What Adds "Cream" to a Guitar Tone?
I've got an American ESP, 2 humbuckers through a tube screamer and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp. Though I can get a great tone with just these, my tone lacks a bit of cream audible when this guy rocks an over driven bend or vibrato. The sounds he gets is a bit creamy, almost on the mid range sound while my tone with the above gear is a bit more edgier/trebly.
There must be a certain element to his tone that adds this cream and boosts those bends as if someone were singing almost. Wah?
(4)4 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
Everything in the chain starting from his technique and the strings on his guitar, the pick-ups, the tone settings, the amplifier, the stomp boxes, the type of loudspeakers and more. It all affects what you hear in the end. If you're looking for a quick easy answer, I wish you luck in finding one.
I'd say the guy in the video gets his "cream" by digging in hard with his pick, pressing fairly hard with his fretting fingers and synchronising his hands well. Plus his bends and vibrato are grounded in good technique involving not just the wrist, hand and fingers but the forearm as well.
After all, tone IS in the fingers (and other body parts).
I would disagree with the first answer. It is clear that he's using effects, either pedals or channel switching in the amp. He seems to be picking the same on clean sounds and "digging in hard" can have the effect of killing the sound. That depends on a lot of factors. I think the unique sound the OP is searching for is in the electronics. I doubt that the OP doesn't know how to vibrato or end a string. The question is why can't I get the same tone (tone is the creamy part). While tone is somewhat determined by the hands (on a clean guitar it is determined more by the hand than electronics and on a classical guitar it is more in the hand and the quality of the guitar), with such an over processed sound the electronics start to take over.
I think a better wording of the question is "Can someone identify how to get the tone this guy has in the video at time = 1:30 min" or elsewhere. Since there are so many sounds it isn't fair to have us watch the video and guess what tone the OP is referring to.
It might seem obvious, and I'm sure you know it already, but the choice of pickup can have a big effect on the tone of an electric guitar sound (one of many factors, of course). The neck pickup tends to sound noticeably fuller and warmer; whereas the bridge pickup, by comparison, tends to be thinner and a little 'colder' (but also 'tighter'). I have 3 pickups on mine - if I'm playing a clean-ish tone then I often use neck/middle, but if I'm playing something very distorted and metally, I tend towards the bridge pickup for more tightness.
To use your milk analogy: neck pickup is full fat/cream and bridge is skimmed ;-)
So, to get a a richer sound like that, he may using more of the neck pickup. He is switching pickups and tweaking the tone control knobs quite frequently as he is playing, so it seems likely that is at least part of the answer.
Have you tried asking him through YouTube what gear he is using? Also, it might help if you post a sample of the sound you are getting, so we can hear the comparison.
(btw, that guy is really good - wish I could play like that! :-) )
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © freshhoot.com2025 All Rights reserved.