TUNING UP
Discovering Tone Inspiration
I believe that
at one time or
another, each
and every one
of us experiences moments
of divine tone
intervention—
occurrences that
inspire us and
forever shape our
concept of tone.
Paul copy. My parents thought I needed
therapy when they saw me becoming a Kiss
freak—to this day they believe it’s the reason I’m as weird as I am. I joined the Kiss
Army, started painting my face and sticking
my tongue out all the time. I still have that
double EP on original vinyl. I loved it.
It can be a power chord, a passing riff, or
some type of hook that sucks you into the
twilight zone, kicks your ass and spits you
back out—something you hear on the radio
or television, in a club, or at a local music
store. Who knows, perhaps even in an elevator somewhere after a visit to the dentist,
while you drool helplessly on the person
standing next to you. Regardless, you can
undoubtedly recall when and where these
fortuitous moments happen to you. Such
occasions become turning points along the
path of your relentless pursuit of tone, as
cherished as memories of your first time
crawling into the back seat at the drive-in
when you were 16. I can certainly recall my
own moments, so I thought I would share
them with you. Here are my top five pinnacle moments of divine tone discovery:
3. “More Than a Feeling,” Boston, circa
1976. Riding home from football practice
in my sister’s Ford Fairlane, I was in seventh
grade and had just formed my first band. I
recall that song coming on the radio, and I
cranked it up through the Jensen Triaxials
(remember those?). I had never heard such
a frickin’ huge guitar sound. It literally took
my breath away—not only because of the
amazing tone, but because of how “up
front” the guitar was in the mix. I bet Tom
Scholz kept nudging the guitar faders up
during mixdown when the engineer went
to the bathroom. Scholz’s thick tone and
unbelievable sustain led me to the discovery of my first Rockman.
how my twelve-year-old daughter went from
Hannah Montana to Slipknot in less than
six months). Regardless of changing styles,
though, tone is tone. Discovering tone is a
continuous journey, and it usually starts with
inspiration from an artist. Premier Guitar
strives to present you up-close and personal
sessions with the artists who have inspired
so many moments of divine tone intervention. We aim to truly drill down with gear-centric players who are willing to share their
personal tone secrets. This issue is certainly
no exception, featuring two of the very best:
Alex Lifeson and Adrian Belew, two cats who
certainly know tone.
It is inspiring to be inspired, so enjoy
PG’s artist coverage, as well as our news,
stories, gear reviews, audio and video at
premierguitar.com. Speaking of inspiration, check out the twins in photo below: a
matching pair—Ibanez Korina Explorer and
Vee—early lawsuit models to die for.
Nuff Sed,
1. Montgomery Ward Home Stereo, circa
1974. I couldn’t afford an amp, but I had a
cool Harmony copy of a Gibson Byrdland
Guitar. My first drummer had a Montgomery
Ward home stereo in his basement with
a 1/4” instrument input on the front, so
I thought I’d experiment by plugging my
guitar directly into it. Holy horse nipples,
Batman! It was one of my earliest experi-
ences of playing through an amp that would
actually distort with increasing volume. The
tone was so raspy and overdriven; it was an
awesome feeling. Eventually, I blew up that
stereo, and the drummer’s angry mother
threw a shoe at me. (Funny how an ampli-
fier sounds best right before it blows up.) It
would not be the last time I blew something
up, or had something thrown at me.
4. “Do You Feel Like We Do,” Peter
Frampton, circa 1977. Still celebrated as
one of the greatest live albums of all time,
Frampton Comes Alive! was my introduc-
tion to the Talk Box and a three-pickup
Les Paul Custom. I recall the tone on this
particular track was very inspiring, and
Frampton’s silky smooth style was
so incredible, I still get goose
bumps when I hear it—Nuff Sed.
2. Kiss Alive, circa 1975. It was the very
first album I ever purchased. I paid for it
with money I made mowing lawns, and I
was addicted from the first play. I loved Ace
Frehley’s tone and the energy of that record.
It inspired me to buy my first Japanese Les
5. “Eruption,” Van Halen, circa
1979. Although accolades for this
stunning bit of tone history can be
somewhat overstated, you cannot
deny its impact. I can remember
hearing “Eruption” for the first time
and thinking, “This changes everything.” While everyone else flipped
out about the hammer-ons and dive
bombs, I flipped out on the tone.
That natural tube compression on
this piece of history was undeniably
badass. It’s still regarded as one of
rock’s greatest tones—and it created an entirely new generation of
guitar players. Not since Hendrix
had the industry experienced such
an influential guitar hero.
Musical styles certainly come and
go (I’m still trying to figure out
Trent Salter, Publisher
trent@premierguitar.com 888.247.2009
