Creating Jazz Guitar Tones (First Post)

M

MikeYaru

New Member
Hello Fractal Audio Community,

Purchased an FM3 about a month ago, so thought its about time I join this Forum! Definitely have been happy with it.

My post today is about creating a good jazz preset (similar to link below, who happens to be using an fm3). While I've been able to create some decent presets myself, I'm not the most versed in all the various types of guitar amps/cabs, parameters, etc. I've have been experimenting, reading the manual, and watching guitar effects explained videos though.

Any tips on specific gear selection, routing, or adjusting parameters? Im starting with input, JFET compressor, the jazz 120 amp (which seems quiet?), using a parametric eq cutting some of the higher end (Any tips on best practices for this block?), carol ann cabinet, reverb, output. Should any delay be applied as well?

Apologies if this is a bit broad. Overall I'm just trying to get better at "dialing in" tones, so any input/thoughts is appreciated. If anyone has any good presets as well feel free to share so I can take a look at those settings. Let me know if you have any questions!

Reference Link:

Thanks,
Mike
 
-I can't help you at all with Jazz tones. But, in general, figure out what sounds good to you in real life and start with that rig. And remember, if you chase some rabbits and end up with a "nonstandard" setup, all that matters is if it sounds like what's in your head. If it sounds good, it is good (as a wise person here on the forum has said).
-And the main reason I piped up in the first place... Welcome to the Forum!
 
I've struggled against the glassy high end and scooped mids on the clean amp models and turning down the treble and and using high cuts only lost articulation. I wanted punchy, round tones without the brittleness. Thankfully, I discovered the Tube Pre among the amp models and liking it much better. The scooped, glassy top end of a typical amp's tonestack simply doesn't work for me for jazzy tones but I know I'm probably an odd outlier.
 
So I'm also not Jazz guitarist though I do like to play some arrangements sometimes and find that backing off the input gains, removing highs and making the amps sound flat really has helped me. Most of my experiment has been on the Marshalls...
 
L'idee que je me fais du jazz tone, c'est un Class-A dans le block AMP et 2 IRs mixés un JC120 et un twin verb plus quelques petites choses avant et apres ces 2 blocks :) Cela permet d'avoir un beau son tres clean et du soft crunch tres sympatique.
Google translate:
My idea of jazz tone is a Class-A in the AMP block and 2 mixed IRs, a JC120 and a twin verb plus a few things before and after these 2 blocks :) This allows you to have a beautiful very clean sound and very nice soft crunch.
 

Attachments

  • Jazzy.syx
    24.1 KB · Views: 84
If a hybrid system appeals, try the Tube Pre with the master on 10 and the gain low, copy the power amp parameters over from another amp model, and put a Kingsley Page in front. Whoa! Buttery, smooth, articulate, sweet!
 
Mike, I just got the FM3 yesterday and I'm a Jazz player. It is a beautiful unit for jazz. Here is my input. That's a great simple beautiful sound the guy is achieving. Also, listen to Tim Miller and Kurt Rosenwinkel (modern jazz pros) when they are using the Fractal products with effects.

First, start simple with Input, Amp, Cab, Reverb, Output.

Amp: I don't prefer the Roland Jazz Chorus 120. They are too bright and thin sounding (it will work fine though if EQ'd to taste). Although, I'm not aware of any of my favorite players that use that amp for jazz, but to each his own. Here's what I've heard and seen on videos from the internet. John Scofield, Wolfgang Muthspiel - now seem to like Vox AC 30; Kurt Rosenwinkel - said he uses Fender Twin Reverb amp in the Axe FXIII; Pat Metheny - uses a Kemper Profiler now but has always used a Digitech 2021Preamp and Lexicon Reverbs; others uses solid state "High Headroom" amps from Polytone, Henriksen, DV Mark, etc.. I just got the FM3 yesterday, but I was able to quickly dial up great tone using any Fender cleans (Deluxe, Twin, Princeton, etc.), Vox AC 30, the PRS Archon (Archean) Clean model, The Dumble Clean etc.. The key is "headroom" like unix-guy said above. Turn the preamp volume down to about 2, Master way up and use the level for volume to taste (don't clip your mixer or FRFR speaker etc.. There is a "Headroom" meter on the page where you adjust these volumes. Watch it and see what happens as you change things. If you hear distortion, lower the preamp volume and/or raise the master. EQ it by perhaps raising Bass to 6 and lowering Treble/Mids to 4. Remove highs like DaveO said above.

Cab: Learning more about this, but as Laurent-G said, try using two Cab IR's. I tried this yesterday and it was great. You can Pan them, so it's like using two different cabinets, one for L one for R and hearing the IR's in stereo along with Reverb . . .

Reverb: This is where the FM3 shines over other competitors in my opinion. There are so many choices depending on what you are looking for. Try a Large Hall, Wide Hall, Rich Hall and turn the decay time up into the 4 sec range then back off the effect using the Mix control. Or, if you prefer use a Spring Reverb to sound less modern and more up front. The reverb tails are absolutely gorgeous. Play around with Reverb once you have a Clean, high headroom sound that is warm and not distorted.

Next try adding some Delay.

I've spoke to Tim Miller about tone on his forum and he said the Fractal products have great delays and verbs. We talked about the right settings. He said "I use several different settings for different situations. For a basic sound, I like the way spring reverb "feels" to play. With digital reverb, I tend to dial in a small or medium room and sometimes add a little of echo (delay) mixed in to the sound (approx 300-400 ms.) If I want more ambience I use a larger room reverb or add a stereo delay mixed in as well." That's great advice there, re-reading it I may try some smaller reverb rooms but I do love the tails on the larger halls in the FM3 and maybe for ballads they might work well for some players.

Mike Stern uses the heck out of chorus and gets a great sound (he could sound great on anything with his experience). If you like that sound, add Chorus, they are awesome in the FM3 as well.

Hope this helps, search the internet as well and think of the FM3 as a chain of real life "blocks" or devices. So much easier than it was years ago.

By the way, I have a Kemper as well, but I'm now preferring the FM3. It's small footprint is great for jazz gigs where there isn't much room and the 3 switches are enough if you learn about Scenes, Layouts and Views.

Dave
 
I'd go with In > Studio Comp > Precision Drive rolled pretty much off > Roland > Cab with a nice twin IR > Rotary (just because jazz) > Reverb (maybe drum room?) > Out

Don't need much more than that.
 
The Deluxe Reverb (and other small Fender combos) is one of the most widely used amps in jazz (and most styles of music) and I've always had good success with it. In the real world, the setup most jazz players use is guitar -> amp, so try not to overthink it just because you have the options. My setup is a compressor (currently liking the JFET) into a Deluxe Reverb amp and matching cab, with some reverb. That's the core tone and any effects beyond that are just effects. I do take advantage of the EQ section within the amp block and usually bring down 2k and 4k a few db (and sometimes the higher frequencies), but nothing too extreme.
 
Poparad said:
The Deluxe Reverb (and other small Fender combos) is one of the most widely used amps in jazz (and most styles of music) and I've always had good success with it. In the real world, the setup most jazz players use is guitar -> amp, so try not to overthink it just because you have the options. My setup is a compressor (currently liking the JFET) into a Deluxe Reverb amp and matching cab, with some reverb. That's the core tone and any effects beyond that are just effects. I do take advantage of the EQ section within the amp block and usually bring down 2k and 4k a few db (and sometimes the higher frequencies), but nothing too extreme.
Click to expand...
Poparad: How do you set the Compressor and what advantage does it give you?
 
dking said:
Poparad: How do you set the Compressor and what advantage does it give you?
Click to expand...
Before I switched to a Fractal rig, I played a Deluxe Reverb for years. The last few years I added a Wampler Ego Compressor to my board because I wanted to thicken up the tone of my guitar and increase the sustain. I usually only use a little bit of compression (3-4 db at most on the loudest notes) and I always set it in parallel (around 50%) because preserving the transients is very important to me. I love the added sustain of a compressor but I hate the squashed sound it can get on clean tones (I don't mind it on high gain, though). The Ego Compressor is one of the few pedal compressors that has a mix knob on it, and I carried over that practice when I switched to Fractal. It's not necessary at all, and not at all a traditional jazz thing to do, but I was trying to get a beefier tone out of my guitar than it was getting by itself (a Gibson ES-135 LE thinline semi-hollow) so it helps get that last little bit of the sound I'm searching for.
 
dking said:
Pat Metheny - uses a Kemper Profiler now but has always used a Digitech 2021Preamp and Lexicon Reverbs;
Click to expand...
I think "always" is a little much since Pat has been around long before either of those existed ;)
dking said:
Mike Stern uses the heck out of chorus and gets a great sound (he could sound great on anything with his experience). If you like that sound, add Chorus, they are awesome in the FM3 as well.
Click to expand...
Not the "typical" jazz tones but Mike certainly has something unique. I found by accident that I can also get close to his chorus with the Rotary block :)
 
Non-jazz guy chiming in - doesn't rolling back the tone knob on your guitar help immensely with getting those sounds?
 
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