Recently on the Telecaster.com forum, someone asked Jody about his guitar tone in a free video. I wanted to let everyone else in on the answer. The video being referenced is posted below.
Question: Your tone in this clip just knocks me out. Is there any way to get that great sound (specifically the bridge pickup tone in the first minute of the vid) at bedroom, small practice amp levels? Practicing would be a lot more fun if I could hear that fat growling tone.
Jody: I did that shoot with a Peavy Classic 30 at a very reasonable volume….we don’t crank it in the studio because of bleed into the little clip-on mike for my voice. I dialed up the dirtiest sound (you can’t get dirtier with the volume and tone knobs of the guitar, just cleaner) with the pre-amp and master volumes on the amp, then all the other tones came from turning down the guitar! The Custom Shop NoCaster that I’m playing has a special (stock for that guitar) something-or-other in the wiring that allows you to retain high end as you turn down…..then if it’s too thin, you just roll off a little! Thanks for the interest, guys!!!!
Thanks to Guitar Lifestyle for finding this old Eric Johnson article from Guitar World. Of note is Eric’s opinion on how much your fingering decisions affect your guitar tone.
“I always sacrifice ease of execution for better tone. For example, on “Camel’s Night Out” (Venus Isle), which we’ll cover next month, I played the same solo using eight different fingerings until I got the tone I wanted. You can imagine how long that must have taken!”
And that’s a really good point. Not just that your left hand can affect the tone, but experimenting. If you continue to practice and experiment you will find little techniques or sounds that you’re partial to. As those elements continue to show up in your playing you begin developing your own style.
Guitar Lifestyle found an old BBC video (below) of Eric Clapton explaining how he makes the “woman tone” that he used on Sunshine of Your Love and other tunes. Gibson.com also has an article on the same subject:
“Zeroing in on “Woman Tone” isn’t rocket science. That would be easier. There’d be a precise formula that would work for everyone, and no mojo factor. Nonetheless, a powerful neck-position pickup is essential. Start by turning your guitar’s tone dials all the way off. Next, place the pickup selector switch in the middle position. Now roll the bridge pickup’s volume to about six or seven, and crank the neck pickup all the way up to 10.
Amp choice is crucial too, although a carefully selected high-quality distortion pedal can turn some tiny practice rigs into snarling monsters. Clapton used heavy artillery: a Marshall 50-watt head through a 4×12 cabinet with 25-watt Celestion greenback speakers running full out – volume, bass, midrange and treble all set on 10. And while an electronic amplifier – especially one that emulates tube distortion – can get the job done, one of “Woman Tone’s” key elements is the smooth, creamy distortion that only tubes provide.”
I’m not sure who is responsible for this list of amp settings for popular songs and guitarists but it’s a cool collection. Here are a couple of examples:
JIMI HENDRIX – PURPLE HAZE
drive at 8
treble at 7
mid at 9
bass at 6
reverb at 3
with overdrive
SULTANS OF SWING SETTINGS
presence at 4
treble at 5
nid at 5
bass at 5
reverb 2/3
master at 10
ERIC CLAPTON
gain at 7
treble at 5
mid at 7
bass at 7
presence at 8
