GUITAR/BASS LESSON 01: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SOUND

I won't have time to be able to organize some kind of a lesson plan. Hence, I will put in information as I go along, which I feel it is relevant. If I have time, I will try to structure them a bit. If you already know the things I have posted, just supplement with more information of your own, or debunk them, or just take it as remedial.

I have been having problems with achieving a proper sound during jamming sessions. Hence, I decide I want to find out more about amplifier settings. Because we are playing electric guitars, the amplifier is equally important to the instrument.




Here is the video I am referring:

After you have watched the video, these are the main points:

1. Before playing anything, set the EQ level for bass, mid, treble to the middle unit (So, if it is from 1 to 10, put all of them at 5). This is a starting point. The author terms it the '12 o clock' position.

2. Bass setting: This setting helps for power-chord sounds. Bass setting adjusts the 'thickness' of the sound. It is a setting I would experiment for a song like 'Holiday', with its mostly distorted, power-chord rhythm.

3. Mid setting: The most important, which the author terms the 'voice' of the sound. When I played 'Holiday', I realize I did not crank up this setting properly. Hence, the power-chord rhythm was a little weak. I think for 'Don't Look Back In Anger', the mid-level is important too (A lot of major chords being played for rhythm with distortion, thus achieving the heavy rock sound).

4. Treble setting: The 'attack' of the sound. Adjust this setting if you need more edge and a sharper feeling. It is most important for lead playing, solos.

5. Presence setting: An even higher frequency level than Treble. I would experiment with this setting, only after I have played with the 3 main levels FIRST. They are the most important settings to tackle before anything else.

6. An EQ setting for a live performance should be different from the EQ setting in a room. This has to do with the different acoustics in different environments. In a room, the acoustics are kept in within the walls, so I reckon it is easier to achieve the sound you want. In a big room, or something like a hall, and with other instruments in the picture, you need to figure what settings to adjust to compensate for this. As a guideline, bass level is usually lower than before, and mid level is usually higher.

Troubleshooting issue for sound: If the sound is not powerful enough, or overly-muffled, it is probably the mid levels you need to troubleshoot.

Bass setting is cranked up when playing in a room, but it is usually turned down a lot for a live show.

When the treble level is cranked high, the sound becomes very screechy which might puncture people’s ear drums. I usually have a problem when using it together with the Wah-Wah effects, because this effect will raise the EQ levels in a way (Bass sound become even more bassy and muffled. Treble sound even more screechy). I am still trying to find a way to balance these settings. This problem arises when I play the lead parts for ‘Dani California’.


At the end of the day, all these are just guidelines. I will continue to research more into all these sound settings and offer more insight into the specific details.