Can YOU Nail Tom Scholz’s Sound Without His Gear?
Ever wondered how Tom Scholz from the band Boston got that unique guitar sound? Well, you are not the only one. When I set out to record this video, I was certain that the gear used, and perhaps even how it was used, would be common knowledge. I was so very wrong.
I’ve painstakingly tried to recreate Tom Scholz Boston guitar tone. I’ll let you watch the video to see what my biggest takeaway was during the filming and recording of this video, but for me, it was rather profound.
Gear used:
– Kramer Baretta with a DiMarzio Super Distortion
– Marshall JCM 900 100 watt combo (2×12)
– Two Notes Captor 16
– Wall of Sound with the 1935 cab
– Flattley wah
– Shnobel Tone Boost
– JHS Berkeley
– Carl Martin Compressor/Limiter
– BOSS GE-7 EQ
– JOYO 10 band controller
– JPTR FX Fernweh
– BOSS Harmonist
I’m a Stringjoy artist, and play their set of Broadways on all my Electric guitars.
I play the 10/13.5/17/28/38/50 on all my Gibson and Epiphone. I play the 9.5/13/16/26/36/48 on my Strat and Telecaster.
NONE-Affiliate link:
https://stringjoy.com/shop/strings/electric/broadways/
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/the_tone_lounge
TTL Merch
https://shop.spreadshirt.ca/the-tone-lounge/
Obsidianwire Affiliate Link
http://obsidianwire.com?aff=13
Celestion Impulse Responses
https://www.celestionplus.com/ref/222/
???????????????? ????????????????????????:
0:00 Tom Scholz Guitar Tone is a secret?
0:14 The research
0:39 Where does tone come from?
0:56 Cracking the code?
1:10 The mistake
1:25 The gear
6:07 The aim of this experiment
7:00 The challenge
8:42 First attempt
11:17 Not even close…
11:48 Original #1
12:07 My attempt #1
12:27 Original #2
12:50 My attempt #2
13:14 What I’ve learned from this experiment
✅ SUBSCRIBE:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVR1va4a_C8KUUOLUkRRepQ
►I upload new videos every SUNDAY!
⚡ ???????????????????????????? ????????????????????????:
???? JHS Berkeley demo: https://youtu.be/LcOuxjpIWMI
#thetonelounge #stringjoy
➡️
thetonelounge3247815624350876
#Nail #Tom #Scholzs #Sound #Gear
Originally posted by UCVR1va4a_C8KUUOLUkRRepQ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpKFVA3nPDo
???? JHS Berkeley demo: https://youtu.be/LcOuxjpIWMI
Hi Jonathan,
I am creating a YouTube video of my own quest for the early Boston guitar tone. Your video was one of my inspirations. I would like to include a few clips from your video in my video to set the stage for my attempt. It would be a few seconds of you explaining your attempt and the two clips of the original Boston recordings so I can compare my sound to the original. Please let me know if I have permission to do so.
Thanks!
I remember reading somewhere that even Tom himself had trouble trying to replicate that sound live. I think you got it really close. No, it will never be 100%, but for most, what you achieved would sound great live. Now (2-22-25), you can just get the new MXR Rockman pedal and save yourself the expense of a bottle of Tylenol.
I wouldn't discount the gear, which was all analog, which included tape machines(I think they were mentioned in an early article that I've lost). I had one of those Harmonist pedals before and had other Boss pedals which do that chorus thing and it's not the same as analog. Tom used to attach a piece of metal or something on the headstock too. One thing I have noticed from all the videos on this subject I've watched of late is no one is pointing out his amp had a bad transistor or something(I haven't read the article in years). Going back to gear, it can really matter in the way sounds are shaped. Wah pedals don't all sound the same. Also you don't know how much cat hair was caught inside of his ha! That Harmonizer box is going to sound way different than a little pedal. $1600 box in 1975! You could probably buy 2 if not 3 used Les Paul's for that. Don't discount tonewoods either. Tom might of did something to his bridge too and never forget the powder.
GREAT job dude! But there are a couple of things. First…you said Tom was 20…he was also a literal rocket scientist….no shame in your efforts. He designed his own pedals/boxes and probably played with that sound for a very long time to dial it in. I think the power soak and the wah did a hell of a lot…messing with it my self. Put the wah at about half a leave it alone. A little chorus and EQ and you'll get pretty close…I did. But the Rockman 100 has some of that without the noise. And next…what it sounds like in your home studio is WAY off from live on a gig. As a guitarist for a long time…I'm not sure we will hit "our" tone…EVER! But we do come across a lot of sounds that are cool. I play through a Katana Gen 3 and you can get fairly close with that amp and no power soak needed. Thanks for a great vid…you gave me some new ideas to try…I'm 70 and STILL looking for the elusive tone! hehe The good thing about modelers is you can store those tones. Steppenwolf is another I'd like to nail…we play born to be wild a lot…tone blows listeners away!
Just out of curiosity yesterday, I decided to make an attempt at getting a passable Tom Scholtz sound with pedals.
Just using what I had in my pedalboard and without reorganizing the order, I felt I got close enough.
Dialed in a high gain tone with my overdrives, which included a klone and a TS which both boost different spectrums of the mids and an ODR-1 clone. Then added the chorus of a TrueTone H2O.
Was it exact? No… but I didn't really tweak it much. If I moved the chorus before the drives, added a graphic EQ with a cut in the bass, boosting lower mids; maybe swapping out the ODR-1 for a Marshall In A Box.
But I felt it got me in the ballpark to where if I was to play a Boston song or Hysteria era Def Leppard, most listeners would say the tone I used fit in.
I think we do overthink it. I spent several years chasing other players tones to varying degrees of success. I still sometimes take gear I have that is similar to other players whose tones I admire and see how close I can get.
The thing is though, I'm not doing it so I can have that sound, per se. I'm learning about how tones are made and then use what I learn to dial in a sound I like that isn't necessarily an attempt to sound like a specific guitarist I admire.
You should specify which Boston tone. The first album sounds different to the second album. The first one, to me has the best tone
Is there a buffer in the WireTap, Volume pedal or Boost pedal that would affect the sound of the Berkeley?
I sometimes wonder if the tones of the greats were happy accidents themselves? Are the tones that we as fans come to love the tones that the greats set out to have themselves? EVH didn't like the tone of their first record despite the fact that many, many guitar players see it as the epitome of hard rock guitar tone. How different would that first record have sounded if EVH got the tone he wanted?
Motley Crue isn't mentioned much in the tone conversation, but Mick Mars has stated that he hated the tone of their early records.
Point is, as we chase tone, are we chasing tone that the players themselves weren't completely satisfied with, but was more the result of their limited access to gear and they just worked with what they had, which resulted in a tone that they became known for?
I did some recording over a year ago and I really liked the tone I was getting. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to replicate that tone. I can still get some really good tones, but after removing the mics and messing with my settings on my rig, trying to get the mics back in the exact spot and the settings exactly where I had them at that time hasn't worked out. Like I said, I can still get good tones, but I can't duplicate that specific tone despite having the exact same gear, exact same hands and guitars, and the exact same mics.
When mic sounds can change so much just by moving them 1/4 of an inch and there are two of them, it's easy to see how I can't get the exact mic placement I had before.
ACDC has different guitar tones despite playing through basically the same gear and guitars – the early tone, the Highway to Hell tone, and everything Back in Black and after tone. Same everything except a different approach to recording.
I've stopped chasing tone long ago. I figured that the tone I have is my sound, and whatever I play is going to be me and my tone of that song. As long as I enjoy my own tone, that's all that matters. EVH didn't take a little amp and cut the speaker cone to cover "You Really Got Me", he used his own tone. After years of chasing tone, I figured using my own tone is the better approach for me, too.
Don't be so hard on yourself. You did great man.. It is hard…
Gear does matter brother to a point of course.
I think the EQ and speaker and amp make a huge difference and it is hard. You did great man.. You were close brother. We do over think gear I believe. ❤
..
Great video. I remember this.
I want to gey the Styper tone which seems hard too! Check it out. ❤
Be well sir.. ❤
Regards from South Central Indiana. USA..
Tim..
Tom’s sound is so special. It sounds different on the first 2 Boston albums when compared to 3rd stage.. 3rd stage sounds like he used the rockman x100 but that sounds different to me than what’s on the first album.. You got some cool clues and your work could be the foundation for someone else to solve the riddle.. Thanks for the research
Works on the Helix! https://youtu.be/ijmpaQ3X1U4.
I am not a Boston fan, but I always thought Tom may have used a tiny amp, like a PigNose, because his sound resembles Michael Schenker’s.
Dear god, why would anyone want to? Horrible.
Anyone that watches knows how close to your heart this subject is. I think your idea of trying to capture his tone with what you have is cool. Like the wah mid trick, I'm not completely convinced but wonder if out of phase pick-ups would get you in the proverbial (Fenway) ball park.
Hmmm – so I am wondering if using an envelope follower on the Q would work – tied to pitch, like keyboard tracking is used in synthesis.
Lol. Tom and Brian? You are a glutton for punishment my friend.
Surprised that someone hasn't started making presets of every classic album and selling it. Would be a big money maker for the guitarist and company.
ALL I had was Tom Scholtz tone when I started, because dad gave me a Tom Scholtz Soloist, so I could practice without making everyone in my house cranky.
"are guitarists overthinking..?" Yep. 99.9% of guitarists don't "learn" from tone tutorials, they COPY from them. That further reduces their ability to innovate. You did nail something: Tom knew how distortion and eq work and he had a massively reduced set of options. That MADE him go unconventional routes.
Compression, EQ, and boost a Marshall Plexi. That gets you close. The chorus effect came later.
I think it's easier to develop your own gear into its best sound than it is to try to use gear to replicate somebocy else's sound.