How to get a real " bluesy " tone
- Thread starter Boonster
- Start date
Well, just some nice blues tone . More to the BB king/Gregor Hilden kinda tone .. Clapton is really nice too .. I do have a Boss OD-3 though. But i'm trying really hard to get a blues tone by adjusting the volume and tone controls on my les paul and the Bass,Mid and Treble on the amp .. Can't seem to get a real nice tone .. Wonder if a Blues Driver will actually help .
ikan
New member
+1 on the BD-2 and Barber LTD. You might wanna check out MI Audio Blues Pro too.
play sum nice blues lick, preferably those licks tat is commonly used when bb king plays like 3-4 notes then sings again...b-full bend then slight vibrato at the end, and v is to just do bb king's signature vibrato. for eg on the b or high e string.
--8b--8-5v--
then start wif a clean channel adding abit of drive if u want and start middle for all ur eqs then slowly move it ard, listen for mids most importantly...after tat maybe try adjusting ur tone on ur guitar to 6-8 i guess many blues player does tat 'cept for clapton who rolls it all back. usually takes awhile b4 u find sumting pleasent to ur ears.
the above was thought by my fren n i believe it's good for tone chasing ppl.
--8b--8-5v--
then start wif a clean channel adding abit of drive if u want and start middle for all ur eqs then slowly move it ard, listen for mids most importantly...after tat maybe try adjusting ur tone on ur guitar to 6-8 i guess many blues player does tat 'cept for clapton who rolls it all back. usually takes awhile b4 u find sumting pleasent to ur ears.
the above was thought by my fren n i believe it's good for tone chasing ppl.
Whitestrat
New member
It's a cube 20x... You don't need pedals. Just set it to overdrive, and bring the gain down way low... Like at 2 or 3 max... bring the volume up as desired...
The rest, is up to you...
The rest, is up to you...
Phil
New member
"Will a low output pickup actually help to give more tonal properties to your guitar?"
Boonster,
I think that's a very good and valid question. It was something that I asked myself and which I found the answer (I think) after trying out a whole bunch of pickups.
Here's my humble take, your mileage may vary:
Higher output pickups have more windings, and that leads to a more limited frequency response. They have more output, more gain on tap. There's an emphasis on the mids/lower mids and bass. Less articulate, less clarity. They have their uses, and excel in certain genres, but for my taste, I largely prefer lower output pups for playing the blues.
Lower output pups have less windings, and I find that that gives a much wider frequency response. They have lesser gain, lesser output, with focus on the higher mids. More articulation, more clarity, more presence, more chime and they just sound sweeter to my ears.
Currently for my designated 'blues' guitar, I am using the Lace Sensor Holy Grails and Hot Gold.
For me, my ideal blues tone is almost clean, but with a slight giving of gain. Something that is almost at the verge of break-up, but not quite there. It has the tonal properties of a nice chimey clean tone that retains the sweetness and characteristics of your guitar, but just enough gain for it to break-up when you dig in and pick hard. Touch-sensitive and dynamic. The articulation and presence must be there, so that all your nuances and subtle touches can be expressed.
I link articulation very closely to presence. Imagine speaking with your hand covering your mouth, people can probably still make out what you're saying, but it's not very clear. That's what I call a lack of presence. Now speak without covering your mouth, it's now much clearer and well-articulated, that's presence for you.
Of course, there's no hard and fast rule about what a good blues tone can be. Buddy Guy uses a hell lot of gain, but he still manages to be one killer blues player. Then there's also that gritty, raspy tone that some guys have. At the end of the day, it's going to take some time and experimentation to find out what you really love and want. But I hope my post here might have helped in some way to point you in the right direction.
Whatever tone you end up with, make it your own. It's just a tool for you to express yourself and your music.
Cheers!
Boonster,
I think that's a very good and valid question. It was something that I asked myself and which I found the answer (I think) after trying out a whole bunch of pickups.
Here's my humble take, your mileage may vary:
Higher output pickups have more windings, and that leads to a more limited frequency response. They have more output, more gain on tap. There's an emphasis on the mids/lower mids and bass. Less articulate, less clarity. They have their uses, and excel in certain genres, but for my taste, I largely prefer lower output pups for playing the blues.
Lower output pups have less windings, and I find that that gives a much wider frequency response. They have lesser gain, lesser output, with focus on the higher mids. More articulation, more clarity, more presence, more chime and they just sound sweeter to my ears.
Currently for my designated 'blues' guitar, I am using the Lace Sensor Holy Grails and Hot Gold.
For me, my ideal blues tone is almost clean, but with a slight giving of gain. Something that is almost at the verge of break-up, but not quite there. It has the tonal properties of a nice chimey clean tone that retains the sweetness and characteristics of your guitar, but just enough gain for it to break-up when you dig in and pick hard. Touch-sensitive and dynamic. The articulation and presence must be there, so that all your nuances and subtle touches can be expressed.
I link articulation very closely to presence. Imagine speaking with your hand covering your mouth, people can probably still make out what you're saying, but it's not very clear. That's what I call a lack of presence. Now speak without covering your mouth, it's now much clearer and well-articulated, that's presence for you.
Of course, there's no hard and fast rule about what a good blues tone can be. Buddy Guy uses a hell lot of gain, but he still manages to be one killer blues player. Then there's also that gritty, raspy tone that some guys have. At the end of the day, it's going to take some time and experimentation to find out what you really love and want. But I hope my post here might have helped in some way to point you in the right direction.
Whatever tone you end up with, make it your own. It's just a tool for you to express yourself and your music.
Cheers!
u can also try to group ur blues like wat i do...
i categorise blues into many types but mainly tis is the few common ones...
happy n showing off to girls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqtnNorgQA&feature=related
gloomy complain about life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GecoLxmcDwk
rude:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCHVpDwMS2k
happy is when u're a blues player, ur family drops by n ask u for a blues song to suit the mood...freddy king is like the happiest blue player ever
gloomy is the real reason for blues to sound blues, originate from african americans to complain bout life, money, women, luck...bb king cannot cringe his face anymore.
rude as srv calls it rude mood, usually is sounding like a choo choo train, dun give ur audience time to listen ur previous note full of gain...gibbons r such players
anyway just to throw tis question out, is jimi hendrix a blues player?
i categorise blues into many types but mainly tis is the few common ones...
happy n showing off to girls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbqtnNorgQA&feature=related
gloomy complain about life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GecoLxmcDwk
rude:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCHVpDwMS2k
happy is when u're a blues player, ur family drops by n ask u for a blues song to suit the mood...freddy king is like the happiest blue player ever
gloomy is the real reason for blues to sound blues, originate from african americans to complain bout life, money, women, luck...bb king cannot cringe his face anymore.
rude as srv calls it rude mood, usually is sounding like a choo choo train, dun give ur audience time to listen ur previous note full of gain...gibbons r such players
anyway just to throw tis question out, is jimi hendrix a blues player?
pianomankris
New member
1) live in the poorest area of the US and struggle to find work from day to day
2) have a history of tragedy and slavery in your family
3) Marry a beautiful woman, only to have her cheat on you one year later with the neighbour
4) Get a drinking habit
5) look back on the waste that your life has been
Then worry about tone lol.
Great blues players will sound great on an old beat-up guitar with two strings.
Don't worry so much about tone through the amp. Have something to say first. All the tone in the world won't make your playing interesting.
Have you ever built a cigar-box guitar? Look into it. There are a few websites dedicated to it. My advice - dump the les paul to the side and build your own guitar - even a one-string guitar - and make your own pickup for it. It'll be the best guitar you have ever owned, as you will have put your heart and soul into making it, rather than thinking that everything can be 'purchased'.
And this is the beginnings of blues
2) have a history of tragedy and slavery in your family
3) Marry a beautiful woman, only to have her cheat on you one year later with the neighbour
4) Get a drinking habit
5) look back on the waste that your life has been
Then worry about tone lol.
Great blues players will sound great on an old beat-up guitar with two strings.
Don't worry so much about tone through the amp. Have something to say first. All the tone in the world won't make your playing interesting.
Have you ever built a cigar-box guitar? Look into it. There are a few websites dedicated to it. My advice - dump the les paul to the side and build your own guitar - even a one-string guitar - and make your own pickup for it. It'll be the best guitar you have ever owned, as you will have put your heart and soul into making it, rather than thinking that everything can be 'purchased'.
And this is the beginnings of blues
bluepowder
New member
blues is probably the style which stays true to the fact that:
Tone is in the fingers!!!
Not all encompassing, but the guys back then did not have pedals or fancy amps or guitars...they started playing....and created the tone with their fingers.....blues is all about feel...and thats a large a part of their tone as well....
some pointers though....
(1)Switch up to a thicker gauge
(2)Keep the gain really low(BB dun need no gain)
(3)work on your technique and vibrato....
Tone is in the fingers!!!
Not all encompassing, but the guys back then did not have pedals or fancy amps or guitars...they started playing....and created the tone with their fingers.....blues is all about feel...and thats a large a part of their tone as well....
some pointers though....
(1)Switch up to a thicker gauge
(2)Keep the gain really low(BB dun need no gain)
(3)work on your technique and vibrato....
Whitestrat
New member
Good answer.
I think something more key to look at, is what the frequency response changes translates into: more compression under gain for high output pups. High output stuff tends to compress the tones more, and has less dynamic range when it comes to gain stages. Having said that, I've been very impressed with how organic and transparent the DiMarzio Air Norton sounds in the neck when paired with a 331uF capacitor and a 500k pot. It's almost as if the compression isn't there, and a roll off the tone knob is needed.
Blues tones tend to be more lower gain, and higher volumes. SRV was like this. EC modern was more compression, but using a vintage noiseless single coil stacked humbucker. John Mayer has a lot of air in his tones, thanks to his pickups. BB King has a compressed grainy tone when playing live, courtesy of his onboard preamp which saturates his tubes. Gary Moore, is Gary Moore. Joe Bonamassa sounds like he's running very high gains live, but I think he's mainly medium gain, and very loud.
I think the amount of gain you use for blues is up to you. Blues isn't about a sound you can think of. It's a state of mind.
fgl
Well-known member
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w52AIhNSiGU
check out my original blues song - The 5Cs - see if you like my modern blues tone :mrgreen:
check out my original blues song - The 5Cs - see if you like my modern blues tone :mrgreen:
Whitestrat
New member
fgl
Well-known member
its what we 'die for man ...
Phil
New member
Exactly, it's what we die for!
Anyway, it's pretty disconcerting when I see people going on and on about how the blues is about the feel and tone doesn't mean naught. When the threadstarter stated very specifically that he's looking for tips on acquring a bluesy 'tone'. Getting a bit too caught up and didactic, aren't we?
Anyway, it's pretty disconcerting when I see people going on and on about how the blues is about the feel and tone doesn't mean naught. When the threadstarter stated very specifically that he's looking for tips on acquring a bluesy 'tone'. Getting a bit too caught up and didactic, aren't we?
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