How to Get a Good Lead Guitar Sound

Overdrive and distortion are the basis of most rock-based lead guitar sounds.

There is an endless debate as to what makes a great lead guitar tone, and an infinite number of opinions concerning how to go about getting one. So much so that guitarists talk about the mythical "Brown Sound"- a term coined by Eddie Van Halen when discussing his own personal search for the perfect tone. It's ultimately just a matter of understanding the controls on your guitar and amp and how to use them to chase down the sound you hear in your head.

Instructions

1. Connect your guitar to your amp and power on. Set your amplifier's volume to a comfortable level, and turn off any built-in effects such as reverb or tremolo. It's important to start with a clean sound, as you need to work to the strengths of your guitar. It'll be much easier to determine its natural tone without any external coloration masking it.

2. Adjust the Bass, Middle and Treble controls as you play some familiar riffs and lead lines, try to subtract frequencies from the sound rather than adding to it. If it sounds muddy and muffled, turn down the bass control a little. If it sounds harsh and brittle, reduce the treble. Removing frequencies will keep your tone simple and refined, ensuring it cuts through the rest of the band. Turning everything up causes overlapping frequencies to clash and cancel each other out, reducing the overall "strength" and presence of the sound.

3. Increase the "gain" or "distortion" control to around 25% and play those same riffs again. Listen to how the sound has changed, and how this relates to the type of tone you want to achieve. It will likely have more presence, thicker bass and sharper treble. If these are qualities you want in your lead tone, continue increasing the gain. If not, make further adjustments to the equalization controls.

4. Continue this trial and error process until you have something you're happy with, finally test it with a backing track, or the rest of your band. This is arguably the most important step, and where you'll likely have to make the most adjustments. What sounds perfect when you're playing alone may disappear completely when played alongside drums, bass and keyboard.

5. Add any effects at the very last stage. Many effects units have their own equalization controls that can be used in addition to those on your amp. Use these controls to color the sound only when the effect is applied. When it is turned off, the controls will be bypassed and you'll return to your amp sound.

Resources

• Goodnight Kiss : Guitar Effects and How to Get a Good Sound
• Guitar Lessons for Beginners : Guitar Sound