Why ‘Good Tone’ is Killing Modern Guitar Playing! . #guitar #guitartone
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I’ve seen it all. The endless tone quest. The pedal obsession. The late-night gear hunts chasing a sound that might not even exist. In this video, I talk about The Guitar Tone Nobody Talks About… But EVERYONE Remembers. This isn’t about perfect settings or boutique pedals — it’s about the raw, wild tone that comes from you.
I share stories from the trenches of tone-chasing, the dark side of guitar culture, and why your voice matters more than your gear. I’ve seen players lose themselves in the endless search, forgetting the very thing that made them pick up the guitar in the first place. But there’s a way out. And it starts with trusting your hands, your heart, and your ear.
Stick around for a raw, unfiltered, psychedelic solo on my Fender Telecaster — proof that sometimes, the best tone isn’t bought… it’s born.
#GuitarTone #GuitarSolo #ToneQuest #Telecaster #GuitarAddict #GuitarTips #BoutiquePedals #PedalboardAddict #GuitarGear #FindingYourSound #GuitarPlayer #FenderTelecaster #GuitarCommunity
#Good #Tone #Killing #Modern #Guitar #Playing #guitar #guitartone
Originally posted by UC99nZNhFmY145rvHw2NAZew at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAL-0JJMWuk
Great message. Ty
AMEN! There is nothing better than a tone that you don't even realize is great until you've already been listening to the song for a while, for a hundred other reasons, and then one day it hits you, BAM! Oh my, THAT TONE! Its brilliant! How come it took me this long to realize. . . and then the whole song is new again!
This is great!! Excellent point of view and truthful description with a hilarious intro! This is great!!
I want to agree about selecting the guitar tone for the song, but that is backward reasoning. It is likely, the guitar tone inspired and dictated the song and often, artists found themselves with the gear they had or could acquire, borrow, steal. The guitar tone I have at the time dictates the song I am going to write. If I have a tele in my hands, I am unlikely to write a hard rock tune. Further, I wouldn't plug my tele into one of my high gain amps, it wouldn't sound good. When I pick up an acoustic guitar, I am almost always writing blues or a ballad. After saying that, I went after a country tune and picked up a strat thinking it would offer a spanky tone and a good vibe for the tune. Normally, I don't set out to write a tune, but this time I did and had a purpose for doing so. Normally songs are born from the guitar tone I have that moment and I am inspired by a melody idea. I almost never set out to write a song. I think we could find agreement about tone chasing. I work with someone always purchasing a new amp for 6k or pedal for $500. This dude has a serious problem. He sounds the same with every rig. That isn't surprising, I sound the same through every rig. At some point, all amp circuits have been tried and tested. All distortion circuits have been tried and tested. Stop the madness and just play. More hours practicing, less hours thinking about gear. I am actually sick of gear. Gear gets in the way of being an artist. A beautiful picture painted with just one color is without question far more valuable than a giant pallet of colors and no painting, no completed work. GAS is all about avoiding doing the hard work. Music will never be easy, not for one second.
HA HA HA–THAT INTRO SPEECH WAS FANTASTIC! AS WAS THE JAM! YOU RULE!
So many of the best guitar parts have awful tone…but it works in context. So chasing tone should be secondary to chasing tunes
******Mark my words 4-15-2025—–This will become pronounced as A.I. affixes itself into music as it is whirlwinding now as we speak. PEOPLE WILL HUNGER FOR SOUL, HUMAN ERROR, HUMAN FEELZ AND HUMAN RAW STRENGTH, FEEL AND TRUE EMOTION!!****** Man who often, as time progress, will attempt to Fabricate and synthesis a god and blessing whilst NOTHING can remove GOD of his blessings and Gifts to both listener and performer. We will more cherish and attach naturally to GOD's GOD WINKS…at least…Eventually!!
I love this. I find acceptance is an underrated thing when it comes to tone and having your own voice. No point trying to sound like someone else or mod your pickups. I've no intention of modding mine because it's already perfect for accentuating the way I play. Chose a guitar based on how it compliments your playing and not on what you can "swap out". Anything else is a waste of time and money. Only those who can accept their own voice will recognise this.
Okay man. I've busted your balls in the past, because I was making instant judgements. Sorry about that. Over time, I've realized I agree with you on most things. So, subscribed.
Use what inspires you as a musician. Buck the trends. (Examples of this are on my channel also). Great playing Brad. I enjoy your show very much. 3:01
I find tone as more of a tool for inspiration. I notice I play vastly different depending on what tone I have to work with. If I stumble upon an interesting tone it may inspire me to write something which fits that particular tone. There are thousands of "tones" and many are great in their own way, frequency and harmonically wise.
Man please put out an album. Heck I will write it for you. Then just crush it in your own style.
When I think of something that sounds "dangerous", I refer to Deep Purple "Made In Japan". Raw and unadulterated. Pushing it to the limit.
As a 61 year old singer that is just now starting to do solo stuff, this is a great vid. Me and my cheap Carvin against the world ????
Tone: https://youtu.be/wPTWPVL8qqI
Squier
This is absolute truth!!! I don’t care what I play through as long as it functions and is loud enough for the situation at Hand. 🙂 oh yeah, and stays in tune. That’s about it.
find your sound in your fingers use pedals to add color and you have good tone
Right
Damn that was beyond anything I've ever heard about guitar sound ! Some core truth there congrats ! Always find myself creating my own riffs and songs cause it's easier to sound like yourself as long as it's good.
Yes!!!
Great talk. For the record, the best two-cats-in-a-burlap-bag tone is Pete Cosey's on Miles Davis's live album "Agharta."
You know the real world of a guitar player. Yes! ❤
Rhandy Rhoads, chicago, Boston and many others has awful guitar tone, but it fit the music. Finding your Tone is a billion dollar industry. The best tone is the one that stirs creative juices.
What's killing guitar playing is shredder bros.
I'm pretty sure that this is my favorite intro of any tone-chasing vid EVER. I found myself switching from mesmerized to laughing out loud. By the end of this I'm trying to figure out where I put my Peavey Backstage Plus from the late eighties. The idea that the perfect tone for the song/situation" is a revelation for me. Thanks for this.
For what its worth I think the greatest lead riff was on the Cover of the Rolling Stone.
"ROCK & ROLL…Oh man dats beautiful"
"Write great songs"
By far the most important, and much harder than people often realize. Ever notice how most of the great song writers arent virtuosos on their instruments