Is electric guitar tone better now than it was in rock’s ‘golden age’ in the 60’s and 70’s? A recent article titled “Is It Tougher To Get Good Tone Now Vs. Then?” on Jay Kumar’s fantastic Woody Tone site explores that very question. Quoted from the article, guitarist and producer Dave Cobb, who recently recorded a new album with Black Robot, believes that “Everything was better back then.”
Says Dave:
The guitars were American-made and made at the height of American craftsmanship, the Marshalls were made with quality parts, and you had quality players – you couldn’t record a record unless you had a high level of ability. Plus studios had the best mics in the world, they had good consoles and tape. Now we might have more stuff available, but it’s not as high-quality.
Jay goes on to ponder the current state of electric guitar gear and whether it is actually more difficult to get what he calls “a convincing, old-school rock tone” than it was when Page, Clapton and Beck were young. So, here’s the deal! I thought I would ask what you think about this topic…
First, read Jay’s article. Then click on the link below to take a quick four question survey and tell me what YOU think!
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE “BETTER NOW OR THEN?” SURVEY!
As always, I’ll share the results next month!!
Cheers!
Don Mackrill – Don@MackAmps.com
PS: Check out another article on Woody Tone: “Mack of Mack Amps on EL84s and Tone Controls”. In this two part interview I explain why I like EL84s, how the Heatseeker line of amps came about and why I don’t like TMB tone stacks!!
PPS: Join the Mack Amps mailing list and take advantage of the current Member’s-Only discount on Heatseeker HS-18 and Skyraider SR-15 boutique amps!
What a lot of people don’t know is that a lot of the gear being made in the 60’s and especially the 70’s was pretty much junk. What little was good, though, was REALLY good. Also, the prices of good equipment were a lot higher (I recall reading an interview with Pete Townsend explaining smashing a Rickenbacker that cost about 12,000 of today’s dollars). One would have a point in saying that a lot of new gear doesn’t sound as good (I for one only use a vintage acoustic because most new ones can’t match the sound), but the general definition of “what sounds good” is based on those old records…
Re: Woodytone article on old vs new.
My search for good tone led me to learning guitar repair. Not so much a deliberate decision as the outgrowth of constant tweaking in search of tone. I focused then and now on the non-wiring issues–making sure I had “good connection” and set-up between all parts. When I felt I had exhausted that approach, I began experimenting with pickups. I feel very satisfied with my equipment at this point, but there is still mystery involved. I have cheap guitars that sound great, and have sold mid-end guitars that sounded awful. I’ve been amazed at the difference between one and another identical guitar in stores and would willingly travel hundreds of miles if there were a place where I could try out 30 of the same guitar. My point is that I feel nothing has changed. If you have a barrel full of bold-on necks (as I do) and rap each one, some will ring like a bell and give you an identifiable note. Others will just go “Thud.” Next step: get a pickup rewinder. One more point, a good guitar in 1957 would have set you back in real dollars as much as you would pay today. I think what you’re getting in a vintage instrument is at least partially the result of aging of wood (some glues and finishes harden and alter the acoustics) and electronics. Matching the tone of a vintage instrument can be hard but can be done.
Back “then”, some of the parts used in amplifiers were made from premium materials. The thought was how to get the semiconductor, transformer etc. to work, not how to make it work as cheaply as possible.
Those in the know used good stuff, and good sounding stuff to build tube amps for both sides of the glass. There were some really great mono and stereo “hi-fi” amps built back then that are still considered gems today, and also some really special instrument amplifiers. Whoosh… Transporter to the present!!!
There are some fantastic boutique amplifiers available today that rival or even eclipse some of yester-years tube porn. We now know what makes those great amps tick, and with proper attention to detail and the money spent on the right components, which include specially built high end transformers, these amps can be excellent.
There are also many very fine after market pick-up makers who make superb devices that come awfully close to creating the tones of the tastiest old vintage guitars we desire, yet seem to be short on the cash to afford.
I believe we really went wrong is moving into the digital domain. We are interpolating the sounds the microphones are picking up (after converting them), and then attempting to process them with virtual components that have no errors or harmonic distortion within the components that are absent from the circuitry that does not exist.
Then we compress the heck out of everything, remove every semblance of dynamics, dither it down to the measly MP3 format and wonder why it doesn’t sound quite like it did… Or as so many folks scare me with the comment, “It sounds way better than any album… It’s quiet (no pops or clicks), way louder and I can put a lot more songs on a CD than you can fit on a record or a tape!” *barf*
Howdy, I wanted to mention one of the BEST 60’s amps (along w/ Fender) were made by Ampeg!! We had a “Gemini 2” in my very first band (1965). Since then I have acquired a 1967 “Gemini 1” and it is outstanding. The tone “goes on for days”, & works great w/ Strats & P90’s….It’s been an overlooked amp but I think in 2010, they are catching on. Regards, Jon Greenwood
i have played good geetars made yesterday and terrible geetars made in the golden era! its all a matter of how you play them and how you make them serve your musical needs! after years of touring around with expensive name brand, usually american made geetars, and not getting exactly the sound i wanted, i started using the cheaper geetars that no one was ‘afraid’ to modify, and put in EXACTLY what i wanted, and there you go- exactly the tone i want! amp wise, too! you can go for years searching for that perfect vintage toned amp with just the right amount of breakup, or use the run of the mill fender reissues, that with the right hands and the right geetar, played in the right context, and make it sound like a million bucks. that’s how it worked for me and the musicians i play with!