CORE CONSIDERATIONS

Our Mod Squad chief, Dave Burrluck, offers some thoughts on improving the core of your tone equation – your guitar – with minimal outlay…

“Some years ago the band I was in had been booked into a recording studio, with a producer, to record our next single. Now, this was the early 80s and I was immersed in making guitars. I was pretty proud of my creation – a bound Les Paul Special-style in electric blue, a pair of DiMarzios and a homemade active circuit no less.

“After a few run-throughs of the track, the producer wasn’t happy. Things weren’t sounding in tune with our two guitars (both made by me). The producer grabbed my guitar, plugged it into the studio’s strobe tuner and handed it back. ‘You need to check your intonation, mate.’ While the now in-tunesounding track sunk without trace, the memory of that session lives on. As cool as I thought my guitar, my effects and my amp sounded, my setup wasn’t quite fit for purpose.

“A good guitar, or even a not-sogood guitar, will always benefit from a little bit of TLC. An awful lot of ‘problems’ can be quickly cured by a full setup and if you’re not able to (or experienced enough) to do that yourself, I strongly suggest you get some pro help. New guitars can be surprisingly challenging. ‘It’s a new guitar, it should be perfect,’ you shout. Well, you get what you pay for, but never expect a new guitar to be perfect, not least perfect for you.

“One thing about new guitars is that they simply ain’t used to being a guitar yet. Daft? One reason certain vintage guitars are so lauded is because they quite possibly have had countless hours’ playing on them. The instrument settles in. Even top-notch guitars like a PRS need playing: PRS signature artist David Grissom told me years ago that the first time you play it will be the brightest it’ll ever be. It needs seven or eight hours to play in. You don’t need to change anything, just play it.

“Getting used to a new or newto-you guitar takes time. No-cost tweaks like pickup heights and tilts can often be overlooked and setting those – at the volume you intend to play at – can make a substantial difference. Using your volume and tone controls to shade your sound, subtly or quite dramatically, might be second nature to some of us but completely alien to others. Getting to know what your instrument is capable of then takes a little time.

“Your listening environment is crucial, too. The room and the venue you’re playing in are a big part of what you hear. Get that guitar working as it should, set up how you like it, and put in the hours. I guarantee it’ll save you money and more than likely improve your tone.”