So I get emails all the time from people asking me how to get that blues guitar tone from this and that. I can honestly say that I don’t really use many effects.
Right now I’m going to tell you the secret to getting all of the blues guitar tones you’ve ever dreamed of, without buying anything!
First, let me say that you will need at least 3 things.
- A guitar
- A tube amp
- An overdrive pedal
Once you have these 3 things, then you now have access to hundreds of different blues guitar tones.
Here’s how.
For example, say you are playing a strat type guitar. This gives you 5 different pickup selections. You also have a volume knob, and a tone knob. Using your volume knob is NOT the same as using a volume pedal! When using a volume pedal, you’re just changing the volume of the guitar. When using your volume knob on the guitar, you’re changing the volume but also the sound.
With your volume on 10, you will have full gain engaged, but if you have the volume on say 5, the sound will noticeably clean up. You will have some distortion depending on how you have your amp and overdrive pedal set, but you can even put it on 2 to totally clean up.
The Skinny
This gives you many different possibilities! If you haven’t tried this and are always looking for new sounds, then they are literally right under your nose.
Think about it. You have different tones with each pickup then at each volume point. That’s 5 pickup configurations for a strat guitar times 10 different volume ticks on the guitar. Let’s see that is 50 different sounds.
Add a distortion pedal and you’ve got over 100 different sounds. Start messing with the volume knob and you’ve doubled the amount of sounds.
If you’re using a SG, or Les Paul type guitar, then you have the ability to control 2 pickups with different volumes and tone knobs at the same time! This gives you tons of new sounds!
Here’s what I do
Let me tell you that I rarely play the guitar with the volume knob on 10. I find a lot of guitarists keep the volume on 10, use a distortion pedal for overdrive and just switch between the two. While this is good, you are missing out on many of the sounds the guitar can deliver.
I highly encourage you to experiment with all the different configurations of volume, and pickup configurations. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you find. I often play with the volume on 1 or 2 on the guitar. I really like the clean kinda thin sound you can get. With a cranked up tube amp, this sound is one of my favorites.
A lot of people think I mess with them too much. There was even someone on YouTube that said, “Man, why doesn’t he just get a volume pedal!” Well if they only knew what they were missing.
For more information on slide guitar and blues guitar please visit my blues guitar lessons website, Learning Guitar Now. Now start turning those knobs!
I would like to hear if this is something you do, or what has been your experience from using the different configurations. Do you always play with the guitar on 10, or what do you like to keep the volume on?
Yeah it can be hard in a band sometimes. In many of the blues bands I played in, my bandmates knew that if I took my hand and made a pushing move toward the floor, then they should drop the dynamics now!
In reality fast loud solos don’t impress anyone, unless they are begun with a quiet beginning and builds up to an ending.
It’s gotta tell a story and if you don’t, nobody will listen. Using dynamics will make people listen.
Hi John,
I know exactly what you are talking about… and it is exactly what I would like to do more… but when playing with my band… I always end up playing with the volume knob on Ten… Just to be heard better (louder)… It also seems to me I have to alterate the settings of the amp a lot between different songs… so practicing the volume knob would probably be very wise… so thanks for the e-mail as a reminder that I should work more on this… unfortunately I did not see the mentioned attached video….
John,
I have spent many hours messing around with volume and amp configurations. I turn the amp up and keep the volume on my guitar down. The reason I do this is because, if a band picks up speed and increases dramatically in volume there is nowhere left to go. If you turn around and turn the amp up and the volume on your guitar is on 10 you are suddenly louder than everyone else. For solos it is a lot easier to start at a lower volume and increase the volume in small doses. At the end of a solo I am usually on 8 or 9 if not totally at the top.
John, quite interesting that you bring this subject up since I have been studying it and experimenting with it for about 6 months now.
First, the guy who commented on youtube is a nit-wit and possibly knows nothing about how pickups, volume, tone and switches work together. I always EQ the amp for the loudest sound and tone I want from the neck pickup and work the volume and tone quite a bit on that pup. When playing the bridge pup I find most of the time back quite a bit so that I don’t get the icepick thing. It works for me.
Second, it really bugs me when the drummer bangs the livin hell out of the drums. I have noticed that is usually where a band that is LOUD get it’s drive. To be heard clearly above the drummer. It takes a good seasoned drummer to caress the drums and play them softly and still be heard. I prefer to jam and play with the later not the former. I seldom feel the need to crnk it way up just to be heard. Not my style, I like tone not LOUD.
Probably said enough but these are two sticky points with me. :-)
John,
Thank for you Reply John, and making more clear to me what I should be aiming for. Also many thanks for you products, first methods I bought were slide guitar in E tuning I was so amazed at how fast and permanent I learned to play slide in E tunning that I ordered the blues package… I am starting on the blues methods now… there is no greater joy to a guitar player to feel and hear his playing is improving… and that is exactly what your DVD’s deliver… Keep it up.
When you factor in the gain, volume, eq knobs on your amp there’s a huge range of tone available. I set my amp (Traynor YCV-20) up with my guitar dimed to get a nice OD tone. Back off to 7-8 range and it turns to a nice crunch. Down below 5, and it’s that sparkly Strat tone. Add in the dirty channel and/or boost etc… And, that’s without a pedal.
Whichever amp I am using, including pedals, I make sure all the tones coming from the amp, or amp plus pedal, are equal in the level of the sound that comes out the amp. Occasionally I will let the hottest lead channel be a very small amount louder. You are giving away one of the greatest techniques away in playing, and I have been doing it for years and years.
Cleans are warmer at a lower volume on the guitar knob even with a little chorus or other effect. Overdrive cleans up considerably, WITHOUT LOSING VOLUME, by simply rolling back to 5 or 6 on the guitar volume. If you have a foot pedal keep it all the way down, unless you are using it as an effect, rolling in and out.
I rarely play with my guitar knob full on, except when it is time for a full flame on lead. The remainder of the time I change between pickups and positions on the volume knob to control distortion and clean sounds. Most of the time, depending on how good of a distortion pedal you have, you can leave it on, and play rhythm just by rolling of the volume knob on your guitar.
John is all over it, and I submit to all of you interested in this little trick from John T. that it works and you all should try it too see if you like it!! If you don’t already do this, (most of you probably do) you will be amazed by how much you can change the TONE of your guitar by rolling off the volume knob, and you lose very little volume !!!!
Mike
great post as usual!