Do You have a signature sound?

[DreamTheaterRules]

My signature tone kind of sounds like a cross between
a cat fight and two skeletons having sex on a tin roof.

One is left to wonder… exactly where does one develop their sense of reference for the sound of two skeletons having sex on a tin roof.

The only thing I could come up with, is Halloween at Sergio’s house.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

That's the very definition of a signature sound, mate

I completely disagree with this statement, along with all the “I SOUND like me no matter what rig I play” or the old “Eddie Van Halen played through Ted Nugents rig and he still SOUNDED just like Eddie” nonsense. In fact, I’ve probably said this here 10 times before in “this” thread, but here it is again.

WHY is it so hard for people to understand the difference between the tone of the gear being played, and the style, and phrasing and all of that, of the the player that is playing the gear? How is it that people who have played for years, even professionals, can’t seem to differentiate this?

“Sounds like” has more than one meaning in this context! The player being recognizable as himself is ONLY because of his playing style/phrasing/picking etc. While the Rig sounds like the rig, no matter who is playing it. I could play Van Halen’s rig and the TONE of the rig would be almost dead on Van Halen tone (of whatever era the rig was from, which again proves my point) and could sound like that VH tone even if I was playing Ted Nugent or Megadeth songs. Meanwhile, Eddie would immediately be recognizable playing someone elses rig EVEN THOUGH it would sound nothing like Eddie did on the album with HIS rig. BECAUSE IT’S HIS PLAYING that is recognizable, IN SPITE OF the rig sounding different.

I really don’t get how people blend those two together all the time and say “I sound like me no matter what rig I play.” You PLAY like you no matter what rig you play through, but it most definitely does not sound the same with every rig. But the playing is recognizable as you. So… “yes, it sounds like you” and “no that is not a signature tone, it’s a signature style!”

So, after all that, “you sounding like you no matter the rig” is NOT having a signature tone. If you have one amp/speaker cab, a few of the same pedals, and mostly guitars of one style/similar pickups etc. because that is what years of playing led you to want as your sound, then you probably DO have a signature tone.

And finally to answer the thread question, no, I do not have one. Because I play too many different things and adjust my tones accordingly. However, if I was doing MY music in a hard rock band, I definitely would have a signature tone that revolved around the Archon and a few choice pedals and guitars. That would be “my” sound. But even with the Archon, I do lots of stuff with it depending on what I’m playing so it never sounds the same for long.

 

[JasonE]

Question for those of you who say your tone is based on your clean tone and where you go from there...I recently asked what pickups people use and a common answer was neck split for clean but most of the time is spent on the bridge humbucker. It doesn't seem like tone is based on clean if most people are spending most of their time on the bridge. Does that make sense or am I missing something here?

I have played clean a lot. I have played in country bands where I want my clean tone to be dead clean. I have let some friends come up and play through my rig many times. They always comment on how touch sensitive it is. One of my friends started playing country and he played through my clean sound. He said mine was much cleaner than his. He runs his with a little bit of breakup to it. I told him that isn't clean. I have a pedal to get my clean tone into that area. I use a compressor to get me a little more sustain and can push it with a boost when needed. I tend to run multiple OD pedals set at various levels of gain into the front of the amp. I have been doing it this way for years.

A few years ago I bought a Twin Sister amp. It is my first Marshall circuit amp. I play that amp with a completely different setup and technique.

My biggest problem in the cover bands I’ve played in is that I struggle to sound like the tones in the song we’re trying to emulate. It’s not that I can’t discern the difference; it’s more about being comfortable outside of my box. Admittedly, part is due to laziness, but I have this tone in my head that I want to put into most songs. I know I limit myself and the music due to that, but it’s a hard habit to break.

I have never tried to nail a tone. I take it as far as they type of pickup, humbucker or single coil, and the position on the guitar, bridge, middle or neck. I then use my clean or OD and possibly reverb and delay and that is about it. I do get the gain in the ballpark of the song. I can't play SRV with Metallica gain. That is about as far as I have ever taken it. I have a friend that is really good at programming up his effects units to nail the tone of the songs they play. It is cool watching him play but I just don't put that much time into it like he does.

 

[jamjam1]

I have played clean a lot. I have played in country bands where I want my clean tone to be dead clean. I have let some friends come up and play through my rig many times. They always comment on how touch sensitive it is. One of my friends started playing country and he played through my clean sound. He said mine was much cleaner than his. He runs his with a little bit of breakup to it. I told him that isn't clean. I have a pedal to get my clean tone into that area. I use a compressor to get me a little more sustain and can push it with a boost when needed. I tend to run multiple OD pedals set at various levels of gain into the front of the amp. I have been doing it this way for years.

A few years ago I bought a Twin Sister amp. It is my first Marshall circuit amp. I play that amp with a completely different setup and technique.


I have never tried to nail a tone. I take it as far as they type of pickup, humbucker or single coil, and the position on the guitar, bridge, middle or neck. I then use my clean or OD and possibly reverb and delay and that is about it. I do get the gain in the ballpark of the song. I can't play SRV with Metallica gain. That is about as far as I have ever taken it. I have a friend that is really good at programming up his effects units to nail the tone of the songs they play. It is cool watching him play but I just don't put that much time into it like he does.

Is your clean spent mostly on the neck and then you switch to bridge when you start with the gain?

 

[CandidPicker]

Like many of you folks, my guitar experience has taken various routes along the way. The question is, the way to where? Perhaps learning to play involves regular practice with set goals in mind, documenting these for the reason of developing a more structured sense of practice.

But again, the way to where? Ultimately, there is no destination involved, but merely learning how to use your ears well, follow direction, make any necessary changes on the fly, and learning to play without thinking a lot. Of course, it is possible to think, "There's this funky turnaround into the solo coming up in the next few bars. I think I'll play this..."

Yet as I think back to my formative years, guitar practice wasn't about learning specific aspects of playing, it was more accurately described trying to learn some songs by ear that you played ad infinitum on your stereo/LP/CD. Our goals back then were to be good players like our heroes. Yet, did we ever reach that destination?

Only if we committed a good portion of our free time to consistent, structured guitar practice, along with associating with musicians better than we were, might we ever hope to significantly improve our chops.

If I may, here's a nice piece of advice that Josh Smith once provided in one of his video lessons: "Most musicians are using a high percentage of their mental capacity when they play a musical instrument. When they play in a group setting, it's vital that they hear the other musicians for the context of the songs. Some guitarists might listen to the drummer's high hat or snare; other's might try to hear the bass groove, in order to play a tight pocket. Soloists might try to play ahead or behind the beat, with various musical techniques and tricks he's picked up in his years of practice. Soloists also need to listen to rhythm and beat, but not respond to every stimuli they hear. This is where is takes some self-control and "restraint" to choose not to respond, but to judiciously select from our knowledge base what might work more effectively and provide a more interesting turn while soloing. While it might be tempting to let it all out with wild abandon, the most respected players are also the ones who have phenomenal tone, play extraordinarily well, those who can keep it interesting and possess a certain stage presence that makes a connection with their audience.

For the brief 6 for 7 year timeframe where I made a few friends and learned a lot about musicianship in the process, I might say that it's invaluable time spent if the work you put into practicing guitar also has stage time with the musicians, better than yourself.

Not only would you learn some good social skills that would promote better decision-making, your determination to do what's important can be seen more clearly.

Me: "I'd really like to get together and jam sometime."
Them: "Me, too, but my guitar needs an intonation and extra work. Dumb guitar never seems to be gig-ready when I need it."
Me: "Hmm. So when your car makes a funny, grinding noise, do you reach over and turn up the radio in order to mask the noise, or do you fix the car?"
Them: "Likely bring the car in for a check-up."
Me: "So the minor repair now doesn't pile up to a costlier repair later."

 

[JasonE]

Is your clean spent mostly on the neck and then you switch to bridge when you start with the gain?

It really depends on the song. I do spend more time on the neck pickup on the clean channel. I tend to move more to the bridge pickup as I apply gain. However, if it is a country song that needs that snappy bridge tone on a clean channel, I start there.

 

[JMintzer]

My Signature Sound is a "Brown Sound"...

Not like Clapton, but more like "Poop Emogi"...

 

[Daryl Jones]

Does crying out in anguish count as a signature sound?

 

[Huggy Love]

I don't own a DGT, Santana, or any other signature guitars.....
.... so I guess not.