Hi guys, I have been playing acoustic for around 4 months (also had a brief time with guitars around 10 years ago) I am at a stage where my fingers no longer hurt and I know most of my basic chords and have no real trouble switching between them. I decided I would like to try out electric so I bought an amp used (Carlsbro stingray super) I have always been happy with my acoustics sounds, I have a Cort ad 810 ns Dreadnought and a Crafter fsg-250e electro acoustic but I hate the sound I get from plugging in the Crafter, I am struggling after many hours to find a sound I like. I have also been through a few electric guitars with the same problem, a Squier Bullet, an old Columbus LP, A Squire strat all of which are gone now and I currently have a Stagg LP and a Samick Avion Av1.
I think it's time I gave up changing gear to get a sound I like and accept its myself that is the weakest link here. I don't want to go spending more on gear with the same result so was wondering what steps I should take from here? Any advise appreciated as I don't want to just give up. Thanks for reading
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Tone quality - again you will want things to be different depending on what you are playing, but ask yourself - is this 'tinny' (if so, turn the treble down a bit), is this 'muffled' (turn the treble up a bit), is this 'boomy' (turn the bass down a bit) - etc. If you experiment with the controls in an attempt to sort out a problem that your ears perceive with the sound, you will begin to associate certain control settings with a sound that's useable for certain applications. You might find that for chord work (strumming or picking) a 'scooped' sound (ie plenty of bass & treble but not much middle) is good, but for solos, a middly sound is better (not too much bass & treble but plenty of middle).
Your guitar also will have its own sound: s/c pickups tend to be trebly and lightweight in sound whereas humbuckers are fatter. usually the pickup nearest the bridge produces a brighter sound than the one near the neck.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
Where the FX controls (and the tone, gain, etc) on your amplifier or even guitar "should" be set is determined by what you want for the music you are playing. Even though you admit to little experience, you yourself know that max distortion and max reverb isn't going to suit a fingerpicked version of Greensleeves!
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
Apart from the volume control, your amp should also have a gain or drive knob. This will control the amount of distortion in your sound. You will probably need less distortion than you might first think.
As regards tone, you probably have three controls (bass, middle, and treble). A good starting point is to set all three at about the halfway mark and then to listen and tweak.
If you're thinking of upgrading your gear then I'd suggest a fairly straightforward amp such as a Roland Cube which has just the one input and is very intuitive to use, but also has quite a variety of sounds in it.
From your musical tastes it would appear that mostly you like fairly 'clean' tones with a hint of grit. I reckon something like a Squier CV Strat, or Fender MIM Strat would probably suit. Strats are very versatile instruments and do 'cleans' surprisingly well.
Until they stopped making the Harley_Benton GA5 I used to tell people to get one, and enjoy a decent clean sound with no FX, then start adding FX pedals as & when they identified the need for them. Similar would apply for an Epiphone Valve Junior, but they are a bit pricer than the GA5 (but its the same circuit, just Badge Engineering).
I would like to misquote @HAL9000: ES-335s are very versatile instruments and do 'cleans' surprisingly well. Similar can apply to their derivatives & copies.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
I would not even think about pedals yet.
Focus on a really good guitar with good pickups + a small valve amp. When you have that...(and you practice hard) some of the classic guitars tones of the past 60 years will slowly emerge.....to your astonishment. Ok - not the high gain ones but I think that finding the organic ones is highly rewarding to anybody that loves music. And your question and your thread is about...... tone.
What is the cheapest really great sounding guitar? That is controversial but here goes.
Is a second hand SG Special out of the question? (£380 to £400)
Small valve amp - dozens of options. Second hand Fender Champion 600 is one, But if you can't be with the one you Love - Love the one you're with.
I am being ambitious (with someone elses money) because of your clear enthusiasm.
Other people on this thread will tell you that the high quality guitar can be be done for much less money than I am suggesting and you should listen carefully to them because..... I am a Gibson Fan Boy.