Above all else, the one question I hear time and time again is…
“How do you get that tone?”
Surprisingly, my video studio rig is very simple, and very inexpensive… probably not what you’d expect.
I’ll walk you through it all and link to this video in every other video from now on 🙂
39 replies to "How Do You Get That Tone?"
Hi Griff – I own a Eleven Rack as well. Can you please explain (including a video of the signal chain) the signal path you use to and from your Eleven Rack, I’m unable to produce any sound. I’d love to find out what I’m doing wrong. Really looking forward to using the Eleven Rack, and I know for a fact it works because it was demoed when I purchased it from a local seller in my area. I was excited when I saw this email and I’m grateful for any input given your quite knowledgeable in this setup. Regards, Peter
Peter what seems to be your problem with the Rack? Does not work at all?
Try holding down the EDIT/BACK button until the “user options” comes up. Many of the setup options are in this branch of the software. It has saved me a number of times.
Hey Griff,
Great set up for sure. Ty asked a very important question … “is your signal path guitar, pedal board, eleven rack, or guitar, eleven rack, fx loop out to pedal board, and then back to eleven rack?” I would like to know that as well.
Thanks,
John
Simple???
I wish I played out but I don’t- I’m a kitchen player- so I dumped amps and pedals and use gig performer. A lotta players use it for playing out, too. So my rig is my iMac, Scarlett 2i2 and gig performer. My one kills! Check it out.
Could it be that I am tone deaf. Or is there no such thing?
Currently the Eleven Rack is not as inexpensive as was mentioned in the video. It seems to go between $300 and $400. If you add Pro Tools, it goes up considerably.
OK, I got a pedalboard that had great power distribution on it and it didn’t work, so it went back and I still need one of those. Did you just build it yourself. Like the simple approach. I have a Peavey 25 watt SS amp with trans tube circuitry and all kinds of effects. It’s probably the most useful thing Ive got! Simple!
AWESOME!!
Simple??…..simple??????!!!!!!
Griff, is your signal path guitar, pedal board, eleven rack, or guitar, eleven rack, fx loop out to pedal board, and then back to eleven rack?
When I watched the video I thought Griff went from the guitar into the 11 rack, out the 11 rack into the pedal board, out the pedal board into his little studio monitor. I’m not saying that’s correct. I’m saying that’s how I thought it was set up when I watched the video.
I rewatched the video. I am not sure what the path is. What makes sense, intuitively, is that you go from the guitar into the pedal board, out from the board into the 11 rack “amp” and out the 11 rack into the monitor. I don’t even own a pedal or anything like an 11 rack. But that path seems “normal” or “conventional”.
Good question Ty. I asked the same thing.
Thanks for this info Griff. I loved the sound of your Blues Driver and I’m going to buy one. In the store there are two types of Blues Driver (by BOSS) which look the same but obviously aren’t. One is half the price but I can’t really see why. Do you know the difference and which version you have? Thanks
The new improved (like washing detergent?) waza craft or BD2w is made from the finest silicon dug from fields where the unicorns play. Perhaps this is what you have seen? Have you considered listening to a clone?
Yeah the Waza craft I had and is awesome …I’ve been debating wether to replace with another waza or just a regular bd. Was afraid that awesomeness wouldn’t be in the regular so was leaning waza. But now seeing / hearing this I just don’t know anymore ..I’d say waza not needed for sure if his wasn’t keeley modded. That keeley mod just added another level of indecision …hehe….
Excellent lesson of insight, very useful and well explained. Appreciate your concise attach which makes more of what you’re presenting easier to remember. As always Thank you again for your hard work Griff.
Hey Griff, cool tour of your pedal board. I always wondered if you really do need tons of pedals and high end equipment to get a nice type of tone which you just have shown you don’t really need to. Thank you again for that insight.
Alexander
More curious as to what you use to get your tone in your live performances . . . .. do you use the Eleven Rack?
Jim Hiatt
Hey Griff, Happy Easter to you and family and also across all BGUers be safe and be careful during this time. I’m down in Melb due to a family illness so only have one of my Strats, just to keep practicing as in Vic & NSW we have to stay in isolation ( Home) as much as possible. This is very good tone lesson. I now have 8 guitars including 2 Acoustic electrics primarily I play songs across each of these guitars..I have a BOSS ME 80 effects board, which I find very complex and not all that easy to interchange tones but aside I have the Blues Driver and a Reverb and a separate Looper. Mostly I practice clean & reverb. Overall all the tones you get in all your BGU lessons are really cool. Great lesson also might be a good idea to put together a BGU refresher lesson for all us Guitarists isolated at home to be safe and practice and have some BGU fun.
Michael-Sydney- Australia April 2020
ello Griff (and/or other(s)). would you please make a comment on the signal chain from guitar to eleven rack to ?
i have an eleven rack but i’ve not had any luck processing any sound to speak of. guess i’m all thumbs!
peter
I love that ..good ol kiss keep it simple stoopid less to go wrong less signal loss to dribble away the tone of a lovely guitar and easy to fix when the wheel comes off on a gig and you get a bit flustered spent thousands over 45 years on pedals and nearly always wind up with guitar lead amp ..with the addition of a tuner these days and maybe a bit more hardware depending on the gig ..and you do have a great tone with a lovely balance across the strings ..no surprise you do it for a living and you’re good at what you do ..thanks for the tour I may pinch a bit
Hi Griff! Thanks for this video! Like you, I do not use a tube amp, I use a Quilter Micro Pro, and like you I have it set for a CLEAN and WARM Fender Super Reverb / Twin emulation and my speaker/s are the Quilter Heavy-duty 12″ (combo and extension). My board is also pretty simple … small and compact. I have four OD pedals on it, but 90% of the time I just use my “basic me tone” pedal which is a Dude pedal by J Rockett. set to just edge of break-up. If I want more OD I have three options in addition: A HoTone Golden Touch (Marshall) pedal in front of the Dude, an Earthquaker Devices Dunes pedal (Ultimate Tube Screamer) after the Dude, an Okko Diablo Gain + pedal after the Dude. Or punch all four of them on to peel paint, piss off the neighbors, make the dogs howl.
Contrary to all of the “Only a tube amp will do it” crowd, I rely 100% on my pedal board for ALL overdrive. I have a trail of tube amps in my 50-year playing history that would fill a delivery van. What I use now (above) surpasses ALL of them.
The additional pedals I use on my board are minimal. A rotary pedal (Earthquaker Devices The Depths pedal),
a delay (Way Huge Echo Puss), a wah/volume pedal (HoTone Vow) in front of everything, and a booster pedal (Xotic EP Booster) that is on all the time.
Hi there griff I have a VGA roland amp can I hook those pedals to it. Thanks
Hi Griff,
Would you list by name and model of the pedals you have shown.
Thanks
Gordon Severson , Very good stuff Griff. The tube amp is the stew. The pedals are seasoning. To much seasoning and you spoil the stew.
That’s a question I’ve had for a long time. Thank you! One question. No wha wha pedal? You had a video of your band doing Too Rolling Stoned. I know Trower used one in parts of that so you must use one on occasion.
So tone is spelled Griff, this video is a big help thanks again.
I bought the Blues Driver BD2 after your recommendation in an earlier pedal video. also a Caline tube screamer. They work well. I have a Vox Valvtronics amp I use so I cane add that reverb or other effects from there. But no way could I come close to THE” tone without your suggestions. Thanks.
Thanks for the info, I’ve been researching different board options and this really helped sort our a basic one, Again, thanx.
Great video Griff thanks differently going to pick up a blues driver. What were some of those licks you were playing they were very cool.
Thanks
Enjoyed this video, trying to figure out how to get that blues tone out of my Katana 50 but may have to break down and get that pedal :). Beginner at the guitar but getting better with your lessons.
Thanks.
Hi there griff I have a VGA roland amp can I hook those pedals to it. Thanks
Looks like I may need to add the Blues Driver. My board only has a tuner and a looper.
Thanks Griff, appreciate the info on your setup for the lessons. I’ve got the blues driver and a small tube amp. One of my guitars is a prs single cut solid body that I use with the amp and pedal. Not quite getting your sound, but now I know it’s because your running through the digital amp with more fine tuning than I’ve got. Only get to play that every few months, as I’m on the road ( truck driver) with my acoustic most of the year. Thanks again and enjoy your day.
Super useful! I’ve had an Eleven rack for years collecting dust because I overwhelmed myself with the options. Finally I have some clear guidance. I’ve also sidelined my powered monitors and digital amps in search of a great tube sound. I’m also pulling those back out. And thanks also for the pedalboard guidance. Rock on, Griff! And stay safe and healthy!