Tom DeLonge: At Guitar Center, Exploring His Sound

Frontman, guitarist, producer, songwriter, businessman these are some of the many hats that musician Tom DeLonge has worn throughout his dozen-plus years in the music scene, whether as the on-stage co-lead to bassist Mark Hoppus in platinum pop-punk powerhouse Blink-182 or as the sole frontman of the more experimental, alternative rock act Angels and Airwaves. Or perhaps its as the head of Macbeth Shoes or the visionary behind the social networking website Modlife.

[@skatenfilm66]

Like everyone else said, Tom isn't going to shred into a solo. He's not Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, etc. Tom is more than anything a songwriter. He's cut from the same cloth as Kurt Cobain, Robert Smith, even John Lennnon or Bob Dylan if you wana stretch it way back. Those guys aren't gonna shred, but they are unique guitar players, write often simple riffs or chords that fit a song, and all including Tom are great lyricists.

[@directives]

love what you have to say about tom's sound i totally agree his riffs aren't about virtuosity, they're about accompaniment which i've found largely to be an overlooked trait in guitar players and they're also catchy af so they stick with you long after the song is done

[@mackjungkoi4906]

Yeah I agreed with you.He created simple yet catchy riffs that you can't find in any other pop punk music that just playin power chords

[@dog8438]

Brian Robb exactly. Tom doesn't write any riffs that aren't difficult enough to learn for an experienced guitar player but he has a very unique style imo and I love it. I also love his lyric style in blinks post hiatus

[@insanegamer126]

Brian Robb especially kurt cobain. His lyrics were great but his playing wasnt anything special.

[@user-vc5rp7nf8f]

Mesa boogie + Marshall = greatness

[@RadioDeadSound]

Was just watching the newer footage of Blink's most recent tour, and couldn't help but notice how much Tom has improved as a musician, not just a guitarist. He's adding in little licks here and there that make the song more dynamic, and more complete. He knows what he's doing, and he does a damn fine job.

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

Tom is a great guitarist. I can't understand how people can put him down for his guitar talent. He knoes so much and clearly from this video is right up there with proffessionals who know about music tools and guitar equipment. It's also good to hear that he likes to use man-made equipment the most, stuff that you can touch rather than computers. So many cynics put AVA down saying they're not a real band and it's done all on computers. See that's where they're wrong!

[@TehGalacticDonut]

I Met him 3 weeks ago in a mall in San Diego when he was with his daughter and son he was wearing Macbeth and when i was talking to him he didn't even seem like a celebrity he was talking to me like a friend, but yeah he likes Macbeth stuff he doesn't just wear it for camera

[@iqbalmarulis]

my hero!

[@gtfojohn]

iqbal maruli that's foo fighters

[@kongsudlo]

+gabe maglaqui lol

[@flash109]

by mixing amps he means playing through two amps at the same time and sometimes one or the other. during the enema of the state days tom played a marshall jcm 800 and a mesa triple rectifier. to mix them you have an a/b/y switcher or some other kind of adapter that you plug your guitar into. then run two chords to two different amps. this video shows the old setup pretty well in the background

[@kidbyart6224]

Thnx!

[@xxCaMRocKxx]

It's good to hear that he's into analog stuff and experimenting with different pedals and mic placement and stuff rather than just relying on software. That's really cool.

[@ChrisMccann1822]

its nice to hear what shit he uses answered a lot of questions great vid

[@blackfusion100]

It's annoying how some people do not give enough credit to Tom; he knows what he's talking about and is extremely talented. [well, when he's sober.] But really, he is amazing. Thanks for the interviews!

[@dirtywizard]

Tom isn't a flashy guitar player, but Blink has some great hooks and melodies. I think that is the mark of a great musician, not how fast you can rip minor licks or tap out earsplitting arpeggios. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate shred, but there is certainly something to be said for being tasteful and writing good, memorable songs, and not just trying to show off on the guitar

[@hewonyew]

@JeffEllsworth Wow Jeff...you are one of a kind!

[@KeiIshiyama]

Would you say he is the Modern Rock's Steve Clark? The Riffmaster is unrivaled in his creativity.

[@veryhairylarry1036]

nice

[@recklessabandon1390]

Mark Hoppus Fender Signature

[@powertotehchord]

@BenRessaFilm usually when you mix amps, you play two different amps at the same time or you switch between the two. for instance Tom plays his Fender Twin clean, and his Vox AC30 for his dirty tone.

[@SpillMyHeartForYou]

I started listening to blink back when i was about 10 yrs old (I am now 19) aaaand man is he getting old = / whatever he's still a big cutie =]

[@epidrol9382]

0:55 - Tom, you never became a better guitar player. Haha. Still love ya though

[@dog8438]

He only sang bad live when he didn't care. He sings really good on Instagram live

[@Almost13music]

Tom Rocks! Whar Macbeth shoes are he wearing???

[@justinTime077]

And now Tom uses axe fx 3, which oddly enough validated my purchase.

[@Hockeyjew702]

He's not from this planet. #aliensexist

[@androidisaloser]

+MaxMorerTDWC Are you saying Tom is an alien sexist?

[@Hockeyjew702]

+androidisaloser yes. Also they exist

[@alexzemaitis1207]

Hey mom there’s something in the back room, hope it’s not the creatures from above.

[@avafreak252]

0:53 i love how he says combos lol

[@saffronthurkettle6795]

I love how Tom slags himself off as a guitarist he’s so funny

[@saffronthurkettle6795]

I love how he slags himself off as a guitarist Tom is so funny

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@ArareFISH BTW I'm sure Tom plays a lot of notes, not just chords, but then again there's playing chords and playing a great combo of chords well.

[@dannyberesford7]

@ihatelicorich JCM900, he used it in blink aswell as his Mesa Triple Rectifier head thru his Mesa Boogie cabs

[@TheErnestoVidales]

For Box Car Racer I think he just used a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with Mesa Boogie Cabinets

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@itorres008 Yeah I agree with all that! Well done!

[@Eventual420]

Tom released a video called 'Start The Machine' which is great insight to his creative skills and recording process. I find Tom's writing to be superior to many, the songs are addictive and immediately infectious. I think there's a nice person inside there, and it's exuded in the music. Vai's no homo, however, he has more knowledge in is pinky finger than irishmofo has in his entire bloodline.

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@LongviewGD182 He's not Eric Clapton or Santana but he's got a great style and he's a bloody good songwriter. That's all I'm saying. His songs are only super easy to play if you can't play them right.

[@alexzemaitis1207]

What kind of sound did Tom use for amps during the self titled album?

[@clicheguevara9917]

selftitled is tricky because they used SO MUCH stuff. from marshall plexis to diezel, vox, fender, mesa, everything. his live Sound wasa crunchy marshall /mesa mix. if you wanna replicate that i would suggest getting a flanger and something that gives a pleasant clean sound and add a mesa throttle box for the dirty sounds. definately do not obsess over guitars as much as i did. any bridge humbucker guitar will be just fine if you eq your amp right

[@egcheeze1]

ac30s and blink 182 are two things that should never have gone together

[@snapascrew]

agreed. his old revision G triple rec and jcm 900 was perfect.

[@5weating_8ullets]

Why what's wrong with the vox sound? Hardly it'll make it sound bad?

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@GregorySpikeMD Yeah that's my opinion too man! Um the new Blink album I was very unimpressed with how about you? Tom's used a LOT of the AVA sound which makes me think how limited his sound is these days.

[@drklenk]

Yeah, right. And just because of this I hate it when people name better guitar players under a video of someone playing guitar. I just don't care who's better!

[@cptnjacksteiner]

i think tom is a better guitar player than he shows in his music, i think he can probably play many styles.

[@branflakes819]

Tom is wearing Wallisters in this vid. Macbeth Wallisters

[@KahnuevsKrake]

In terms of being a physically skilled guitarist he's not in the same league as Mark Tremonti or Eddie Van Halen, that's for sure. But that only makes up half of what makes a great guitarist in my opinion. But the fact that he can come up with so many riffs that are so simple, yet so catchy and sometimes really emotional....Now that's what I call talented. Take 'Dick Lips' for example, it's almost insultingly easy to play, but it's a great song that is full of heart and soul.

[@hype236]

@SDADSDSFDSGDA just adding on to this, they do have some stuff they get from the computer. but what it is is Atom throwing tools at a wall or Tom moving a box of marbles. but the computer is just to alter the sound.

[@sandreoni1]

is that a tail? awesome...

[@BenRessaFilm]

How do you go about mixing amps?

[@maribelaguilera4292]

I had subtitles on and they said "engines and airwaves" and I think I'll call the band that for a long toime . LOL

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@GregorySpikeMD So I guess u'd call urself a long term fan? That you got into the band before the self-titled? A lot of the earlier fans didn't like the more mature sound. I was 14 when I bought the self-titled after hearing Feeling this and I miss you. Ever since I first listened to that album I was completely won over and it's still one of my all time fav records. I just think now after their own projects and so many years apart the sound they all create just doesn't fit like it did then

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

I was a fan of Blink (more so Tom) before the self titled. I really liked Box Car Racer so when the s/t dropped, it was amazing. Easily Blink's best album.

[@fillecool2]

He says he gotta stop using flanger with blink :D

[@itorres008]

@SDADSDSFDSGDA Why ppl put him down? Guess they value blazing speed, solos, scales and virtuosity. Like u say, he knows a lot about tools, equipment and uses them well to get the most out of his playing ability. I'll also add the riffs and harmonies he comes up with are really good. Some people don't value that, want hard core stuff all the time and when they hear airy, spatial, dare I say "pretty" stuff they hate it. But, he's said here "You'd think I'd be better by now" and laughs.

[@Tomankk]

i allways thought tom was the "plug in, krank the gain and rip the house" kinda guy, but damn, he knows what he´s using

[@JeffEllsworth]

i love how he has a tattoo sleeve just on one arm... im doing the same but on my right arm.

[@ZeroDarkThirtyy]

@sarahjessica1242 ha that would be funny to see tom all decked out in nike lol

[@jflores85]

if it was'nt for green day and nirvana, this guy would be a manager at BK right now.

[@rockpwnsu]

he looks a lot older and maturer

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@ArareFISH Yeah well if Tom sucks so bad then how come he's loved by millions. Also how do you know Tom reaches his limits when he plays guitar. Maybe most of the stuff he plays is easy to play on stage but he is like Steve Vai if he sat down and played guitar! He plays to suit his style and if you ask me it's a bloody good style!

[@clouden79]

I KNEW IT! u dont need no stack amps to be famous :)

[@awesomo411]

it sounds like hes just making up words haha but i know what he is saying is spot on.

[@kickflipindy78]

is this guitar centre in LA?

[@BrutalRandon]

Bobby Pistolwhip no

[@PineappleBMX]

of course he likes it its his brand! haha

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@ArareFISH They might be able to play them but nowhere near with the same great style as a pro like Tom. Any Blink song? They're not all that easy! He writes the world's greatest songs! Who do u think is a great songwriter then?

[@ZeroDarkThirtyy]

Macbeth's

[@sumblinkfan]

i think they're eliots

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@GregorySpikeMD Well ur pretty damn young to be a long term fan then I'm 5 years older than u.I like the mature stuff from self-titled but some of the early stuff is cool. They've changed far too much imo.

[@buddytyree]

Haha! And Tom actually proves it =P I freaking love the guy, but you have to admit he isn't exactly awe-inspiring at guitar...

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

His songwriting chops are though...

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@GregorySpikeMD Heart's all gone and up all night are the best songs on the record no doubt. The only others I like are Natives, This is home, Snake charmer and Fighting the gravity. What do you mean wear? Yeah I think the album is very draining to listen to. It hasn't got that amazing sound the self titled has and Tom's voice has gotten ridiculously bad!

[@schimmeltre]

all these comments all so long i'm too lazy to read it :D

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@ArareFISH U know what you're probably right. But it doesn't take that much once u learn how to solo to just knock out the same old banal screeches on the bottom maybe 4 frets! To get a great sound and to really build a piece of music you need to be a great guitarist. I can clearly see that you're into hair bands that stand on podiums and like solo for 5 minutes! That's really not great music.

[@LongviewGD182]

@SDADSDSFDSGDA dude you just dont get it do you? Hes awesome and his songs are gnarlier than most other people out there, but in terms of guitar skills hes nothing special. His songs are super easy to play

[@cormac71]

use real knobs

[@SDADSDSFDSGDA]

@ArareFISH Those aren't even real bands. You've just made them up and how do you make out he's not skilled? What do u have to do to be skilled? The beatles were really nothing special. Somehow I really can't compare Lucy in the sky with Diamonds to Start the machine!

[@hatomateable]

do your research before commenting.. btw did you know hes in blink? LOL

[@Screeeeeeeeeaaaaam]

Buy a fucking proccessor, Tom. you'l save a lot more money opposed to buying more amps.