My guitar SIGNAL CHAIN and LEAD TONE explained

[@Ncb2738]

Most under appreciated channel on youtube. Thank you for always taking the time to address comments and make response videos like these

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you and my pleasure! That’s very much part of the joy in it for me and glad to know it’s appreciated!

[@holmes1978]

For me looking in you with that Gibson Les Paul Standard is Beyond Excellence ,I do appreciate all your beautiful instruments amazing ! But The Gibson Blows me away and what a look on you !❤❤❤

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! It’s a great sounding Lester!

[@garyslash7552]

Absolutely stunning! Thank you for sharing all this with us. I love your soloing sound, I would have never guessed that you are using "only" a boosted TS. Sounds like a lot more gain.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Wow - thank you, Gary! Glad you enjoyed.

[@jerrysolonsmith8471]

Dude......what a seriously" damn-good" good video.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks, Jerry - I appreciate the kind words!

[@АлександрИванов-к7у2в]

Very beautiful intro! I watch it from time to time and enjoy)) I don't speak English, but I'm impressed play a guitar. I liked your music taste, great!👍

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m glad to know your enjoy the music!

[@masamune9082]

Your tone is majestic. The guitar solo sounds like it was straight from heaven .

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you!

[@communitykyle]

We need to see more of the Yaron!!!! Great content man.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Noted about the Yaron! It’s a special guitar 😁.

[@frantisca]

Hi Johnny, I like your vids. Fabulous gear you've got there ! I use a similar signal chain: guitar going into a Boost/OD pedal by CmatMods the Super Signa (my all-time favorite), a Flint reverb, a TC Electronic FlashBack delay and a Tremsetter Vibrato by TRex (great Old style). It is all going out in 2 amps via a Headlight AB-Y Box by Radial Engineering. Sometimes I add a small amount of Comp with a Bogner Harlow for bloom and sustain and an additional OD into one of the amps with a Butah (Chad's take on the BluesBreaker) by CmatMods. Guitars I use are: LP R9, SG '64 RI, B3 SL with Lollar P90's, a home-assembled Strat with a Suhr/Michael Landau loaded pickguard, and 4 Teles (all assembled by me): a Thinline with 2 Seymour Duncan HB's SH-2's, a Hot rodded with a mini humbucker in the front, a double Esquire with a Peter Florance Voodoo '50s in the back, and a '60s Custom with hand wound PU's by Celine Garcia from the Fender CS. The amps are a VOX and a Marshall, both low wattage since I developped Tinnitus from practising too loud with a 2x12... Free advice: use a Plexi panel or keep at distance from the cabs, particularly the center axis of the speaker(s) and don't exceed 80 db for more than 2 hoiurs in a row. Cheers from 🇫🇷 René

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Cool rig! I miss my B3 SL - great guitar!

[@aviator_bryan]

I really enjoy your videos. Very informative, and the playing is just great. Also, big kudos to the video/lighting work, everything looks fantastic.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you, Bryan - I appreciate the kind words! I’m glad you enjoy. I really enjoy making them.

[@TCMx3]

Oh, a twinplex! I had a 180. Amazing amplifier but it was so powerful that it shook the walls in my guitar room at ANY volume. I love big amps, but that one was the only one that was ever just too much for me to handle.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Very cool! Mine is the 120 and it's still loud. I have to do silent recording and it works great with my Suhr reactive load.

[@mightyarmoryprecision]

Outstanding!

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks!

[@carsgunsandguitars]

Very good information. I do it like this in my HXFX before going to my Marshall and Fender amps in a dry/damp setup or stereo depending on what I'm going for.

[@DevBox-7173]

Hey !! Just just awesome , I am beginner just wondering you can share tabs of the intro tone. Its just awesome plying on my mind again again. finger's crossed for tabs...

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Hey! Thx for your interest in tabs! I hope to get to that eventually. That’s awesome that you picked up guitar - keep it up!

[@soundwavesurfer7894]

Thanks Johnny - Great channel - Awesome playing & tones - Would appreciate a video on your Gil Yaron Bone 59 - Its a bucket list guitar for many of us

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Glad to know and noted! I must admit, the Bone 59?is everything one would hope and more.

[@druwk]

It’s a really nicely constructed solo. The delay adds quite a bit of density and excitement; however, it sounded great with just the gain. Perfect in a Trio context, probably too thick with a subtle keyboard pad going? I like to bury the delay for texture. Only have one mono delay going…Halo is pretty amazing. I used a similar chain, but more old school/Vintage inspired. Guitar into Fuzz > Naga Viper (Treble booster) > OCD > EP-03 w/ Tap > Flint Gain is set lower, and used mostly to boost into each other (…except the Fuzz). This allows me to get more or less color from my guitar volume, especially with the Fuzz. Anyone of the gain stages ON has a place. OCD is almost always on, unless a super clean sound is called for. All 3 on, is ONLY for EPIC SOLO Tone! -- All of this goes out the window, if I’m running my Tweed Deluxe!

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks, man! I like your chain and approach. I sort of approach my ambient effects almost like a pad, which the halo is great for. Agree - have to be mindful of how much space it can occupy in a mix when adding more elements.

[@rien2080]

Your tone is so sooo good! I'm glad you made a video about it! Cheers

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Much appreciated - cheers!

[@erikhartley2494]

That’s a very Keith Urban inspired tone and solo. Love it! You neglected to mention the speakers in each amp. You did mention using 4x12 Friedman IR’s in another video. Is it safe to assume these are the same?

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks, Erik! Love Keith’s tone/playing. Indeed, I always use the same IR. It’s a Friedman 4x12 by Ownhammer. It includes a blend of the greenback and vintage 30 that are both in those cabs. It was the closest to how I used to mic my actual Friedman 4x12 back when I had the luxury of playing loud.

[@lorenzo-agnes]

Would appreciate a vid on the Yaron and how you think it compares to the Les Paul and PRS Custom. Thanks!

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Will do, Lorenzo! Glad to know there is interest.

[@stratless]

Great video! Thank you. Love the backing track. I'd love to get a copy!

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks, Loren! Appreciate the kind words!

[@1tdillon]

Another superb video Johnny! Both wet and dry tones sound great. I think the wet sits much better on this track. Speaking of the track, how about posting a link to the backing track and allowing us followers to have a crack at with our preferred tone.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Great idea! I can’t release this one at the moment but will keep that in mind.

[@nanettejameson4279]

Love your tone, I've never been very good with effects, it's great to see how you layer the pedals to get there overall sound, I'm using a stereo rig for the first time because I wanted to try a prs piezo and blend acoustic cleans from a power cab and amp so new territory for me but enjoying the challenges. Thanks for sharing, I'll definitely try recreate your concept but with a line 6 500 hdx.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you, Nanette! Very interesting rig you have there. I've always been curious to experiment with piezo, but haven't had the opportunity yet. Let me know how you make out!

[@hkguitar1984]

Your tone is great. I'm running a dual amp setup (mono) using an old Twin Reverb and a 1980s Marshall 1987x, All my time-based effects and reverb are routed through the Silverface Twin, I've found a clean tone that I'm in love with. With my 1987x I'm using a switcher pedal to play through either the #1 or #2 Channels, or both jumped together. Its not a prefect setup, however it is working well with minimal investment. Love your Two Rock Bloomfield, very nice.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Cool rig you have there - I bet it sounds great!

[@hkguitar1984]

@@RatherBeRiffing Thank You. Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it. I no longer play out and pretty much stay at my home studio, That Twin Reverb has always been a pain to move around. Funny Story, back in the 1990s my Twin Reverb was loaded with a pair of EV SRO 12" speakers, the amplifier's total weight was almost 115 pounds! Those speakers made that amplifier as heavy as it was loud. These days I've a pair of 25W custom reconed speakers and I'm running the amp at half-power, even at only 50W it provides the headroom the 1987x is missing.

[@KyleCastroTheDrummerBoy090613]

Great sharing of this great info and wonderful reviews my dear friend!! Love and respect Kyle!! 😊🥁🇵🇭

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks so much!

[@jorgesilva5004]

The clean tone is great.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you!

[@XX_o_X_o_XX]

Your tone is simply epic. I pride myself in having a “good” ear. I also have multiple degrees in recording engineering. I’m not trying to sound like an ass here, but I do think I’m qualified to know when something sounds “good.” Your tone sounds like a recording engineer’s dream, especially in a mix. It’s maybe better than anything I’ve heard from any other guitarist. You obviously have a good ear - ever thought about a career as an engineer? I bet you would be good at it.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Wow - thanks again for the very thoughtful reflections! It means a lot coming from someone with your experience. Chasing expressive and inspiring tone energizes my playing and creativity. I did go though a period of time where I only focused on engineering and mixing. I wish I had more time to develop those skills further and have huge respect for folks that have as it it requires such a multi-dimensional skill set.

[@holmes1978]

Unbelievable

[@holmes1978]

Amazing

[@stiman1]

I feel like the magic of your tone is that you have your amps sounding warm while still retaining clarity somehow. I need to figure out how to do this. Do you roll down the volume or tone on your guitars generally?

[@RatherBeRiffing]

I do often use the volume controls on both pickups to adjust the feel, tone, and gain staging. I never use tone control on the neck pickup. I sometimes use the tone on the bridge pickup to warm up high gain lead tones.

[@phatmorph]

the halo sounds so good!!

[@RatherBeRiffing]

It really is killer and I’ve owned every delay under the sun!

[@ioannisstavropoulos4319]

One more great video! So considering all these great guitars you feauture on the channel you are not a Les Paul Custom kind of guy right?

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thank you! Actually, I've never had the chance to play many Customs so I don't have a strong opinion either way. The only one I've spent time with is an early 80's Les Paul Custom Silverburst. It had a great voice for modern rock rhythm tracking. I didn't use it for lead as it was difficult for me to bend with the very low frets it had. What's your thoughts on Customs?

[@ioannisstavropoulos4319]

@@RatherBeRiffing I love Gibson Les Pauls and PRS guitars in general. For me the Custom is a whole different kind of beast from the standard. The ebony fretboard and the extra mass of the body give it more growl and articulation. I believe rockers play Standards and hard rock/metaheads prefer Customs for a good reason. I am about to buy my first LP Custom in the coming week so kind of excited! Keep up the good work I love your channel!

[@RatherBeRiffing]

@@ioannisstavropoulos4319 How exciting - hope it's a great one! That's consistent with my experience with them, however limited. It would be nice to have one in the collection - now you have me thinking! 🙂 Keep posted as to how it works out for you!

[@ioannisstavropoulos4319]

@@RatherBeRiffing The Custom has a flavour of its own. Well you should get one too. Probably a reissue or a VOS to be on the same level with your other guitars. I will post my thoughts after I get and play it for a while next to my other guitars!

[@BeastMadeReviews]

Such a great video! Loved seeing your thought process behind how you use your gear. I think stuff like this is both extremely nerdy to us nerds, but also really helpful and informative. Years ago I pared everything down and I only use a Line 6 Helix for everything--live sound and recording. There's still a ton of options to choose from and endless tweakability. But in my typical signal chain, I have an LA2A style compressor, (sometimes an Xotic EP booster), a Timmy overdrive, amp (varies, but often a Matchless), an echoplex delay and then into a chamber reverb. That gets the job don about 75% of the time. One trick I have been using occasionally is using a Space Echo after my overdrive but in front of the amp. If I need more of a reverb sound, this is a good way of getting what I want without "moving" my guitar in the mix too much. I also thought your wet vs dry was really cool. Both sounded great. I use wet effects to push my guitar forward or backward in a mix. More effects pushes it back some. It's always a balancing act. And solos get tweaked accordingly. Great playing as always, Johnny! -Dave

[@dustingmyguitars]

IMO the tone you got with the PRS doublecut 594 and that video you did with the tubedriver are some of the best tones on youtube. Question, have you ever played a PRS Santana? I just ordered one. Still waiting on it to come in.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks for the kind words - means a lot as that particular tone is near and dear to my heart! I’ve never tried a Santana. I’d love to as ironically he was how I discovered PRS back in the early days. Let me know what you think of it!

[@dustingmyguitars]

@@RatherBeRiffing I actually plan to make a video on it once it comes in. Is it cool if I notify you when it's up? either on here or if you have a more recent video by that point on that one?

[@RatherBeRiffing]

@@dustingmyguitars That'd be cool! Please do.

[@dustingmyguitars]

@@RatherBeRiffing Alright thanks! Your 594 doublecut is super pretty btw, which is always a bonus when guitars have both a great sound and great looks

[@Ben777World]

Ambient effects are great. Tube screamer by itself doesn't sound good to me.

[@bigfattrolllord]

That had an interesting country vibe.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

Thanks - I hear that!

[@joeygentile7829]

@@RatherBeRiffing Keith Urban’s style and tone comes to mind. Very well done.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

@@joeygentile7829 Thanks, Joey - I love Keith's style and tone!

[@xBergade]

What about cabs, mics? Or do you use a pair of load boxes?

[@RatherBeRiffing]

I use two Suhr Reactive load boxes with 4x12 IR

[@jorgesilva5004]

Did you put the modulation effects in front of the amps or in the effect loop?

[@RatherBeRiffing]

All effects in front of amp. Works great when amps is clean with delay / verb after gain pedals 👍

[@holmes1978]

My Favourite ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Solidsaw]

I dont like your channel. I fucking love it

[@RatherBeRiffing]

I don’t like this comment, I love it! 😁

[@DustinBayer-uk9rf]

😊 Promo sm

[@ulissespacifico]

Wow that’s was deep!!! Thanks for sharing buddy… 🫵🏻🤘🏼.

[@RatherBeRiffing]

My pleasure! Rock on!