The desire to change something about the guitar tone had probably affected any guitar player on his or her way to a perfect sound. While it’s true that each guitar sounds different, there are numerous ways to amend a guitar’s tone simply by adding devices and components to your rig or by trying new playing techniques. For example, replacing the amp or adding the best delay pedal to your sound chain can result in a dramatic tone change. You may also generate a wide range of sounds by experimenting with different picking techniques.
Still, it’s not just electronics and playing techniques that affect your tone. The options for changing your tone are vast, and the price range is from a few bucks to a few thousand. Let’s take a look at the most popular methods for taking your tone to the next level.
Get Your Pick
A guitar pick is the starting point for changing your tone. Its material, thickness, and density, as well as the way it is used, can produce completely unexpected results. Thick, dense picks are preferable for taking specific accented notes. Lighter, thinner picks with a more flexible structure can be used for finger-picking and let you improve both your technique and the flow of your music.
It’s a good idea to have a variety of picks and experiment with your tone using various playing approaches.
Swap the Strings
Strings are responsible for the actual reproduction of sound, whether it’s a classical or acoustic guitar. That’s why the gauge and material of strings you install onto the guitar affect your tone immensely.
Guitar strings differ in the maximum tension they’re able to sustain. The Hard Tension ones (13-56 according to the classification of strings for acoustic guitars) are the most difficult to play yet offer the best sound with the full gamut of harmonics. These strings are good for playing loud and complex music and improvising. The softest strings are 9-45 ones. They’re easy to play, and they fit well with quiet music styles like blues. The string material for classical guitars varies between different types of nylon, while acoustic guitars can use metal, steel, copper, bronze, and even silver strings.
Try playing different types of strings and choose the ones that best fit your playing style and your chosen musical style.
Apply the Pedals
Adding some distortion or other effects to your sound will definitely bring new vibes to your tone. Experiment with various pedals, including the overdrive (boosts your gain over the limit), delay (produces a delayed effect to your sound), reverb (repeats a part of the last harmonic played), and other pedals. Try combining different pedals, put them in different order in your signal chain. All this will allow you to discover many ways to change your tone.
Don’t forget that compiling a lengthy circuit (formed by a chain of several electronic devices) will lead to an inevitable loss of signal. In order to deal with that, replace your cables with smaller-gauge ones and install a buffer box as well. This will help preserve the signal’s richness and other parameters up to the final output point. For cable gauges, consult the guide to wire gauge sizes.
Try Another Amp and Speaker
Even if you’re satisfied with your amp’s output, you can still experiment with other amps to bring more metal and harshness or, to the contrary, smoothness, and warmth to your tone. Guitar amps come in a wide range of brands and models, many of which have become iconic because of their distinctive power.
Price is not a factor when you’re looking for an amp that will change your guitar tone. You might like a neutral output of a high-class Marshall amp letting you indulge in your finger-picking improvisations. However, you might do well with a less expensive Fender model known for its strong metal tone, which can be heard in Nirvana’s songs.
The amp is inextricably linked to the speaker, and the latter is frequently the deciding element. The lousy speaker could effectively drown out the richness of impact and gain the boost created by your rig. Check that your speaker’s voltage parameter matches your audio set and that it has enough capacity and drivers of the proper size to replicate your new tone faithfully.
Use Different Picking Techniques
Your pickup method should be different when you’re cranking up the gain and volume and when you’re playing calm, smooth music. Use a softer cartridge for a cleaner sound and if you want to emphasize a certain passageway when playing. Use a stiffer cartridge if you want heavier bass and a “dirtier” sound.
In order to use various playing techniques, train your fingers. For that, play high string notes (B, E, G) on lower strings (A, E, D). That’ll let you strengthen your fingers and ultimately give you the ability to play tunes of any complexity.
Don’t Go Too Low
Even if you’re head over heels into hard rock or metal music, experiment with your EQ to reduce the amount of bass in your sound. Reduce the lows and keep the distortion to a minimum. This will allow you to work your passages thoroughly and hear the output clearly. Besides, when you play with a band, the fat low-end of your acoustic guitar will probably get drowned by the bassist’s output.
Change Locations
The acoustics of the room in which you’re playing has a significant impact on your tone. The sound that fills a small café can get lost in a huge concert hall or stadium. Depending on the actual acoustic effects, your tone might get new coloration or effects like a reverb or delay. If you’re going to perform in public, do a soundcheck before heading to a new venue.