A lot of times when I see local bands play, depending on where it is, I see them utilizing gear that isn’t up to snuff with their full potential. This depends on genre to genre and in no way is this a gear snob rant on how someone should spend 2 grand on an amp to sound good, but rather some useful ideas to bring to light for people starting bands or wanting to step up their sound.
1: Learn how your signal chain affects your sound
This one is a big one, learning how your signal chain works is a huge factor in how your tone will produce through your whole set up. For example, how many pedals you have can effectively suck the tone out of your amplifier and leave much to be desired. Every pedal will slightly(not noticeably) effect your tone in some way and learning which pedals and cables and guitars work in tandem with each other while keeping the chain as minimal as possible for desired results will make your sound, your foot, and your arms very happy.
Get a Good Cab
Many people take the time to spend 2 grand on heads and guitars but many people don’t look into the speakers they are playing out of. This usually makes a really great head like a Mesa or Marshall sound terrible. Look into the speakers you are playing and always look to see if you can play through a friends cab to learn the difference of tone you are going to get. Cabs don’t all sound the same and they are not created equal, spend the money on a good cab and you’re going to have a solid base to keep your sound as clear as you can make it.
Learn to EQ
Equalization is something that can make or break a sound and give you what you’re looking for. Whether its hardcore, emo, pop punk, doom metal, black metal etc etc, all these genres have specific difference that makes them unique and understanding how your sound is effected by low, mids, highs, presence etc will make your band be more in tune with each other and let the parts that need to be heard, be heard. Never dime your amps, it’ll only lead to more payments in the end.
Dont Knock Used Gear
Usually the stuff sold on retail is extremely expensive and almost unaffordable on a budget. Instead of going out to Guitar Center and trying the new, and mostly blasé gear selections, look into going on Craigslist and find stuff that might interest you and try them out. You can usually find great deals if you look hard/long enough and can really benefit on finding amps you didn’t think you would love until you looked on the used market for them.
Easy on the Gain
Gain, oh gain. Biggest thing for heavy bands to learn when they start out is easy on the gain. Its important to have a clear and articulate sound whatever your playing so you want every note to be heard the way you envisioned it. Adding too much gain will effectively garble up your sound and make it into a buzzsaw or muddy mess to where the mix in the band can’t be heard well enough. You want people to feel the notes you play, and the only way is to be heard and when you put too much signal into your amp it ends up making a heavy sound in your bedroom, incoherent on the stage. Note, the louder you will be playing with tube amps, the more you should back off on the signal in the preamp.
These are tips to boost your sound as a band and let what you hear in your head become realities for many people. Keep your friends close and gear closer, and remember that you are only as good as your instrument lets you sound.
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