Great Guitar Tone Starts Here!

[@justinguitar]

🎸Full (FREE!) Course Here: www.justinguitar.com/modules/practice-exploring-gym

[@matthewshunk7925]

I have watched you for more than a decade. A strange connection to say the least. I am taking this moment to say that even though I only know you as a KZbin guitar instructor I must say your heart comes through so loud and clear.. you seem so cool with yourself I admire that quality in your character. Thanks for all the great lessons. What I really appreciate is your uncanny ability to build confidence in me by being so transparent and how easily you express vulnerability. I relate so easily to you. If I am ever down under I might turn up on your doorstep just wanting a handshake.

[@leandroferrini641]

I bought my first guitar fender fa-135 acoustic electric on Saturday and started your beginner course that same day! Still on module one, but I've gotten up to 24 chord changes between D & A already! Been practicing everyday! Thank you so much for everything man, truly appreciate it!

[@macwas5900]

Hey man that's awesome! I started his course a couple months ago. Where are you at now, over a year later? :)

[@srijanraghavula]

I don't know what to say but justin gotta be the one of the best guitar teachers online. The videos feel friendly, natural, and cheerful. Not only all this great content is free but he is also helping the ones who can't afford an instrument. Love ya Justin. I'll support you somehow when I graduate :)

[@michaelmerrullo2043]

👏This is much needed. Thank you for addressing this. Electric guitar sound is so vast. A big part of iconic songs is the sound almost as much as the notes and chords played. Thank you for addressing this. If you don’t know understand tone your at a great disadvantage

[@justinguitar]

Absolutely! Thanks for your comment and happy 2022!

[@erikhendrickson59]

Absolutely! No matter how decently I can play Comfortably Numb, that solo just never sounds as good on my LP.

[@julieshoneybee]

If it wasn't for Justin, I would have put my guitar down a long time ago. Great teacher, great musician and a really nice guy.

[@joshg3835]

Man you gotta be the best guitar teacher on youtube. Really good job on breaking things down simply for beginners and including alot of insightful tips. I know it's been years but I hope you keep going, as long as you're having a good time

[@carlor.s.4742]

Watched a video over at Rick Beato where they did 9s,10s & 11s on a guitar & evaluated which sounded best. Conclusion(agreed by all) was that 9s sounded best.

[@jimamsden]

Maybe you could have covered the pick’s effect on tone: type of material, shape, play with the point or on the side, beveled or not, how you hold the pick, hybrid or finger picking, etc. These all provide interesting tone options.

[@stlyrface]

Excellent deep dive Justin. Looking forward to future installments of this series. Thanks mate!

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

I recently did the Billy Gibbons ( Reverend Willy) 7 gauge challenge. Some KZbinrs were trying them out and I got to say after going from 10s to 7s is like a totally different instrument. It actually required a truss rod adjustment and a set up change. You can bend up 3 whole tones with no effort. The heavy gauge = better tone is a myth. There are so many legends that use light strings. Yes, SRV and his 13 thru 60 set is a man's set, but for most lighter is better. And the best 8 gauge set I have found so far is the D'Addario NYXL brand. They sound huge and last so long. I will go back to them once I am done with the 7's. Those are just a little to thin for my hamfisted right hand

[@christoguichard4311]

Ive been playing 50 years and have settled on 9's for electrics and 11's for acoustic. Tried many different guages over the years, and those are the best compromise for me.

[@jfar3340]

that's light you should try a higher gauge

[@Nowo78]

@@jfar3340 To what end? That's some cocky BS talk right there, if it feels right, it is right.

[@jfar3340]

For better tone especially acoustic; he ll thank me later

[@000gjb]

I use 10 gauge strings. 8 and 9 Gauge strings are good for slicing Salami and finger tips.

[@lucienne66]

Thank you Justin! I hope you’ll do more installments of this tone series. Suggestion: How about a video of suggested licks for trying out guitars and amplifiers with the different pickups and settings? I’m still learning about all this and always feel awkward in the store and don’t know what to play to try gear out.

[@biteofthedog]

Love your tutorials.... This "simple" lesson in understanding tone became way to complicated when you chose a guitar with 3 completely different pick-ups. Keep up the great work thanks

[@timchalmers1700]

I have a guitar with HSH pickups that I played for 25 years, but things were wearing out, so I bought an Epiphone SG with some flaws at a great price. I wanted to learn about the electrics and I didn't like the sound of the stock pickups, so I replaced the pickups, volume and tone controls with coil splitting. Great education and great upgrades to turn a cheap guitar into a player. I could have spent the same money and bought a better guitar but then I wouldn't have learned anything.

[@justinb.1674]

For the knobs on the guitar, I was always told, and through years of experimentation, leave your knobs on the guitar on all the way (at 10)., if you adjust them at all, then only down to around 8 atleast! That should be your default sound.

[@dobiqwolf]

To change the brightness of the guitar, you can just use a thinner pick, .5 will make the guitar sounds very very bright. I use .73 for bright and 1.14 for darker sound but don't take my word for it, give it a try. Picks are so cheap and you will be surprise of the effect they have on the sound of your guitar.

[@gins8781]

I have noticed that with my acoustic guitar. It’s even more pronounced since I added a humbucker Neo D and Tonewood Amp.

[@flouisbailey]

Justin, I have never seen you do a hollow body class in tone or style, you have so many great videos and your website gets better all the time. You are teaching multiple generations to make music, your friend from Kentucky and a 70 year old advanced novice.

[@BitsOfEternity]

I have a 2020 Epiphone Les Paul Classic. The neck pickup volume control is also a push/pull pot to turn it into a single coil on that pickup, and the bridge pickup volume control does the same for the bridge pickup. Also, the neck tone control is also a push/pull pot that shifts the phase of that neck pickup. I have a lot of possible combinations (13 different options in all, and that's not counting turning the volume or tone pots up or down), I usually play in the middle position, with the neck pickup volume rolled back to clean it up, and if I need even more cleanup, I'll turn the bridge pickup volume down somewhat.

[@larsdahl6594]

Awesome video! I love the laid back, non-scripted, non-BS, style. I just bought a Boss Katana amp, and learned that you get "that sound" by complaining on Katana's FB page that the random heavy metal patch you're using on a drop A# tuned 7-string sounds muddy when you run it through a pitch shifter, a day after you bought the amp and having fiddled with it for all of 10 minutes. Then somebody tells you off.

[@44scoots]

Careful with that Katana, you’ll spend hours messing with it trying to get “your sound”. Find a simple tone and leave it.

[@larsdahl6594]

@@44scoots I know, right! During the initial learning curve (3 days in) you spend more time messing around with it and the associated BTS than you do actually playing and practicing. The anecdote I alluded to isn't autobiographical, BTW; just an observation. 😆🎸

[@casper116X]

Amazing! Thanks so much Justin. You explained in half an hour what Ive been trying to understand for 30 years!

[@lilystrong9870]

I'm impressed you're still active. You're most probably the first youtuber I learned guitar from.

[@davemetzler1]

The best teacher and a great human being, really admire his whole philosophy and attitude. Well done mate.

[@notharry]

Thanks, really useful lesson for me who has spent 3 years not understanding how to get the sound I want from my Fender guitar! Amp hints would be great!

[@emerybraun4698]

Yes I agree, I have a hard time getting my amp to sound how I want

[@ssm445]

I started out with 11s. It's good for getting calluses fast, bending hurts a lot, but that's about it. 9s on Fender scale lengths, 10s on Gibson scale lengths. Rule of thumb that works great for me. No point hurting your fingers when it gives you less fat sound and less sustain.

[@perro0076]

I agree with the 'feel' thing. You got to have that. When you sling the guitar on, you should feel that you are wearing it and it's part/extension of your body. For years I mostly had a guitar processor that had 2 valves in it and a multitude of amp simulations because I was never sure which tone I wanted to live with. In the end I got myself an AMT Brick m-lead. For me I focus on the pre-amp as it is easier to lug around. One also has to think 'rubbish in, amplified rubbish out'. So spending a bit of money on good pickups is always a good start although it requires a lot of homework. There's even an argument for buying yourself a cheap guitar you really like the look of, then sort out the action and upgrade the pickups so nobody in the world would have the same thing!!

[@georgeperillo6421]

I use mostly10's on my guitars and 11 on others, usually Boomers. In the 70's I used Ernie Ball Super Slinky's 8ths. The tone wasn't an issue for me but it was harder for me to play cleanly because they were so light.

[@Wildmutationblu]

I used to gig with 8's but moved up to 9's after breaking too many strings. I own an SG and it's my favourite to play as it feels so easy.

[@44scoots]

Justin, I believe your choice in picks (plectrums) also plays a big part in both your comfort and your tone.

[@FairyLiquid69]

I think there could be a entire video about the different picks/plectrums

[@johnnytightlips991]

Absolutely

[@jfar3340]

@@FairyLiquid69 there is; bluechip all the way

[@startrekmike]

@@FairyLiquid69 Picks are (usually) so inexpensive that it is probably best to just tell new players to buy a bunch of different kinds and try them out as they go along. Eventually one will settle on a specific pick or a specific range of picks that feel and sound right.

[@FairyLiquid69]

@@startrekmike yeah that's fair enough, it's what i did!

[@flaminx0r]

Great video Justin! I've been playing for 20 years and it's easy to skip the creativity of tone adjustment, this video has inspired me to play around with some settings on the guitar later :) have a great weekend.

[@dereklong801]

And that's why I like my Gretsch with those Filtertrons. Growly!

[@karlfarren]

Hi Justin. Re Gibson-style guitars with push-pull coil splitting, - I've got the Epiphone ES-335 Pro, which has two humbuckers, both splittable. Really great guitar, with a great range of tones. Lots of options, - with the pickup selector switch in middle position, splitting both pickups, or just one, - really versatile.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

I have been playing since 1971 and I have taught people along the way, this is an excellent lesson, you are a very natural tutor. I like the Gibson middle position, it is another option, especially for rhythm work

[@aaaaas2484]

And for a good tone the pickups are very important.If you want a good pickup at a reasonable price I will go with YJG pickups

[@mk00918]

i really dig the sequence at 16:48 : the room neighbour playing power chords. I watched it over and over ... so funny!!

[@davidheuser2119]

this is a great quick lesson. I really appreciated the volume roll back, rather than the Amp settings.

[@brettneuberger6466]

Super helpful! So I tried eights on my SG (Epiphone) and tuned up using my amp. It sounded like sh#! and made the entire guitar feel foreign. After an hour or so, I’d had enough, and ditched them for my usual nines. Much better!….I also found being tuned in the proper octave made a world of difference as well. 🙄

[@patgaff3886]

Thank you a ton. Much needed lesson. More like this. Happy New Year.

[@nigelduckworth406]

I have a 62 strat with 12-54 gauge Golden Sixties strings. I use that for vintage tone on instrumental numbers from the early 60s. I have other guitars with 9 gauge to 11 gauge strings on- for variously Blues, Rock and Pop. String gauge make a big difference to tone and playability in my opinion. 9s for big bends and fast playing, 12s for for hitting hard for max tone compared with 10 gauge on the same guitar. Obviously, though, the 11s and 12s are much harder to play and to play fast. And the fingers suffer.

[@marc8vino]

Kemper MB-62 D'Lux 6 is what I have been using a lot lately as well. Love Michael Brit and Tone Junkie

[@allthingsmusic-]

I'm playing 9.5s, and they work great. They play like 9s, but sound like 10s. For me, they're a great string.

[@kenjude1]

I switched to 9.5s recently on my electrics. I wanted just a fraction more tension on the 1st and 2nd strings for bending.

[@michaelgaurnier3108]

I think it should be mentioned that the quality of guitar makes a huge difference once you start discussing altering the tone and volume controls knobs and pickup selector switch. Depending on the guitar, this can be on or off, or almost endless nuances... The guitars you are using a wonderful for that. btw, I love the guitar your buddy built for you! That SG is just amazing for tone!!!!

[@cristianferber5834]

Great video, thanks for explaining so thoroughly these things

[@davidstrahl5301]

Bb king was a fan of light strings. I believe that he was the one who convinced billy gibbons to switch to lighter strings. He had asked what he used billy had 10/46 maybe heavier. Bb King said you have to work too hard playing those. So he switched and never looked back

[@theghastlygamer5326]

Rhythm on bad moon rising is middle pickup on les paul. Actually most of the Rhythm when fogerty plays live now is his son playing les paul on middle position through a fender 65 deluxe reverb

[@ryanh4975]

Yup. Exactly the video I needed. Thank you, Justin. Get confused with all the different sounds I can get. Well, mostly overwhelmed.

[@robertestrada9643]

After doing a few swaps and upgrades on my strats, I noticed other than electronics the neck makes the biggest difference in tone imo. Your guitar should have some texture and character that inspires you to keep picking it up.

[@stevechadbond3009]

Thank you Justin for this often overlooked information, really looking forward to the rest of the series. Yes Gibson do do coil splits, my Les Paul 100th anniversary has push/pull volumes to split both humbuckers! as per factory setup, not modified. Happy 2022, keep up the excellent work.

[@Coasttyres]

You’re a legend. Absolute legend.

[@kalinkuzmanov6747]

To me SG sounds and feel the best is with 9.5 strings :)

[@capsel22]

Hi Justin. As ever very informative. I think when people ask you on your tones during your song lessons, is not to get exact settings, but to just get an idea what effects you are using. I agree everyone's gear is different so that's impossible. But, you know, just an idea on effects, chorus, delay, reverb, maybe what kind of distortion you used. Just to give us any hints.

[@ellebhee5045]

Tone chasing with single coils is a bit of a headache but it can be done!

[@glynjames5948]

Justin this is just what we need to be taught please hurry up with the next instalment thanks again for your time and efforts.Glyn

[@bigbokiptd]

Great (as always I have to add) video Justin. Happy New Year and thank you so much for all your work, instructions, music and most of all inspiration!

[@justinguitar]

Happy new year! Thanks for ur support! Cheers

[@briancoyne6700]

that filtertron sounds great in the neck position. Great idea!

[@geraldwest3428]

Excellent video, thank you! JJ Cale had more toggle switches than anything I've seen! lol Love JJ Cale!

[@brianwalker5843]

You re-inspired me, the best video on Tone I've seen,thanks man.

[@justinguitar]

Yay! mission complete :) cheers!

[@davidgross9751]

I greatly appreciate this video. I think I've always played with the tone & volume buttons, string position, etc, but didn't know technically what I was doing. More of a trial & error for the right sound. Thanks, Justin. David G

[@Lee_Hall]

Thank you for the great video Justin. Very interesting to see how you can get completely different sounds without touching your amp. Nice playing as well 🙂

[@dshowmusic]

Talking pickups also experimenting with pickup height can make a difference

[@heftyjo2893]

The focal point for the zoom and white balance sensor is a very narrow cone that projects out from the center of the frame of the camera. Imagine a small circle in the very middle of the picture frame. This is why many cameras have a small circle or a square superimposed in the middle of the camera viewfinder. Always be cognizant to have the item you want the camera to focus on right in the middle of the frame of the camera. The camera wasn't focused on the guitar in the corner, it was focused on the blanket behind you which was in the middle of the frame.

[@dreamscuba]

Happy New Year and great video Justin. That Custom Gray Guitar you play is something special. There are so many tones you get out of that. Wonderful demonstration of many of the key dynamics in guitar tone. I love to play with the volume and tone controls these days. The guitar volume control is an often overlooked feature by many, especially me for so many years... I have also seen some scientific videos on string gauges that demonstrate no loss of tone with lighter strings. Like you, I put 10's on all of my electrics...but may explore going lighter.

[@michaelj3959]

Angus Young uses Ernie Ball Super Slinky's which are 9's. I saw a rig rundown from AC/DC's guitar tech on KZbin.

[@MrDjkdave]

Haven't seen anything good lately but I will follow on the tone business with Justin.

[@johnnywrjackson]

Great to see you having fun!

[@tallpaul8880]

I think somebody just wanted to rock! Nice lesson thanks ✌🏻🇺🇸

[@tmsglobal5848]

Great topic and thanks for sharing the details. Exploring and knowing these facts is a tremendous help on the journey for the individual’s tone. It’s not magic. The journey is well worth it.

[@mortini185]

Most excellent Justin. As a newbie, this session was very helpful. Gonna go and experiment some. Thanks

[@reliveit6196]

You are a good teacher. Thank you.

[@justinguitar]

You are welcome!

[@christopherguzzi1316]

Fantastic and very comprehensive tutorial on this topic!!!

[@davidpringle5595]

The sound you were liking so much at 23:30 seems to me to be similar to Clapton's famous "woman tone" from the Cream days.

[@joshthomas25]

Thanks for all your tutorials sir - you are a legend!!!

[@mwfxtechnicalanalysis9136]

This is going to be an amazing series!!

[@guitartuna8307]

I’ve been craving for this type of content

[@janrandles8683]

Thank you so much Justin as always. Now I want a Gibson!! But then again I am a Derek Trucks fan and he plays a Gibson. Love and learn so much from your videos and your courses. Looking forward to more on the pedals.

[@jamesm.3967]

My head is going to explode. 👍 so many creative options. Thanks Justin.

[@Reddog7937]

Work smarter not harder. I will keep my 9’s. Great stuff!

[@bruxdlux595]

You mentioned how important the amplifier is Justin, you have to do a special on Amp Tone.

[@georgevanasch7212]

Thanks Justin great lesson. greetings from Antwerp.

[@buckbloomfield5419]

Assume. I'm new to electric guitar 🎸. Transfer from acoustic most my life and hard to play lighter easier strumming. And don't know that either ,setting amps either

[@07045730]

Thank you, Justin. very inormative. looking forward to you r next video

[@madhatter1789]

I believe Augus has volume on 6 or 7. Could be wrong of course!!

[@mattevans060972]

Justin you read my mind. This is exactly what I’m looking for.

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Is that a Gibson SG '61 Vibrola? It's really Cool! Love that sound. You said it has thin 8th Strings right?

[@giannapple]

All those guitars and a Miles Davis’s portrait… 👍

[@corynorell3686]

I have an Epiphone SG that I put 9's on, coming from 10's. Definitely noticed a loss of fatness in the tone. I'm using a cheap modeling amp (Marshal Code 50 I think); I wonder if a quality amp makes up for the difference in strings.

[@ingodueckminor3403]

Awesome lessons👌keep on 🎸teaching✅

[@jofusmojilliken9854]

Thank you Justin for covering this

[@ingodueckminor3403]

Danke!

[@justinguitar]

Thanks for the thanks 😊

[@AnthonyGrau]

Thank you Justin, Very nice lesson ! I truly need the next steps (amp...)

[@randyg6231]

While we are on the sounds of the Guitar, I really can only afford one amp would so I use a modeling amp so I can play electric and acoustic through the same one maybe you can elaborate on how to get the best sound from both sides of these amps !! I am using a Line 6 Spider V if you have any other suggestions for an Amp Like these that would be wonderful also !

[@hunter00143]

I have a Vox Vt20x, it has a lot of models from Jcm800 to AC30 to dual rectifier Built in pedal effects, headphone jack, super cool amp and it's fairly affordable. Got mine used for $200

[@simonargent62]

Can you recommend a budget starter amp please?

[@lifeasitis3937]

Great video...many things got cleared out!

[@dhughes20tube]

Interesting that the volume knob changed the amount of distortion but didn't really decrease the actual volume. 🤔

[@mdmusic2130]

Excellent video and great tones Justin!What kind of picks do you use???Thin/medium/heavy???and what type of material are they made off???Thanks!!!

[@noodle845]

Cheers Justin, good stuff to know about 👍

[@patgaff3886]

In mini electrics, what is the correct size to put on them? Ex. Squier mini.

[@drewdietz2115]

Most excellent lesson, thanks Justin, thanks.

[@frankzappa951]

Wish I had this vid when I first started :) you are a good un mate. Sound great as usual mate. Thanks.