Top 5 little things that destroy tone

What would your guys' top 5 little things that destroy tone be?? Im not talking big, obvious things, like all of my amps tubes exploded or my guitar's neck snapped off, but little things, like strings or cables or something.

My top five would probably be:

5: Not knowing how to use the tone knob on your guitar
4: using crappy/old strings
3: using a pedalchain with a poor buffer/true bypass setup
2: using multi-effects boxes
1: Being Kirk Hammet.

Others?????

I don't use a lot of pedals.

To me, tone is about the solidity of the instrument and particularly of the strings in connection to it, and v little else. So, starting from the small end, you need:

decent stringing job
solid nut
good neck/body join
solid bridge with saddles that aren't rattling about.

Gorilla grip. Alcohol intoxication. Crappy cables. Everything that says Boss on it. (*dons helmet*)

Bad grounding of bridge plate. Effects overkill. Playing next to a resonating snare drum that is not being played on. Wrong pick type/thickness or bad finger technique.

Gorilla Grip
Old strings
Poorly cut nut
Too much gain
Chorus pedals
High output humbuckers

Everything that says Boss on it. (*dons helmet*)

Playing next to a resonating snare drum that is not being played on.

Ha, these two are great!! Ive got a Boss Tuner and a Boss Digital Delay, and even i agree with you on that. I wouldnt dare put another boss pedal on my board without getting a bypass strip or something.

Bad Right hand technique.
Bad Left hand technique.
*(note that I did not say proper or correct)*
Not being able to ascertain what it is that one's particular gear 'requires' from the player to sound good.

All the rest can be worked with or worked around.

We've all seen a great player wrangle great sound (as well as great music) out of sub-par, borrowed/rental gear.
Or the first generation electric blues guys who played on $5 dept store/pawn shop axes. Trust me - that $h1t didn't intonate.

Whats a gorilla grip? I might qualify.

I believe it's "white knuckling" your fretting hand; holding the neck too tightly.

1) Volume knob not on 10. OK 11.
2) Any wah. Extra points for bass player using wah.
3) Extra reverb.
4) Tremolo. Don't leave it on too long.
5) Thinking a lot about tone.

What Ken said.

The number one reason for tone suck is not knowing what to do with what you have, then going onto Musician's Friend thinking you can buy it.

Do the work.:lol:

Being more concerned with the logo on the ampfront and the headstock than what your fingers are doing on the strings.

Seriously, in my mind, that is the absolute NUMBER ONE factor for "bad tone".

Ime, without proper...and I have no problem saying proper or correct in reference to this aspect of playing technique....fretting technique, a player can forget getting the best tone that can be had.
This lesson will eliminate white knuckles, bad tone, weak sustain, bad intonation, pain in the finger, wrist and arm, and that 'lost' feeling of not knowing where one is on the board....because the side of the fingertip feels the fret.

Lesson #1: Play with the fretting fingertip as close to the fret as possible without being on top of the fret and with as little pressure as possible.

IF this is ignored, one can forget achieving the best tone, tuning, sustain, comfort and playing that one could be capable of. I can hear bad fretting technique from across the room, across the club, through the recordings, on TV. Fretting technique is not an opinion. IT is a fact of the physical world. One can understand the results of bad versus good fretting technique with their own eyes, ears, and hands when the lesson is given well and in person. I give it very often. Why? BEcuase I work on folks guitars for them. Long ago, I realized how important fretting techniqueis when I would hand a guitar, which I knew to be in tune and which I knew to be capable of playing in tune, to a player and I would hear cacophony...out of tune notes with bad tone. So, in order for my work to provide the best results possible, I give this lesson to people who have been playing for no amount of time, 1 year, 10 years or in some cases more than 50 years. I often get thanks....oral and written...for the work and the lesson. Geometery and physics are what makes these instruments work.....and fretting technique is all about the physics.

My first lesson...from a guy who could play two songs at one time....was to play with the fingertip as close to the fret as possible without being on top of the fret becasue that kills the tone....exact words. I remember them from 49 years ago. I don't like pain....so I naturally played with as little pressure as possible. I didn't get into other people's technique until I started working for them. (IF I didn't like the way they played and/or sounded, I simply didn't play with them or listen to them.) When I started working for other players, the technique thing came to the forefront due to the aforementioned reason....I wanted their gutiars to sound good when they played the instrument....not just when I played that guitar. So, I added the 'with as little pressure as possible' to that first lesson I got......and realized how good that first lesson really was...and how much better it is with that addition about pressure.

Until one can get the best tone possible out of the fingertip on the string, everything else in the chain is compromised.

Amen! And this is one I need to be vigilant about,... 'cos sometimes it will sneak up on me when the heart gets louder than the brain and the knuckles get white.

I need to tape this to the back of my guitar!

[QUOTE=Wally;4296350]Ime, without proper...and I have no problem saying proper or correct in reference to this aspect of playing technique....fretting technique, a player can forget getting the best tone that can be had.
This lesson will eliminate white knuckles, bad tone, weak sustain, bad intonation, pain in the finger, wrist and arm, and that 'lost' feeling of not knowing where one is on the board....because the side of the fingertip feels the fret.

Playing out of tune kills me.

I can't play, I can't listen. eww...

5. Too much gain.
4. Bad nut.
3. Old strings.
2. Bad tubes.
1. Playing with a Squier. *JUST KIDDING*

Using your eyes instead of your ears to dial in a sound.
Pick attack - or Right hand technique
Overuse of Gain (or any effect) - only cranking the mix or the levels.
Failure to adjust your playing to match the song. (or your gear for that matter)
Left hand technique - hit it clean baby!

Bad Right hand technique.
Bad Left hand technique.
*(note that I did not say proper or correct)*
Not being able to ascertain what it is that one's particular gear 'requires' from the player to sound good.

All the rest can be worked with or worked around.

We've all seen a great player wrangle great sound (as well as great music) out of sub-par, borrowed/rental gear.
Or the first generation electric blues guys who played on $5 dept store/pawn shop axes. Trust me - that $h1t didn't intonate.

As always, you get right to the point! Everything else is an excuse.

Gibson
.009's
Wah
Dr. Z
Flangers

.009's

Page, Santana, Hendrix. Yeah they have awful tone.

During the last few years I am finding that my pedal board is getting more and more sparse.
Compressor, TS-9, Delay.
Seems to do the job.

1. Crate Amps with G and/or XL on the panel.
2. The inability to twist knobs.
3. Alcohol.
4. Excessive Volume.
5. Cargo Shorts.

I can only think of one, the operator. The rest add character.

ceiling fan!

5. reading internet forums
4. reading internet forums
3. reading internet forums
2. obsessing over gear
1. not playing

ok, now back to one of the above ; )

2: using multi-effects boxes


I'm going to take issue with this one. I think I'd change it to using too many effects at once. I like multi-effects boxes, especially for W/D/W setups.

1. Crate Amps with G and/or XL on the panel.
2. The inability to twist knobs.
3. Alcohol.
4. Excessive Volume.
5. Cargo Shorts.

+1 on #1, unless you want to sound like James Hetfield, who ironically has the best tone in Metallica.

Where you place your amp. Sometimes raising it off the floor can make a world of difference--or vice versa. I do either depending on the acoustics of the room we're playing in.

The number one reason for tone suck is not knowing what to do with what you have, then going onto Musician's Friend thinking you can buy it.


Some great advice right there!

Bought a new pedal board, but nothing seems to be helping my tone!

5. reading internet forums
4. reading internet forums
3. reading internet forums

+1,000,000

I don't use a lot of pedals.

To me, tone is about the solidity of the instrument and particularly of the strings in connection to it, and v little else. So, starting from the small end, you need:

decent stringing job
solid nut
good neck/body join
solid bridge with saddles that aren't rattling about.+1...wow, i like that!

where's DELETE in this joint?

Bought a new pedal board, but nothing seems to be helping my tone!
you need the new, but already rare, Boss Flux (Dilithium [not Germanium]) Stabilizer pedal.

Page, Santana, Hendrix. Yeah they have awful tone.

:smile:

I was hoping to irritate more than one person.

I may switching to .009 in the not too distant future.

I guess a bad set up/nut can cause problems as well as technique, but otherwise it's pretty subjective.

:smile:

I was hoping to irritate more than one person.

I may switching to .009 in the not too distant future.

Son of a!!

Gibson


Yeah, this really qualifies. What they may call woman tone, I often call mud.:mrgreen:

Leo got it right with the single coils and it's the reason I put in a push pull pot into my guitar with humbuckers. I can see why Jimmy Page opted for the push pull pots. If I had to I can work with humbuckers, but single coils have that x-factor that's hard to put a finger on. And within the world of single coil equipped guitars, the tele has something that often only tele lovers can truly enjoy. I can hear players tell me all day that the tele is ugly, or limited, or anmeic, but then that's one less player competing for a tele. We are kind of like Mac owners or Miata owners or Krispy Kreme eaters which is loyal on a level few can understand. Those are the three most famous brands, but us tele players have everything those folks have.

I have no beef with humbuckers either really. Although I think they sound better more on the clean side like though a Bandmaster than a Marshall. Here's a surf type thing using a Les Paul. http://snd.sc/LReZbU

I agree that guitar set-up and technique are huge factors in tone, but I've seen people with pro set-ups and great technique completely suck because of a few issues. In no particular order...

Constant strumming on electric guitar. see also: not letting the electric rhythms breathe
Not sound checking- see also: any kind of stage volume war
Corroded strings OR brand new strings are equally bad for tone and tuning
Tense sobriety OR sloppy intoxication
Overuse of ANY effects pedal, especially wah, phaser, flanger, and tremolo
Bad drummer

1 my lack of playing ability
2 my lack of playing ability
3 my obsession with gear
4 my lack of playing ability
5 my lack of playing ability
:lol:

How 'bout a room with bad acoustics. Some places you just won't sound good no matter what you do.

1 my lack of playing ability
2 my lack of playing ability
3 my obsession with gear
4 my lack of playing ability
5 my lack of playing ability
:lol:

+1:roll:

1. Wah pedal on OR off
2. Impedance issues
3. Old strings
4. Bad (or no :) ) tubes
5. Gain set too high

Tone ?

Why that's the knob next to volume on the amp and my guitar.

I just turn them all the way up !!!

More is Better ... Right ?

Ime, without proper...and I have no problem saying proper or correct in reference to this aspect of playing technique....fretting technique, a player can forget getting the best tone that can be had.
This lesson will eliminate white knuckles, bad tone, weak sustain, bad intonation, pain in the finger, wrist and arm, and that 'lost' feeling of not knowing where one is on the board....because the side of the fingertip feels the fret.

Lesson #1: Play with the fretting fingertip as close to the fret as possible without being on top of the fret and with as little pressure as possible.

IF this is ignored, one can forget achieving the best tone, tuning, sustain, comfort and playing that one could be capable of. I can hear bad fretting technique from across the room, across the club, through the recordings, on TV. Fretting technique is not an opinion. IT is a fact of the physical world. One can understand the results of bad versus good fretting technique with their own eyes, ears, and hands when the lesson is given well and in person. I give it very often. Why? BEcuase I work on folks guitars for them. Long ago, I realized how important fretting techniqueis when I would hand a guitar, which I knew to be in tune and which I knew to be capable of playing in tune, to a player and I would hear cacophony...out of tune notes with bad tone. So, in order for my work to provide the best results possible, I give this lesson to people who have been playing for no amount of time, 1 year, 10 years or in some cases more than 50 years. I often get thanks....oral and written...for the work and the lesson. Geometery and physics are what makes these instruments work.....and fretting technique is all about the physics.

My first lesson...from a guy who could play two songs at one time....was to play with the fingertip as close to the fret as possible without being on top of the fret becasue that kills the tone....exact words. I remember them from 49 years ago. I don't like pain....so I naturally played with as little pressure as possible. I didn't get into other people's technique until I started working for them. (IF I didn't like the way they played and/or sounded, I simply didn't play with them or listen to them.) When I started working for other players, the technique thing came to the forefront due to the aforementioned reason....I wanted their gutiars to sound good when they played the instrument....not just when I played that guitar. So, I added the 'with as little pressure as possible' to that first lesson I got......and realized how good that first lesson really was...and how much better it is with that addition about pressure.

Until one can get the best tone possible out of the fingertip on the string, everything else in the chain is compromised.

This is something I'm going to try next!

My wife. Every time I find a perfect tone she tells me to turn it down.

Though some of these are intangible or depend on perspective, going over my own short-comings I've improved by working on these:

1: Narrow listening habits
2: Lack of practice focusing on weak points
3: Misuse of effects/volume/gain
4: Inefficient or undeveloped technique
5: Inexperience in different environments or with equipment, (as well as ignorance of the correct or proper way of doing something.)

Above all, and this translates to all life:

A BAD ATTITUDE!

Bad Right hand technique.
Bad Left hand technique.

Right on - and particularly both at the same time.....

Failure to read the owners manual..

Make or price of your gear has nothing to do with good or bad tone..
Not knowing how to adjust you amp, set up your guitar, line up your pedals, and dial in tones does..

Unless you go out of your way to search out extremely poor gear, most modern gear is perfectly usable, "better" gear may give you more options or be easier to plug and play but it is inexcusable in the Internet age, to be unable to get a basic musical tone out of main stream gear. Time and time again, I hear people harshing on this brand or this technology, when it is clear that they have never taken the time to give even a cursory glance to the suggested settings, operation tips, or adjustment parameters provided by the maker of the offending item.

People get caught up in the wealth of second hand " tone hound" info in books, sites and forums, and fail to understand the basics. I costantly see players seeking after market pickups, upgraded tuners etc for guitars that simply need nuts and screws tightened, and PU & bridges adjusted.
People plug into amps, dime everything ( "cause thats how ----- did hid plexi")
and then dismiss it as " fizzy crap"

Folks that dosen't work with every amp, and no guitar plays or sounds is best with wacky stringing, and loose parts. The manufacture has taken the time to give you some starting points, and maintainace tips, it might help to read them..

My first lesson...from a guy who could play two songs at one time....was to play with the fingertip as close to the fret as possible without being on top of the fret becasue that kills the tone....exact words.

I've only had one real lesson, but it had these words, too. I've always thought I did a pretty good job following this, but I was looking this morning, and checking to see if I could feel the fret with the side of my fingertip--I'd never thought about that. It surprised me how often I miss just a little. I'll go to work on that. Thanks for the excellent tip, Wally.

Pressure's been a continual battle for me. I'm constantly having to remind myself that the neck won't fall off if I lighten up a little.

My wife. Every time I find a perfect tone she tells me to turn it down.

Oh boy I'm glad I'm not the only one then! :lol:

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using TDPRI

Playing every song with the same tone. Have 3 or 4 different tones to work with to keep your music fresh.

Folks, some, and I emphasize some, of the things listed in this thread are tone killers but how is something like using the same tone all the time a tone killer? If it's a good tone it's a good tone. It doesn't suddenly become a crappy tone just because you use it a lot. I believe people have a tendency to overanalyze these questions.

I believe people have a tendency to overanalyze these questions.

And the answers.

The point I was trying to make is that good tone sounds good because its fresh. Play a gig using the same tone on every song and the last song won't sound as good as the first.

:smile:

I was hoping to irritate more than one person.

I may switching to .009 in the not too distant future.




I did recently. Took some getting used to, but, with my wrist issues, I found that with 9's, I can play longer and more often, with no pain or "hot spots".

This over-rides any "loss of tone" that I might be experiencing.

"Tone" is over-rated anyway. Nobody cares at a show.

Except the guitar players in the audience. But you're working, and they arent.

I have to admit I struggle with gorilla grip. For some reason my brain thinks I'll play a difficult passage easier if I turn my neck into sawdust.

When I make a conscious effort to play with a light touch --SURPRISE SURPRISE-- I play more fluidly with far fewer hiccups/dead notes.

Now if only I could play this way by instinct without having to make a conscious effort!

You all covered the 5 things on each hand well. I particularly liked Wally's post about fretting technique, which made me think about chording and small hands. So I'll add listening to every note when chording to this list.

your tone comes from your gray matter in your skull.

Bad tone is also subjective. Someone's bad tone is someone's else's nervana tone.

I do like the comment above WRT pressure and location of the fingers close to the fret. Makes a lot of sense.

I would ask - will that help my typing as my tone on the computer sucks too. :)

I've got ten fingers. It would be unfair to the others if I narrowed it down to just five.

Schwartz's 'Paradox of Choice'.

and/or:

Too much wasted money, too much wasted time, too many wasted toys, too much Gassing, too little common sense.
Too much talking with far too little endeavor.

Too right...
:)

1.Poor Guitar Technique.
2.Dead Strings.
3.Fret Buzz.
4.Dirty Input Jack. (Cuts in and out)
5.No Passion.

My wife. Every time I find a perfect tone she tells me to turn it down.

Oh boy I'm glad I'm not the only one then! :lol:



His wife tells YOU to turn down too? You got your amp WAY too loud....