Joe Bonamassa: Tone Tips For Les Pauls

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

It's pretty amazing how more people don't use their tone controls. I pretty much keep my bridge pickup tone on my LP at about 5-6. Duane Allman was CONSTANTLY using the tone knobs on his guitars.

[@alecalfaras5936]

Santana too, watch the Woodstock 69 footage…he literally changes the tone knob after every note he plays! Jimmy page TSRTS as well

[@Blueeyedramblings]

I usually keep my bridge volume at 10, and bridge tone anywhere between 3-10 (depends on how bright I want it), and I almost always play in the middle position with the neck pick up tone at 10 and neck volume around 6-8, that way I can get a bit of a darker tone and quickly switch over to just the neck pick up if I want something almost clean.

[@Wesley.Deuren]

I think gibsons tone knobs, as well as volume knobs, make huge differences on the sound. Whereas a strat for example really does not have the wide range of variance in sound.

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

@@Wesley.Deuren I've never understood why Fender didn't assign at least the bottom tone knob to the Strat's bridge pup. I know they did with some models (I've got one), but I wired the bridge pup to the bottom tone knob, and it's absolutely awesome. You can turn it down enough to where you'll be getting into humbucker'ish sounds...

[@richat1691]

I switch to neck for clean verse playing and then to bridge for an overdriven distorted sound.Because i watchd jimmy do that.

[@benkeen]

The last bit is great advice. Think about what else is in the band and where your tone needs to fit.

[@billyboy65leath84]

Yep just listen more. Shocking I know! 😂

[@MrBluzhound]

Screw the band. It’s about me!

[@monkeyrater]

Amazing how no one teaches this instead of Joe. None of the online guitar courses tell you what the knobs on your guitar do.

[@chazzkramer7676]

Turn them. It ain't rocket surgery!

[@unclefrank8824]

Amazing what one can do when actually playing the thing rather than scratching, modding or posing with it.

[@donthewatcher]

1. skinner burst 2. Lazurus 3.the Cajun, Thanks Joe for the info/Tone Tips and putting out vintage guitars that normal folk can afford. i got your epiphone gold top ,. the 1962 335 and Lazarus. keep on rocking and Blues'n JB

[@JoePerry-r4j]

What a wonderful time to be a guitar player with pros like Joe sharing their knowledge with us mere mortals.

[@fixedgear37]

he also is mortal.

[@bruce-hq9ki]

@@fixedgear37 heroes come and go but legends never die!

[@j_freed]

He's being the guy to share millions of dollars of gear with us while also explaining this extreme collector level show and tell gear is not important, and maybe a good set of CTS pots is the most important thing - musically. This all makes Joe a nice guy.

[@Scotmend]

@@fixedgear37 I bet you are fun at parties.

[@silkroad1201]

Speak for yourself. I'm a god

[@Trial212]

I love these little mini lessons.......you can learn one heck of a lot!! Thanks Joe!!

[@bobboitt3126]

Joe killing it with tone straight through a Princeton and a burst ! LOVE it. 👍

[@jonholland6067]

It’s funny what the combination of an incredible talent, an amazing guitar and a vintage fender amp can do isn’t it!

[@BelfastBoxingNBlues]

It is kind of refreshing though.

[@reymisteryo9163]

Always love Bonamassa whenever he talks about a guitar.

[@hkguitar1984]

Playing an electric guitar through a cranked tube amplifier is most certainly a skill, and one worth exploring. As always Joe is sharing his knowledge. I was amazed after I installed '50s wiring in my Les Paul, the volume and tone controls become interactive, you really need to spend time learning how a tone adjustment can affect volume and vise-versa. Great Content, thank you

[@andrewstricklin182]

Man, I'm wanting to do that to my Les Paul! I'm excited to do it but it has the push/pull coil split tone knobs and I can't get the wiring right. I've been studying on it, may have to take it to the shop and just have it done. I just know it'll really make that guitar open up and just kill tonally. It's not a Gibson but an Epiphone 1960 tribute with the 57 classic pups, I love it. She's mine ❤

[@hkguitar1984]

@@andrewstricklin182 Yeah, switching to a quality '50s style wiring harness will really make a positive difference. I've had excellent results using the Emerson wiring harnesses, they use the PIO (Paper in Oil) tone capacitors, cost for that harness is about $120. I've used two of those Emerson Harnesses on my Les Paul Builds and love them. Also, I've found that the muddy neck pickup issue can be solved by cranking the amplifier and rolling the neck pickup volume back to around 3 or 4 for a sparkling neck tone. Cranking the amp up and rolling the guitar's volume back is how I get my best tone (IMHO).

[@andrewstricklin182]

@@hkguitar1984 Yes Sir, those are both very useful tricks, I do that too after alot of studying and eqing from my amp, You know, lots of tone searching and soul searching too, lol. I did finally get a good tube amp too, I've got a Vox AC15 I play through. That Les Paul really sings through it as well as the Casino I have. I'm wanting to put Fralin P90'S is the casino and get it 50's wired as well.

[@hkguitar1984]

@@andrewstricklin182 The AC15 is a great amp (my Son owns one). I got my first real tube amp back in 1976, I purchased a brand new Fender Twin Reverb. A great pedal platform, however it is too clean and loud (no breakup until its so loud the police are called!). What changed everything for me was when I purchased a 50W Marshall 1987x (used). Up until I owned the Marshall I was forever trying new guitar pickups and Overdrive pedals. After using the Marshall I realized that the Amplifier is key to finding the tone I was searching for! In fact, All my humbucking guitars now have Gibson Burstbucker pickups and my Fender guitars use the stock pickups! Except for a Custom build Les Paul Goldtop and a '50s style Telecaster I use all factory pickups. All of my humbucker and P90 pickups are unpotted (just like the original 1950s P90s and Humbuckers). My custom '50s Telecaster build uses a custom wound set of pickups that use a vintage correct lacquer potting (not wax). At the end of the day (IMO) the best part of the tone I have comes from the Marshall and the Greenback speakers. After I got that Marshall amplifier I was able to focus more on playing and less on what pickup(s) I thought I needed! Here is a clip of one of my Les Paul builds, all you are hearing are the Burstbuckers and my Marshall 1987x (3/4 volume and run through an attenuator). kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2fOn3mObcp6aLcsi=MYOQYYTxWT82Jhbc

[@hkguitar1984]

@@andrewstricklin182 I forgot to mention something, the tone capacitor values are different for the neck and bridge pickups! I recommend PIO Capacitors, .015 Neck .022uF and Bridge Caps. The Epiphone Casino is a fantastic hollowbody. A close friend has a 1980s Made in Japan Masterbuilt he had me do some fret work on, while I had it I made a short video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJPCoYClbbybmrssi=Mdu95mywJpIPOe6C

[@lightfoot413]

Thanks Joe..I'm a Strat player..Didnt kno so many tones could a Les Paul make..Thanks for working for The Man..love your music...stay humble..we appreciate you bro....

[@KelsterVonShredster]

Les Paul in middle position is no different than blending channels on a plexi. Once I understood this, it opened up so many tonal possibilities with my Gibsons and any other guitar with same wiring/volume/tone knobs. Love Guitarist! Love Joe B!

[@RickMcCargar]

He's a great musician and a humble guy who shares his hard-won knowledge. Can't ask or expect more out of a guy than that.

[@Ed99924]

Thanks for making the time Joe...we appreciate it.

[@jota3845]

Really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience and tips with us, Joe!

[@Bluedragon003]

Thank you Joe. I'm sure I speak for a bunch of us when I say that I love seeing these videos hearing and seeing you talk about the guitar, the history, tips and tricks and of course hearing you speak about what your doing musically with the instrument. KTBA!

[@BoyajianDon]

I played the skinner burst at Rumble Seat before Joe bought it. Def incredible memory

[@ashleyjackson8538]

It’s good to see the different ways to change the feel and tone of a Les Paul . It’s endless possibilities . And inspiration .

[@artworkbysteve1]

Its great when someone like Joe confirms some of my own experiences. Not all ,but some. Thanks Joe

[@otherfish]

I love Joe and what he does for music and instruments. And at 7:45 I think I heard him miss a bend... I never thought it could happen, he's so incredible. And I'm glad to know he's also mortal after all these years!!!!

[@gibsondcxpl85]

Before going into the pickup rabbit hole, invest in a good set of 500k pots, try it with and without 50’s wiring. I never set my LP with the pots wide open anymore, there’s so many tonal nuances I had been missing out on

[@jaxone1259]

Best clip o Joe I've seen. Never been a Big Fan to many Sequences for me .... this is so much better than his Super Predictable normal playing. Love hearing this side of you Joe 👍👍👍👍

[@rocktorrocks]

Great tips! I’ll also add in the middle position have both bridge and neck pickups volumes maxed to 10 but dial back one of the tone knobs to zero and keep the other tone on 10, it gets a very cool honky almost out of phase type sound.

[@jwd1112]

Yeah, I do something similar… the middle position doesn’t seem to be used as much by LP players, but it has such a cool sound

[@rocktorrocks]

@@jwd1112 For sure! Probably one of the more underrated features on the guitar.

[@Cook9698]

Love that! I do something like that on my lp and with enough natural distortion from the amp you can almost get a Brian may sort of out of phase tone doing that

[@caiopassos95]

This trick is something more... Page-ish

[@markhill9275]

Hey Joe, absolute BEST tip for Les Paul tone, fit a set of Bryan Williams "Pageybuckers", 73 Msg tone! Absolutely outstandingà

[@douglascrawford4791]

You are an amazing musician, sir. I really appreciate how humble you are about your talent, much respect

[@Deliquescentinsight]

Such a sweet sounding Les Paul Joe! Thanks for these tonal hacks, it is amazing really how much variation we can dial in before even considering treading on the Tube Screamer, or whatever, so true!

[@monkeyfinger7949]

This was a great little tutorial on the Les Paul. I heard Clapton and the Allman Brothers in some of those settings. I have strayed away from the Les Paul, but recently got back into it and this training is invaluable in my quest to make that guitar sound good - from the undisputed expert on this instrument (besides Joe Walsh, Duane Allman and other Les Paul luminaries).

[@TMCMR]

My exact Les Paul. However I an a Fender. Clapton Strat player. Thx for these great tips. I will be taking my exact Les Paul Btw. Blues Deluxe 2 is absolutely killer. Your vocals are amazing

[@DavidScott-hi4fz]

Man that tone control at 5 advice is solid gold. Just tried it on my Casino and quite toppy AC30. Massive improvement. Have read Angus Young does something similar I think setting the volume at 8. Don't really listen to Bonamassa's music, but I always love to hear him talking about music and guitars and gear. Feel a similar way about Johnny Marr and Billy Duffy.

[@GP-hj1ft]

What a great lesson about being complimentary in frequencies rather than just trying to "cut through".

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Let the snare and vocals "cut through".

[@larsfocken3456]

Dear Joe, many thanks for this interesing and helpful video and for showing us this amazing vintage guitar. Personally I have to say that I am more than happy with my Lazarus that I got two years ago and that I even upgraded a little bit with better PUs and better metal parts. Please remember: Epiphones are guitars for "normal people" who cannot afford real expensive guitars although the JB models definitely deserve some premium charge. Tanks again!

[@tominthehat5145]

Love this little tutorial - After 40yrs of watching people buy pedal after pedal, they've never tried the volume and tone on the guitar! Jeff Beck did a lot on his strat with the bass off (zero) on the amp but tone turned down. I also like Joe sharing his knowledge cos hes done similar clips with beginners guitars.

[@scottmelton3092]

I stubbornly use to Eq the strident sound out of my bridge pick up with my amp…. I saw this and a few other videos about tone on a LP and now NEVER dime the tone or the Volume. My tone is so much more pleasant and full sounding. I also blend the two pickups 90 % of the time. Thank you for this. ( I’ve been playing guitar since 1982 and I just started doing these things this year… what an idiot)

[@jimmccork]

Such a nice guy - so free with his advice. And such a great player!

[@JPK4630]

Wow! The tone and bite on that guitar!

[@WellVisit-dy6rl]

These are super helpful tips, Joe! I appreciate it.

[@dustyfi]

Great tips!! Wow, thank you Joe

[@Think_Up]

The nice thing is these tips will apply to my PRS 594 and it stays in tune ;)

[@ryanenlow2687]

Wonderful!!! Front to Back of the house sonically sound lesson! He even broke it down like a "sound guy" would... Live playing is just so different than bedroom and studio playing. I know sound guys in places with pretty big P.A.s that ABSOLUTELY Will not let you play on a valve amp bigger than 25 watts... I have read that J.B. himself is not a big fan of such venue "rules." GO Joe!!!

[@maverickde77]

Nice Lesson Joe! It would be very interesting to know, especially for beginners, what basic settings on the amplifier Joe would start with. Especially the connection between the settings on the amplifier and those on the Les Paul.

[@kez850]

Usually everything at 12:00 is considered neutral and a good starting point.

[@robertiola88]

i describe Joe's sound with a Les Paul as a big angry cello. Love it!! Glorious!

[@mortenroedfrederiksen3393]

He Always sounds Awesome.

[@waitaminute7257]

Great sounds Joe!! You're the tops!

[@nandoholgado3050]

Thank you sooo much for this 9 minutes of pure gold!! if I could have Joe just in front of me, I would really like to ask how he gets that honky, open, wooden, out of phase like tone on the bridge pickup!

[@topografer]

I can answer that. First of all pure skill and secondly but almost equally important a lot of money on vintage gear

[@fiddlefolk]

Beautiful guitar and sounds amazing! Thanks for the tips Joe!

[@valleywoodstudio7345]

one thing - the way the volume and tones interact (as mentioned at the beginning) is you'll get a different response if the wiring is 50's (output loading) or modern style (coil loading).

[@sixslinger9951]

works the same wtih my 60's wiring

[@valleywoodstudio7345]

Granted, it is subtle - but in the 50's setup the tone also acts as a level control of sorts - whereas in the later wiring, it just rolls the top off. There are tradeoffs for both approaches. Output loading (50's) maintains some treble as you roll back the volume, similar to a treble bleed - though overall level now can also be affected if you adjust the tone after lowering the volume past 8 or so. Coil loading (modern) gets slightly duller when you roll back the volume but any adjustments to the tone from that point do not affect the level, just the LPF rolloff. There is a fantastic set of video demos from David Collins of Ann Arbour Guitars on this.@@sixslinger9951

[@danielferrera8773]

That guitar doesn't have a single bad sound, no matter what you do with the volume and tone. It just sounds killer anyway.

[@BASSBICHO]

Que buen consejo sin duda es lo que se debe hacer para sonar bien en una banda, gracias Joe, eres un músico increíble, gracias. What good advice, without a doubt, is what should be done to sound good in a band, thank you Joe, you are an incredible musician, thank you.

[@jimsims-c7o]

always a big fan of joes playing

[@riittahatinen4579]

Great sounds JOE❤ You are the best Master ever my Love🥰💕🙋🏻‍♀️

[@Radioteleskopes]

What the Guitar! There is not anything in the world than a Gibson 59 Les Paul for a Slow Blues, Alone in The Dark but Praying see the Light and Love Again.

[@crazywisdom2]

Thanks Joe !!❤

[@davidt9841]

Love Joe! Everything the man knows came through commitment, passion, determination, and trial and error, aka, experience. Love You Joe! I haven't seen you in some time, but I own all of your records and just ordered BD Vol. II - I can hear why that's your favorite 'Burst! Take Care, and Play On!

[@vikiryan822]

You are so right. Joe sharing his endless knowledge and appreciation for the guitar and music is unprecedented. Keep sharing Joe ❤️🎸🎵

[@restrictedpersonnel]

Definitely learned a lot of new stuff from Joe. Awesome tips

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

I know people hammer him for owning so many collectors guitars and amps. But it’s interesting this video and many of his others are all about not needing to purchase anything more than a guitar and amp and you can figure a whole lot out. I agree with him.

[@gergemall]

Thank you Joe. Love your work’❤

[@chucksaeger7500]

Very good tips. Never even thought about my “spot” in the sonic mayhem but that could be as evident as turning up to eleven!

[@bryanstaddon5998]

I really want to see Joe play a Greco Les Paul , it’s amazing and I saved 150 thousand bucks.

[@globalnova]

I just picked up a used Greco LP Jr DC. Amazing deal and what a guitar..🤘

[@melvinjames1077]

He is spot on about the bridge pickup especially on my lp its a 1980 deluxe it is super bright on the pickup i have to back off a lot of the time it’s brutal when cranked through most any amp but i have a1979 fender pro reverb that will go bright too so gotta back off the trebles

[@garyeckel1656]

The Bridge screws kept popping up and making my string go sharp, so to solve this problem I swapped saddles n rotated the bridge 180 deg..altho not the factory setup. it works, no more bridge buzz or tone jump. "its no different than wrap arounds" for you purist out there. screws facing forward twords neck.

[@sanchezma20]

Man, the Les Paul tone is so amazing!

[@brostoevsky22]

The Les Paul, easily the best guitar ever made. Followed by the Telecaster I reckon. I'm gonna try using my tone and volume knobs more on my Epiphone Les Paul Standard.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

Right on with the Epiphones, they produce some mighty fine geetars, I have a custom shop LE 335 from 2004, fitted with Gibson gold HB's, such a sweet sound, my fave guitar.

[@bryantcochran5065]

I changed the caps in mine from 22s to 45s , oil on paper, brought up the mids while leaving base and treble.

[@therightisright8276]

Joe has unleashed the beast!

[@Faygo33]

The crazy thing about this video is that if you simply just play around with your guitar and spend the time getting to know it and the sounds you can get from it you really dont need to have an array of guitars to do every little thing you need you only need the one and a backup of course its that with my tele i get looks of course and ths typical "oh what are you gonna do with that country guitar?" of course because i took that time to discover i only need the one guitar to do everything i need it really astonishes people

[@Newbomb_Turks_Punch]

I wish I could pick mine up and play like this. Just off the cuff, amazing.

[@sargentppeper]

Sounds great Joe! 🙏🏼😊

[@jeffarnett7195]

Interesting about compensating when tuning down--no top wrap for more break angle and slightly loosening the truss-rod.

[@jaygooch1190]

I rewire the controls so the top volume and tone operate the bridge pickup and it makes it much easier to get to the volume know while your playing

[@epasternak4206]

I learned volume swells from Adrian Smith Iron Maiden. I sincerely appreciate this video and enjoyed it very much, thank you

[@carusoguitars1846]

GREAT GREAT I LOVE YOUR PLAY

[@stephantubeman]

Man thats is a hugh tone coming from this Paul and the Fender. thx for sharing :)

[@SG-qm7to]

I'm a luthier and a tone chaser. I've tried top wrapping, and it doesn't work for me. However, i keep the tp pretty high, so there is a very low break angle. I've also found that an aluminum tp makes a noticeable difference. Subtle, but noticeable. I describe it as just a little more "alive".

[@redfrozenseven]

What does tp mean?

[@SG-qm7to]

@@redfrozenseven "I am the great Cornholio! I need TP for my bunghole." Oh, but on a guitar, it's the tailpiece.

[@redfrozenseven]

@@SG-qm7tohaha that brings back memories

[@Clayton-t5i]

always great info, especially from one of the worlds best

[@olavwindstad8367]

i really like Joe give us gear nerds videos and tips. Thanks a lot

[@DanaLorton]

Thanks for the tips Joe. Hey if I buy your epi sig guitar can I get a lesson? I know the answer but it never hurts to ask. Gonna buy from AM this week. Take care my friend and thanks for all the great music and content.

[@cidnewman8032]

Good advice, but don’t the specifics of those settings depend on what type of pots and capacitors are in your guitar? I’d love to know what’s in ‘Skinner’ 😉

[@rmmilioni]

This video had a life advice since 7:57. OMG!

[@Mpcoluv]

Great demo and advice.

[@1974gibsonfrancesco]

Hey Joe, I'm jealous the opertunity to play that. I have my 74 custom that's my holy grail 13 years. They all have sweet spots to feel out, if they fight you a Lil, that's just right. Mines the middle position. Neck pickup around 7, bridge on 8ish. Then I two lead tones, where bring the bridge up to 10. The boost if I needed any is just the bridge all the way up. But theres that zone middle position, extra hidden mid. Then you go to just the neck on 7 fer some low end like you do. It's a hole world of forgotten pedals, mine I like my tones on 10 though. I have my blues driver and a few ODs along my cry baby, always on pedals. I have my JMD-1 head, Lotta pre amps and gain staging to play with. But yeah I'm a zone seeker too, 100% agree tonality wise man. I wonder why Fender lags so far behind as far as controls go. But yeah telles are a hole other animal!!

[@gregpendleton4957]

That Les Paul sounds amazing.

[@TempleOfTheMartyrs]

THIS GUY IS THE REASON WE PLAY MUSIC AND ARE A BAND

[@RotoSphere]

3:29 bridge 7:42 neck

[@larrypower8659]

Volume swells are tough with a Gibson due to knob placement. Fenders make it easier for the same reason-knob placement. Telecasters/Esquires are the easiest of all but Strats are still much easier to swell than any Gibson. One thing I agree do agree with is, very few players really work with the volume or tone knobs. The controls are there for a reason! Switching the harnesses to ‘50s wiring is cool and all, but being judicious with tone, volume, and a good amp can achieve the same result. Just work it til you find what you like.

[@bananabob2185]

Love you, man.

[@demonsk]

Nice video , just got my Gibson Les Paul Standard. Plays and sounds great.😶‍🌫🤘

[@bluesman354]

When I get tired of all the gear talk I sit down and jam on my piano 🎹 It's been good to me 😊

[@innocentoctave]

Dear God, what a player. Great guitar and amp, no doubt. But what a player.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Lots of players have chops like that.

[@XxSkydog71xX]

Solos on 9/10 volume with tone at 5-6 on a Les Paul is a phenomenal sound. Like Duane Allman on a Marshall

[@RisitasKEKW]

Gorgeous

[@alanreynolds5430]

Thanks Joe

[@RIPROCK54]

Strident is a great way to describe those high frequencies.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Yeah, but NOBODY knows anymore how to roll off a pickup in Middle?

[@beauruutz]

Master of Master classes!

[@kungstu22]

I absolutely loved all of these tips but I do have a question. If you’re playing a live mix and you use some of those volume knob tricks what happens to the mix? I’m sure there is a simple answer. Maybe it’s that you just don’t really need to worry about it but I would love to hear what you think.

[@iagobroxado]

The band has to give you space as a guitarist, otherwise...

[@bobkish824]

Interesting video...Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman made beautiful music using those volume swells.

[@bnastali]

Those tone knobs actually do things!

[@globalnova]

"In theory, these knobs work". - JB.

[@user-jb4um9tl8d]

Nice Joe, but I wouldn't trade Tommy Bolins 1973 Maestro Ep-3 for anything I see there. I've had for years. Yes, I grew up in Sioux City. I see you located and aquired the '60' standard L.P. That was a surprize. Nice demo, thanks.

[@soundwavesurfer7894]

Thanks Joe - Love the tips, putting them in to practice already. Always so generous with your vast reservoir of knowledge.

[@anthonycurran362]

Good info Joe🤔👍

[@4unkb0y]

super vid, thanks

[@BazzyPredPop]

I’m not fussed about Joe’s playing but I really like Joe ❤️nice one