How to Get a Killer Heavy Metal Guitar Tone

Have you ever wondered how your rock heroes get their guitars to sound the way they do? Here are some tips that will get you closer to that elusive sound, that Killer Tone.

1. STRINGS – Tone ALWAYS starts with the strings on your guitar. They are the source of the sounds that eventually come out of your amp. There are several high quality rope companies that are well known. Make sure the strings are in good condition, have the proper gauge, and are tuned to the proper pitch. It will be difficult if not impossible to get great guitar tone without good sounding strings.
2. PICK UPS – This is the subject of much debate in the electric guitar community. In my PERSONAL opinion, the guitar pickups are the next most important element. However, there are many people who will tell you that the WOOD of the guitar is the second most important part. In my experience, I’ve put outstanding pickups in guitars that were made from less desirable woods and got a great sound. When I refer to trucks, I am also including with this the other electronic components that work together to make trucks work. Elements such as wiring, pots, sockets, etc.
3. WOOD – The wood a guitar is made of absolutely affects the tone. The wood that I think produces the best tone is the solid mahogany body, with a mahogany neck. However, this is subject to personal taste. If you’re new to guitar playing, I’ll point out that the mahogany neck/body combination is mostly found on Gibson guitars or their imitators. Some guitars have bodies made from Alder, Swamp Ash, and Bass Wood. Many guitar necks are made from maple. Fender guitars are a great example of this. The wood that the guitar neck is made of also greatly affects the tone, as most of the length of the strings vibrates up and down the neck.
4. TUBE AMPLIFIER – Let’s face it. If you care enough about guitar tone to read this article, then you want a tube amp. There was a time when I was spending 3 or 4 nights a week at live music events. My ears became so attuned to the sweet sound of overdriven power tubes, that I could tell the difference within 2-3 notes, between a solid state amp and a true tube amp. In my opinion, the sweetest guitar sound comes from the power section of a tube amp being overdriven until it saturates, producing what is known as “power tube distortion”. There is no pedal, no rack unit, no digital effects processor that can recreate that sound. While it may be tempting for a new guitarist to buy the $200 special at the big box music store, he’ll be kidding himself with Killer Guitar Tone. A quality tube amp will cost a bit more. The advantage is that with a tube amp, you can get a little combo around 40-50 watts that’s so loud you can’t stay in the same room with it when cranked to 8, and they’ll dislodge you. at that volume level. In today’s world, there is no music venue where you need this much power.
5. YOUR FINGERS – An important part of your sound actually comes from your technique and the way you play the strings. This requires a bit of experimentation to dial in.
6. PEDALS AND EFFECTS – This is so far down the list for a BIG reason. pedals and effects to get better your tone They don’t to create your tone YOU CAN’T MASK A TERRIBLE TONE WITH A LOT OF EFFECTS. I was at a concert about 2 months ago and a decent metal band was playing. The guitarist had one of those $300 half-stacks you can buy at “big box” music stores all day. His songs were decent enough to ignore the fact that he was playing through a solid state amp and his tone was terrible. And then he decided to turn on a bunch of effects. Basically, he buried what little tone he had under a huge pile of BS. The sound became so muddled and diluted that the subtleties of his playing (which was actually quite decent) were completely lost.

   …That being said, here is a list of pedals and effects that can give your tone that killer edge IF used correctly.

   a) Ibanez Tube Screamer. This unit should be run IN FRONT of your tube amp to give it a boost. One way heavy metal players use this is to boost the low-end blur that can be heard when the gain is turned up. This is used to give more definition to the subtleties of the often intricate selection techniques. There are 2 versions of this pedal. One is very expensive and sought after by the “boutique” crowd. The other costs as much as any other average pedal. I can’t tell the difference myself, so I have the cheapest one and it’s pretty sweet. It definitely gets the job done.

   b) Choirs. This effect comes in many different packages. Many multi-effects units have it, many amps come with it built in, and you can get several great pedals that have it. Boss makes a great. This effect, if used correctly, can give your sound that electricity heavy metal edge. You can make your tone sound like it has a deeper level of distortion and saturation than it actually does. Many beginning guitarists buy cheap distortion pedals, looking to get that certain heavy metal guitar tone their rock heroes have, when what they really need is a good chorus. However, if the chorus is overused, or used with the wrong EQ settings, it can sound really harsh and tinny, and can become completely overbearing. It tends to boost mids and highs and so should be used in small subtle amounts, until it’s time to boost a level for a lead or solo. Also, some amps (like the Roland JC) can have a very aggressive chorus, so learn to tame that beast!

   c) Reverb. Again, less is more. Sure, on your masterpiece record you can create some very dramatic sounds with reverb, but in a live environment, the more reverb you use, the less you’ll be heard. IN very little it will give your sound a subtle thickness and depth. Additionally, Reverb is designed to mimic the way sound moves in rooms of different sizes. If you have different setups (ie room, hall, theater, etc.), find one that most closely matches the size of the room you’ll be playing in for a more natural sound.

   d) Noise suppressor. Often called a noise gate. This will clean up the buzzing and buzzing and give an overall cleaner sound. I use a Boss NS-2.

These elements, when put together correctly, will help any guitarist achieve Killer Tone.

Remember, nothing will make you sound better than PRACTICE. Enjoy!