5 Steps To Better Tone

I don't think i've ever met a guitarist that was fully satisfied with their tone, I don't think I ever will. 

There are, however, some simple tips to help you get the best tone. Read on for some quick fixes and more in depth ideas for improving your tone.

When it comes to tone there is no such thing as right or wrong. It really depends on what you're going for with it, the genre and style etc.

Step 1: Identify the weakest link in your rig.

Is it the amp? The Guitar? I hate to say it but... you? It's important to identify the weak link so that you can improve that first. Improving the weakest aspect of your tone will make the biggest difference.

Step 2: Change Your Strings

Not changed your strings (ya know, this kind of string) in about a decade? We've all been guilty of it, at one point or another. Change them. You'll notice a vast improvement in both tone and feel. Nice, easy and cheap.

Step 3: The Amp

The amp is hugely important for your tone, arguably the most important link in the chain in terms of pure sound output. Are you still using a supermarket amp that you found in a scrapyard? Upgrade. Amp buying can be a difficult process (i'll have a buyers guide on here soon!) and it can end up costing you an arm, a leg and all of your life savings if you're not careful. It's important to remember the law of diminishing returns, which kinda goes like this:

The more you spend initially the better the quality, however the improvements per price paid get smaller and smaller the more you spend after this. For example the difference between your typical non-brand starter amp and a £500/$600 marshall is enormous. The difference between a 2 grand and a 4 grand amp is significantly smaller. 

 It's also important to remember to pick an amp based on your tastes and needs.

Step 4: The Guitar and Pickups

Now i'm going to assume (for the purpose of the guide) that the materials of the guitar make no difference to the tone. However the guitar is important, it's the interface between you and the sound you want. A poorly made guitar with a bad setup will make you seem like a worse player than you are (I know we shouldn't blame the tools but sometimes the tools just suck) and if you're not properly able to use the interface then you aren't getting the tone you could be.

Now for the pickups. If your guitar is amazing, your amp is boutique and you've changed your strings but the tone still lacks then it might be the pickups. A PRS with a fridge magnet wrapped up with some rusty copper wire for a pickup is gonna' sound like turd (yes, even a PRS can sound like turd). A good brand for pickups that have a diverse range and reasonable prices are Seymour Duncan. Pick pickups (that's hard to say repeatedly) based on your style and preferred genre.

Step 5: You

Now i'm not saying that you're rubbish (I bet you're about 15 times better than me!) but if, for example, you're trying to emulate the tone of your favorite guitarist and you have all the same gear then you need to look at your style of play. Does the guitarist you like only fingerpick? Then lose the plectrum.

I would argue that the player is at least equally responsible for tone as any other component in the signal chain. So if you think your tone is rubbish then maybe you need to spend a bit of time improving the precision of your playing skills.

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Key Tips For Beginners

So you've decided to fight the good fight, you've picked up a bass or a guitar, you're on the road to becoming the next Steve Vai. But you don't know where to begin, well i've got you covered.

For a beginner I would highly recommend that you find yourself a local teacher who can show you the ropes, face to face. This isn't feasible for everyone, I know, and for whatever reason not everyone will be able to utilise a local teacher. But do not despair as there are a great many online resources for learning to play, my personal favorite is Justin Guitar because it's incredibly comprehensive and, most importantly, free. 

The way you learn isn't the be all and end all of developing your guitar skills, ultimately your ability to become an amazing guitarist or bass player is entirely down to your drive and determination. I remember when I first started playing I felt pretty down on myself, people that started when I started quickly became better than me and I thought that I lacked the 'talent'. 

Talent is obviously important, not many of the worlds most famous instrumentalists are lacking talent. What you've gotta' remember though is the most important aspect to developing your skills is pure, bloody-minded determination. What I started to realise was that my peers, regardless of how talented they were, were putting in the hours. They were playing every minute of free time they had, I was lazy.

When you first start playing you'll find that you're playing all the time anyway, if you genuinely want to continue to improve then you need to carry that on indefinitely. I obviously can't deny that some people learn quicker than others, don't let that demoralise you. Guitar and bass playing are skills that you can acquire, not something that you have to be born with.

And remember, if your fingers are in agony you're probably doing something right (I'm sorry to say that i'm not even kidding). Talent can be acquired if you're determined enough. You want to be able to shred? Be determined, put in the hours and you will be rewarded. 

If you are thinking of learning to play, you can't go wrong with a Squier Bullet Stratocaster and a Marshall MG10 10 watt combo.

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