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SG Tone


carranoj25

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Hey guys I posted this is another section of the forum and it was suggested I post it here as well (don't have enough posts for the Gibson Lounge yet :/) So I have some pretty good equipment and I want some good advice on the versatility I can manage with my guitar equipment. I have a Marshall JCM 800 (2204) 50W with 2x12 speakers. I have a Gibson Sg Standard (2011). I also have a BOSS SD-1 pedal, "Super Overdrive" the yellow one. I can already get a good classic rock sound which is awesome. Im just wondering what else is possible for me? I try to get a good solo lead tone but the notes comes out as too "pingy" if that makes sense? Perhaps pingy as in thin & bright. Any advice or information is greatly appreciated! Thanks rockstars!!

 

Chapman gets a solid tone out of the SG Standard here and I know alot of it is in his awesome playing technique but I should be able to come close to this tone with what I have right?

https://www.youtube....h?v=0KLjyVgbz4U

 

Please help a brother out! Thanks!

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Hey guys I posted this is another section of the forum and it was suggested I post it here as well (don't have enough posts for the Gibson Lounge yet :/) So I have some pretty good equipment and I want some good advice on the versatility I can manage with my guitar equipment. I have a Marshall JCM 800 (2204) 50W with 2x12 speakers. I have a Gibson Sg Standard (2011). I also have a BOSS SD-1 pedal, "Super Overdrive" the yellow one. I can already get a good classic rock sound which is awesome. Im just wondering what else is possible for me? I try to get a good solo lead tone but the notes comes out as too "pingy" if that makes sense? Perhaps pingy as in thin & bright. Any advice or information is greatly appreciated! Thanks rockstars!!

 

Chapman gets a solid tone out of the SG Standard here and I know alot of it is in his awesome playing technique but I should be able to come close to this tone with what I have right?

https://www.youtube....h?v=0KLjyVgbz4U

 

Please help a brother out! Thanks!

 

Hi! I may be able to help get you started. There is a lot of interaction between all the components in your "chain"; guitar, pedal, amp. Don't be afraid to play around with the treble / bass controls on the amp; likewise the tone knob on your guitar. There are some rigs where some pretty "radical" settings sound the best. I've noticed over the years folks like to set everything pretty high and then wonder why their sound is too [put descriptive word here].

 

Of course pickups play a huge part in shaping our tone.

 

I'm not familiar with that particular boss pedal, but again the "drive" "Level" and "tone" or what ever the knobs are labeled, will vary your tone quite a bit.

 

Sometimes it's more subtle than radical too; again, depends.

 

Then there are the pre-amp tubes in your amp (assuming you are using a tube amp, and even the type / gauge strings you are using.

 

But I'd first plug the guitar straight in to your amp; get a good clean tone that doesn't sound bright or brittle, work from there toward the amount of saturation / "crunch" you want. Be intentional, making little changes at a time.

 

You'll get there! Welcome to the eternal pursuit of that subjective, elusive thing we call...TONE!

 

Best wishes, Brian

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I have a 1987 JCM 800 4212, 50 watt 2x12 combo and an SG Standard 24. For a great lead tone I set my amp with the gain between at 8.5, the treble at 4.5 ,mids at 5, bass at 4, and presence at 6. I then use a boss ge7 (equalizer pedal) in the front end. I bump the mids on the EQ, so it looks like an upside down "V". When I kick the pedal on I get a huge creamy , bring a smile to your face, lead tone. My SG has 57 Classics in it, but the same setup sounds just as good with my 50's tribute LP with the 490/498 PUP's and my 2014 LP Classic.

Oh yeah, if the sound is too "pingy" and bright as you put it, try pushing the middle to 5 or higher, drop the treble and dial in as much bass as sounds good to you. Watch out for the presence...too much can sound thin.

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Silvercrow: Thanks alot! I have been playing around for awhile and I guess the journey makes it all the fun. But in terms of finding the better tone, there are just some obstacles I haven't overcome and I don't think it's my playing. I think it is understanding how the different facets of EQ work. For example, I don't understand what is logistically happening when I turn the Bass, Mids, or Treble up. What does Treble effect? What does BAss effect? Mids? Presence? I don't understand any of that yet and I should do research on that!

 

Jaygl: I will have to try dropping the Presence. i thought more would be better for lead tone. My half stack doesn't have a Gain knob. Just Presence, Bass, Treble, Mid, Master Volume and Pre-Amp. Would it be better to have a higher master volume or higher pre amp?

My BOSS pedal has a tone, level and drive knob. Usually I put the tone all the way up and fiddle with the drive and Level knobs. Maybe I should change that?

 

My SG has classic 57' PUPS as well. As for the guitar knobs, if I was playing live wouldn't it benefit me to have them turned all the way up to not mess with the level of sound? Or would that be taken care of with the master volume?

 

Thanks for your help guys! The amp was given to me and I just recently got the new SG which is why I know so little.

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Well the Bass, Mid and Treble are terms used for describing the different ends of the sound spectrum..

 

So bass is the low end sounds mids are the mid range and treble are the high range of sounds... So if you are getting a sound that's too bright thats another way of saying too much treble.. So you lower the treble or raise the bass...

 

Really the best thing to do is just play about with it till you like what you hear..

 

 

Since we all have different taste its hard for one of us to tell you what settings to use you really got to find that for yourself and what you like and the music you play...

 

And for a lot of people it takes a long time to achieve the "perfect" tone... And that is ever changing as your tastes change.. So its an evolving thing as well as experience.... What you like now, you may hate in a year.

 

 

But then the journey is different for all of us.. But as said.. That's all part of the fun [thumbup]

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Turn the treble on that pedal down. Thats prob where the shrillness is coming from. Your preamp is your gain. Take treble on amp and pedal down. Mids up and bass to taste.

 

I will def try that thanks! The treble on the pedal being the tone know correct?

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I will def try that thanks! The treble on the pedal being the tone know correct?

 

Correct! Tone equates to Treble. Without getting too technical at this point.

 

Bass are your lows; Mids your mid-frequenciew, Treble your upper register / frequencies.

 

I tell players I mentor this all the time, and I'm not being a smart a$$; there is a reason the knobs on your guitar, amp, pedals, etc. ROTATE. They are not on/off switches! So while it may seem logical to run with the guitar knobs wide open (all the way "up"), you are severely limiting yourself and your equipment.

 

If you'd like, try this; Set the amp to the maximum volume level you'll desire to play at. Then use your guitar volume to dial between clean, light crunch, heavier crunch, etc. Not all players like to use their volume in this way. Personally, I HATE playing / comping a clean part, then stomping on a pedal and going into distortion. But thats just me. I have my boost / overdrive "on" all the time, set so I can roll off the volume and clean it up a bit; roll "on" and drive those little tungsten filiments WILD!!

 

I was looking for a picture of my Fargen Blackbird Amp (Deluxe Reverb type clone). Ben Fargen intentionally does not put numbers on the faceplate or knobs ("Use your ears Dangit!") in theory forcing you to dial in the most pleasing tone for you. But I had a picture taken at a gig that showed the amp; the knobs were ALL over the place- very "radical" settings.

 

I ALWAYS got positive compliments, especially from other musicians, regarding my "tone". My playing, on the other hand... [crying]

 

Best to You- Brian

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Correct! Tone equates to Treble. Without getting too technical at this point.

 

Bass are your lows; Mids your mid-frequenciew, Treble your upper register / frequencies.

 

I tell players I mentor this all the time, and I'm not being a smart a$$; there is a reason the knobs on your guitar, amp, pedals, etc. ROTATE. They are not on/off switches! So while it may seem logical to run with the guitar knobs wide open (all the way "up"), you are severely limiting yourself and your equipment.

 

If you'd like, try this; Set the amp to the maximum volume level you'll desire to play at. Then use your guitar volume to dial between clean, light crunch, heavier crunch, etc. Not all players like to use their volume in this way. Personally, I HATE playing / comping a clean part, then stomping on a pedal and going into distortion. But thats just me. I have my boost / overdrive "on" all the time, set so I can roll off the volume and clean it up a bit; roll "on" and drive those little tungsten filiments WILD!!

 

I was looking for a picture of my Fargen Blackbird Amp (Deluxe Reverb type clone). Ben Fargen intentionally does not put numbers on the faceplate or knobs ("Use your ears Dangit!") in theory forcing you to dial in the most pleasing tone for you. But I had a picture taken at a gig that showed the amp; the knobs were ALL over the place- very "radical" settings.

 

I ALWAYS got positive compliments, especially from other musicians, regarding my "tone". My playing, on the other hand... [crying]

 

Best to You- Brian

 

Silvercrow, do you have any videos of your tone?

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Silvercrow, do you have any videos of your tone?

 

Are you kiddin'? I can barely operate a volume knob! [flapper]

 

The videos that I have are mostly from a Sony "tape" style video recorder. That would be first generation after the huge VHS camera/recorders. To my knowledge, there are no digital videos. Besides, most of the "live" non-pro videos I've seen don't do a lot of justice to he artist / band and sound / tone.

 

I do have CDs that will give you an idea, though. Better, I would think. PM me with an address and I'll send you a couple. No, I don't know how to post stuff on sound cloud...*sigh*...I'm behind the curve, for sure, when it comes to that stuff. Like Joe Walsh says, "I'm an analog guy"!

 

Remember one thing though my friend- the variable is always the player. Everything plays a part, but really great guitarists (I am not one...still working on that...)will sound great even on sub-par equipment. They will also sound like themselves...

 

Brian

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Did you ever get that sound you were looking for carranoj25 ? Near the end of that vid ( Chapman)it says he is using an overdrive pedal so the preamp, or gain on his amp is prob not cranked. Get the dirt on the amp so it has a nice crunch/dirt rythym sound (whatever "nice" is to you, use preamp dial) then kick the dirt box to drive'er into solo heaven. His pre amp is probably on about 6-7 and you can hear he's got the mids on the amp pushed, prob 5-6. Best advice I ever got for amp sound was from a great producer/engineer I once worked with.... he told me to EQ your amp with your ears and not your eyes. Who cares if the treble is on 10 if thats what sounds good on that amp or for the particular sound you want.

Dug this vid up for you that I came across awhile back. The guy explains dialing in a Marshall pretty good.

Hope it helps. And silvercrow is way right about those knobb thingy's on our guitars. They work wonders. Second link is a great example of that...

 

 

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Jaygl: Sorry just saw your post. Awesome vids man. My tone skills will get where I want them to be. I am in no rush. Just needed some direction. I am a bodybuilder and guitarist and between all the details of getting a body like Schwarzenegger and a tone like Rhoads, I am going happily crazy. [thumbup] [thumbup]

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