I have a guitarist that both does that, and on his other channels he has the bass so high. I've discussed it with him, but like all guitards they don't understand "volume down" so i have to make do
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why do guitarists always use too much treble?
- Thread starter Electricblue
- Start date
My guitarist,s now are really great with volume and balance, once in a while we remind the one if he gets loud.
It is something you have to talk about right away instead of getting angry and blowing up. The tone thing is really hard to deal with especially if the guitarist thinks it sounds great.
It is something you have to talk about right away instead of getting angry and blowing up. The tone thing is really hard to deal with especially if the guitarist thinks it sounds great.
I know of one guitar player who never uses the bridge pickup by itself on his Les Paul. Always plays with either both pickups together or just the neck pickup. Uses very little overdrive, maybe a little chorus here and there and he's a great player who knows tone.
+5
What?"
I said, +5!
I used to do live sound and one night, a guy sat in. Came up to me and said, "Turn me up so everyone can hear me". His Peavey Mace was louder than the whole band and he wanted me to turn HIM up. I buried that fader and still got a butt-load of complaints that he was too loud, so I shut the FOH off before telling him to turn down.
Better than cranking their bass and gettin all up in our sonic territory
Amen to that! The guitarists in my band both play double humbucker axes, and love their neck pickups. It's been a constant battle to get the bass out of their tone, especially with the rhythm player who is clueless about tone despite his considerable musical skills. Finally, another player he jams with adjusted his amp properly, and he's started to remember to use his bridge pickup, so it's improving.
I think lots of guitarists have the same problem as some bassists in distinguishing between good "solo" tone and "in the mix" tone. Guitars often sound harsh on their own using just their bridge pickups, especially single coils, but when the drums and bass fill in underneath that, it's rock 'n roll!
Heh, the guy I play with has a darker tone than me.
He casually strolls over to my amp and turns the bass up from 5 to 8.
He casually strolls over to my amp and turns the bass up from 5 to 8.
Electricblue said:
O my goodness, I agree completely!!! Bass up to 10, treble down to 3 (go away treble, no one likes you... >.>) and treble cut to the max & no bass cut. It's so smooth n smexi. The only time I use treble is on the end of the neck or when I'm tapping (that doesn't happen often. I have terrible action & don't want to screw up my neck over a silly mistake. I only have one bass!!) pretty much all metal bassists like a lot of treble, and Brian May of Queen loves treble.
My guitarist is an SG guy, so dual humbuckers and what I've always found to be ballsy and bassy guitars. That being said, I love the tone of an SG when they leave some room for the bass!
+1 on the solo and in the mix tone part, sometimes he'll have some sweet tone dialed in before we start playing, then we put it all together.. yuck!
i really dont understand this idea that guitarists are all up in a bassists space. unless hes hitting the resonant frequency of the cab (which ive done) i cant ever imagine having too much low end in my guitar. maybe in death metal or something, but certainly not any other time. maybe its a sealed cab thing. i only use open back combos. and i certainly keep my low knobs in check.
cant decide if some of you want ukelele players instead of guitarists or you all just have the most tonally inept guitarists alive.
cant decide if some of you want ukelele players instead of guitarists or you all just have the most tonally inept guitarists alive.
Using a five string I try to give the guitarist and or keyboard player as much sonic space as possible so if they use a nice full sound It fills out the tune nicely. I am a very old school bass player, keep it low and solid groove with the drummer. Twangy bright sounding bass just does not fill the job requirement. But a super bright guitar does not fill and is not pleasing to the ear either. Getting the bands sound right is something that has to be discussed and planned, trying to keep everyone happy can be a challenge but can be done with a group that wants the band to sound good , not just themselves.
What style of music is it? Is it appropriate to the music? If he's just too loud, that is one thing, but if you are purely talking about his tone, then balance him out--do what you need to contrast him, either tone wise or style wise. Or, quit the band. Does the rest of the band think his tone is off? My guitar player plays a Tele w/small combo--I'll take that over a drop tuned half stack any day
Agreed 100%, a band that I know does this is Senses Fail, they will make the guitars more shrill and then let the bass and drums fill in the low end, sounds great, but guitars by them self are very trebley (is that how you spell that).
My guitarist has been playing for 40+ years. He has lost much of the ability to hear high frequencies. He has a good sound, but sometimes I just stick in the earplugs when he fiddles with his tone. Ice pick in ear sound can be painful!
The guitarist from my old band had his treble way to high also. I think some guitarists think the high treble will always make their solos sound better
This is exactly what my sound guy told me when I switched from Bass to Guitar. I didn't like the high thin sound on my guitar, but I wasn't cutting through the mix. Too muddy! Heh... I'm a bassist at heart, I couldn't help it. But as soon as I trebled out my sound (which I still find a bit annoying on stage) my sound cut through and the audience loved it.
