What matters MOST with Guitar Tone?

Tubes, Tonewood and "Sound is in the Hands," really don't change the tone very much when you put them to the test. Here's one way that WILL improve your tone, and won't cost you a fortune! Get my FREE Audio Basics Course here: spectremedia.ca/download-free...
0:00 What DOESN’T work!
0:50 Guitar Tone myths vs the Scientific Method
1:38 The sound is NOT in the hands
3:37 The sound is NOT in the tubes
6:10 The sound is NOT in the Tonewood
7:26 It’s not the amp, either! (sort of)
9:30 Same Speaker in 3 different cabinets
11:07 Each Speaker is unique in a 4X12
12:07 Why it’s being overlooked
13:31 Quest for a “Vintage” Vintage 30
14:36 3 Mesa Cabs from different years
15:31 One of my favourite tones
16:40 Something OTHER than a V30!
17:04 EVH vs Hempback
17:38 EVH Blend vs V30
18:17 NOW the sound is changing!
19:01 Alternatives to what’s “safe”
19:38 The Bottom Line
About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[@metallixro]

Can we pin this video to the front page of music gear related internet ? It would save a lot of bandwidth and time used every single day this thing is debated.

[@aaavellone]

Yes please

[@bluestringmusic]

This is not universally true for all types of tones. Yes, for chugga chugga with a heavily dimed amp, it’s the speakers. Amps and pickups play a bigger role for lower gain.

[@onionheadguy7094]

I dont think anything would stop the tone chaser internet blowhards

[@imeverywhere3969]

@@bluestringmusic yes because chuga chuga is used in metal as spectresoundstudio channel is about that

[@imeverywhere3969]

@@bluestringmusic know the context of the video, your comment is unnecessary

[@riffwizardsupreme]

I think “hands changing tone” only applies to Tony Iommi. He’s the only guitarist whose fingers aren’t made of fingers.

[@creamydistortion]

Jerry Garcia was missing a finger or two as well.

[@infinidominion]

Most of his fingers are fingers

[@Nobodyimportant696]

I think it applies to people who are masters of their craft on a higher level

[@johnaberle5955]

It only applies to acoustic and maybe playing clean channels for electrics. What people hear in most playing is just dynamics or how hard you are strumming or striking a string

[@harrypalmer3481]

@Totchahaki The tone is in the feet.

[@thorbjrnreppe7343]

So the one thing in a guitar rig that actually makes sound is the one thing that actually affects sound? Who would’ve known?

[@IFeeeeelGood]

I'm not a metal guy at all, but the amount of knowledge and innovative experimentation and mindset that i find on this channel keeps me subscribed. Every producer should follow contents like this! Thank you Glenn for providing something that most of us starting now wouldn't be able to try for themself.

[@richmillar138]

I can play a Jimmy page solo and my tone sounds exactly like his, because tone is (relatively) easy to mimic, but my playing style is nothing like him. “Tone is in the hands” is a myth “Style is in the hands” is very very true. I think people get the two mixed up. Two guitarists can play the same blues riff and the tone will sound identical, the player with the most soul will make it sound better.

[@TarnishedNation]

Dude so true

[@chiefinspector7280]

Try heroin and whiskey

[@theguy4361]

I also think that thing doesn't always apply as much for everything. Like those rythme guitars burriee under a heavy distortion, the only difference a guitarist can make is his tightness

[@wordsmith451]

Exactly. I think the problem is we too often use words that have multiple meanings or stray too far into nebulous metaphor. The player provides the technical performing ability, and the "sound" that's in the hands isn't the "sound" that we mean when we're talking about production quality. I think "the sound is in the hands" is not about removing everything but the player as a variable - it's simply saying that your gear isn't going to make you a good player. It's the same both ways - if you play well but your gear is garbage, it will suck. If you play poorly and your gear is top notch, it will also suck. It's like choosing between saving your heart or lungs.

[@superrookie7553]

Bullshit. if you two guitarists play the same notes, the same way, using the same gear then they'll sound the same

[@erichtisnado1536]

"The player is essentially ballast." LMAO "Look mr guitar player, you're basically there to keep the guitar from hitting the floor and scratching the finish."

[@corilfl]

Honestly, I believe the "tone is in the hands" statement is directed at younger players who are hypnotized into buying better gear to make them sound better. I used to think that buying better gear was going to make my tone better, but it was my sloppy playing and horrible vibrato that really made me sound different from my favorite players. I could have saved a lot of money if I realized that no multi effects processor or fancy guitar was going to make me sound like John Petrucci

[@gazzie12000]

Not directed at young players. This phrase has been around for decades. But definitely aimed at "clean" players. ie who play using clean electric sounds, or acoustics. It is true for them, but not really true for heavy distorted sounds at all.

[@Crash_Knight]

That would be a fine way to use it except the words being used are still wrong. People can just say "using Petrucci's gear won't make you sound like him". I've asked people what gear they use and they literally respond with "tOnE iS iN tHe FinGeRs". And its just annoying as hell.

[@superrookie7553]

@@gazzie12000 nah it's directed towards bad players that but gear thinking they'll sound better Whether you play clean or distorted if you don't fret the frets correctly, don't pluck your strings accurately and don't play your time then no tone is going to make you sound great

[@superrookie7553]

@@Crash_Knight yeah those people are annoying as hell At certain level of proficiency what gear you use does matter Now Glen's video is targeted towards people who believe in bullshit and endlessly debate what single piece of gear gives you a certain tone

[@warpath6666]

Hahaha!!! I remember how disappointed I was when I bought an Ibanez JEM 777vbk and didn't sound like Steve Vai 😢 ... it does look pretty cool 😄👍

[@moneyblackblood]

I used to work at an outdoor venue that did weekly concerts to about 2000 people. A few times we had extra speakers in the van from packing down another job just before. On these occasions rather than pack them back in a van for the duration of the show, we'd stand them next to the speakers we usually used at the venue and leave them unplugged. Without fail we'd get compliments about how the extra speakers made the sound better than usual. People really do hear with their eyes.

[@DBSG1976]

If you want a balanced tone go with Daphne Blue finishes, never fails.

[@shkibby1]

And Surf Green gives you more highs and sparkle

[@DBSG1976]

@@shkibby1 Surf Green is also great for an oldies tone like Dick Dale and Buddy Holly.

[@morbideddie]

*Laughs in Billy Corgan

[@x3a3x3]

Dude everyone knows black guitars sound more metal. For vintage tones try sunburst. And 2 tone sunburst sounds more vintage than a 3 tone…

[@SophiaAphrodite]

WTF does "balanced tone" even mean?

[@truckerallikatuk]

Wait, wait! So you're telling me the bits that actually make the noise are the main influences on the tone?? Mind blown dude!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Shocking, isn’t it?

[@patrickturner479]

I worked in a guitar store. And yes, cabinets and speakers are underrated. I can not understand why guitarplayers sometimes spend a thousands of dollars in a guitar and a head and at the same time they buy a 4x12 for 200 bucks. It‘s like buying a Ferrari and put wooden wheels on it, isn’t it?

[@alper7653]

NGL that's a very nice comparison, as when you are modifying a car to be faster the couple first things you should do are wheels and tires

[@paulharrison2557]

One big problem is most grass roots players don't get to play their own cabs at gigs

[@donovanolguin6549]

That's a good analogy. It's like giving a cheap Honda civic a nice pair of lightweight wheels with bigger offset(to get more traction)and grippy tires that makes acceleration on slow cars a lot better getting off the line.

[@ThroughFallenEyes]

About 10 years ago I had the pleasure of having about 15 different speaker cabinets in my basement at one time. I ended up keeping a massively oversized Krank cabinet with a front facing bass port loaded with Eminence Legend V12 speakers because it sounded so different in a good way. Sounds more balanced than all the other V30 loaded cabs I tried at the time. I'm in the KW region if you want to borrow it Glenn. If you want to make some IRs, I would be happy to loan it for the cause.

[@ax_el_alvarez]

And perhaps you could make some IRS yourself, I wouldn’t mind spending some bucks over that “sound”. Props man

[@scotthorn9520]

alot of people shit on the krankenstien amp..... its by far my favorite amp.

[@jaredsundberg1081]

You know it’s a serious tone difference when you can hear the changes on a phone speaker… Good test man!

[@ax_el_alvarez]

Exactly

[@cocokwispy0908]

That EVH/Hempback blend sound is awesome. It sounds so full and wide.

[@greevar]

Yeah, I was impressed by the tone they produce together.

[@massttrshrdrharmonicminor2002]

Glad someone did this combo

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

The EVH speakers are killer in my book. They're the only speaker I really really love hearing both clean and distorted. To me, even though they're supposedly some variety of a greenback, the highs on them sound way better with high gain than greenbacks to me.

[@bassplayer137]

I hope glenn makes an IR-file out of those. It sounds killer

[@kanoaikawach]

It sounds soo good. While the '06 vintage 30's sounds like paper.

[@jonathanmarin7024]

I swear in the many years I’ve been playing I’ve heard all of those myths force fed to me and it never felt right. Thank you for taking so much time in these videos to debunk these myths. I also fell into the trap of buying pickups and didn’t hear a difference either. I learned the hard way. Keep up the good work!! 🤘🏽

[@jor2416]

This may be one of the most informative tone videos I have ever seen, keep up the good work glenn!

[@FCValle]

Holy crap THANK YOU I'm a luthier here in Brazil and I've been saying this for years: "FORGET THIS 'TONE WOOD' CRAP". At least in solid instruments (obviously it plays a big part of acoustic instruments), only to be called an ignorant. People have been building guitars out of a billion different materials now, only to always sound exactly as whatever pickup/amp they chose.

[@cycomiles4225]

I still dont understand how can wood play a significant role, if any on electric guitar tone when it has nothing with producing a sound. Basically, any pick ups and any amp is gonna give you a generic sound with slight differences (all of them are built the same, its not gonna change much), changing the speakers, one of the main outputs of sound should be obvious. Maybe its bcoz my dad replaces speakers every now and then and yeah, the older speakers had bad bass sound and sound quality in general, compared to newer ones, kinda like if you compare quality headphones to low end cheap ones... sometimes its like hearing the same song for the first time.

[@squirelova1815]

Even Plywood sounds just fine. Oh, I just remembered Danelectro as I wrote that.

[@epelly3]

So do the pickups have as much of an impact as the speakers?

[@zedmelon]

@@epelly3 > _So do the pickups have as much of an impact as the speakers_ ? In at least some cases, yes. Probably many or all. A thousand years ago I bought a Carvin guitar in a H-S-S config. It played great, but the pickups were simply...lacking. I rewired it with Seymour Duncan "Jeff Beck" and "Jeff Beck Jr" (x2), and it REALLY opened up--sounded SO much better. Prior to that I had a Kramer Pacer that I rewired with EMGs, and it also sounded better. That guitar was stolen, but I still have the Carvin. I should note that I do not play metal to any significant extent (we played mostly rock from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s), but like @IFeeeeelGood mentioned in another comment, there's a fair portion of Glenn's content and experience that we can apply everywhere.

[@CuriousKey]

Even in acoustic instruments, shape and size of the sound chamber is going to have a *much* larger impact than the wood the instrument is made out of. For exactly the same physical reasons that the material a speaker cabinet is made out of doesn't matter much.

[@willlewis153]

I just learned more in 20 min than in the last decade of playing guitar. Thank you so much for sharing this experiment with us

[@patrouthier8064]

This must have been very time consuming, very instructive. Probably the best video yet on your channel. Thank you man !😀

[@DDickinson458]

That was incredibly enlightening. Thank you for that great information. Subscribed!

[@bigman6977]

Glenn, everybody knows that the cooler the glasses you wear, the better your tone

[@SeniorCharry]

Hmmmmmm…worth a try and the worst thing that can happen is I get a new pair of kick ass glasses.

[@Sevetamryn]

No, it is Haircut - and hair metal is the proof for

[@kevinp8758]

I always heard it was the awesomeness of your denim jacket. But hey, maybe I'm wrong.

[@edhampton415]

LMAO Good one!

[@wklorenzino]

I can agree with that.

[@277southtombob]

I think the “in the hands” idea came from fact a guitarist will sound like themselves no matter what equipment they use. Those with a unique sound to their style can take whatever guitar/amp you give them and they’ll set the EQ/parameters to their ear and play their own style and it will be recognizable as “their sound”. That goes far past just the hands though and is the whole approach to how they set everything as well as their own unique way of playing.

[@theystoleitfromus]

Plus the more subtle nuances of their technique and overall competence... and other factors that will generally be obscured by a lot of gain.

[@277southtombob]

@@theystoleitfromus very true. I personally play a lot of blues rock stuff and the less gain you’re using the more noticeable small differences are.

[@michaelsavides8856]

I agree with you guys wholeheartedly. But consider the idea that when we plug into an amp we are not only playing the guitar. We are playing the amp as well. It's a give and take and the more we

[@michaelsavides8856]

Give the more we get out of it. It's a reaction thing. That's what makes our balls tingle when we hit those juicy harmonics!

[@brianbergmusic5288]

"Finger tone" makes a bigger difference in acoustic instruments when you are using advanced techniques. Simple (but rapidly executed at times) metal techniques comes down to this video being correct. I say: just test chug 0000 and worry about finger tone when you wish to solo and actually have enough technique to pull it off.

[@wintyrqueen]

Ah, when I answered “the amp” in that poll thought of it from the point of that being where you dial in different tones, rather than different amps trying to dial in the same tone. Strings, pickups, provide the platform for sound. The amp running into a speaker is how you shape that tone into the sound you want. Randy Rhoads used to load his cabinets with Altec speakers rather than Celestions because he found them much clearer. I’ve got a couple of modelling amps, & one of the biggest ways to shift the tone is to switch which speakers it’s emulating

[@JustinDDrummer]

HOLY SHIT THANK YOU!! ALL THE SPEAKER TESTS PLEASE

[@psychochicken9535]

"I'm sorry Arthur, my eyes are attracted to shiny objects." - The Tick

[@mikeyuberalles]

Gotta love a Tick reference.

[@finnsterling6514]

"SPOON!"

[@psychochicken9535]

@@finnsterling6514 "I am the mad bomber, what bombs at midnight!"

[@finnsterling6514]

@@psychochicken9535 Man. I need to watch this show again. Every character in this "universe" is just so brilliantly put together.

[@somedude5414]

"Thrakazog with a 'k'!" "Susan"

[@alfonsalenius2482]

as a beginner to mixing and sound engineering, this made me more motivated to stop complaining about my gear. cheers glenn!

[@bebop425]

@Cameron it will and no one will know

[@chupasaurus]

@Cameron Sure if it's Helix

[@thewarturtles5663]

hey it's nice seeing you here!

[@alfonsalenius2482]

@@thewarturtles5663 hey!!! :-)

[@buerger3]

Thank you for all the work you put in your videos!

[@amplifiedemotions]

Very cool and informative video Glen. Amazing job!!!!🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@hipsterscout1]

anyone whos actually recorded serveral combinations of amps and guitars and cabs will tell you instantly that the relationship between the mic and speaker is where you can really shape your tone

[@t3hgir]

Even in bias fx you can dramatically change the tone of any amp model with different combos of mics/mic placement

[@tinystar3010]

Very valid point. The mic you use and even its position to and distance from the speaker can drastically affect the recorded tone.

[@nickagervasi]

@@tinystar3010 I actually showed this to my band several years back. The other guitarist suddenly hated his sound coming through our IEM. I moved his mic maybe half an inch and when he asked what I changed on his amp because it sounded "massive" to him and I showed him how much a couple centimeters could shift the tone.

[@bojangles4704]

and what you shape always starts with the amp itself, can't shape a fender into a metal monster ,

[@t3hgir]

@@bojangles4704 well duh

[@castigo1986]

I was in the "the amp" crowd, and it's pretty cool to be proven wrong this way! Opens up a huge can of worms though, since it's looking like I'm going to have to get some new speakers. Thanks Glenn!

[@jasonstallworth]

I've recently learned this as well about cabinets. I'd love to get a few cabs for my EVH amp (Orange, Marshall, Mesa)...could get some really cool and different sounds from those.

[@etherealessence]

Watching this channel is the only reason i knew it was speaker/mic/cab. Otherwise I probably would have said something stupid like pickups.

[@noesunyoutuber7680]

@@etherealessence I mean, pickups do also have a role. They're filters with their own unique frequency responses, like cabinets and amps. You're not likely to get telecaster tones with humbuckers or jazz bass tones with a precision bass pickup, not without a lot of changes to the rest of the signal chain at least.

[@etherealessence]

@@noesunyoutuber7680 They do have a role, especially in a clean tone or low gain setting, they might have more influence on the sound than the amp. But in the context of high gain distortion, the tones will end up sounding surprisingly similar even across different types of pickups. You'll get more sustain out of a humbucker, but it won't sound THAT different to a single coil. (certainly not nearly as different as it would sound clean) The gain stages and natural compression hide a lot of the subtle nuances of a pickup's tone. Again though, all this changes in a clean or low gain use case. In those cases you'll generally hear less of the amp's influence and more of the pickup's.

[@jackjohnson1128]

Don't worry, you'll only be out a couple hundred dollars at the most for speaker swaps. An amp swap, on the other hand - you're lucky if you're only out several hundred dollars.

[@user-vk9ih7bw9y]

Thank you Glenn! This video was very well done.

[@thebitterbeginning]

Fantastic work and thanks for sharing your observations.

[@IntoTheForest]

Maybe I’m just naïve, but when people say “the tone is in the hands” I always thought they meant the performance. Like if you have a virtuoso and a novice play through the same rig, the tones themselves going to be the same, but the virtuoso is going to be a lot more pleasing to listen to than the novice. Edit: Typo. I used the incorrect "Than"

[@getulioprates]

The tone is the same, actually, but gear has no talent and can't make good artistic decisions. But, is far better to hear a talented player with top gear ratter than bad/poor gear. Better to listen Steve Vai playing a very good cheap guitat rather than playing an Ibañez completely out-of-tune, weary, irregular frets, rusted strings, thus rod not tuned, etc.

[@getulioprates]

When "tone is in the hands" it means that the good guitarist knows even to turn the knobs and choose a good guitar speaker, or turn the eq knobs until the gear sound decent.

[@LeCompositeur]

So... people should say"The performance is in the hands" and "The tone is in the speakers" rather than mix things up and induce poor decisions when buying gear

[@Hzuuuu]

@@LeCompositeur I like that. That's the best way to put it.

[@Rhuggins]

Yes different dynamics and such, in a tube amp this will create a different experience of emotion. I agree theres something to it, especially with slower, jazzy, or bluesy genres. Maybe not so much in metal

[@Dgarig665]

Holy shit, you can hear the difference between the 2006 and 2003 Mesa on a phone speaker.

[@psychochicken9535]

Same with the EVH vs Hempback.

[@Dgarig665]

@@psychochicken9535 Yeah, I caught that as well. Makes his point pretty well.

[@gothnev]

@@psychochicken9535 I thought the Hempback sounded rubbish.....until it was blended and then It was amazing!

[@junkawakami3193]

@@gothnev it was probably made for the folks who's into the logo on the back lol.

[@CraigKeidel]

The 06 almost sounds like they blasted it with white noise on mine. I'm sure the nuances would be different through my cans but wow that was stark.

[@niclaspettersson6815]

Really good video, learned alot 🔥

[@kevinobrien3888]

I’ve appreciated the knowledge sharing of you, Nolly and Kristian. It’s really helped me rethink my gear to try and achieve something that’s more “mine” and not what’s been done for the past 20 years. The more I hear other speakers the more I don’t want V30 in my gear.

[@Shezmen88]

Amazing video dude..and the riffs??? My god.

[@SergioGonzalez-gi9kr]

Yeah. The riffs on this channel are off the chain.

[@josephpement9285]

Picking up a strong A7X's Sidewinder vibe from the part at 4:15 and I love it

[@hernanrojas6749]

Hahah those modified seek & destroy riffs at 6:30

[@WhbTrue]

Un fratello. ❤️

[@GoldNettle]

Its not the sound thats in the hands, its the finesse that those hands provide is what changes. It "sounds" different because they play different but theres no actual tone shift

[@miguelscserra]

Exactly, music is in the hands of who makes it, definitely not tone

[@etherealessence]

Exactly. Technique is in the hands, not tone.

[@lefthandedfilms]

I really appreciate this channel, as it's given me alot of new info to work with, but I could just listen to the badass music all day!

[@ninjad.musica9404]

Wow, this is really eye-opening!! Thanks for all the research and effort put into this 🙏🤩🤩

[@parkerhatcher224]

Just wanted to say. I’ve learned more from this channel, than I have learned from most things. I am NOT a metal player. All of these tests and techniques, can be applied. To just about everything in the world of music. Thank you Glenn!

[@stuartchapman5171]

Word, I'm not even a musician, I do a bit of sound tech, sound design and sonic art. I prefer dark harsh rich textures, and theory based on science.

[@skippwipp5558]

The one thing we all know is that the line 6 spider gets the best tone

[@etherealessence]

WRONG! Its a modeling amp. It gets the best TONES! ;)

[@Mr_A_Mia]

Lol!

[@truckerallikatuk]

I do love the tones these things make when Glenn smacks them with the Hammer of Truth.

[@massttrshrdrharmonicminor2002]

Tyrant Recto is king haha

[@sidgar1]

They sound even better once you've broken them in by dropping them off a roof and hitting them with a sledgehammer. This loosens up the sound tremendously ;)

[@kurtbader9711]

"Clarity and how the notes are articulated comes from the hands, but overall frequency response without a f#ck*ng doubt comes from the gear." Words of wisdom every guitarist would do well to keep in mind throughout their guitar playing days.

[@bassinbob1965]

Damn! What a great video. You just saved me a small fortune. I can’t even begin to tell you how much these videos mean to me. Thank you so much. Rob

[@mrcoatsworth429]

We absolutely do listen with our eyes. I very often associate an album's sound with its cover artwork. When I hear A Matter of Life and Death by Iron Maiden, I hear "green". With The Final Frontier, I hear "blue", and so on.

[@larsheuker]

I do have this as well

[@greevar]

You might have synesthesia. I'm a spatial sequence type.

[@coreyroberts47]

What happens when yiu dont have album art tho? Or do you have different colors for each song on the album?

[@mrcoatsworth429]

@@coreyroberts47 nothing happens haha I don't "hear" color. But I begin associating certain visuals with certain sounds. Those album artworks are just an example that immediately came to my mind. But it's similar to when people see a white guitar and a brown guitar and then basically convince themselves that the brown guitar sounds "warmer", even though they might sound identical. Have you never experienced anything similar?

[@coreyroberts47]

@@mrcoatsworth429 haha i experience synesthesia. I see colors for songs with no reference artwork, i was wondering if you did the same. Guess im weird lol

[@joerojas5448]

Hey Glenn, how about making an IR of the EVH/Hempback speaker combo? I really love the warmth of that tone of that cab!

[@blazer6248]

Agreed!

[@frankscassi4960]

Definitely!

[@vidmachine]

Try to find an IR of Eminence Texas Heat. I have one of those and it sounds similar to the blend he did.

[@craigstiles5186]

I agree. That was my favorite sounding cab/speaker combo on this video.

[@nrothe2898]

yes this please

[@gp4236]

This was excellent Glenn. One of if not the most thorough test of its kind that’s I’ve seen on KZbin. People do tend to get caught up in the 100 trivial things that altogether make up less than 5% of tone, and ignore the 2 or 3 that make up the 95%. God it I have to hear again how “warm” or “bright” a rosewood or ebony fretboard is, I’ll die

[@johndoe207]

Great work!

[@paulmdevenney]

Honestly I always assumed "the sound is in the hands" to relate far more to the fact that your amazing clean, crisp, artful, emotional playing will outperform any "tone change". I.e an amazing player on a shit instrument will record a better track than a shit player on an amazing instrument.

[@kelainefes]

Well yes, a better player will write a better part, which is going to sound better, and that part will be inspired by the other instruments but also by the tone he can get out of what he has. Think about it this way, if you have a DI track recorded by a good player, and then you try to get a guitar tone that is significantly different from what the player used to record it, it's very easy to make it sound worse.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

I do love that you do sound tests as a mix. So often people focus in on details that will never be heard in a full mix/band performance.

[@shortorderproductions8688]

No kidding! I couldn’t hear a worthwhile difference until the Hempbacks entered the equation.

[@greenman7yyy]

Extremely insightful, sound advice.

[@jwplayingsomegames6687]

This was a great Video Glen

[@radiozelaza]

I guess everyone who ever dabbled in amp sims should know that truth - the cab, speaker & mic combos are what defines tone.

[@bluestringmusic]

Also pickups and how the guitar resonates a.k.a tone wood.

[@radiozelaza]

@@bluestringmusic no

[@retodd13]

@@bluestringmusic hells no

[@KeepTheGates]

@@bluestringmusic absolutely not. Tonewood is a myth.

[@bluestringmusic]

Doesn’t matter if your tone is compressed and highly distorted. Otherwise yes it does contribute to the tone. Instead of fricker, maybe you should check what guitar builders think, or what other proficient guitar players think. That being said, it’s probably the smallest effect on tone and is not worth squabbling about.

[@weedshoes5089]

Best video in a long time, Glen. I would love a deeper dive into various Mesa cabs and speakers including the EVM 12L and C90.

[@davidmudaliar1932]

My experience when playing with my band was the biggest difference in live sound was when I changed from Marshall cab with GT75 to Vintage 30’s. it was far more noticeable in creating the sound I was chasing than trying pedals, string gauge, tubes. Also playing the same amps through different cabs was huge too. A 4x12 turned an Orange 30w into a high gain monster, through the 1x12 it only had significant breakup but not distortion. If any of that makes sense, good information thanks bro

[@SStrandh]

Best video ever made And I really loved the tone you got from EVH/Hamp speakers.

[@TheOriginalEUrban]

"The makeup of the guitar doesn't affect the tone." You're wrong, Glenn. Pink paint and Hello Kitty stickers really do change the tone.

[@funtimebasket9365]

Reminds me of BABYMETAL's guitarists. They used to use sparkly pink guitars, around 2015-ish.

[@donaldcrites7504]

you gotta checkout Zach wylde playing on a hello kitty toy guitar over on loudwire.

[@thestagepodcastt]

Appreciation for EVERY musician in this video. They all knocked it out of the park. Great video, Glenn. Super informative.

[@Juicexlx]

Yep. Cabs make all the difference. I realized that when I was investigating Children of Bodom's Alexi Laiho's crazy-town Metal tone that I liked so much. I began looking for Marshall 1960B (straight/bottom cab) like his, but all I was seeing on the used markets were Marshall 1960A (slanted/top cab). Basically, the 1960B just sounds better than the 1960A, hence fewer people are selling those. They found what they were looking for.

[@rowanmartin4397]

You could spend $1900 on a Marshall DSL head and MX cab. And that’s “cheap.” Or you could spend $400 on a hybrid orange head and 1x12 with a greenback. Want to guess which one sounds better? The cheap one. The two heads sound super similar, actually. The cabs make all the difference. But really, if your amp is decently powerful, and doesn’t sound like absolute shit, then the way you sound better is. . . *gasp!* PRACTICE Stunning, rights?

[@qweneyon]

i like the mix on your voice in this ep, like you can hear the room but it somehow feels really natural. Like spot on sound focus like youre right there.

[@devilmaycryevil4]

Ive always felt like the “tone is in the hands” argument was more geared towards lead guitar stuff.

[@fredriksvard2603]

Specifically, generic bendy boomer blues rock lead

[@neandrewthal]

Or just SRV because if I played his guitar setup his way I'm probably not strong enough to squeeze out the notes and bends he gets :D

[@punyhuman5405]

Is there a reason you prefer switching cabs/amps/guitars throughout a song and not playing the same 4/8 bar riff in a row with the different settings cabs etc?

[@nicholasmullins3693]

I would guess switching them randomly will take you by surprise more an you can more easily tell the difference. Human brain recognition. I you have it flipping at the end of an identical phrase, your ears are expecting to start over and you might actually perceive less difference. But that's just my two cents and I'm not even sure I'm right.

[@petewooding3758]

Good question, was wondering the same.

[@jasonstallworth]

Good point...it may be a more valid test with expanding the riffs and more movement overall. Would that create a slight difference? It's possible.

[@TheGilmourJones]

I was wondering why he didn’t do just a few straight up chugs when swapping from 412 to 212…. It’s the bass response from the big cab that is overwhelmingly different. I think that would have ended any discussion just on its own.

[@ArtoPeltomaa]

I'm thinking about this also. My guess is we make our self believe what we want to believe. So if it was clear where the shift is we then are sure the tone shifts even if it is identical. I have experienced this. Now it is all the same. 😁

[@damianmassoni1643]

I love your empiric job, an thanks bro!

[@mojoemurphy]

This is a great video, very fun to watch

[@ghosttownicon2761]

Glenn is absolutely killing it with the tone these days. That worm pedal one, the vintage Fender combo, and now the EVH/Greenback combo. sick stuff

[@TheIgnoramus]

"its in the hands" is relevant to playing style and type. linear movement lines with individual finger and pick strokes have the most touch-feel variance, chord playing has the lowest likelihood of variance due to harmonic complexity in a single chord stroke, your ears arent going to hear stroke or hand as easily. probably why people think the test it meh, but still works in its context.

[@noesunyoutuber7680]

Glenn did touch on that in the video - articulation and clarity are name-checked as undeniably resulting from the player, but the guitar's timbre itself isn't going to change much.

[@etherealessence]

What is in the hands isn't tone. It won't ever be tone. What is in the hands is technique. Everything anyone says about tone actually being in the hands isn't ever about the tone of the sound, but the technique of the player (Things like the attack, note definition, muting strings that aren't needed, proper pressure to not pull a note out of tune, etc).

[@RoganGunn]

@@etherealessence Exactly, you beat me to saying the exact same thing! People mean technique when they say, 'tone' in regards to the hands, they are usually referring to lead lines, played expressively, where vibrato/bending style etc are more relevant. Still just technique though, not 'tone'. Even 'tone' is a vague term; we should be saying 'timbre' really. Guitarists get a lot of terminology wrong - I blame the tremolo on their guitar myself... ;-) A lot of these myths originate in other genres, like blues, where amp difference between a Blackface Deluxe Reverb, a Bassman, and a Tweed Champ is huge, because they're combos and the speaker/cab changes when you change amps! And the difference between a Filtertron, PAF or a strat pickup is more significant when playing clean or crunchy. Not so relevant to metal but these myths just get ported over wholesale.

[@ralis]

Thank you for all the hard work, this is illuminating.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

You’re very welcome!

[@MrTimdriver]

Excellent episode.

[@JETGuitars]

Awesome video! Cab and pickups always made the biggest change to me. If you have terrible pickups, then sometimes you can't, for example, milk out any top end no matter how hard you try because it's simply not there. A guitarist I know has a Les Paul with some kind of zebra pickups (stock) and they're so muffled I can barely stand it. And cabs make a huge difference. That's why the industry of IRs exist. I think some people are still in the stone age. I've heard some people say that "a speaker is a speaker is a speaker" -To which I say: No..... You've only got one speaker then.

[@mikahirvilammi6262]

Les Paul tone doesn't dramatically change even if you change pickups, been there done that you know.

[@JETGuitars]

@@mikahirvilammi6262 lol okay then...

[@rambusinek]

@@mikahirvilammi6262 I beg to differ...especially with the low end frequencies.

[@MrSneakyPants]

@@mikahirvilammi6262 what you said is kind of true. Scale length affects tone so much more than pickup response. However, the way a guitar responds to playing can be dramatically different with different pickups. That can definitely account for some of the change in tone.

[@mikahirvilammi6262]

@@MrSneakyPants Also that Les Paul has heavy mahogany body that has a lot of lowend in tone. You cannot change the main characters of the guitar with pickups, Les Paul is very dark sounding guitar no matter what ever you do for it. Older Les Pauls like 57' has different kind mahogany though, that sounds brighter than nowdays.

[@suddenswarm5944]

As a very visual person, i find more inspired to play in different ways with guitars with different colours and shapes and stuff, which in turn affects how i use the tone. Not a cause of tone shift but visual inspiration feels like a factor during production for me at least

[@Wyldebulldog58]

That hempback and vintage 30 blend tone was incredible, had extra warmth to it for a rhythm it would be glorious

[@rigorhead01]

Dude, you always have AWESOME drummers!

[@iopsyc15]

"We hear with our eyes". And I thought that only applied to drummers (guilty drummer here). Love the videos, Glenn. Keep up the awesomeness and GFY!

[@deanandthebeans857]

Great stuff, Glenn! Through a 5150 on full gain, I’d be hard pressed to tell an ESP from a Telecaster, tbh.

[@mRahman92]

So refreshing to hear a video uncensored.

[@guitargod1882able]

This is definitely the case with extreme high gain. Once the signal melts all the dynamic range, attack and tonality are kept in tight control. Your not going to notice subtle differences in the players hands with metal tones. I used to demo amps for IndianAmpWorks and we were not using high gain. You can much more easily tell the difference in players and tubes in the ranges before they completely melt. When it comes to Metal guitar I think pickups and speakers/cab have the most dramatic effect on changing tonality. Your video pretty much helped me confirm this. Great video Glen! Thanks for taking the time to test all these theories for metal guitar tone. If you happened to have time I would love to see you do the same thing with only changing the guitar used as well to help people decide which pick-ups they like best. I think that video paired with your cabinet changes here could be a very useful set of videos to help people pick their gear more confidently! Keep up the good work and FU Glen!

[@donjohnson7550]

Take it easy old guys, it’s pretty romantic this idea of “the tone is in the fingers”. Your style is in your fingers, but when it comes to the tone, the sound, your equipment plays a really important roll on it. Yet, don’t go to the opposite side of: tone wood shit, original tube screamer vs reissue, etc. And yes, no one will notice if you have the original Japanese pedal or a clone of it. Yes, there are slightly differences, the ts9 has more of such and 808 is a little bit such, but those differences are so ridiculous that it’s not worth it to spend 1000 dollars just coz of that subtle difference. Someone has to put the ball on the ground and say, that’s it, that’s it. So don’t torture yourself coz of a little difference on a pedal.

[@StaticR]

It is *somewhat* true for string instruments since depending on how close or far you play to the bridge you can get a vast difference in tone. However that's still less of a "the tone is in the hands" and more a "the tone is in the technique".

[@jasonstallworth]

Great points here, dude. I think we guitarists are kings of overthinking sometimes! And you can create your own living hell going back and forth with gear!

[@mtlspider]

what they usually mean is hand synchronization,technique and phrasing.a famous guitarists you know the sound of will always sound the same no matter what gear they are using.

[@ivanbrasla]

The TECHNIQUE is in the hands, the TONE is in the gear, together they make a SOUND

[@donjohnson7550]

@@ivanbraslaso true

[@Pentode3000]

True words. An impedance measurement of the V30s might also give a clue on the sound differences. Tubeamps react to different impedances, another path to the holy grail of sound. If i would live nearby i would help out experimenting all day. The EVH Hempback Combo sounded nice! Endless possibilities...

[@castaway1889]

Hands down the best video on guitar tone I've watched! I'm just wondering, have you tested the influence of the frequency response of the guitar pickups? Cheap vs expensive? Active vs passive?

[@Chinaguitarsceptic]

Brilliant video! 👏

[@stoutcoffee493]

I’ve been shopping for speakers recently, and I can definitely agree that speakers make the tone of an amp significantly different. For example, a band called Frayle made a great video demoing different Weber speakers in addition to a vintage 30 and an Eminence Swamp Thang. My god, the amps demoed sound so different when different speakers are used.

[@evangrimes6962]

That test blew my mind. Thanks for doing this! question: would room response/ noise have any impact on tone shift, or is the mic too close to the speaker for that to have an impact?

[@jorgedelarco8851]

I think that if rooms acoustics plays a huge role when mixing on monitors, it should matter when recording cabs. If u record vocals on a shitty sounding room theyre gonna sound horrible, so isnt it the same with cabs?

[@dewdmcman4321]

Remember, U can make a Les Paul sound exactly like a Strat if U just change the 'frequency response' with some EQ, or a 'special speaker' as your 'filter'. There is no difference in the dynamics or N E thing else. That stuff is all 'bull$hit', according 2 Glen HAHAHAHA What a troll =)) Reminds me of Scott Grove =P

[@MattHuntguitar]

Absolutely love your honesty and humour! Rock on 🎸

[@2gobeond]

Yep makes sense, I also note, although I record very infrequently, that with open back speaker combos the placement of the amp relative to a wall or angle to two walls makes a big difference.

[@yerpaderpa5k73]

I agree with most amps being the same. I collect vintage amps and the breakup is different from tube to tube. The sound is most drastic with different speakers and cabs. But I do believe having your eq being pre or post may make a difference in tone. Also having a presence knob vs not having one seems to provide differences too if you’re big into pedals. Great informative video!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

True indeed!

[@sonicfactory]

That was awesome Glenn! But what about the pickups?? I was hoping you’d show us how much (or little) variations they can bring to the tone. Thanks again for all the tests! 👍

[@superrookie7553]

It's very minimal and can be tweaked easily using an EQ Pedal That is if you are using different Humbuckers, but if you're using single coils then that's a different territory

[@dale116dot7]

On cleaner sounds (blues, country) there is a sound difference, but that difference seems to be reduced a lot when played in a highly distorted metal context.

[@MattC.98]

Thanks for the video 👌

[@deajae1974]

Hay Glenn, I’ve been screaming this at my guitar player for years and he’s often told me how I don’t understand the intricate workings of a guitar and would never grasp how the player and the wood of a guitar become one to make the tone, plus he’d often say “what would you know your just a drummer”. oh man, I can’t wait to send him this video. Thanks Glenn.

[@roberteismann1929]

Maybe don't scream so much and listen more.

[@greevar]

That EVH/Hempback blend is still amazing. If I ever get the money, I will definitely want to have two of each in a stereo rig. Short of that, I'd love to have the IR's.

[@andrejsandal2382]

Right? When I heard the back and forth I was so hoping he would blend them together, that sound is bloody massive!

[@johnarcher9480]

The blend sounded great, the hemps alone seemed a bit dull

[@damsam6509]

Thank you for helping us match gear

[@MauricioGarcia-mk5bz]

Great video!!!

[@Tom_SDM]

I was under the impression that the whole “tone is in the hands/fingers” was more about how you play your instrument rather than the exact timbre or characteristics of your recorded sound. As in “[insert famous artist] still sounds like themselves even if they play through cheap, shitty equipment. Their tone isn’t defined by their gear, *the tone is in their fingers*.” The idea being that if someone can still sound like themselves through cheap equipment, you don’t need to focus too much on buying expensive gear, but instead prioritise your technique and style.

[@Callum-Morrison]

Awesome video Glenn! Would love to see a video on how big an impact your pick ups make. Not like a single coil/p90/humbucker thing but more of a humbucker vs humbucker type of video. I reckon that the tonal shift wouldn't be as huge as people think it would but I don't have the facilities to be able to do such an experiment myself. Be the people's hero!

[@MattW4319]

I think pickups make a diff simply because they do “eq” by increasing or decreasing highs and lows

[@aldo_mores]

Watch Keith Merrow's comparison of different Seymour Duncan pickups videos or Tosin Abasi's pickup shootout.

[@xxxfallenseraphxx]

They absolutely do make a difference. See various shootouts here on YT, the ola englund Seymour Duncan one comes to mind

[@Callum-Morrison]

@@xxxfallenseraphxx Ok so I watched this video and I stand corrected. Cheers for the recommendation

[@xxxfallenseraphxx]

@@Callum-Morrison not a problem were all here to learn fam :) highly recommend ola's other videos as well, he puts out some incredible content specifically targeted at metal guitarists.

[@metalstones215]

Wow thank you for your experimentation

[@getthrashed80s]

I think the phrase: "The Tone is in the Hands" is related to what an individual guitarist plays over a backingtrack. I mean there are only few things that are different in each player like bends vibratos and down or alternate picking for example, when they play the exact same piece.

[@TheJopeToons]

How you palm-mute, how you do the harmonics, how hard you pick, do you make a lot of string noise. There's a lot of things

[@getulioprates]

You can have the same guitar tone plus the individual expression and talent.

[@ccfmafia3301]

Not going to lie, I was typing: "I feel like power chords with a lot of gain aren't the best way to show that tone's not in the hands", Right as you called me out for asking for "Blues licks" on a metal channel....well played, sir. Well played

[@ditmarvanbelle1061]

Still, matter of fact I agree. When I'm asked to play the same riffs I play them completely different (as in another position, not using a pick, and the place where you hit the string in fact does make a huge difference). So showing four players perform the same movement would not make a difference but if the hands were doing something different then it most definitely would. One could argue it's not the same riff of course ..... but yep, that's when Glenn started ranting about blues licks LOL

[@donaldcrites7504]

I find "tone" has become more of a catch-all term rather than the objective meaning based on frequency. Often a players technique for transitioning between frets, strumming/picking , or note/chord combinations they habitually use as being their "tone"

[@Stopkins]

Super eye-opening video! Always have been curious about what changing the speakers out on a cab would sound like...but never invested the time/money into finding out. This gives a pretty good idea, though, of what to listen for. I would also contend that pickups and the microphone (and its placement) also contribute significantly to tone.

[@dillonwilson5126]

Super surprised about the cab tone change. Pretty cool!

[@aleksanderdjuran8010]

I noticed i was getting less and less happy with my V30ies so I started blending them with T75s, and at this point, Im almost using the v30as a filler rather than the main source. Cant wait for those speaker demos man! Been looking to kick around some new tones.

[@tbirdpunk]

I found the 75's to have a bit too much 'fizz' so I tried out the k100's and wow. The 75 and 30 blend well together if you like the traits of the 75.

[@MrSneakyPants]

@@tbirdpunk I have an Uberkab with v30s and t75s in an X pattern, and I have to agree, the T75 is too fizzy for me.

[@musek5048]

That's what I had done a decade ago with two of my cabs, one a Mesa slant 4x12 and an egnator 4x12. Mesa had V30s while the egnator had 75s. Both sounded great on their own but together sounded better. When I would use stereo effects with both cabs panned out I could tell which side had more mids so I swapped two speakers over to each other cab in an x pattern and each cab sounded super full and rounded out! Much better results when uses panned stereo delays and effects!

[@MrSneakyPants]

@@musek5048 yeah, the x pattern is great in the room. I do like to blend them with mics as well but placement seems really important with the T75s.

[@mrcoatsworth429]

I think the "tone is in the fingers" is interpreted very differently by the different camps. In my opinion, when discussing this, we need to define our terms. Some people are very philosophical about it, others (like Glenn) are technical and scientific.

[@jasonstallworth]

Good point here, dude. I also think you may have noticeable differences with other genres (yes, I know this is a metal channel). But clean tones may pick up more of a guitarist's nuances in their attack and other variables.

[@etherealessence]

The thing is, there is a term that covers what people believe is in the hands and that term is not tone. Tone is not in the hands. Technique is in the hands. There is no interpretation. Although you are right, clearer use of terms would probably help settle this.

[@mrcoatsworth429]

@@etherealessence I agree that the technique of the guitar player isn't part of the tone. To me, tone is determined by all the things between the fingers of the player and the soundwaves that come out of the speaker in the end. But the way you play something can change how the end result sounds. You may pick way harder and with the edge of the pick than some other person. And to me, that's technique. But to a lot of people that's also part of the "tone". So while I do agree with you, for many people it's not that clear cut. That's why I said we need to define our terms. That way we'll avoid a lot of meaningless arguments.

[@SteelSkin667]

I've always interpreted "tone is in the fingers" in terms of playing style rather than actual timbre. If you try and imitate the style of another player, you will sound _exactly_ like them.

[@etherealessence]

@@mrcoatsworth429 this is the problem with the modern world. We live in an age where incorrect facts are still correct because the people that believe them define terms incorrectly. For example, we've seen racist and fascist get twisted up so much they lost their very real meaning. Yes that's a bit of a tangent, but it is absolutely the same thing as people defining technique as tone and going around saying that it's in the hands. We have terms, yes some are nebulous like tone, but they all have common definitions. And pretty much every 'tone is in the hands' explanation I've seen had been about the player's technique. Why not just say that technique is in the hands, since that's what everyone seems to talk about and agree on?