
What Makes an Electric Guitar Sound Like an Electric Guitar - Thevet
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/what-makes-an-electric-guitar-sound-like-an-electric-guitar/386441/?single_page=true
======
jasode
Since the author is presumably a young person (current PhD student), I'm
surprised he didn't continue the story into the era of software modeling.

Kids and pro recording artists are plugging guitars into USB adapters and the
software on the laptop has digital models of Marshall, Fender, Roland, etc.

Some digital models are embedded into FPGA chips in dedicated rack boxes such
as Fractal Axe-Fx.[1]

I saw a gadget that let you plug your electric into your iPhone and play with
amp simulators written in iOS.[2] Distortion, chorus, fx, etc all in the palm
of your hand.

It's amazing the encyclopedia of guitar sounds that's easily available to this
generation. It's all made possible by computers, software, and DSP mathematics
research.

[1][http://www.fractalaudio.com/p-axe-fx-ii-preamp-fx-
processor....](http://www.fractalaudio.com/p-axe-fx-ii-preamp-fx-
processor.php)

[2][https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ampkit-guitar-amps-
effects/i...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ampkit-guitar-amps-
effects/id364011231?mt=8)

~~~
TylerE
That stuff has come a long way - but it's still no replacement for valves
driven to within an inch of their lives.

Is it great for live use? Sure. Better than 'real' amps for some cases since
it can lead to more manageable stage volume.

But in a studio the difference is pretty obvious still.

Where the modeling stuff still has a long way to go is in the transition
region. They have no problem doing buzzsaw distortion or crystal clean - but
those magic tones that occur just as you're getting into overdrive.

Here's one of the masters, Gov't Mules Warren Haynes showing off the kind of
sounds I'm talking about.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDmJaJqdOQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDDmJaJqdOQ)

~~~
bjelkeman-again
Modern thinking also gives us valves at low volumes, like a Hughes & Kettner
Tubemeister, which I ended up getting the 18W model of. Possible to run at 1W
and still sound great. (or direct to DI, I.e quiet).

~~~
arprocter
There seems to be a bit of a low power tube renaissance happening lately. When
I started playing no non-boutique manufacturers made anything analogue with
less than 50w.

The Marshall DSL5C can toggle between 5 or 1w - you can use headphones in low
power mode, although I ended up getting an inline volume control because the
cans were getting hit too hard.

I've heard good things about the VHT 6w stuff too...is it payday yet?

~~~
beat
Wanna buy a VHT 12/20 head? I'm selling one! The power scaling works really
well in those VHTs. They're quite good.

~~~
arprocter
Don't tempt me! Can't imagine the look on my SO's face if I set up a half-
stack in our little apartment...

Got my eye on the special 6 ultra combo. Too bad there's no headphone socket
though

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tacos
I counted seventy one (!) factual errors by the time I got to the section on
the Leslie Speaker, where "rotating motors" become "horns" that are "picked
up" by speakers. That makes two PhD students today on the front page of Hacker
News who are talking straight out their asses.

This entire article bums me out. If you see a scathing editorial printed in
The Atlantic (you won't -- editors NEVER correct the really bad articles like
this one) that's me.

    
    
        "... motors (essentially two electromechanical horns) that had been rotated 
        to create a Doppler-effect-based vibrato. These horns were, in turn, 
        picked up by the dual speaker units."

------
TomMasz
Electric guitars were first sold in the 1930s. At first all they wanted was a
louder guitar to compete with the big bands of the time (after having
repeatedly made them physically larger. Larger guitars _were_ louder, but
harder to play for smaller folks). They really wanted to make them sound just
like (what we now call) acoustic guitars but it was pretty obvious that
between the early pickups and early amplifiers, electric guitars had their own
distinctive sound. By the time this article picks up the story electric
guitars were on their own evolutionary path. Cranking amps and adding effects
were inevitable as guitarists sought to create new and interesting sounds.

------
beat
Having played electric guitar for 30 years and recorded about ten albums, I've
learned a thing or two on the subject...

First, when you're playing, you can hear incredibly tiny details that no one
else can hear. The other day, I spent a half hour choosing which of four
different variants of Dunlop Jazz III picks I liked best. (I'm a pick nerd and
I'm always fussing over them. My drummer can hear when I change picks, but no
one else can.)

Second, those differences are lost in the big picture. I have recordings of my
own playing I love, where I couldn't tell you what guitar or amp I was using
without looking at my notes.

Third, playing in a full band is a fundamentally different tonal experience
than playing by yourself. Again with the subtleties. A lot of the subtleties
that make gear nerding fun actually make for poor tone in a band context. More
importantly, gear that sounds bad by itself can be magical in a band context.

Fourth, guitar playing is an incredibly physical and sensual experience. You
_feel_ it in your bones. Part of the fun of big tube amps is "getting your
hair blown back", feeling the vibration literally shaking your body. It's a
blast (motorcycles have the same physical presence). For me at least, it means
I don't like guitars that are too easy to play - I want it to fight back and
make me work for my tone.

On the subject of tube amps versus solid state modeling (Sansamp, etc) versus
digital modeling... remember, not only is the guitar a physical thing, it's a
very sensitive and responsive thing. The real problem with digital modeling
imho is getting the response right, that precious moment when the pick leaves
the string. This gets worse when the subtleties of harmonic distortion come
into play - clean and mildly overdriven sounds (there's no such thing as
really "clean" electric guitar).

What's worked for me in recording situations is to rely on analog pedals for
the attack, and track into really neutral digital models. It's less hassle
than miking amps, for sure, and the results can be very good.

Tubes are great for power more than drive. Transistors and op-amps have been
part of the overdriven sound for almost as long as electric guitars have been
around - starting with 1960s fuzz. Solid state amps tend to fall down
delivering live power in a band context, although modern Class H switching amp
technology (basically digital amps heterodyning the signal several octaves
outside the range of hearing, so digital distortion artifacts are inaudible)
is getting brilliant.

Me, I've more or less quit using tube amps, due to reliability issues. My
beautiful Mesa Mark I and my monstrous VHT Pittbull 45 are both sitting with
blown power transformers. I use a vintage Yamaha solid-state jazz amp and
pedals, and I'm happy.

Oh, and studio recording? Anyone who demands "realism" from their hi-fi gear
has no idea how recording is done!

~~~
ZenoArrow
> "Me, I've more or less quit using tube amps, due to reliability issues."

You may be interested in this then, the latest development in vacuum tube
technology...

[http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2015/01/29/korg-
noritake-i...](http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2015/01/29/korg-noritake-
introduce-futuristic-nutube-vacuum-tubes/)

A mini-revolution in guitar amp technology could be on the horizon.

~~~
S_A_P
I dont see these running power amp sections. I was initially excited by this
development as well, but I am hoping KORG doesnt just throw these "tubes" in
every DSP synth, drum machine and prosumer piece of gear they make and say
"NOW WITH MOAR TUBES!!!!"

I would be interested to see analog gear built front to back with this stuff
however...

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cozzyd
[https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/pasp/Electric_Guitars.html](https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/pasp/Electric_Guitars.html)

Some of you may find this fun to read. (from the textbook for Music 420 at
Stanford... I guess they've now split it into two classes since I took it...)

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peterwwillis
tl;dr it's the pick-up, and effects are added once you leave the guitar.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_%28music_technology%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_%28music_technology%29)

~~~
Gravityloss
I don't like to nitpick, but I have some different guitars with the same
pickups, and they do sound quite different.

------
adasdsa
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