Complete set-up need

[douglas95]

Hi folks
This is a big ask, I've wanted to, as a hobby, play the guitar amplified as an extension of always being acoustic. I'm now at the stage of having all the equip I need, with some future additions but cant seem to get the set-up as I want it.
It may, to many of you, seem ott to have the gear I have when I dont play for performance/pay but its my only personal pastime and I love the tones and sounds some of my favourite artists get when performing either live or on cd/dvd. Its the learning the techniques and tricks that gives me the buzz.
What I want is a contact in my area that could spend time (paid) who has the experience with the equip I have to either improve or even start from scratch and really get the best out of my gear as I am not good at hearing which sounds suit which and how generic music sounds can be created i.e. 60/70 Rock or 70/80 Metal.
I have spent the past 12-24 months trying to get similar sounds to some of the most popular artists of the past 40-50 years and have listened and watched lots of web based demos and read countless
descriptions of how amps and effects pedals should be set up but still cant get the sounds I hear.
If there are such people at large could I be pointed in the right direction please. This is a serious request from a long term player with a lack of electronic savvy.
Area - North West England
Equip -
Guitars - Am Strat, Gibson LP, Ibanez, Hagstrom, Takemine
Amp - Marshall DSL 100h
Pedal Board - G2 Switching Gear, Strymon Timeline + mainly Boss Pedals with some exceptions. Cry Baby and (Analogman KoT on order)
Thanks in anticipation
douglas95
PS Getting really cheesed off with my inability to get ..............

 

[kamran]

Start with the basics, pull out all of the pedals and switching gear, since you're so new to the electronic side of music all of the pedals will just clutter your progress. Start with one specific tone in mind and watch live videos of the artist (or artists) who are achieving them. Make sure the live tone is close enough to the recorded tone that you're chasing, and then look at what guitars theirs playing. Single coil strat (twangy)? Les Paul (thick crunch)?

There's your starting point. Next, plug straight in to your DSL (no pedals) and mess around with different channels and modes with the amp volume relatively high (this is very important) until you get something close (but keep in mind that there not using as much gain as it sounds like, this is why volume is key) and only then should you add in pedals, but don't go overboard. Maybe one OD pedal with the gain set low to tighten up the bottom end for more metal-oriented tones, or some delay for leads, something like that. Just keep in mind that the amp and guitar combination should get you 90% there, and if you're relying too much on other gear (pedals and effects) to make it sound acceptable then there is probably something amiss with your starting point. Also, lots of these famous guitar tones sound very different without a band going behind them. My favorite amp, my modded super lead, sounds very loose on its own, but in a band mix all of the flubby sound turns into a solid musical low end.

Point is, sometimes replicating a tone you're chasing isn't as much fun as just getting close, and then tweaking it to sound right in YOUR playing scenario. If you have the right style of attack and similar levels of gain you'll feel like your tone is perfect, even if in reality the voicing isn't quite right.

 

[douglas95]

Thanks Kamran
How high should the vol be?
I have close neighbours.
I play at normal radio/cd levels and haven't had complaints.
Have gone through the individual pedal set ups with pedal and guitar direct into amp always sound different when back connected on board.
G2 switch is suppopsed to be 100% bypass, so if I'm playing single pedal that should be only connection.
If I dial in any gain pedal or amp the tone sounds electronically fuzzy not solid or tight and I can hear it differently next time I play???
douglas95

 

[Dizzyg12]

Discover your own tone! Don't let someone else do it!

 

[douglas95]

Hi Dizzyg12
Thanks for the interest. I have my own tone,I think, but its built on bits from other tones and I can't get away from that, plus, as I tried to describe to Kamran I have problems with the basics of pedal, amp and guitar set ups. I can produce a sweet sound, sometimes, but can't replicate it, and when I hear what is reputedly a tone for a certain genre of modern music, a tone that is recognisable, I dont seem to be able to copy that kind of tone. It, for me, just doesn't sound the same. I'm not looking for perfection. I'm not into developing an indiviual sound of my own I just want to sound, recognisably, like artist that we all know and love. For some instances, if I was to take my gear to my fathers care home and perform for the residents I would hope to get sounds/tones that would approximate to The Beatles, Elvis or even Chris Rea and Knopfler and for myself a heavy tone something like Metallica. Whilst on holiday over Christmas and New Year in Tenerife I came upon a solo guitarist and singer who had managed to get a close rendering of Clapton, Knopfler and Rea but I couldn't get close enough to see what he was playing through. It looked something like a Boss or Line6 multi-effects pedal with some computer wizardry plus it was in stereo. He obviously had a Wah pedal and some effects at the back, out of sight. That, I thought, was how I wanted to sound but with what I have got. Plus, I'm maybe a bit of a better singer!!!
So basically, with my collection of gear, I want to reproduce a recognisable medley of hits from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's by artists we all can recognise so that I can entertain. If I get that I know I could move on in my own development.
Thanks
douglas95

 

[Dizzyg12]

That makes perfect sense! I go after the same sort of thing at home. I play rocksmith a lot and I try to emulate the authentic tones from the game as much as possible. For that I use the in game tone setup and copy down the settings on their gear. I don't have all of the same stuff so it's a bit of a challenge but I'd say I'm 90% there. For other artists I visit the rig rundowns that premier guitar magazine features and watch a lot of YouTube videos. Another neat trick is to use the amplitude or other iPad apps that people share settings for artists and songs. Just copy the gear settings there. That's how I got my slash scom tone to be incredibly close to the real deal.

Hope that helps!

 

[douglas95]

Hi Dizzy
Unfortunately I'm not a gamer, little too old in the tooth, although I can see the attraction that phenomenon passed me by. Have tried to find rig set-ups in various places, forums and such and as you say, approximate the settings if the gear isn't quite the same. I've spent many an hour setting and resetting pedals and amp but can't get away from the sounds I'm getting, once you get a good base clean tone are there pedals that definately go together and ones that don't? The sounds that I want seem to be stereo based as well.
Thanks for the continued input.
douglas95

 

[mickeydg5]

How long have you been playing?

 

[wolf5150]

Check your in box mate.

 

[Dizzyg12]

Hi Dizzy
Unfortunately I'm not a gamer, little too old in the tooth, although I can see the attraction that phenomenon passed me by. Have tried to find rig set-ups in various places, forums and such and as you say, approximate the settings if the gear isn't quite the same. I've spent many an hour setting and resetting pedals and amp but can't get away from the sounds I'm getting, once you get a good base clean tone are there pedals that definately go together and ones that don't? The sounds that I want seem to be stereo based as well.
Thanks for the continued input.
douglas95

Have you tried the local guitar centers or music stores that do seminars and such? Maybe check the local classifieds or community/rec centers - i see some of them run seminars or classes occasionally. Sort of like a cooking class for women but instead of cookie trays and wine you get beer and loud noise!

 

[dreyn77]

I know why you can't get those artists sounds.
you have guitars (pickups) that don't match the amp or vise versa.
So you either change the amp or change the pickups.

 

[kamran]

I know why you can't get those artists sounds.
you have guitars (pickups) that don't match the amp or vise versa.
So you either change the amp or change the pickups.

Don't listen to this, at all. Pretend he doesn't even post here, trust me.

 

[douglas95]

To Wolf5150

Do check in-box and noted your message but not been able to return message until now, apologies.
A quick bit of history, I'm well into my 60's and have been playing since I was 14, I say playing, mean more like trying to learn songs I like verbatim with little or no theory applied, until recently. This, as I have already mentioned, until a couple of years ago was totally acoustic.
I stayed away from amps and audio equip because I always felt inadequate in that area of expertise.
It was around my 60th that I decided to take the plunge in a small way but got hooked, like you do, and found out I was probably right in what I originally thought. But if not very capable I am persistant and dont like being beaten by anything so things grew to what I have now.
Thanks for the offer
douglas95
PS Have thought about changing pick-ups, amp change at moment out of question.
Do have good rapport with local music store though I dont think they do seminiars??
They have been round to my place for a couple of short visits but not spent lengthy periods on rig set up.

 

[wolf5150]

Gear is easy to understand mate , its simply a case of knowing what each element is capable of doing.
Same with guitars.
Once you learn this and know what you want to sound like, you'll always be able to obtain great tone.
I'm happy to teach you.
No cost obviously.

 

[vox]

Just to give you some perspective.

Firstly, the sound you hear on a recording will probably be guitar, into pedals, into amp, double or triple tracked, in a world class sounding studio room, into carefully chosen mic or multiple mics, into recording console, through console and rack processing, through the mixing process, through the mastering process, then to you.

The sound of the amp in the room is very far removed from the final CD sound.

Don't get me wrong, the amp sound is crucially important, but it's just one part of the whole equation.