Now, with my brand new course, you can learn all the Tips, Tricks, & Techniques that will have you sounding like the Masters while helping you create your own signature sound! In Texas Blues Guitar I have come up with a logical, practical, and—most importantly—FUN system that will take the mystery out of playing lead guitar like the LEGENDS!
This could be the most asked question on the Internet in the Guitar Area. I know I’ve received this question of “How Do I Set My Guitar Amp for Blues”, quite a few times and every time I do, I cringe a little because the answer really is.It depends.But that’s not what anyone wants to hear, and it doesn’t really help either.Also, it’s hard to tell someone when I don’t know what their gear sounds like. Even if it’s the same model of amp, it could sound much different depending on guitar used, tubes, speakers, pickups, strings, picks. You get the idea.So.Where does that leave someone who wants to learn how to set their guitar amp?In this post, I want to give you a quick Setting Your Guitar Amp Guide. These are not the be all end all tips, but these suggestions will get you going in the right direction.Step 1 – Set all dials to 5 except for reverb and vibrato if there is any.
This would include Bass, Middle, Treble, and Presence.Step 2 – Make sure you are plugged into the clean channel of your amp and there is no overdrive button pushed in. We need to first find a very nice sounding clean channel that we can then modify to our taste.Step 3 – Turn your volume on about 3 or 4. If this is too loud, then you need a lower wattage amp or an attenuator. I find that most guitar amps will sound decent when put at this volume. Yes many of them will probably sound better a little more cranked but remember we are preparing the amp before we, “ Build to Suit” so to speak.Step 4 – Now play an E major Chord and then play a G Barre Chord.
Here’s a quick question to ask. When you play these two chords, does the bass overload the amp and make a strange sound? If so, turn the bass down. If not experiment with more bass. Also, does it overload on the E Chord or just the barre chord? You need to make sure that open strings and fretted notes don’t crap out when hitting chords. This is how I determine how much bass I want to some degree.Step 5 – Play some licks on the higher strings with your guitar on 10.
Does it sound thin or distorted? If it sounds thin, turn your amp up a little and turn your volume down on your guitar. This will make your sound fatter.Step 6 – When you play licks or chords and strike the strings hard, is the tone piercing to your ear? If it is, lower the treble. If it sounds kinda muted, then boost the treble. You’ll also have to take into account what pickups and guitar you’re using as these factors can really change the setting you need.Step 7 – Do the notes “Give” a little when you play them? I like notes to kind of lose a little clarity when I strike them hard.
At lower volumes, this is not possible. By cranking your amp a little, and either using an attenuator or the volume on your guitar you can get this tone. There is no law that says you have to play with your guitar volume on 10. It really depends on YOUR guitar. Get to know it and find out what it sounds like at all points on the volume knob.Step 8 – Don’t sit directly in front of your amp and play it. This may be the proper way to listen to how it sounds, but who do you ever see playing like this live? I would sit beside it or stand up and let the sound go straight through your legs.
Tul G12
It will sound much different. I can’t even play if I’m facing the amp directly.Step 9 – Experiment with all the other knobs on the amp until you find something YOU really like. Don’t be scared to put the midrange on 10 or 1. And maybe dropping the presence to 2 or maybe 8.
You never know what will sound good until you try it.Even if you don’t like it, Guess What?You found out what you DON’T like, which is just as important as finding out what you DO like.This is not a comprehensive guide of what EXACTLY to do, it’s a guide to show you how to go about finding what you like.Now you should have a reasonably clean tone. If you don’t, keep turning those knobs till the inspiration strikes with the tone you get.
After you find this clean tone, you can now dirty it up with your favorite pedal if you like. Using a pedal with a great clean tone in front of it will also make the pedal sound much better. You may also have to further tweak your settings depending on what kind of pedal you are using.Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of how to set your guitar amp for blues. After some trial and error, I’m sure you will find some settings that you really like.If you want to learn my take on blues guitar, check out my Premium.Later,John W.
Lets not forget FINGERS! You could have Stevie Ray’s EXACT rig and guitar with all the correct settings and you still aren’t going to capture Stevie’s sound perfectly unless you are a clone. 90% of good tone is in your fingers and hands, how you finesse the strings and work the volume knob as you play, not to mention the energy your heart and soul exude.
Perfect, good tone be it clean, bluesy or down right raunchy does depend on your equipment and controls to a certain degree, but it mostly depends on what you are putting in them as a player. Emotion, hand and finger strength, pick attack. Pressureall are factors in our quest for good tone. I can play a $75 practice amp and make it sound decent because the sound is in my fingers and my hands.
Jeff Beck can play a toaster oven and sound like the Gods. It is in the feel, the attitude, the magic of tone. And all of us must find what works for us, and like Hendrix said, ” keep playing, you will get there”. Logic of what works for you and does not work for you, emotion, that is the vibe you choose, and equipment? That must have some integrity. Quality micro waves or equipment is tops.
Just because I buy the setups Keith has, does not mean I am Keith nor sound like Keith does. I can play a roller skate and sound like Keith.
Be well all, and wear white if your on your bike tonight. Oh the misguided. You see, MIM in general means cheap guitar as far as heft, tone woods, and metals used. When Fender Mexico ran out of cheap metal, they did go to Fender U.S.A, metal as a substitute for a period.
However, like all wake up issues with Fender were cost related. Take the Jap strats or Korea strats made in 1996-98. Ash bodies on the Korean ones, way outsold American strats and now collectors, and that was the Squire modles!
Of course, most sensible people put in after market pups such as Custom shop Fender or what Jeff uses, the Suhr pickups. Still, do know, the Spider amp is crap as the Frontman Fender. No soul to the sound. Pick up a Fender Blues amp or Blues Junior, or a Jet City or a old Univox for tone. Line Six is just a sound effects thing to cover up your mistakes ( not you in particular of course but many). Line 6 Pod thoiugh is a good thing for those in the know. Old tube amps, or new Fender tube low watt overdriven and miked.
Beck uses a Fender Pro amp. Studio people had used Fender Champs. Ampeg jets, and your saying Line six is God? Hello Henry the Horse on Trampoline. I do not think so. And King of blues?
Recording Blues Guitar Tips Free
All players took off on others before them. Sorry, no real Kings anywhere. Jeff Beck can do blues, Freddie and Albert King, Robert cray, even Page, so you see, your opinions are debateable until you grow and can measure up to those whom had played 45 years long. And you do not need theory to play or write, just a good ear and time, and patience. Hope the truth finds you in time, but for now.
I have a signal splitter pedal That allows me to attach two combo amps to my guitar. I play a Dark Blue with original WBW picguard with soiled white knobs, 1997 MIM Fat Strat maple neck and fingerboard, 300 warm pots throughout, and a vintage Gibson LP oil & paper cap.I play this through my Fender FM 100 2×12 and my Fender Ultimate Chorus 130 2×12 (which I set to stereo mode). I have them 12 feet apart, in the middle of each wall, pointing toward the opposite corners and I sit in the middle. Tuned per the advice above.
Last but not least I have my drum machine playing through a Fender Rumble early version 100 1×15 directly behind me (maybe 4 feet).With one amp tuned to wet crunch and the other tuned to a “very clean” with a hint of reverb & delayThen I blues the night and day away.Comments are closed.
Making the most of what you’ve gotMaking the leap from just playing the guitar to actually writing your own songs with it is a fantastic experience. You never forget the buzz of writing your first riff, or composing your first full track. Better than the writing stage, however, is when you actually come to start recording your music and playing it to others. For anyone starting out though, or even more experienced players, nailing a decent guitar sound on record isn’t quite as easy as it would seem.Perhaps you’re used to playing at full volume in a rehearsal space, and are then finding your recorded guitars lack a bit of oomph. Or maybe you have a very specific guitar sound in mind, but then struggle to properly dial it in during recording. Hopefully we can help. Thankfully there are some things you can affect before you run out and splash a load of cash on newer, better gear.
Here’s a list of 7 tips for recording better guitars at home. Setup for successIf you want your guitars to sound as good as they possibly can, then it’s imperative that you put a bit of effort in before even the first note is played. By this we mean making sure your instrument has fresh strings, is fully tuned up (including the intonation and fine-tuning) and any scratchy electrics or wobbly jack plates are tightened and fixed. There are few things more annoying as a musician than nailing the perfect take, only for it to cut out due to a loose connector wire, or to listen back and be a semi-tone out of tune. Take the time to get the guitar in tip-top condition, then at least you’re starting on the front foot.2.
PracticeSorry if this seems obvious but practice is a key component in sounding good. Make sure you know every hammer-on, every string bend and every tricky chord before you start recording. This way you’ll feel confident and relaxed when it comes to capturing it, and you won’t be relying on luck or fluke.
The less you have to think about what you’re playing, the better you’ll be able to play it. Don’t sweat the detailThis is particularly true if you’re using amp simulators to record into. Put simply, don’t worry too much about getting the tone exactly right before you record it.
Chances are the sound you’re using will need tweaking after you’ve recorded the other instruments so just concentrate on getting somewhere near where you want to be and you can fine-tune it later. If, on the other hand, you’re recording using an amp, try and make sure you’ve tested the balance between guitar, drums and bass before you record. Concentration and relaxationWith your guitar all set up, and the song structures committed to memory, all that’s left is to play. We’ve all suffered from red light fever before, where you know you can play something under no pressure but when the metronome starts ticking something switches inside us. Don’t worry; it’s completely normal.
A big reason guitarists stumble when recording is because of the extra tension we put into our fingers, perhaps subconsciously. Great guitar playing requires dexterity and a deftness of touch, which is nigh-on impossible if you’re all stressed out. Take a few minutes to relax and your recordings will benefit immensely.5. Signal chain woesIt’s always a good idea before recording to scrutinise your signal chain.
Have you got your pedals in the right order? Are the cables all in good condition? If you’re using mains power, are you picking up a hum from nearby electronic devices. Aim to get your signal chain as clean and optimised as you can because it can be hugely frustrating to record a take and find you’ve picked up the 60 cycle hum from anything plugged into the same socket.For any information on ““, we give you the full rundown and even include a nifty little diagram too.
Dial back the gain!A common mistake, particularly among guitarists playing heavier styles of music, is to think you need to dime the gain all the way to get that dirty sound. That’s fine for playing on your own, or for playing live, but when you’re recording it can quite quickly swamp a mix. A lot of players try to max out the bass sound thinking it’ll give them a heavier tone but all it does really is compete for the same frequencies as the bass. Try instead to find tones that complement, rather than compete with, the other instruments. Knocking the gain back can open up an entirely new level of clarity which lets your playing shine instead of your gear. Enjoy it!Nice easy one to end with.
Put simply, if you’re not enjoying the recording process, stop recording. Or at least take a break. Recording guitars is meant to be the peak of creativity, where you put everything you have practiced down on tape to listen back to later and feel quite proud of yourself. If you’re beating yourself up for recording a bad take, or if you can’t properly relax, put the guitar down and come back when you’re feeling better.
Trust us, you’ll get there. And when you do, all those botched takes and incidents of nerd-rage will be forgotten instantly. If you liked that, then you might like thisCheck out our guide on ““, complete with tutorial video from the man, the legend, Tom Quayle.For those who like to tweak their tone on-the-fly, check out our handy guide to ““.
Tom Quayle guides you through the process that offers greater flexibility in the studio.If you’re flummoxed as to how to get the best use out of your amp’s effects loop, then we’ve even got an article on that too. Believe it or not it’s titled “” (do you see what we did there?)Get experimental after reading or guide on ““.If you want to dive deeper into the world of mic placement, then our article goes into whether it should be considered ““?