Guitarists - how do I make my electric guitar sound like one?

danlightbulb · 20 Jun 2020 at 14:29

Hi all,

Any guitarists here please?

I'm learning, only a beginner still. Following some online lessons.

I have an electric guitar and an AMP, but I can't make the guitar sound like an electric guitar. It going to be hard to describe, but it still sounds more like an accoustic guitar, unless i turn up the distortion/gain and then it sounds like a distorted metal guitar sound, which isn't what I want either.

Watch the first 20 to 30 seconds of these videos, this is what sound I want to make:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gH2ouD9aAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4bdKXdGHmM

I'm assuming I need to change some settings on my amp but have messed about with it and cannot create the sound.

Anyone help?

Thanks

danlightbulb · 20 Jun 2020 at 15:11

Bassmansam said:
Probably best to learn the basics before you go tone hunting.

Yeah i don't want to spend any more money yet. However the reason I bought an electric guitar rather than an accoustic is because I wanted the electric guitar sound to be able to have more fun with it.

My amp has loads of dials on it, but I cant seem to recreate that clean electric sound like in those videos. I can get a distorted sound easy enough by bumping the amp up to over drive or crunch.

danlightbulb · 20 Jun 2020 at 15:49

builder22 said:
what amp is it?

does it have effects built in?

most amps have reverb - that gives an 'electric guitar' sound

both the videos you posted have a distorted/driven sound btw...they're not what you'd call clean

Its this one: https://www.blackstaramps.com/uk/products/idcore-stereo-10

Yes it does have effects built in controlled by various knobs. I've been looking through the manual, I can get all sorts of effects but not the sound I'm trying to find! Everything I try tends to sound too distorted.

mattyfez said:
Hard to advise without hearing, can you name a song that has the sound you are looking for?

Maybe this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MwxeYnyrRs

I would describe that as not an accoustic sound, but not distorted or 'metal' either.

@Pez thanks, will try those and continue experimenting.

danlightbulb · 20 Jun 2020 at 16:51

Hi again, thanks for the replies so far.

Ive improved things a lot now. Some of it was not understanding what my amp was doing. When I switched it on, it was starting up not with the same settings as I had previously 'dialed in'. So when ive improved the sound and then switched it off, its lost all that and reverted back to previous settings.

I was also confused by the patch mode on the amp. It was storing settings somehow but i don't know how exactly, as I hadn't programmed it with anything. It doesn't seem easy to turn effects on and off even though there are buttons.

Also a big part of my problem appears to be the volume. I didn't realise this but it seems the volume knob on the guitar has to be loud to make the guitar sound more electric? I had the volume fairly quiet because of the neighbours. If I crank the volume up, it sounds much more like I want (although too loud really for practicing in the evening).

danlightbulb · 20 Jun 2020 at 17:07

Zefan said:
Definitely a headphones moment.

I tried headphones with my amp, it sounds awful. I just turn the amp off at night and use the guitar only, obviously then sounds completely acoustic.

danlightbulb · 2 Jul 2020 at 12:35

Hi again all.

How would I make my guitar sound like The Shadows?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VycZVyApqew

15 seconds onwards. I just can't figure out what this sound is? Ive tried gain and it doesn't seem to do it, its not an overdriven/crunch sound either, but nor is it accoustic.

Or 25 seconds onwards here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdfGQwEN-rs

danlightbulb · 2 Jul 2020 at 13:53

SexyGreyFox said:
I used to play the Shadows for a semi professional living - you need a Fender Stratocaster with a very clean sound and a WEM Copycat

I have a stratocaster shaped guitar (a Yamaha pacifica).

What does the WEM copycat do? Could I get close to the sound it makes using my amp's dials?

danlightbulb · 2 Jul 2020 at 16:12

SexyGreyFox said:
Your amp doesn't need to go more than Warm Bright on the Voice control and a WEM Copycat is a delay effect which you have on your Effects section.

Thanks. I've just tried clean bright + delay + reverb. Its getting there but its not quite right. Its hard to explain what it sounds like but I think the best way is that mine still sounds a little twangy, especially on the lower notes - whereas you don't hear the twang at all on the recordings im trying to emulate. If i turn up the gain it seems to help with the twang, but then sounds distorted especially if I play more than one note at once.

danlightbulb · 3 Jul 2020 at 10:40

physichull said:
Its a slippery slope you are on danlightulb. Chasing tones is a complicated and expensive game. No matter what equipment you own and how expensive it is, you will never have the versatility to truly sound like any guitarist given the sheer variety and expense of the kit they used.

You may get close, but as a chap in a guitar shop once told me when I was much younger:

"Just focus on trying to sound like you. You will never sound like Gary Moore. Only Gary Moore sounds like Gary Moore".

I get what youre saying however i would see it as there being a few fundamental types of sound i would expect to be able to get from any electric guitar setup.

At the moment i can switch everything down and get a non driven sound more like an accoustic, or i can turn on various levels of gain and go into a heavily distorted sound. But Im struggling to get the clean, non twangy, electric guitar sound in the middle.

danlightbulb · 3 Jul 2020 at 17:11

Would anyone be able to either describe, or link to a video of, perhaps the five or so fundamental sounds that I should look to experiment with?

Perhaps by era? Eg how would I get a 50's sound, a 70's sound, an 80's sound etc.

All I can currently do is get an overdriven sound, which sounds ok when using single notes but sounds too distorted if Im playing chords, or a non-driven sound, which sounds nice but has limited sustain.

I can get a few effects out of my amp like phaser or delay, but I'd like to get the fundamental sounds right first.

My guitar has two single coil pickups and a humbucker at the bridge end.

I think the general issue I am having is getting sustain without distortion.

danlightbulb · 3 Jul 2020 at 23:14

Nitefly said:
Tbh I wouldn’t bother trying to emulate any obvious range of sounds. Just try so sound like the bands you want to. Who are your favourites?

I guess The Shadows, Dire Straits. I like their sound the most. Pink Floyd too.

ive never been hugely into any particular bands tbh, just like the sounds i grew up with.

danlightbulb · 4 Jul 2020 at 00:46

SexyGreyFox said:
I've already told him, Blackstar like many other companies, will have software so you can look for sounds and transfer them to his amp but he doesn't want to listen.

http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk

http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk/faqs.php

I need to get a cable - dont have the right one as its an old usb standard on the amp.

Ill only be able to download sounds that are already creatable using the settings on the amp itself though wont I? Ill gladly be proved wrong but there wont be a 'dire straits' setting?