What should i do to improve my tone?

[Rocknburn]

HEy guys.I got an Epiphone lp custom and Vox lil night train.I want to improve my tone i got couple of ideas in my head.1-Sell the epiphone and buy a better guitar.2-Save up money for marshall head.3-Get mxr distortion plus pedal.
Which option seems the best?I want to improve my rig!

[blamo]

What don't you like about "your tone" and what do you want to improve about it?

Ever consider it might be the player and not the tools?

I sound the same through a boutique amp and a mass market amp. Same goes for my epi vs my Gibson.

[Rocknburn]

I cant get what i want from my amp and guitar.I want more crunch stuff.And ive just got band.I need a cool tone to make audition happy:PWe will play in school festival and some parties.So its important for me

[kittyhawk]

the lil night train is crunchy as hell! improve your playing. your good to go!

[HOT-BRIT]

with what you have you should be getting a good sound already

[Rocknburn]

When i go for more volume.Cool overdrive tone goes away.

[wwit]

Originally Posted by Rocknburn

When i go for more volume.Cool overdrive tone goes away.

Start thinking about stompboxes. Stay with your current rig for now. Dirt pedals can be had fairly cheap or very expensive. Maybe start with a Bad Monkey if your on a budget. If not the skys the limit. Depends on what "tone" your looking for. Pedals can go in many different tone directions. But almost any will get you into distortion without having to dime the amp and guitar volumes. So you end up with lots more tonal control.

Good Luck.

[121064]

Originally Posted by Rocknburn

HEy guys.I got an Epiphone lp custom and Vox lil night train.I want to improve my tone i got couple of ideas in my head.1-Sell the epiphone and buy a better guitar.2-Save up money for marshall head.3-Get mxr distortion plus pedal.
Which option seems the best?I want to improve my rig!

Learn to play better. Improved playing will always make you sound better.

[Eric Smith]

Why is everyone beating up on this guy's ability? Have you actually heard him play? I think that he might be looking for a particular sound that he is not able to convey the sound of.

Who do you want to sound like?

[Rocknburn]

Originally Posted by Eric Smith

Why is everyone beating up on this guy's ability? Have you actually heard him play? I think that he might be looking for a particular sound that he is not able to convey the sound of.

Who do you want to sound like?

Hmm joe perry,van halen,slash and jimmy page are my idols.Well ive cried on guitar lesson forums much maybe this is the reason why they say i should improve myself.I think people missunderstood me.My old guitar teacher called my mom and told her:Im guitar teacher for 12 years and i can call your boy extreme talent.I think ive just cried too much cause i have little theory knowledge.

[msfenderarg]

.


Practice!...




You know the saying that goes "Do as I Say, Not as I Do".....


.

[Phildog]

How about getting good with what you have. I sound the same playing through my Univox amp as I did when I had a Peavey SS 212.

The LP Custom pickups are pretty hot. So that, along with the Vox, there's no good reason that they can't create various tones that are quite useful. But it's ALL IN THE PLAYER...NOT THE GEAR!!!

Practice!

[Wraptail]

Originally Posted by Rocknburn

When i go for more volume.Cool overdrive tone goes away.

Sounds like you're turning the amp up too loud/diming the volume control - which will make most amps sound like $hit. But you like the way it sounds with the volume down a bit.

And it sounds like you're doing this to get more volume, but with the same "cool overdrive tone" that you were getting, yes?

Sounds like you need a louder amp. That thing is 2 watts right? That ain't gonna cut it with a drummer and bass player. you won't even get enough volume on stage to hear yourself.

If that's the case start trying out 15-30 watt amps at music stores, or those of friends if they have them to figure out what you like.

[ledfloyd]

Use better instrument cables. You'd be surprised how much tone is lost in shitty instrument cables.

[GitFiddle]

I agree with Rude Dog. That head may just be under powered for what you plan to do. In any case you should spend some time experimenting with any and every possible setting you can get out of that amp.

If anything it will provide you invaluable knowledge when you start looking for something a little more powerful. Anything 15-30 watts should give you more than enough sound for most normal gigs.

Your guitar and amp are the two most basic components of your sound. If it were me, I would explore every facet of the possibilities with just my amp and guitar. Once you have found your core sound than add some pedals later to simply enhance the core tone you are already comfortable with. Its too easy to get dependent on pedals and sound like crap without them.

This video provides some good ideas for tone settings.

Vox Lil Night Train - YouTube

Vox Lil Night Train - YouTube

[keesie]

maybe buy a cheap but cool Bad Monkey? haha. serious, a cool overdrive pedal is pehaps what you looking for.

[335Reasons]

The setup of your guitar may not be right. Find someone with more experience than yours and have him play your guitar. Then listen carefully to the tone from the "audience". Do this before you buy something new

[Dolebludger]

Were I you, I would take my guitar and amp to a music store and try out pedals. I'd try out some overdrive and distortion pedals for sure. But I would also try out some clean boost pedals. In that regard, I'd try to find and test a Rocktron Nitro clean boost. It also automatically adds just a bit of high midrange boost and a noticeable amount of compression (which adds sustain). I paid $49 for mine at a local music store, and have seen them online for as little as $39. It is a one knob (for gain/volume) and one push button pedal. It also works great as a solo boost pedal. If your guitar and amp are functioning right, you should be able to get a good "crunch" for rhythm work, and then cut in the Nitro for solos and make it sing. Your amp (if functioning correctly) should have enough wattage to gig. I once did an outdoor gig with way-too-loud sidemen and was able to cut through with 13W.

As indicated above, there may be a malfunction in either your guitar, amp, or both. The first thing would be to have these checked out.

Then there is the unfortunate possibility that one of these (or both) "just aren't for you". For example, I can't get "my tone" out of any Mesa Boggie amp -- even though they are high quality, high dollar amps used by more "A" list players than I can name. And nobody wants to hear me play a Gretch guitar through any amp, even though many "A listers" use them.

[Rocknburn]

Originally Posted by 335Reasons

The setup of your guitar may not be right. Find someone with more experience than yours and have him play your guitar. Then listen carefully to the tone from the "audience". Do this before you buy something new

I can play my own guitar.

[335Reasons]

Originally Posted by Rocknburn

I can play my own guitar.

OK then... the only other suggestion I have, buy an original '59 Burst and an old Marshall Plexi

[dingaling]

tone comes from the fingers.get some better fingers.

[skynyrd67]

You might try a new pick up in your guitar,,epi pick ups aren`t known for great tone. I just picked up a DiMarzio 36th anniversary PAF,, THAT is 1 WICKED pick up,,much better crunch tone out of my blackstar amp than my Duncan Pearly gates, much more versatile tone too. You have a good amp,, the guitar itself is good it just need better electronics to bring out the tone.

[Batman]

Originally Posted by Rude Dog

Sounds like you're turning the amp up too loud/diming the volume control - which will make most amps sound like $hit. But you like the way it sounds with the volume down a bit.

And it sounds like you're doing this to get more volume, but with the same "cool overdrive tone" that you were getting, yes?

Sounds like you need a louder amp. That thing is 2 watts right? That ain't gonna cut it with a drummer and bass player. you won't even get enough volume on stage to hear yourself.

If that's the case start trying out 15-30 watt amps at music stores, or those of friends if they have them to figure out what you like.

+1 ^

Sounds like you just need more power.

[Mouse]

Originally Posted by Rocknburn

I cant get what i want from my amp and guitar.I want more crunch stuff.And ive just got band.I need a cool tone to make audition happy:PWe will play in school festival and some parties.So its important for me

2 - 12AX7 preamp vacuum tubes; single 12AU7 power tube
2W head

[mdubya]

Originally Posted by Rude Dog

Sounds like you're turning the amp up too loud/diming the volume control - which will make most amps sound like $hit. But you like the way it sounds with the volume down a bit.

And it sounds like you're doing this to get more volume, but with the same "cool overdrive tone" that you were getting, yes?

Sounds like you need a louder amp. That thing is 2 watts right? That ain't gonna cut it with a drummer and bass player. you won't even get enough volume on stage to hear yourself.

If that's the case start trying out 15-30 watt amps at music stores, or those of friends if they have them to figure out what you like.

Originally Posted by Batman

+1 ^

Sounds like you just need more power.

Listen to these guys.

2 watts in a band setting is not enough and when cranked it will mush out. More distortion won't help.

Look into a Tiny Terror or Jet City.

[MesaDCLP]

What size cab are you playing through? Plug the head into a 4x12 and it will be louder than a 1 or 2x12 cab. Just a thought if you just wanted more clean headroom and overall volume.

[AngryHatter]

Originally Posted by ledfloyd

Use better instrument cables. You'd be surprised how much tone is lost in shitty instrument cables.

Surprise me.
Jimi and I use the same $15 coiled cords.

[RichBrew]

"What should i do to improve my tone?"

Raise the action.

RichBrew

[Thundergod]

If the overdrive is sounding worst or with less gain when you use higher volumes then the amp might have a problem.

I own the 15W version and it doesn't do that (in fact the power stage OD you get at higher volumes is what everyone loves and likes, that's the main reason low wattage amps are so popular).

I've played through the li'l night train and it was a good sounding amp. What cabinet are you using?

[Thundergod]

Originally Posted by 335Reasons

OK then... the only other suggestion I have, buy an original '59 Burst and an old Marshall Plexi