9 little known tone facts

[boatright]

let's have some fun here... Add your little known facts!

1. The color of the amp's tolex makes a difference in the sound. How this affects tone is all over the board. Cigarette burns can as well, but no one knows why.

2. The weight of the head is directly related to bottom-end tightness, provided there are no rocks, pellets, or bricks involved. This has been known to me for quite some time, but became very apparent last night when seeing a rail of a guitar player lift his head over his shoulder with one hand. We are only talking tube amps here by the way. For facts on solid state amps ask your local guitar center salesman.

3. The bass knob is the most over used control in the eq of most amps.

4. Cabinet placement is highly ignored by many live musicians, but was not by a famous guitar player who actually would overheat his twin reverb from placing it flat on the floor. Anybody know who?

5. With power tubes- to oversimplify and generalize something way more complex- width equates to bass response and height equates to midrange.

6. A boost or distortion pedal through the right amp can sound good through a 20' cord, but kick the front end of an amp into frenzy through a 1' patch cord.

7. The pick is the first piece of EQ any guitar player should focus on.

8. YouTube videos of metallica riffs through mesas have become the modern day equivalent to playing crazy train at the guitar shop.

9. I know there's only 3 db of difference between a 50 watt and a 100 watt, yeah yeah yeah... Whatever. 100 watt amps are louder. Decibels are irrelevant. BUT, an efficient 50 watt head will compete with an inefficient 4 tuber.

 

[Riff Blister]

I just read on another forum that the gauge of your guitar strings should be equivalent to your shoe size.
Size 9 shoes = 9s, Size 12 shoes = 12s.
At least that's what the OP was told by a Guitar Center employee. :lol: :lol: :lol: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[Scary]

11. Just because it sounds great at home does not mean it will with the band.

12. Sometimes with gain less is more.

-cool thread btw

 

[boatright]

Never heard the shoe size one... Funny. I guess I should switch to 10.5s. Do they make wide and narrow sizes as well?

 

[talltxguy]

Just because you have a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall stack doesn't mean you can play guitar. :roll:

 

[Turumbar82]

Just because you have a Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall stack doesn't mean you can play guitar. :roll:

+1 but insert any high end company in there.

9. I know there's only 3 db of difference between a 50 watt and a 100 watt, yeah yeah yeah... Whatever. 100 watt amps are louder. Decibels are irrelevant. BUT, an efficient 50 watt head will compete with an inefficient 4 tuber.

Disagree

 

[MrMarkIII]

10. Fingers. First 9 don't mean ****. :lol:

 

[elvis]

13. In almost every circumstance, 2 notes adds much more to the music than 200.

(Though 200 can be more fun to play :twisted: )

 

[Turumbar82]

13. In almost every circumstance, 2 notes adds much more to the music than 200.

(Though 200 can be more fun to play :twisted: )

maybe this should be edited to say 2 GOOD notes. lol

 

[ryjan]

There are no "magical" settings to make you sound like Metallica, DT, LOG, etc.

 

[t0aj15]

There are no "magical" settings to make you sound like Metallica, DT, LOG, etc.

IMO to mention magical & Metallica in the same sentence is an oxymoron. There is absolutely nothing magical in their sound, tone, or music. It's just obscenely loud noise, and anybody can do that.

 

[Turumbar82]

There are no "magical" settings to make you sound like Metallica, DT, LOG, etc.

IMO to mention magical & Metallica in the same sentence is an oxymoron. There is absolutely nothing magical in their sound, tone, or music. It's just obscenely loud noise, and anybody can do that.

Yeah definitely anyone can do what they do right!!! It's not like their guitar tone has inspired anyone. It's not like their music inspired anyone at all or made an impact on music whatsoever. It's not like they are considered one of the most famous heavy metal bands of all time.

Yeah anyone can do what they do.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Disagree. Some of Metallica tones are great. I would be very happy if I'm able to acquire such tones...

 

[TimeSignature]

There are no "magical" settings to make you sound like Metallica, DT, LOG, etc.

IMO to mention magical & Metallica in the same sentence is an oxymoron. There is absolutely nothing magical in their sound, tone, or music. It's just obscenely loud noise, and anybody can do that.

Yeah definitely anyone can do what they do right!!! It's not like their guitar tone has inspired anyone. It's not like their music inspired anyone at all or made an impact on music whatsoever. It's not like they are considered one of the most famous heavy metal bands of all time.

Yeah anyone can do what they do.

What is magical about Metallica is that they managed to be the leaders in Heavy Metal for years, were cutting edge for the time, came out with 4 or 5 outstanding albums... and then magically sucked one day about 15 years ago... and have been sucking ever since. (And dont give me that crap about Death Magnetic actually being good...)

 

[Tout]

I just read on another forum that the gauge of your guitar strings should be equivalent to your shoe size.
Size 9 shoes = 9s, Size 12 shoes = 12s.
At least that's what the OP was told by a Guitar Center employee. :lol: :lol: :lol: :roll: :roll: :roll:

Wow that would suck, I would be playing 13's on my guitars? OUCH! Not a lot of bending going on there!

 

[JF Omalycat]

Interesting. My shoe size does in fact correlate to my string gauge. (12's) :shock:

 

[fishyfishfish]

Who put the twin on the floor?

 

[babow2]

14.1(a)- If your amp is sitting on the floor at knee level and the tone sounds good to your ears, then the audience is dying a painful buzzkill death.

 

[TimeSignature]

14.1(a)- If your amp is sitting on the floor at knee level and the tone sounds good to your ears, then the audience is dying a painful buzzkill death.

:lol:

 

[RR]

little known facts ...

All those LA Glam Rock Bands 80s such as Warrant, Stryker, Motley Crue, Ratt, Dio, Slaughter, Firehouse etc ... whether spandex or jeans, eye-liner or no eye-liner, make-up or no make-up ... are all the same band.