How Do I Sound Better?
Hands up who doesn’t want to sound better? Yep, that should be none of us. This feature is designed to break down some big questions around guitar tone to help you get ever closer to that elusive ‘sound in your head’
There are no answers, only better questions. It’s a mantra that becomes ever more relevant the longer you stay on this journey towards ‘better’ guitar tone… even though there’s no such definable thing. The whole subject is a massive grey area of floor, suspended on joists of subjectivity and contentionbetweentheblackandwhitewallsof‘sound’and ‘no sound’. And on it we dance.
How to make sense of it? Well, you can start by asking better questions: instead of asking, “How do I sound better?”,let’saskabetterquestion:“Whatisitaboutaguitar tone that makes me feel happy and inspired to play more?” This feature is all about breaking down that huge question into more detail, and equipping you with you a practical and mental toolbox with which to put it back together… however suits you best.
Q Can buying better cables improve my tone? A They can certainly change it, especially with traditional passive pickups. The most noticeable difference in cables comes via capacitance when using ‘normal’ passive pickups. It’s a physical phenomenon that has the effect of reducing (most obviously) high-end and treble (although has an effect right across the frequency spectrum). So, the longer your cable runs, or the more capacitance the cable itself has for a given length, the more high-end loss you’ll experience. This can be a good thing if you’re looking to lose some edgy high-end, or a bad thing if your sound is dull and lifeless. A buffer deals with high-end loss from long cables. Q What is tone-sucking in the context of effects pedals? A Tone-sucking is signal/tone loss through long cable runs and multiple pedals. On the one hand, you can lose high-end and general fidelity when using long cable runs as a result of capacitance. A buffer (see separate entry on p73) can help with that. On the other hand, some pedals that are buffered in their bypassed state can also have a ‘tone-sucking’ effect because the buffers themselves colour the tone, especially if you use a lot of them. Even ‘worse’ can be pedals that are neither true bypass nor buffered bypass, such as some vintage wah-wahs, fuzzes and the like.
Tone-sucking is only an issue when the pedal is switched off, so using a true-bypass loop (or loop switcher, see separate entry, above right) keeps it out of your signal chain when you’re not using it. Using high-quality, true bypass pedals and shorter cable runs minimises tone-sucking. Q What advantage is there to using a loop switcher for my pedals? A Cleaner signal path, less potential ‘tone sucking’ and the end of tap dancing. If you use a lot of pedals, having them all connected can be a cause of signal and frequency degradation. A programmable, true bypass loop switcher puts an end to all that, because each pedal sits in its own isolated loop, so it’s only in the signal path when you want to use it. Depending on the switcher, you can also re-order the effects per preset and, of course, benefit from onetouch switching, eg, turn three pedals off, four on, change MIDI patches, run multiple amps and switch them… with just one foot press.
Q What order should I put pedals in to get the best tone? A Whatever order sounds best to you. The ‘traditional’ or starting point order is: Compression > Filter/EQ > OD/Distortion/Fuzz > Modulation > Reverb/Delay It really is just a start point. For example, it can be wonderful to use compression after overdrive for rock/gain tones, and there are plenty of analogue modulations that seem to be happier before overdrive. The best advice we can offer is to break it down into chunks. What pedals do you use together? Try them in different orders and work up from there. Q What is a wet/dry amp setup and should I try it? A Two amps, one with effects, one without. And, yes. You have a bunch of drives, some modulations and a delay on your ’board. If you had two amps, you can split the signal after the drives (split it anywhere you want, but after the drives is a good start point). Send one of the splits to amp one (this is dry), and the other split through the remaining effects to amp two (wet). You’ll be amazed at the hugeness of what you hear, maintaining all the directness and dynamics in the dry amp, but benefiting from lovely effected sounds from the wet amp.
It doesn’t matter what two amps you use, but they need to be in phase and isolated electrically to minimise ground loop hum.
There are numerous AB-Y switchers on the market that can do this job, as does the Humdinger by TheGigRig. Q Can a power supply change the sound of my pedals? A Massively. Voltage and polarity go without saying (you’ll get no sound at all if they’re wrong), but the current requirement is easily overlooked. Your power supply needs to be able to deliver enough current for all of your pedals together. It’s worth allowing some extra current capacity so that the supply isn’t working at the extent of its ability all the time – voltage can drop. Voltage has a maximum, but you can’t damage a pedal by having too much current available.
We should also mention isolation. In an ideal world, each pedal on your ’board would have an isolated supply. This minimises ground loops and noise transfer via the power circuits and is especially important with digital pedals. If your ’board is whining, humming or what have you, try isolating different pedals to find one or more culprits! You can buy add-on isolation devices, or a power brick that has isolated outputs in the first place. Q Can the operating voltage change the sound of my pedals? A Absolutely! Starving a pedal of voltage won’t harm it. It may stop working, but you won’t blow it up. This can mimic the effect of a dying battery, which can make the pedal compress or sound darker. Depending on the pedal, some people really like that.
Conversely, assuming the pedal is designed to take it and you’re absolutely certain it is safe to do so, increasing a pedal’s operating voltage (certain drives, boosts, modulations) can return a palpably stronger, bolder sound with more headroom and dynamic range.
Q Boosts and drives in the effects loop: why? A This bypasses the amp’s front end. And for two reasons… First, it might be that you’re already at the amp’s maximum headroom in the front end. It’s driving and compressing to the point where adding more boost just brings more drive, not more volume. Assuming there’s still some power amp headroom left, a boost placed in the amp’s effects loop can work as a great solo boost, or indeed as an always-on tonal sweetener and exciter.
Second, we’ve noticed something of a growing trend for using a combination of valve and/or solid-state preamp pedals (Kingsley, Ethos, Van Weelden) straight into the amp’s effects return. It’s a reliable solution for players doing gigs with unfamiliar amps, and/ or can also turn a simple, workaday amp into something much more exciting!
What is ‘analogue dry through’ and why does it matter?
It’s a feature of a pedal that enables your dry guitar signal to pass through unprocessed. Any effects pedal that has a digital element will involve some analogue-digital/digitalanalogue signal conversion. Some pedals take the whole signal, including your dry guitar signal, and process/convert the whole lot (most Eventide pedals, for example). Others keep your dry signal in its original analogue state and enable you to mix in the digitally processed effect on top (most, but not all, Strymon pedals, for example).
Fans of analogue-dry-through say that it maintains more integrity of the source guitar and high-quality analogue effects, especially with vintage and traditional-style gear, and especially when running into the front of highquality valve amps. Proponents of total A/D D/A conversion disagree entirely.
How do I get a bigger, more inspiring sound at lower volumes?
Think about the dynamics of a big sound and try to replicate them. Try adding a clean boost and compressor. What you’re doing is heightening the dynamics – the boost should give a little more excitement across the board, encouraging the front end of the amp, while the compressor can simultaneously reduce the attack of notes at the front, yet sustain them in the tail/decay. It’s what a big valve amp would be doing when turned up, making it all feel nice and alive under your fingers. It won’t work for every kind of sound, but for traditionallyminded rock and blues, it really works! Also consider wet/dry setup using two small amps (see previous entry on p64).
Finally, if you’re using a closed-back cabinet, try an open back. You’ll be amazed at the extra sound spread.
My amp is too loud – do you think I should get an attenuator?
Maybe. Or you could just try turning it down. You’re only considering an attenuator if you want the amp’s own overdriven sound and feel from pre and power sections, but at lower volume. If you just want it quieter, either turn it down or buy a smaller amp!
An external attenuator sits between the amp speaker output and the speaker, converting the excess energy into heat or mechanical energy. You must make sure the attenuator has the required power handling capacity and impedance for your amp and speaker.
Once installed, the amp will be working harder, so it’s more susceptible to the stresses of high-volume operation: reduced valve life, strain on components, and so on. Some external attenuators are better than others at mimicking what a true speaker load does, which has tonal and reliability ramifications.
Internal power scaling on amps that feature it is done in a different way. This reduces voltage inside the amp, rather than attenuates output from the speaker output.
When choosing an attenuator, we advise that you do some reading on active and passive types, and whether you need to silence the speaker entirely with a direct out (for example, when recording).
Should I use reverb from the amp or from a pedal?
Both, of course! It wasn’t that long ago that any self-respecting guitar player would even consider using a reverb pedal. Times have changed, thanks to easily available, brilliant sounding stompers, not least Strymon’s BigSky, various things from Neunaber, and MXR’s M300 et al.
In some cases, you might want to digitally simulate the sound of a good amp spring reverb – usually a compromise compared with a really well sorted amp unit – but much more useful are the plethora of plates, halls, caverns and effected ’verbs that are there to inspire more creative minds. Days of fun!
What does the tone capacitor do in a guitar, and should I change it?
Maybe – it affects the taper and extent of the tone roll-off when you turn the tone pot down. Ever noticed how some guitars’ tone controls go from everything to nothing in just a tiny section of their travel? It’s determined by the interaction of the pickups, the pot and the capacitor. If you want a more subtle overall effect, you can consider using a lower value capacitor on the tone pot. For example, a 0.022 cap will pull out less of the mids/upper mids than a 0.047 cap, so its effect is perceived as more subtle.
The potentiometer value itself also has an effect on the amount of high-end that passes through as the pot is turned down. The higher value the pot, the more high-end can pass – this is why 250k pots are well suited to traditional single-coil Strats and Teles, while less brightsounding Gibsons fitted with humbuckers tend to use 500k pots. It could be the most enlightening £20 or £30 you ever spend.
What is the presence knob really for? Is it just a glorified treble control?
It’s for dialling in your tone to taste in different environments. On many traditional amps, the presence control is quite separate from the main EQ section. It works in the power section, often controlling the negative feedback. As such, it’s worth setting your bass/mid/treble how you like them, then tuning the presence to taste, depending on your environment. You might find that as the band gets louder, increasing the presence will really help with the cut and general audibility of your guitar.
How much does the hardware on my guitar affect its sound?
Significantly, and in that we’ll include the nut material, too. Let’s start with saddles. Brass and steel saddles have a different tone when fitted to a Telecaster. Quality steel and cheap alloy saddles sound very different on a Strat. Nylon and steel saddles sound very different on a 335. Each material has a different response in terms of attack, sustain and string balance, so it follows that if you want to make your guitar sound and feel a little different, the bridge and saddle material is a good place to experiment.
Going further, the baseplate and vibrato block on a Strat will have a fundamental effect on how the guitar sounds: cold-rolled steel can sound brighter, more present – louder even – than lesser steels, and certainly cheap cast alloys.
Gibson bridges and tailpieces, heavy or light tuners, brass nuts, bone nuts, plastic