Burlap and Blues, The Blues Blog

I hate to throw everyone off by breaking this up with an effect review, but I am trying to keep everyone on their toes.

The rest of the single coil manifesto (interpreted)

All preamp distortion, tube or solid state, will sound buzzy at low volumes. I don't care if it's a point-to-point wired Matchless Hotbox, a Boogie V-Twin or whatever, preamp distortion sounds buzzy unless it's used moderately in combination with a hot power amp. That's just the way it is.

A good point to remember.

Tube amps still sound more organic than solid state amps. The difference is mostly in the power amp section, however. That's just the way it is.

Another good point to remember, even if you are running the latest $1200 digital emulator.

Follow up:

Your amplifier accounts for anywhere from 55% - 80% of your tone. If your amp sucks, buying the best guitar in the world won't help much. That's just the way it is.

I think the inverse is also true. The best guitar in the world being played through the crappiest amp will sound poor.

Humbuckers sound "bigger" when playing at higher gain. And they are undeniably quieter. When playing clean or at lower gain overdrive, however, no humbucker can match the sparkle and definition of a good single coil. That's just the way it is.

Unless you are running the latest digital simulation module that simulates a conversion between single coils and humbuckers.

Nobody wants to hear you solo for more than about three minutes. I don't care HOW good you are. That's just the way it is.

Let's tell that to Mr. Vai, Mr. Satriani and Mr. Petruccci..

Don't get your feelings hurt if non-guitar playing people in the audience don't notice your awesome tone. They're probably watching the singer anyway. That's just the way it is.

They are probably more interested in the 19 year old girl beside them that is toasted... That's just the way it is.

Admit it, you really DON'T need more than a couple distortion / OD / fuzz boxes. That's just the way it is.

Even thought there is a distinct difference in the tone of a fuzz, a distortion and an overdrive. But when three is a crowd, use a looper.

Buying effects is the least effective way of improving your sound. Most effects end up unused after the initial thrill is over (and it doesn't last long). The most frequent exception to this is a decent distortion box. That's just the way it is.

I agree unless you are me, and have use to bring seven hundred racks of effects to every show. Buying effects helps you local guitar store though, so keep buying those great American made effects.

Sounding good beats sounding "just like" some famous player. A great clean sound, a great blues sound and a great lead sound are all you really need. You can still play that Santana song without a PRS into a Boogie. That's just the way it is.

Yes, a very true statement

The vast majority of players play amps that are too powerful. If your tube amp is not being turned up past 5 or 6 on a regular basis, you're not using it to it's design specs. Most people don't realize that a "little" 15 watt tube amp is pretty loud. Sure, you may need that 100 watt head for the next 120,000 seat outdoor festival you play . . . but you'll still have to mike the amp. And how much stage volume do you really need? That's just the way it is.

The older I get the less watts I use for an amplifier, interesting how that works. It might also have to do with the fact that lugging a 4x12 without a roadie gets pretty tough.