Making Stompbox

Can any seasoned guitarists out there give me some advice on achieving killer heavy tone (read details)?

I’ve had 3 Ibanezes, and played through a Peavey amp…I know that that doesn’t do the trick

I know exactly what you are talking about- I’ve struggled with this same problem for years. Guitar tone is much more difficult to fix than bass guitar tone! I think the bottom line is what you want to sound like and how much money you have to spend. I had a Peavey for years and I finally realized it sucked when it came to sound and tone. I bought an old Fender Twin, use a Gibson Les Paul studio, and have a Boss distortion box and Bad Horsie wah wah pedal. My sound now sounds like it’s out of the 70′s, like Zeppelin. Some days I get up and wish I had spent the money on a Marshall because I love the in your face distortion and crunch.

What I would do is to call a Guitar Center and make an appt to go in and bring your gear in, including your guitar, and play it, and get some feedback from the staff member regarding your sound- what he likes, doesn’t like, and what he suggests to do to change it, all to meet what you are looking for. I’m sure you can negotiate some fee to hear your tone and give you some feedback.

But Beware of Guitar Center- their job is to sell you equipment at top price and to pretend they are giving you a deal. It’s like being in a shark tank- as cool as the sharks are, they do bite. Guitar Center staff are that way. My suggestion: bring in a friend who plays and has an electric guitar, so he can help you out “sift through the BS” the staff member tries giving you- remember, you are trying to get some good feedback, not spend your money like an idiot. Guitar Center is all about selling on commission- they will tell you you are the next God on guitar in order to ingratiate you to pad their commissions. Hence, the good friend who can hear both sides of the story, help you sift through the BS, and help you make an informed decision- is th solution simply one of needing a new guitar, is it something about your guitar (like needing the tone and volume pots and electronics redone), or is it something else?

Good luck- again, I have spent tons of money over the years trying to get my tone and sound the way I want it. We all want that perfect tone! It’s easy to spend and spend and spend money on equipment that we turn around later and have to sell for discounted prices because the equipment is lame or just not what we wanted. So take your time, and best of luck!

Making Music with a “Stomp Box” | Experience

The Stompbox Cookbook: Build Advanced Effects for Electric Guitar & Bass $29.95 A comprehensive guide to electric guitar effects (“stompboxes”), with plans for 38 advanced effects, including shematics, printed circuit-board patterns, wiring layouts, and prototype photos; plus a detailed guide to cooking up entirely new stompbox effects from scratch. Illustrated with over 600 photos, diagrams, and schematics; 8.5 x 11, 259 pages….

Dragon Ball Z – Stompbox [Birthday]

The Stompbox Cookbook: Build Advanced Effects for Electric Guitar & Bass $29.95 A comprehensive guide to electric guitar effects (“stompboxes”), with plans for 38 advanced effects, including shematics, printed circuit-board patterns, wiring layouts, and prototype photos; plus a detailed guide to cooking up entirely new stompbox effects from scratch. Illustrated with over 600 photos, diagrams, and schematics; 8.5 x 11, 259 pages….