
Firstly, in my opinion the primary reason for any band to tune down to Eb either in the studio or on the road is to save vocals. When you're singing away for three or four sets over a four hour gig, singers need all the help they can get, especially if the material they are singing is consistently near the upper end of their range. While the decision to tune down is a relative no-brainer, there are some implications to the guitar player. Here are some things you need to know and do:
String Gauge
Tuning down inherently decreases the tension on your strings, which invariably will cause the guitar to feel different. That decrease will also cause the guitar to sound different and often thinner and less defined. Tuning down just makes for an overall sloppy experience. The best way to offset the effect of reduced string tension is to go up a half-gauge to a whole gauge of string depending on your tastes and your guitars. For instance, one of my guitars is a Charvel San Dimas with Floyd Rose (more on tremolos below). I use this guitar for "shredding" for lack of a better term because I don't really consider myself a shredder by classic definition, but I digress. Since I like a very low action and very fast playability on this guitar, I set it up with 9 gauge strings at standard (A=440Hz) pitch, but go to a 9.5 gauge set of strings when tuning down a half step. This gives me the same feel as the 9s do at standard pitch. With my Reverend JetStream 390 (3 P90 pickups), which I use as a strat-type replacement, I actually use 10 gauge strings at standard pitch for more tension than the Charvel and overall better/fatter tone and use 10.5 gauge strings at a half-step down. Now for those playing Les Pauls or anything that is a shorter scale than a strat-type guitar (24.75 versus 25.5"), you can go a whole step. My Reverend Volcano is a 24.75 scale guitar and I use 11s on that when tuned a half step down. If you're a tone junky, then higher action and heavier strings is one way to achieve overall better tone (worked for SRV anyway). This stands to reason why I consider my Reverend axes my tone machines but look at my Charvel as a shredding machine (though it sounds pretty darn good too, just not as "big" as the others).
Tremolos
My Reverend JetStream and Volcano have Wilkinson (strat type fulcrum tremolo) and fixed Tune-O-Matic type bridges respectively. I crank the JetStream bridge to the body and use it as a fixed bridge guitar anyway so there are no issues with tuning up or down, but my Charvel is a Floyd Rose floating bridge. The only real trick to dealing with floating bridges is to change your strings if you are going to a heavier gauge, tune the guitar down, adjust the springs, tune the guitar again and repeat until the tremolo is at an acceptable position. The "preferred" position is that when your tremolo base plate is parallel with the body of the guitar, but the length of the D-Tuna I put on my Charvel limits my ability to pull up on the tremolo arm so I actually have my Floyd positioned a little ass-end-up for lack of a better description.
Intonation
This surprises some, but depending on how drastic a change in gauge of string, you may actually have to re-intonate your guitar. The difference in thickness of the strings or string height if tweaking bridge height or tremolo float can have an effect on intonation. Intonation warrants a whole separate article, so suffice it to say for the purposes of this post that you should check intonation after changing tuning and/or string gauge.
The Tuner
Not to be forgotten, and an essential piece of this process, you should invest in a good digital tuner. I love my Peterson VS-1 strobe tuner, but find myself using the Korg Pitchblack out of convenience and since its a permanent fixture on my pedalboard. I do still use the Peterson for the more precise intonation process.
So for those thinking about tuning down to save vocals or even to get a little heavier sound, don;t be afraid to. Just pay attention and make the tweaks I mention above and you should be good to go!
String Gauge
Tuning down inherently decreases the tension on your strings, which invariably will cause the guitar to feel different. That decrease will also cause the guitar to sound different and often thinner and less defined. Tuning down just makes for an overall sloppy experience. The best way to offset the effect of reduced string tension is to go up a half-gauge to a whole gauge of string depending on your tastes and your guitars. For instance, one of my guitars is a Charvel San Dimas with Floyd Rose (more on tremolos below). I use this guitar for "shredding" for lack of a better term because I don't really consider myself a shredder by classic definition, but I digress. Since I like a very low action and very fast playability on this guitar, I set it up with 9 gauge strings at standard (A=440Hz) pitch, but go to a 9.5 gauge set of strings when tuning down a half step. This gives me the same feel as the 9s do at standard pitch. With my Reverend JetStream 390 (3 P90 pickups), which I use as a strat-type replacement, I actually use 10 gauge strings at standard pitch for more tension than the Charvel and overall better/fatter tone and use 10.5 gauge strings at a half-step down. Now for those playing Les Pauls or anything that is a shorter scale than a strat-type guitar (24.75 versus 25.5"), you can go a whole step. My Reverend Volcano is a 24.75 scale guitar and I use 11s on that when tuned a half step down. If you're a tone junky, then higher action and heavier strings is one way to achieve overall better tone (worked for SRV anyway). This stands to reason why I consider my Reverend axes my tone machines but look at my Charvel as a shredding machine (though it sounds pretty darn good too, just not as "big" as the others).
Tremolos
My Reverend JetStream and Volcano have Wilkinson (strat type fulcrum tremolo) and fixed Tune-O-Matic type bridges respectively. I crank the JetStream bridge to the body and use it as a fixed bridge guitar anyway so there are no issues with tuning up or down, but my Charvel is a Floyd Rose floating bridge. The only real trick to dealing with floating bridges is to change your strings if you are going to a heavier gauge, tune the guitar down, adjust the springs, tune the guitar again and repeat until the tremolo is at an acceptable position. The "preferred" position is that when your tremolo base plate is parallel with the body of the guitar, but the length of the D-Tuna I put on my Charvel limits my ability to pull up on the tremolo arm so I actually have my Floyd positioned a little ass-end-up for lack of a better description.
Intonation
This surprises some, but depending on how drastic a change in gauge of string, you may actually have to re-intonate your guitar. The difference in thickness of the strings or string height if tweaking bridge height or tremolo float can have an effect on intonation. Intonation warrants a whole separate article, so suffice it to say for the purposes of this post that you should check intonation after changing tuning and/or string gauge.
The Tuner
Not to be forgotten, and an essential piece of this process, you should invest in a good digital tuner. I love my Peterson VS-1 strobe tuner, but find myself using the Korg Pitchblack out of convenience and since its a permanent fixture on my pedalboard. I do still use the Peterson for the more precise intonation process.
So for those thinking about tuning down to save vocals or even to get a little heavier sound, don;t be afraid to. Just pay attention and make the tweaks I mention above and you should be good to go!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
My Rig
In my first post about cables, I alluded to a recent Tone Revelation. I still want to reserve some time to write an appropriate story about that, but for all of you gear hounds out there, I figured I'd cut to the chase and describe my current guitar rig, which is as follows:
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Guitars, Pickups and Strings:
- Fender Highway One (highly modified): WCR American Steele humbucking pickups, Lindy Fralin Blues Special middle pickup, 5-way switch splits humbuckers in positions 2 and 4, 500k pots with treble retention circuit, GraphTech Ghost piezo saddles with Acoustiphonic on-board pre-amp and Quick Switch wired in Stereo (magentic at tip, piezo at sleeve), original Strat tone 2 was replaced with volume knob for piezo system. GHS Santana 10.5 gauge tuned to Eb.
Reverend JetStream 390 w/3 Harmonic Design VP90 pickups, GHS Santana 10.5 gauge tuned to Eb- Reverend Volcano ("V" shape) with a set of Dimarzio 36 Anniversary PAF pickups, D'Addario Pure Nickel 11 gauge tuned to Eb
- Charvel San Dimas Style 1 2H with Semour Duncan JB and '59 in bridge and neck respectively, D'Addario 9.5 gauge tuned to Eb
Amplifier, Cabinet and Speaker:
- Pure Sixty-Four "Mean Street Classic" 40 watt Head (4x6V6)
- Pure Sixty-Four 1x12 Cabinet
- Austin Speaker Works KTS-70 12", 8Ohm
- QSC K10 1000 watt powered PA speaker for piezo signal on Strat
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Effects (all True Bypass unless otherwise noted):
- Korg Pitchblack Tuner
- Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah (newer black model)
- Xotic Effects BB+ Overdrive
- MI Audio Crunch Box Distortion
- Visual Sound H20 V2 Chorus and Delay (buffered)
- Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man "Classic"
- Keeley Electronics Katana Clean Boost
- Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Power Supply
- Pedaltrain PT-2 Pedalboard
- Boss AD-8 Acoustic Guitar processor for piezo signal on Strat
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Cables:
- 12' Sommer GrindyCop Beast from guitar to board
- (5) 6" Sommer GrindyCop Beast patches on pedal board
- (2) 18" Dimarzio patches for longer pedal board runs
- 12' Monster Rock from pedal board to amp
- 2' Cardas Audio Crosslink Speaker cable from head to cabinet
Cables Matter
I've always considered myself very into my own guitar tone, but I've recently been awakened to a whole new world. More on the Tone Revelation later, because right now I'm thinking about how I cannot believe what I have been missing cable-wise for virtually my entire guitar-playing career.
I've always played very decent gear, some basic yet solid and some top shelf, but I never paid much attention to cables. Seems the music store Whirlwind guitar cables did the trick just fine until I recently started getting very serious about my tone. After much research and agonizing indecision, I purchased a 12' Sommer GrindyCop Beast (what a name!) from www.lavacable.com to connect my guitar with my pedal board and half a dozen 6" patches to outfit my pedal board. A Monster Rock remains in place from the pedal board to amp. My thinking here was that if I could improve everything from guitar to the only non-true bypass pedal on my board that contains a very good buffer (a Visual Sound H20 V2), that I would improve my tone without having to make drastic changes further downstream. Turns out I was right. The moment I took my amp out of standby and touched the guitar strings, I could tell something was dramatically different. Not only was there even more of my guitar signal coming through the amp, but even the response to my picking was different. The best way I could explain it is that it felt like there was nothing between my guitar and the amp; faster attack might be one way of describing it. Better lows, more present mids, beautiful highs and very responsive to my playing.
The best news is that this cable, while not cheap, is a fraction of the cost of some of the highest end cables available but is widely touted by many of the folks over at The Gear Page forum (www.thegearpage.net) as performing as good if not better.
So the moral of this story is: if you are serious about your tone, don't overlook your cables!
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