Tone settings for bluesy sound

[SmellHole]

Howdy,

Total noob to this site... I'm curious to know how various folks set the tone controls on an amp (any amp) to get a bluesy tone.

Anyone with a JC-120 have any tips for dialing in a nice, fat tone? I've messed with mine so much now I've totally lost any objectivity.

-SmellHole
Schecter C-1 XXX, JC-120.

[Hammurabi]

A little gain, a meaty bass, and a whopping portion of soul.

[rockonn91]

A little gain, a meaty bass, and a whopping portion of soul.

good way to put it


ummm i have my trebel on like 7 usually
mids on 5
bass 5-7.

gain pretty low- one or two sounds nice. too much and it just doesnt sound like blues anymore.

[Lordathestrings]

Two things:

The JC-120 is a very clean-sounding amp. That's what it was designed for, and its one of the best amps in the world for delivering the intrinsic sound of the guitar, uncoloured. There is no such thing as 'grind' or 'crunch', so if you really want those tones, you need a different setup. Distortion pedals don't sound 'real' through that amp. There is no 'Blues Tone'. Listen to enough different players, and you'll hear anything from what Clapton called the 'woman tone' (neck humbucker, guitar tone knob rolled way down), to the ice-pick-in-the-forehead kind of shrill scream that Roy Buchanan got from his Tele.

Put most of your search effort into what you do with the guitar. As you find your voice, you will intuitively understand what amp settings are best for expressing that. They go hand-in-hand. You will find yourself playing in a particular way if you EQ to enhance the treble, and you'll probably change your style to something else with a darker tone setting. I suggest starting out fairly neutral - Bass rolled off a bit, Treble between 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Roll off the guitar tone knobs a bit, say 6 or 7 out of 10. Then shut your eyes, and play. The sound you're looking for is in your hands.

[Natural]

Hey, I found this site that has awesome tone settings for a bunch of amps. Check it out and see if your amp is there:

http://www.tonesettings.com

Hope that helps :)

[3fingeredblues]

It would depend on what kind of a blues sound you are after too. Texas blues, Missisppi blues, Delta, bebop, etc. And what kind of guitar you are using. I would agree that the JC-120 wouldn't be my first choice for going after a bluesy tone, but if you are using a hollowbody and going for a Duke Robilard, or T-Bone Walker kind of tone you might be able to aproximate something close by turning the treble down to 4-5, the mids around 6, and the bass from 3-5....but the biggest factor is gonna be your hands.

I would suggest selling the JC120, and getting a small 30 watt class A tube amp, or 50 watt class AB. Part of a good blues sound is using a good sounding tube amp just at the edge of overdrive.

[Bluesman Jack]

I enjoy blues myself and this is what I do. I play a Godin exit 22-s equipped with ssh pickups with a crybaby wah Gcb95. I modded it for a slight mid boost which also makes the heel/toe transition not so drastic and also put in a vocal mod which makes it more like a human voice (these are easy 1 resistor each replacements). Don't get to heavy with the pedal, alittle rocking gives you that floaty SRV, live Clapton feel. I play through a stock 1973 Fender Vibro champ 6watt amp. Stay off the bridge pickup and try picking way up near or over the bottom of the neck. Then play with amps tone settings and add alittle reverb. Hope this gets ya closer to what moves ya.