State of Epicicity
Fractal Fanatic
For, references I use certain YouTube videos from guitar channels, since you can find many high quality recodings of the sound of the guitar in isolation, just perfectly balanced. This way I don't lose my mind in the minutia of audio engineering, as I can easily do otherwise.
For vintage tones I really love to enter the world of one Mr. Johan Segeborn. I don't follow his gear or knob settings; I just like to use what he's mic'd as a loose framework for a nice tone and character. The Marshall YouTube channel also has a couple great videos for tone reference, and, as you might expect, many of the videos Seymour Duncan has released. Leon Todd and Burgs have great ears, as most of us have experienced, and I reference them too. I'm sure there are tons of great channels for tone I haven't explored.
I think you just have to find what is most pleasing to you in isolation for practicing and try to stay sane and focused in the world of every piece of gear at your fingertips, remembering this is just a ramp up to your playing.
A mix, whether live, rehearsal, or recorded, is of course an entirely different story!
For vintage tones I really love to enter the world of one Mr. Johan Segeborn. I don't follow his gear or knob settings; I just like to use what he's mic'd as a loose framework for a nice tone and character. The Marshall YouTube channel also has a couple great videos for tone reference, and, as you might expect, many of the videos Seymour Duncan has released. Leon Todd and Burgs have great ears, as most of us have experienced, and I reference them too. I'm sure there are tons of great channels for tone I haven't explored.
I think you just have to find what is most pleasing to you in isolation for practicing and try to stay sane and focused in the world of every piece of gear at your fingertips, remembering this is just a ramp up to your playing.
A mix, whether live, rehearsal, or recorded, is of course an entirely different story!