How I get good guitar clean tone

When I record clean tone for guitar, this is how I go about it.

Good recorded clean tone for guitar on the surface appears to be easy, and in fact it is once you know how it's done.

Before continuing, I own a Line 6 Spider V 60, but if you happen to own a V 30, V 120 or V 240 model of the same amplifier, this will also work.

Aside from what is said in this video, what I do to get a good clean sound is the following:

"Clean" should not be "crystal clean"

The amp selection I'm using in the preset does in fact put a little "dirt" in there, which means you can hear some mild speaker breakup similar to how a real speaker cabinet would sound.

Loudspeakers for guitar use don't sound like hi-fi speakers and never have. When the volume of a guitar amp is turned up even with absolutely no overdrive present, the sound will naturally distort. This being true, having some of that light overdrive in there does sound normal to the ear.

If I were to a "crystal clean" direct sound where absolutely no emulated speaker breakup is heard, it sounds too processed and fake. Yes, emulated amps are of course fake, but the point is that you don't want to make it sound overly obvious.

Some emulated cabinets are more appropriate than others

Smaller cabs will exhibit speaker breakup sooner than larger ones, just like in real life. Sometimes this is desirable because you can more effectively control how much breakup happens with your guitar volume. For me, it is desirable because adjusting speaker breakup at the guitar rather than at the amp is more convenient.

Compression is your friend

On just about all amp modelers be it on the amp or in software, there is the option to enable compression. My preferred compressor is the emulated MXR Dyna Comp pedal. Many modelers list this as a "red" compressor since the pedal color is literally painted red.

It's also usually true on most modelers that the emulated compressor option right next to the "red" is the "blue", the BOSS CS-3 Compression Sustainer.

Some of you may prefer blue over red. I just like the red one better and always have.

Reverb should be light

When I first started using reverb years ago, of course I would drown the sound in it because it was like a new toy to me. But these days I scale back the reverb because I want to hear the guitar first and not the effect.

Sometimes reverb effects are cool to use, but when they overpower the guitar, the effect just gets in the way.

What NOT to do?

The key thing I try not to do since I know from experience that it doesn't work is to "sound vintage".

Something I am very well aware of is that most "vintage" guitar tones sound bland and boring.

Software developers try very hard to accurately emulate the exact guitar sounds heard on famous vintage rock recordings. Do they succeed? Yes, they do. But then when you hear it played through your guitar, you won't like it.

When you develop your sound, don't go for vintage because, again, you won't like it. Modernize, use the right amp/cabinet emulation, add compression, shape it and then your guitar will sound great when recorded.

This guitar upgrade actually works

Ordinarily I'm not too keen on recommending guitar upgrades, but this one is a no-brainer because it works.

In fact, I would recommend doing this upgrade first before anything else.

An output jack made by Switchcraft truly is an upgrade. There is a gold one, but the standard one without the gold connector is even cheaper.

Most don't think an output jack matters for much, but it actually does. It's usually true that where guitar electronics are concerned, the output jack is usually the first thing to fail completely. Why? Because every time you plug in or unplug a cable, you're moving metal on the inside. Eventually, enough movement causes a partial failure where the connection gets "scratchy" or "crackly", and then a complete failure shortly after that where the connection can't be made anymore.

The output jack is something where all mass produced guitars get cheap. There are even $10,000 guitars that exist with ridiculously crappy output jacks installed on them.

You won't necessarily hear any difference in your sound from using a Switchcraft output jack, but you will literally feel the difference when you plug in a cable. The connection will be more secure because the connector is built better, and the tension will be just right.

Dare I say, using a Switchcraft jack feels luxurious when you use it.

The more important thing however is that once installed, the likelihood of your output jack failing is decreased dramatically, and that's what makes it a genuine upgrade over what's in your guitar now.

Ibanez S521 is still one of the better "working man's" guitars

When money is tight and you need a reliable gigging guitar, this one fits the bill.

Definition of a "working man's guitar": Something you can play night after night where the instrument performs reliably without any fuss, and something you can actually afford.

That guitar is the Ibanez S521. It's priced very well for what it is. I've written about this guitar before but it definitely deserves another look because there are a few more things I need to mention about it.

While the S521 isn't the fanciest guitar, what it does have going for it is that it's a simple hardtail that won't let you down, and it works with basically any amp using any guitar effects you have.

This particular guitar is the base model for the Ibanez S Series, but even so it's packed with the good stuff that counts.

• The maple neck is a "Wizard III" 25.5" scale with 12" fingerboard radius. Very comfortable.
• The neck dot inlays are offset, giving the guitar an upscale appearance.
• Frets are jumbo size for easy soloing with no fretting out.
• Pickups are the Ibanez "Quantum", which are quite good. Ibanez states they have "accelerated bass response" with a generous amount of midrange. That basically means a well-voiced pickup.
• Pickup switching is 5-way - but not in the way you would think. The positions are bridge, bridge+neck inner coils only, bridge+neck, neck parallel connected, neck series connected. This is one of the more usable switching configurations that works with pretty much any type of music you can think of, including the type where spanky or "honky" tones are required. The fact you can switch from regular humbucker tones over to the spank/honk stuff is really nice.

What you get with the S521 is a true plug-in-and-go guitar after you set it up to your liking. No upgrades are required because the good stuff is already there.

The biggest selling point of this axe is that it can truly be the one guitar you go gigging with where you don't need anything else. This guitar is not built to be flashy, but rather just to work and keep working reliably.

The prettiest Fender Mustang ever?

Fender Japan gets it right once again.

The Made-in-Japan '70s edition Mustang model in Flamingo Pink is all sorts of gorgeous.

I don't collect guitars, but this is the first Mustang I've seen in a good long while where I can say yes, this one will be worth something in the future.

This model is built the old school way, so it does have a butt-adjusted truss rod location, two phase slider switches above the pickups that allow for 4 pickup settings, and the old style Mustang "Dynamic Vibrato" system.

Mustangs like this do not come around very often. This is the kind of look that Fender fans really, really like. This is one seriously classy looking axe.

If you were to order one of these from Fender Custom Shop, it would cost thousands. But this MIJ is way less than Custom Shop prices (about the same you'd pay were it made in Mexico).

If you're a Mustang fan, this is the one to go for, no question about it.

I will never buy a big watch ever again

Going small with my watch has taught me a few things.

At the time I write this in April '19 I've owned my Casio AQ230 for close to a month, and wow has it changed my opinion concerning larger timepieces.

The AQ230 is really small; it has 38.8mm lug-to-lug, 29.8mm case size and is 8.1mm thick. This basically means it's a 30mm watch - however - the rectangular case fills out the edges to make it look larger than it is.

I'm not about the chunk anymore (but then again I never was)

When I put on my G-SHOCK DW-9052V, yes it fits, but when I see it on my wrist...

...I now can't help thinking it totally looks like clown shoes.

Yes, I could get a smaller G-SHOCK like the GWM5610 square model. But that's also a chunky timepiece because, well, it is a G-SHOCK, after all.

In the short time I've been wearing the AQ230, I've come to learn it is highly unlikely I will ever buy a big watch ever again. Switching over to something super thin and super light just makes the bigger watches so clumsy in comparison.

I have three timepieces in my collection that are large, all Casio. The G-SHOCK, SGW100B-3V and AE1000W. Do I regret buying them? No. They were all inexpensive, and having the bigger watches has been a learning experience.

Am I showing my age?

At the time I write this I'm in my mid-forties, but ever since I became middle aged, I've been looking to make the switch over to dress timepieces. This means yes, I am showing my age with my desire to wear smaller dress style watches.

I treat watches somewhat like I treat electric guitars. I try different things until I find what best works for me. It took me a few years to figure out that what suits me best are watches in the shape of small, thin rectangles.

But now that I've finally come to know this, that's what I'm sticking with.