How has your QUEST for Better Guitar TONE evolved in 2021 ?

Anand Mahangoe

Power User
Hey All !
Despite of all the Covid things and gigs being cancelled, it had some positive aspects too ;)
Lots of time, so I used it to do a bit of Tone Quest for myself.

I did a video on my evolved Rig during 2021 , hope you'll dig the tones and very curious which direction your rig evolved this past year !
Best Wishes to all of you !

 
Nice tones you got there!

As for me, I've tried a lot of gear this year:
  • NeuralDSP Quad Cortex
  • Strymon Iridium
  • Built a whole pedalboard with several Strymons and some DIY pedals
  • Added a Boss WL-20L wireless to my rig for convenience
I've settled on two rigs:
  • Fractal FM3 for direct recording and headphones. Augmenting it with the pedalboard sometimes.
  • Pedalboard -> BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury Edition -> Bluetone 4x10 with 10" Greenbacks, closed back. This is the "when I can play loud" rig.
I also have a Victory VC35 + Fryette PS-100 as an all tube rig but I am on the fence if I will get a better matching cab for that or if I want to sell it instead. The Victory sounds good through the Bluetone cab but it's not the best match for it. I'm thinking 1x12 or 2x12 with Celestion Golds would be a better pairing.

At one point I had the FM3, QC and Helix Floor at the same time. The QC and Helix have been sold, not because they sound worse than the Fractal but because the FM3 is the best compromise for my uses at the moment. I still don't like operating it from the front panel (both QC and Helix are better) but I like that it isn't physically massive like the Helix (a reason I don't want the FM9 either) and it is a more feature complete unit than the QC. If I could get Fractal feature set and computer editor with the QC hardware and on-device user interface I would be one happy dude.

This year has made me think of some things:
  • I care increasingly less about accuracy to real amps. Whatever gets me the tone/feel I enjoy is good. Doesn't matter the tech running it, doesn't matter if it's based on something existing or not. All this "is X modeler better than Y" stuff seems like a fool's errand and to me the real significant differences are in features and workflow.
  • I care less about having a huge range of options for amps. I was just as happy playing a Strymon Iridium as I am playing with the FM3. While it's nice to have all the extra tweakability on the Fractal, I just don't need hundreds of amp models. I can get by with one really good one and a nice overdrive pedal.
  • I have become much better at using effects. I feel my Strymon Nightsky has taught me more about reverb than I have learned from Fractal's reverb block in years because it's so much easier to tweak things with real physical knobs and no menus or esoteric, hard to understand options. For future Fractal products I'd love a "simplified" tab similar to "authentic" in amp block, except this would just simplify some effects controls for easier use. For example give me a "wow and flutter" knob rather than two fullblown LFOs to add modulation to my tape delays.
 
Like most people, when the pandemic started, I went from mostly playing live to focusing on recording and producing. Since then, I've mixed and produced a lot, and have also joined other solo producer communities. Here's what I've learned about tone from mixing:

  • Once the signal had left the guitar, 90% of your guitar tone comes from your speaker and cab choice.
  • Most guitarists don't realize how much extra EQ, compression, limiting, and other stuff gets applied to their guitar tone in a final mix.
  • A lot of the nuances of boutique effects, especially delay and reverb, get completely lost in the mix when other instruments come in.
  • Good layered guitar tones usually sound bad and thin by themselves.
  • All the best guitar tones in the world won't matter if bass and drums sound bad.
So, all of that to say, I've stopped being precious about guitar tones. I don't really care about specific amp models as long as they're in the ballpark of what I want. I don't obsess about my guitar tone when I'm playing by myself in a rehearsal room or in my home studio. I stopped hunting down lush delay and reverbs and have settled on a few hardware and software options that do the job. I've put more effort into learning how to mix drums and get good bass tones. And also be a better bass player.

My quest: don't be so precious about guitar tones. The secret sauce for good guitar tones is a good final mix and master.
 
I stopped.

Over the last 5 years, especially the last 2, I've spent a TON of time practicing.

Over that period of time, I went from an AX8 with early firmware all the way through 10.x and to a no headphones FM3 that now has 4.01 on it.

It just sounds great. My band compliments my tones. Audience members compliment my tones. I'm all set. Thanks Fractal.
 
For me it's pretty simple. In the summer I got an FM3, in November a Les Paul I've wanted since I was about 15, and am currently auditioning an FRFR cabinet. The first two alone (plus a set of Sennheiser HD600's) are capable of getting me anywhere I need to go tone wise, so the rest really is up to me. Which is a daunting prospect, but it's a journey, right? Not the destination, but the trip, yada yada yada. And I really and truly hate to say this, but this whole Covid thing with all the misery it has caused me, people close to me and just people in general, really had a silver lining for me. Being basically out of work for a good while made me realize all over again how much I love playing guitar after a lengthy break.

To summarize, the notion of "good guitar tone and how I perceive it in my own playing" occupied a really, really small space in my brain until about a year and half ago, and that space has grown substantially since then and the trajectory thus far looks promising.

I hope everyone's doing well, and wish all of you a great new year!
 
Nice tones you got there!

As for me, I've tried a lot of gear this year:
  • NeuralDSP Quad Cortex
  • Strymon Iridium
  • Built a whole pedalboard with several Strymons and some DIY pedals
  • Added a Boss WL-20L wireless to my rig for convenience
I've settled on two rigs:
  • Fractal FM3 for direct recording and headphones. Augmenting it with the pedalboard sometimes.
  • Pedalboard -> BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury Edition -> Bluetone 4x10 with 10" Greenbacks, closed back. This is the "when I can play loud" rig.
I also have a Victory VC35 + Fryette PS-100 as an all tube rig but I am on the fence if I will get a better matching cab for that or if I want to sell it instead. The Victory sounds good through the Bluetone cab but it's not the best match for it. I'm thinking 1x12 or 2x12 with Celestion Golds would be a better pairing.

At one point I had the FM3, QC and Helix Floor at the same time. The QC and Helix have been sold, not because they sound worse than the Fractal but because the FM3 is the best compromise for my uses at the moment. I still don't like operating it from the front panel (both QC and Helix are better) but I like that it isn't physically massive like the Helix (a reason I don't want the FM9 either) and it is a more feature complete unit than the QC. If I could get Fractal feature set and computer editor with the QC hardware and on-device user interface I would be one happy dude.

This year has made me think of some things:
  • I care increasingly less about accuracy to real amps. Whatever gets me the tone/feel I enjoy is good. Doesn't matter the tech running it, doesn't matter if it's based on something existing or not. All this "is X modeler better than Y" stuff seems like a fool's errand and to me the real significant differences are in features and workflow.
  • I care less about having a huge range of options for amps. I was just as happy playing a Strymon Iridium as I am playing with the FM3. While it's nice to have all the extra tweakability on the Fractal, I just don't need hundreds of amp models. I can get by with one really good one and a nice overdrive pedal.
  • I have become much better at using effects. I feel my Strymon Nightsky has taught me more about reverb than I have learned from Fractal's reverb block in years because it's so much easier to tweak things with real physical knobs and no menus or esoteric, hard to understand options. For future Fractal products I'd love a "simplified" tab similar to "authentic" in amp block, except this would just simplify some effects controls for easier use. For example give me a "wow and flutter" knob rather than two fullblown LFOs to add modulation to my tape delays.
Thanks man ! yes, simplicity is where I am heading too.......FM3 for the quick and easy gigs and then the tube amp + FM3 when doing bigger gigs and studio recordings. I also noticed that it was fun having tons of FX and sooo many amps to choose from but actually I sticked to 1 good amp and be done with it. BUT anyhow after every firmware I was again tweaking and looking for that 'tube' like sound....Now after buying 1 good tube amp : tons of time to play instead of searching and tweaking...

I guess you like the 10" better ? Have to still test with them....right now thinking about 2x12 or 1x12''....

Accuracy, not needed for me too ...if the tone is good, it is good....!

Thanks again , good vibes !
 
Like most people, when the pandemic started, I went from mostly playing live to focusing on recording and producing. Since then, I've mixed and produced a lot, and have also joined other solo producer communities. Here's what I've learned about tone from mixing:

  • Once the signal had left the guitar, 90% of your guitar tone comes from your speaker and cab choice.
  • Most guitarists don't realize how much extra EQ, compression, limiting, and other stuff gets applied to their guitar tone in a final mix.
  • A lot of the nuances of boutique effects, especially delay and reverb, get completely lost in the mix when other instruments come in.
  • Good layered guitar tones usually sound bad and thin by themselves.
  • All the best guitar tones in the world won't matter if bass and drums sound bad.
So, all of that to say, I've stopped being precious about guitar tones. I don't really care about specific amp models as long as they're in the ballpark of what I want. I don't obsess about my guitar tone when I'm playing by myself in a rehearsal room or in my home studio. I stopped hunting down lush delay and reverbs and have settled on a few hardware and software options that do the job. I've put more effort into learning how to mix drums and get good bass tones. And also be a better bass player.

My quest: don't be so precious about guitar tones. The secret sauce for good guitar tones is a good final mix and master.
Totally right man !! In the recording / mixing process we realise how little those details we spent countless hours tweaking / finding , means....

The Delays / reverbs part too...they get so lost in the mix....luckily the Fractal FX sound more than good and with very little tweaks, everything sound great.

Life is anyhow so short, so lets play that great Guitar we have :)
 
I stopped.

Over the last 5 years, especially the last 2, I've spent a TON of time practicing.

Over that period of time, I went from an AX8 with early firmware all the way through 10.x and to a no headphones FM3 that now has 4.01 on it.

It just sounds great. My band compliments my tones. Audience members compliment my tones. I'm all set. Thanks Fractal.
True that , I also started to play so much more once the sound is good enough.....great tools we have and thanks to Fractal for sure !
 
For me it's pretty simple. In the summer I got an FM3, in November a Les Paul I've wanted since I was about 15, and am currently auditioning an FRFR cabinet. The first two alone (plus a set of Sennheiser HD600's) are capable of getting me anywhere I need to go tone wise, so the rest really is up to me. Which is a daunting prospect, but it's a journey, right? Not the destination, but the trip, yada yada yada. And I really and truly hate to say this, but this whole Covid thing with all the misery it has caused me, people close to me and just people in general, really had a silver lining for me. Being basically out of work for a good while made me realize all over again how much I love playing guitar after a lengthy break.

To summarize, the notion of "good guitar tone and how I perceive it in my own playing" occupied a really, really small space in my brain until about a year and half ago, and that space has grown substantially since then and the trajectory thus far looks promising.

I hope everyone's doing well, and wish all of you a great new year!
Thanks man, Covid sure has its good sides making us realise so much more about the meaning of life and the love ones we have in our lives.....
Les Paul and FM3 is great combination for sure.....which amp you prefer ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: J-V
My quest: don't be so precious about guitar tones. The secret sauce for good guitar tones is a good final mix and master.

Yep.

I'm still perfectly happy with my one kitchen-sink preset I built on my AX8 a few years ago, I haven't changed a damn thing on it.

I love the FM3, but 50% for the reason that I don't have to unpack my AX8 live rig to record, and 50% because the front panel is easier to use. I have spent zero time building presets on it, because I only use it for recording, and I just dial up whatever sound I need at the moment to get the session done and like you said, so much happens/can happen in post anyway.

While I understand the benefits and commitment of tracking effects live, for the reasons you listed I prefer to add the sauce after the dry part is done. I never re-amp, but I usually feel delay, modulation, and reverb are better tweaked later to suit the mix.

I'm also happy plugging in to the little Peavey solid state combo at open mic nights and adjusting my playing to suit its tone, vs the opposite.

So for me, the Fractal draw isn't the tweakiness, it's the consistency and easiness it gives me to carry my working tones around in a briefcase.
 
For future Fractal products I'd love a "simplified" tab similar to "authentic" in amp block, except this would just simplify some effects controls for easier use. For example give me a "wow and flutter" knob rather than two fullblown LFOs to add modulation to my tape delays.
Yep!
 
Thanks man, Covid sure has its good sides making us realise so much more about the meaning of life and the love ones we have in our lives.....
Les Paul and FM3 is great combination for sure.....which amp you prefer ?
I really tend to go for Marshalls, or Marshall derivatives at this point. And FAS Moderns mostly for the chugs. My preset list currently is a mess, and once FW 5.0 lands I'm planning to reset the FM3 to factory defaults and starting from scratch.

One thing that's "new" for me since getting the FM3 is I'm dialing in a lot more clean sounds than before. Having always listened to more high gain stuff it's nice to explore the cleaner side of things for a change. Two Stone J35 has been really fun to play around with, and obviously the classic Fenders as well.
 
I really tend to go for Marshalls, or Marshall derivatives at this point. And FAS Moderns mostly for the chugs. My preset list currently is a mess, and once FW 5.0 lands I'm planning to reset the FM3 to factory defaults and starting from scratch.

One thing that's "new" for me since getting the FM3 is I'm dialing in a lot more clean sounds than before. Having always listened to more high gain stuff it's nice to explore the cleaner side of things for a change. Two Stone J35 has been really fun to play around with, and obviously the classic Fenders as well.
Yeah man, the Marshalls are my favorite too especially with a Les Paul 💪🏼💪🏼
The FM3 is so easy to get great tones sitting so well in the mix……we are spoiled 😀
 
  • Like
Reactions: J-V
Yeah man, the Marshalls are my favorite too especially with a Les Paul 💪🏼💪🏼
The FM3 is so easy to get great tones sitting so well in the mix……we are spoiled 😀
Indeed we are! It actually took me a while to watch your video in the OP, and man, you deliver time and again! Thanks for putting that together, and have an amazing new year!
 
The end of 2021 gave me a few significant leaps forward. The "journey" started in 2020, though. Everything since "the beforetimes" kind of feels like a blur, though. I don't really remember when in the journey 2021 started.

One of the big ones was the FM3, finally. I kind of always knew that I was a prime candidate for modeling due to my preference for classic non-MV amps along with relatively quiet room volumes (topping out low-90s SPL). When you jump through hoops with "real amps" to do that, there are always too many compromises. For some reason, I never did it, though. All the demos I did in stores were underwhelming (though I never demold fractal...still haven't seen one in a store).

I actually first started with a modeling amp, but it was pretty terrible. And my favorite "distortion pedal" was always the best attenuator I could afford. But, when I found myself seriously considering an Ox for a mid-range amp....I figured something had to change. That lead me to the DSM Simplifier.

The simplifier was good, and it was a valuable step in the journey. I still think it's the best of that amp-only "modeling" things out there.

But, the FM3 has more. The setup is simpler. And, it's more versatile. And it's less expensive than my Simplifier-based pedalboard. I haven't gotten around to selling that stuff yet, but I'm seriously considering it. All of my tube amps are gone, and my attenuators are on consignment at a local shop or gone.

One of the smaller changes actually made one of the biggest differences. Something about how I play makes every guitar sound bright and thin. This fall, I put a resistor in parallel with the bridge tone pot to limit it's range. It made a HUGE difference in how often I used my bridge pickups and how easy it was to turn the tone down to a sound I liked. I did it to one guitar first, then to all of them. It's almost certainly going to become part of my standard setup for new guitars.

The most recent change was that at home I now exclusively play through my mastering speakers when I can be "loud" or through a pretty cheap wireless IEM rig when I have to be quiet. Before this setup, I hated playing through the really nice speakers. It turns out that yes, part of it is having "real" room interactions as opposed to the transparent stereo presentation of my main rig. The other part of it was that the speakers I was using and their position in the room were masking some "problems" with my tone as opposed to putting them on full display. It turns out that as the tone got "better", I didn't care as much about the amp-in-the-room thing.

I'm still absolutely convinced that "amp in the room" is mostly about the physical placement of your speaker(s) in the room. But, I know how to get that, at least in a way that pleases me. I'm more entranced right now with a studio-esque presentation either through my nice mains or in-ears. It's very different but very good.
 
Back
Top Bottom