Does the quest for Tone ever end?

[poeman33]

No it does not. Accept it.

 

[chucho]

Yes, there is indeed an end to tone chasing ...it happens upon one's DEATH.

 

[frankyfal]

Great.

I know one thing. When I am satisfied with my tone and don't even think about it I play much better. It is a distraction when I always feel the need to tweek or adjust my setup. Before rehearsal I anally get my sound perfect. All pedals adjusted and ready for stomping when needed. My perfect solo sound a click away. Next thing you know the band kicks in and I am now questioning everything I hear. That's when I turn up.

 

[zachman]

It's all about the journey, not the destination!

I would agree re: a hobbyist, but not for a pro level guy because for the pro level guy-- the results actually matter beyond just his personal satisfaction. His $$$ depends on it.

It's about both, at different times, for different reasons.

For me, the chase for gear has taken on a smaller role in the bigger picture, than it used to. The gear I have now pretty much allows me to dial in whatever I want, but the sonic needs continue to require a variety of adjustments of the gear to suit the job at hand.

In the early days the chase was about affording this amp, and that guitar etc... ie. The gear

Then it was to be able to afford a variety of gear to accomplish different goals/styles.

Then it was about using select gear, routed in a specific configuration in a single integrated, cohesive system.

Then it was about having a variety of smaller gear to cover a wider array of sounds, and situations... Screw that, big tone comes from big, heavy gear.

Beginners
Hobbyists
Weekend warriors
Pro-level, Part-time players
Pro players: Their main source of income (Live, Studio, Hired gun, Night Clubs, Casinos, Weddings, Corporate events etc...)


ALL have different requirements, and preferences not withstanding. The guy who is looking for "His" sound... Well, maybe he's only a one dimensional guy w/ simple needs, or maybe he's the Edge, or maybe he's a regular gigging guy playing club gigs who needs to cover a lot more sonic territory than the guy just striving for ACDC tone in his room, cause that's what floats his boat. my $.02

 

[alhayesmusic]

No...it never ends

 

[Frodebro]

I would agree re: a hobbyist, but not for a pro level guy because for the pro level guy-- the results actually matter beyond just his personal satisfaction. His $$$ depends on it.

There are plenty of "pro level" guys that have the same enthusiasm for experimenting that "hobbyists" do. Joe Walsh comes immediately to mind.

 

[Aaron]

No it never ends u can get close but I'll never get that perfect tone but thats kinda like the question of why are we here or what's the purpose of life but truly u don't want to know. But u must keep chasing that tone get as close as u can and try not to get discouraged and make sure u enjoy playing while ur chasing the tone remember that u need to enjoy playing guitar.

 

[blues_n_cues]

Marshall tone?
"it's in there"

there are days when I may want to add things like Rotovibe or a different delay/verb/eq/etc. but my basic amp tone chasing days are over.

 

[JCM800murderer]

have some respect for yourself and pick up a dual mono block please!

 

[blues_n_cues]

have some respect for yourself and pick up a dual mono block please!

piss off newb. I'll play & buy what I damn well want & you just keep asking how & why to butcher BX cabs.
as I said before put up or shut up.


YOU need to learn some respect around this place.

 

[MaxFrames]

The quest for tone never ends, but that's part of the fun.
Even Angus Young is not done with tone yet. Have you heard the news? He's back to the Schaffer (Replica). Here's to you Fil!

 

[zachman]

There are plenty of "pro level" guys that have the same enthusiasm for experimenting that "hobbyists" do. Joe Walsh comes immediately to mind.

I wasn't addressing the enthusiasm or lack thereof, of experimenting w/ gear. I was addressing the achieving of specific results for a purpose (destination) vs experimenting for experimentation's sake (the journey).

 

[ricksteruk]

I am happy to report that in fact it can. I am a major tone freak (freq). In addition I am fortunate enough to have taken the time to start studying circuits and been graced with some pretty cool lessons from a couple great techs/engineers. In the end I have found my tone by building my own version of a Cameron/Friedman circuit.

Just used it live this week end and never turned on my stock or Cameron Marshall's on.

I'm sure I will continue to evolve but not chasing at the rate I had over the past 42 years of playing.

I also would like to add that there are those who like to point out don't worry about it as pro's etc.. can't always choose their backline...but I play for pleasure not because I need to and a huge part of the pleasure is hearing the roar of a well balanced analog tube amp tuned to my ear.

Examples below.

My $.02 David ♫

My modded circuit, Plexi converted 2204 straight in.

Marshall Modded Plexi Complete - YouTube

Eighteen - YouTube

Sounds fantastic! Funny as I was watching the first video I was thinking you must be playing the amp cranked.. then I noticed the pick noise and thought.. wow that must be fairly quiet as I can hear the pick on the strings.. great sound especially if it's that quiet. I was pretty surprised at the end when you turned to the camera and said "sorry about the pick attack" it was like you were reading my mind. lol

Also.. totally awesome playing

 

[ricksteruk]

To answer the thread question for me NO the tone quest will never end and i have a simple reason for that.
Some days i love my tone and it sounds smokin great and other days even with the SAME EXACT RIG/SETTINGS it does not sound good at all?
I blame this on the tone gods having a good laugh at my expense!

Nope, it never ends. I've said this before... You fiddle and fvck with it. You buy stuff, you sell stuff, and buy more stuff. You drive yourself nuts. Then, one day, you find it. THE perfect tone. At that moment, the planets align and all is right with your world. Then, a few weeks or months later, for one reason or another, that perfect tone is somewhat less than perfect, and it starts all over again.

OK dudes! I'm getting the message thanks.. due to things like: air pressure, illness, humidity, planetary alignmet, varying mains AC supply and venue acoustics my tone will change. I shall try not to drive myself nuts over it.

No it never ends u can get close but I'll never get that perfect tone but thats kinda like the question of why are we here or what's the purpose of life but truly u don't want to know. But u must keep chasing that tone get as close as u can and try not to get discouraged and make sure u enjoy playing while ur chasing the tone remember that u need to enjoy playing guitar.

It only ends when you have that moment of clarity and realize that after all the money spent and gear changes made, you're still a crappy guitarist.

A crappy guitarist because you spent all your time chasing and not practicing.

Gear is wonderful hobby.
Just make sure you're getting in proper playing time... tone be damned!

Just think of all the time we've spent obsessing over gear and tone.......
If only we'd been practicing guitar how much better would we be now?

When I get the bug to screw with gear perhaps I should put on a backing loop and practice my solo chops for an hour instead.

 

[blues_n_cues]

f you have an Audio Interface & a DAW then there's always free vst plugins to screw around with to curb G.A.S. for the moment.

most of the time my biggest tone dilemma is when recording a new song & I have 2 or 3 different amp presets that all sound good & fit but which one to choose and be satisfied with.hence,I'm now on the market for an A/B/Y box so I can run one track direct in case I want to reamp later.

 

[EndGame00]

For me, as long as I am satisfied with my baseline tone (guitar and amp), the rest is just the icing on the cake.

 

[ibmorjamn]

A few weeks ago I'd got my rig sounding perfect.

Then I went out and gigged in a new venue and it wasn't sounding right - it made me question everything....

So.... Does the quest ever end?

The answer is in the question , if you have to ask you all ready know.
I would say never.

The ironic thing about tone is imho , we all remember a tone we heard long ago (youth) and back then it was the gear that started it all because there just was not a lot of stuff to choose from .
Now there is a different pickup,amp design , guitar and pedal for everyday of the year. The countless options keep you wondering if it can sound better.
I am pretty happy with the gear I have . I just went out yesterday and fired up my sons little valvestate and I was impressed by the tone. JCM 800 , no but it sounds pretty good on the green channel and just a clean boost with the
SD-1.

 

[ibmorjamn]

ricksteruk , the statement about practicing is spot on for me. Practice instead of tone chasing !

 

[zachman]

ricksteruk , the statement about practicing is spot on for me. Practice instead of tone chasing !

I've always made time for both because it's not just the notes which are important, it's also the color and texture of the notes which make a part come alive or not.

 

[Frodebro]

I wasn't addressing the enthusiasm or lack thereof, of experimenting w/ gear. I was addressing the achieving of specific results for a purpose (destination) vs experimenting for experimentation's sake (the journey).

The Beatles and Pink Floyd both experimented for the sake of seeing what happened, and the results of those efforts yielded some of the most iconic albums in popular music history.