Why Beginners Have Bad Tone And How To Fix It!

What tone tips do you have? :_PowpowBOB:

I think another huge one is muting techniques. All beginner guitarists I’ve seen don’t have any muting techniques and there’s a lot of unwanted open notes ringing out. Which causes some muddy tone. It’s sometimes very minor so it’s not that noticeable to beginner players. But more experienced players can pick it out instantly.

I once got this tip from a more experienced friend…”play CLEAN, no pedals, if it sounds good clean then it will sound good with any pedal”. another one: if you can whistle it (a solo part or a song) then you can play it”. Those tips hold true to this day. Cheers.

Beginners have bad tone because they haven’t yet invested the gdp of a small country on gear!

Honestly time and practice makes awesome! You don't need the most expensive gear to have a good tone but you do need practice to understand how to find it and keep it in your sound! Hope y'all have good days 🍀

You always sit with such good posture. I find myself completely hunched over after only a few minutes playing. I have GOT to try to improve my posture!

Thank you for explaining what “tone is in the fingers” actually means. I wish someone had explained those very subtle concepts to me 20 years ago

I never realized what amps or pedals I really liked , because its not easy to have access to everything to compare side by side.. untill I got the Axe fx . Then I was able to compare everything and I really like the Marshall/brit patches. After studying some of my favorite patches I got a better understanding on how they chain things to get a good sound. Its very helpful and consistent on delivering the exact same tone every time.

My tips: – A lot of tone is in your fingers. You just need to control your inflections on the strings. Play evenly. Don't let strings ring if they shouldn't be. Don't try to be your own drummer on the strings – particularly on distorted electric guitar. – Take time to learn how to use your volume, tone and pickup selectors that are on the guitar. – Change your strings often. Figure out what brand and gauge works best for you. – Have your guitar properly set up and learn how to set it up yourself. – On electric guitar, figure out what pickup height works best for you. – Learn how to use the EQ on your amp. – Don't waste money on pedals until you know how to use them. By that I mean that your first pedal should be a digital mult-fx that allows you to try out every effect there is. Or an amp like a Boss Katana that has it all built in. You can dissect the factory presets to learn how tones are built and you can explore all of the effects to figure out what you like best without spending thousands of dollars on individual stompboxes that aren't even right for you.

Having a nice PRS certainly helps with tone!

I love to use “power barres”. I combine a power chord and a barre chord together. It’s great for strumming or string skipping patterns and allows you to play the power chords, the barre chords, or both together. When you add distortion, classic 80s hair band sounds. Add in some pinch harmonics and you’re rocking now.🤘🏻

“Just do all the things, all the times, everyday, 25/7…. and end bluesy.” 😂 This resonates because I’ve always been crazy obsessive with my hobbies, and I’ve always wanted to specialize in one area. It’s comforting to know I’m actually on the right track 😂😂 with doing all the things, all the time 🤣🤣 Hey man, thanks for taking the time to share your advice on tone and I look forward to your next video! -Addie

Hi Robert, I really appreciate your positive, high energy, can-do approach to guitar. Always inspiring!

Robert - I’m loving these little “5 Minute Ideas” series thingy your doing. Thx bro!

The first point is such a big one. After years of playing i realized how much less distortion bands actually use, and how to dial in better settings to achieve similar sounds with less distortion/overdrive. One of the bigger issues with tone i encountered in recent years, is that you cant really make plugins sound like real amps in a specific way, what i mean by that is, the massive, boomy sound you hear (for example in this video). Its mostly due to direct audio vs mic'ed cabs. Currently this is the biggest issue im trying to overcome, and failing

I can remember when I was a beginner I used to hate when I heard people say “tone is all in the fingers.” I’d say “well why do guys with great tone always have bad ass gear?!” But as you learn to play over the years you learn how to put so much more expression in your playing through technique. Even with simple passages. Also you almost learn to listen to yourself playing differently. When I was a beginner I was never really happy with my tone. Now I feel I could get really good tone with any half way decent guitar and pretty much any tube amp. I still love great gear but I will now admit that “tone is at the very least mostly in your fingers.”

Your last point is why I really encourage new musicians to use modeling gear. It's a cheap and increasingly more effective way of what sort of gear you will want to get as you progress.

Hey Robert, thxamillion for all! your informative and always inspiring content. Here are my two cents: It all starts with how you attack the string(s). What kind of pick,which angle,slanting,how tight you hold it and where you attack the string(s). And that’s related to how loud you dial in your amp. It’s good to leave some headroom say at least 20%. And of course what kind of vibrato you put on a note(slow,middle or fast which again relates to the tempo of the song,letting the note ring for a moment and starting to "massage" afterwards sounds better to my ears as well),when and how to end a phrase(The solo of Hotel California is a very good blueprint for it) It’s the same with bending the strings,you have to land on your target note in time. So again:slow,middle or fast,with fast being used most of the time,and therefore landing on the desired pitch. Best regards

Re: #2: it's all in the touch. The more you play, the more control you have on the subtleties of your touch.

That PRS is stunning