HAT aA tal BS OF THE GUITAR LEGENDS How to Sound Like Your, EVOL COMPLETE TONE COS TUDE Lay UT HUTTT Tt , 73 A ad ae ay. LA Cee iain) aNContents Foreword by Stove Vel ¥ Introduction ¥ Photo Credits Mi Acknowledgments Wf Angus Young of AC/DC 1 Erie Clapton 4 Thin Lizzy 9 Dave Matthews 13 Allan Holdsworth 16 Erie Johnson 19 Steve Morse 22 Early Rockers: Sootty Moore, Carl Perkins, Danny Cedrone 25 James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett of Metallica 28 Carlos Santans 24 Eddie Van Halen 39 Danny Gatton 43 Jimi Hendrix 46 Steve Vai 50 Aeresmith’s Joe Perry & Brad Whitford 54 Yogwia Melmstoon £9 ‘Steve Howe of Yes 63 Jee Satiani 67 Cave Grohl of Feo Fighters: 70 Billy Gibbons of 22 Top 73 Randy Rhoads 77 Dimebag Darrell of Pantera #7 Brian May of Queen a Murky & Head of Korn a9 Tony lommi of Black Sabbath 92 Zakk Wylde 95 KK. Downing & Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest 89 ‘Tom Delonge of Blink-182 104 Daron Malakian of System of « Down 106 Mike Einziger of Incubus 108 CO Notes 112Foreword by Steve Vai “The guitaris such a dynamic and expressive instrument. You can play it incredibly tender- ly and softly, oF you can be brutal with it. You can get a tone out of an instrument just by touching it, and the way you touch it determines your tone, In addition, there are so many ‘ways you can vary the sound, ike cranking up your amp ot playing through an effect. One of the big misconceptions among guitar players is that tone isa reflection of the amplifier and the guitar you use. Actually, tone comes from your head and your fingers. Til give you an example: I had been recording a guitar part in my studio, playing my gut tar through my amp, miked the way I like it, and it sounded like me. Then Béward Van Halen came by, and when he picked up my gultar and started to play, it was hen, Even though it was my rig, Uneard his famous “brown tone.” It dawned on me that his sound had nothing to do with his amps of his guitars. You can buy the same kind of amp and guitar that he plays, but it’s not going to matter. His sound is all in his fingers—and it’s like that with every guitar player. I's the way you approach the notes, and that's a product of what you hea’ in your head. Ifyou're able to identify the kind of sound you're imagining, you'll be able to craft your tone with the ‘equipment that's available to you. Different amps and guitars have cifferent tonal colors, and the only way to really understand them is to try out everything you can, of listen to other players onstage or on record when you know what gear they're using. Remember that if you're trying to emu- late a particular sound, you need to work within certain parameters. If you'te playing a Gretsch hollowbody that has a Bigsby vibrato bar, you won't get a tone like Hendsiy’s in his version of “Star Spangled Banner.” You've got to be realistic, and you have to know your instruments’ cheracterstics. If you're plugging a Strat into alittle Fender amp with ‘out a distortion pedal, you've got to approach what you're hearing in your head within those paramere, Just remember that no piece of gear sounds better than another—it’s simply a matter of what you're locking for (especially these days, when any tone can be musically valid), Beyond that, the way you interpret sounds isa reflection of your own talent, insight, and ability, What makes you unique asa player is the way you identity the sounds in your head and then make them real. Every note ever played on a guitar throughout history is like a snowflake: No two are the seme, and that’s one of the beauties of the instrument. This book is a good place to start your journey to finding your own special tone, — Steve Vai Grammy-winning guitar virtuoso Steve Vai fist gained attention for his work in Frank Zappa's band. A pioneer in the use of 7-string guitar in rock, Val lias reconled a number of influential solo albuens, including Flex-Able, Passion and Warfare, Alien Love Secrets, and The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1, a collection of his music for film, television, and theater, In 1995 Gultar Player named Vai to its Gallery of the Greats. Foreword by Steve VaiAngus Young of AC/DC March 31, 1959 in Glasgow, Scotland Bands AciDc Tone Classic Gibson-thru-Flexi Marshall tone—not overly distorted, but with pronounced bass range Signature Traits Massive finger vibrato, edge-of-pick harmonics, sublime blues feel Breakthrough Performance “Htighway to Hell” fom Highway to Hell (1979) History and Influences ‘Australian guitar hero Angus Young formed AC/DC in 1973 with his chythm-guitarist brother Malcolm. They earned a reputation for simple, power-chord rock topped with the requisite macho, “party all night” brand of lyrics. The band began to earn an intecnational reputation with 1979's Highway to Hel! album, but suffered a setback when singer Bon. Scott died of an alcohol overdose in 1980. Seott was replaced by newcomer Brian Johnson in time for the recording of Back in Black, the seminal hard-rock album that made AC/DC a household name, Since then, the band has remained a top concert draw around the globe, commanding legions of fans for their no-brainer approach to heavy rock 'n’ roll bb>Gear List Guitars 1963 Gibson $6/Les Paul; “64 Gibson 5G with engraved lyre vibrola (arm removed) in original chery Finish; “64 Gibson SG, with vibrola, in orginal cheny finish (used forthe solo at the end of the show): Gibson Angus Young Sigrature $6 Pickups Gibson Angus Young Signature hur buckers Acessories Ernie Bal strings (,010-.046), extra heavy picks (121mm) Effects & Rack Gear Samson UR-S wireless system Amps & Cabs Four Marshall Nodel 1959 SLP 100-watt heads (all new reissues of original Super Lead Plex. Each head powers two 4r12 cabinets. There are two stacks on each side of stage, behind Angus and Matcoim). One original Marchall TTMGS (nuns into one ft? cabinet undemeath the stage and into 1 an isolation box) Tone and Technique Angus Young's tone is defined by simplicity. With just an old SG and a Marshall, this rocker has created one of the best gultar tones in the business: big, muscular, and full of bluesy dynamics. No muss, no fuss—just big, big tone, Young's guitar tone derives much from vintage rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and blues rock players such as Chuck Berry, Peter Green, BB. King, and especially Eric Clapton. While he is normally pigeonholed as a heavy metal guitarist, his roots are clearly in the blues. Any guitarist who wants to sound like him would be wise to check out classic albums from Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and the original Fleetwood Mac. ‘The key to imitating Angus is mastering string bends and developing a strong, steady finger vibrato technique, a la Clapton. Also work on the microtonal bends so prevalent in blues guitar solos. For example, when playing an A minor blues scale, bend the C note just a smidge—maybe a quarter-step—but not all the way to C4. This kind of micro-bend on a minor 3rd is an effective way to increase the bluesy tone of your guitar work. Edge-of-the-pick harmonics are another staple of Young's solos. (Billy Gibbons of 22 Top favors this technique as well.) With a bit of averdrive on your amp, twist your pick just a litte as you strike the string to create harmonic chimes, squeals, and chirps. The technique is particularly effective on the lower strings but can be recreated on higher notes with practice. And lest you think Angus plays only blues licks, he also makes use of classically styled hammer-on/pull-off patterns, as heard in the intro to "Thunderstruck." Finally, don’t be concerned with playing too many notes, Angus is from the “ess is more" schoo] of guitar and will use one note where another player might use 50, Simple bends, great vibrato, and a few well-placed blues phrases will help you approzch Angus Young’s sound and style. A solidbody electric with hum- buckers and a vintage-styled tube head with a 4x12 cabinet will get you even closer to the mark. 4 classic combination, to be sure. Make MODEL 1959 SUPER LEAD PERI ESUE 100\0ATT HEADS | a ce oe ee ee = Li. L @ ee Tee foots ; AN CARINET WITH EELESTION SPEAKER mz . GEAR SEORET ofthe gitar lagends