ΤΟΝΕ HEAVEN

Sounding great on guitar is about bringing together two things - gear and the player - in such a way that the expressive potential of both is maximised. In the following pages, both top tone-techs and players tell you how to unite gear and technique to reach sonic nirvana...

- Huw Price & Jamie Dickson

ELECTRIC GUITARS

From truss rod tweaks and string swaps, to hardware and electrics upgrades, there are plenty of simple ways hone your electric tone

1 GET SET UP 
While you’re saving up for your ultimate guitar, consider optimising the one you already have. A properly adjusted truss rod can cure fretbuzz and choke-out, and even lower the action. With strings ringing cleanly, nuts slots, bridges and saddle heights can be adjusted to optimise action and the intonation can be adjusted to ensure your guitar plays in tune all over the neck.

2 STRING SELECTION
Select a gauge that is comfortable to play, rather than struggle for the sake of ‘tone’ – because you’ll sound better and lighter strings actually sound tighter with gain. Pure nickel sounds warmer than nickel-plated steel, and stainless steel sounds brightest of all. Round-cores sound warmer than hex-cores and usually feel looser. Half-rounds and flat-wounds produce jazzy tone and vintage twang with reduced finger noise, and coated strings maintain their ‘fresh out of the packet’ tone longer.

PRO TONE TIP
MARTY FRIEDMAN “Once you realise that your own personal tone comes mainly from your choice of notes, how you interpret them, and the touch of your hands on your strings, you can save a lot of time by not messing with gear settings much. Before a session or a concert, I always tell my tech or an engineer, ‘Just get me a tone that any self-respecting guitarist in a bar band might have.’ Get a decent sound and let the content of what you play be what identifies you. When the content is good, people will think you have great tone.”