CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
I've just begun a brief research study of innovators in guitar and besides the obvious ones (Les Paul, Leo Fender, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Marshall, Randall Smith, PRS) one person came to mind for his signature tone through use of modular rack effects that he designed and had built: Tom Scholz, of Boston.
For those who are not as familiar with Boston, the band was an American / New England based band, popular in the 70's and 80's from Boston, Massachusetts.
The reason for my study was to look into the education and career path of Tom Scholz. Tom at an early age loved tinkering with mechanical things and classical piano as a child, and later studied mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he received both bachelor's and master's degrees in his field.
His career path took him to work for Polaroid where he was a senior product design engineer. During his time with Polaroid, Scholz recorded several songs at his home recording studio, where Tom played many of the instruments. With the help of friends who were musicians themselves, Tom climbed the ladder to fame.
In time, Tom designed and built many guitar effects, one of which provides the signature Boston guitar tone found on their recordings. When Tom had recorded his song demoes for submission to record companies, his signing record deal with Epic suggested that Tom re-record his demoes in a dedicated music studio. The irony is that most of the songs Boston recorded were recorded in Tom's basement studio.
Tom during his time with Boston became the founder of Rockman Effects. The original line of effects are sought after and collectible in today's music market. While the famous voice of Boston, Brad Delp, who partnered the band with Tom, passed on in 2007, Tom still lives a quiet life as a philanthropist with his wife an and son, who also graduated MIT in 2005 and has taken after his Dad building guitar effects and experimenting with sounds.
In conclusion, there had been some recent posts about what paths we might wish to take if we desired a musical career. I hope those that read this will try to learn and understand how successful builders made a name for themselves in the music industry not only as performers, but as designers and builders.
Tom Scholz's career is but one example of how a young man found what helped him make a career from his interests as a youngster. I trust that this will serve to help young people avoid the mistakes we often make along the way, but direct them towards a goal we all can relate to.
For those who are not as familiar with Boston, the band was an American / New England based band, popular in the 70's and 80's from Boston, Massachusetts.
The reason for my study was to look into the education and career path of Tom Scholz. Tom at an early age loved tinkering with mechanical things and classical piano as a child, and later studied mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he received both bachelor's and master's degrees in his field.
His career path took him to work for Polaroid where he was a senior product design engineer. During his time with Polaroid, Scholz recorded several songs at his home recording studio, where Tom played many of the instruments. With the help of friends who were musicians themselves, Tom climbed the ladder to fame.
In time, Tom designed and built many guitar effects, one of which provides the signature Boston guitar tone found on their recordings. When Tom had recorded his song demoes for submission to record companies, his signing record deal with Epic suggested that Tom re-record his demoes in a dedicated music studio. The irony is that most of the songs Boston recorded were recorded in Tom's basement studio.
Tom during his time with Boston became the founder of Rockman Effects. The original line of effects are sought after and collectible in today's music market. While the famous voice of Boston, Brad Delp, who partnered the band with Tom, passed on in 2007, Tom still lives a quiet life as a philanthropist with his wife an and son, who also graduated MIT in 2005 and has taken after his Dad building guitar effects and experimenting with sounds.
In conclusion, there had been some recent posts about what paths we might wish to take if we desired a musical career. I hope those that read this will try to learn and understand how successful builders made a name for themselves in the music industry not only as performers, but as designers and builders.
Tom Scholz's career is but one example of how a young man found what helped him make a career from his interests as a youngster. I trust that this will serve to help young people avoid the mistakes we often make along the way, but direct them towards a goal we all can relate to.
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