Where does tone start? If you are a tone tweaker and you have read countless articles on tone, then you have probably read these words hundreds of times -- "Tone comes from your fingers!"  Again, if all it took to sound like Hendrix is a Fender Strat and a Marshal half stack, then we would all be rock stars. How many times have you heard another player's rig, only to think, "Man, I wish my rig sounded like that." Then after going to the expense of emulating the rig, you still don't sound "like that." Or the ultimate tone slap in the face, when some yahoo asks to play your happen-en rig, and wow! You're thinking, "it doesn't sound that good when I play it."

The first thing that has to happen to be satisfied with your tone is that you have to be generally satisfied with your own playing. If you are still in the stages of defining your own sound and playing style, then deciding on a signature tone will be very difficult. In my experience early on, I wanted to be Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen. I worked tirelessly to replicate their licks and sounds. They both used Humbuckers through Marshalls (yes, I know Mr. Page was the master of recording with various guitars through small amps, but just go with me) and have very technical styles that seem fluid and effortless when they are playing. It took me about fifteen years to realize that I don't have the physical or mental capacity to hang with this rapid-fire, 90-mile-an-hour, but clean-as-a-whistle kind of play. I finally realized that I am not built like that. I am a rhythm player, I naturally fall more into the category of a Keith Richards or John Frusciante. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't play leads; I love to play leads. It does mean that my lead playing no longer suffers from trying to sound like Mr. Page or Mr. Van Halen.

So what does this have to do with knowing how to gear up? Everything. When you know how you play, and are confident and generally happy with your chops, it doesn't matter what rig you are playing through, it sounds like you playing. So at this point you can fine-tune your rig to suit your style. Start with the guitar, find a guitar that works for you, and it will not necessarily be your hero's axe of choice. Just remember, who ever your hero is, there is already one of those guys. You just be you...pick a guitar that feels right.  It needs to feel natural, it needs to feel like it belongs in your hands. The next step is your amp, and boy, oh boy, is that an article in itself.  So let's just continue through the chain here and see where we end up.  Next is pickups, followed by signal processors.

All of this takes time; it can't be done overnight.  There are too many details to work out in each step, and working out those details is as fun as any other part of what we do. You already know what kind of sound you like to hear coming from a guitar, so is your style your favorite? You may need to keep working on your chops before you start dropping a load of cash on high-end equipment, or it may be time to trade up and start tweaking your sound. If you have questions about this article or anything on this website. shoot me a message.  I would love to talk to you.

David Allmon