I'm an old guy, and it's amazing to have a player of Tom's caliber show you his trade secrets and licks. When I was Roberts age, there was no UA-cam or much of anything else in which professionals would actually take the time to answer questions and share tips/lessons several times a week. Young players just don't realize how good they have it now, with instant access of how to play any song, or get really serious about the instrument. Hats off to Robert and Tom for sharing their knowledge and lives with a bunch of folks on the internet! What a great time to learn to play the guitar, or any other instrument!
I concur! I probably went through every stage of doing the wrong thing lol. Using gear because thought I it was cool, using gear because so and so had one, using bad gear, using good gear incorrectly, you name it! And i definitely have had the experience of building a great guitar tone by myself at home only to find that it just didn't work in a band setting or at the gig in a particular room etc. One thing in particular is my love of humbucker equipped Gibsons, epiphones and such and the struggle of them being too dark, muddy in a band setting. The first time I played a strat thru a Deluxe reverb it was like an epiphany. I could cut through the mix and occupy sonic territory that i couldn't before. It solved so many problems and allowed me to do things I couldn't with lps and sgs. It wasn't until later I learned how these things could be cured with eqs and certain boost pedals but it literally took years of trial and error.
@cantyouhearmeknockin You must be really close to my age because the only way I could learn Music is by picking up the needle and backing it up until you wore out the grooves in your Record . Definitely frikn sucked !! And then do another 2 weeks of Part Time Work to make enough money to buy a replacement Record . Other than that you just practice what you can and hope a buddy knows a song part that you don't know .
@@RikJSmithOr … you immediately buy two of the same LP because you know you are going to wear out one of them by playing at 33 1/3 rpm and either pressing down on the stylus/needle to make it play slower or … place a stack of nickels or quarters (taped together) on the needle to slow down the speed. I did that for Jimmy McCulloch’s solos, may he RIP.
This is GOLD. Guitarists who haven't mixed records simply can't know this; even some mix artists haven't learned it; the old school way of recording is the ideal, that you throw all the faders up to nominal and the mix id 85-90% there. How the instruments sound when isolated has zero to do with how they'll fit when you jigsaw them together, so leave that solo button alone-EQ your instruments IN CONTEXT. Biggest breakthrough I had was when I learned to dump everything below 50Hz, which is the 'foot' of the kick drum-there's nothing below that that you need or want to hear, so cut it mercilessly and hear the entire rest of the mix open up-headroom for days, so you can track more guitars, lol. BTW, we tune big PA systems with pink noise, not white noise, AND...that's some achingly beautiful playing.
The Respect Robert shows Larry and the Love he gets back from Uncle Larry just shows how great musicians are. NO EGO's!! What we need more of IN LIFE. THANK YOU for this you guys! Much LOVE!
I’ve been playing for nearly 40 years, and an EQ was my first pedal and this whole time I’ve been saying that it’s the most valuable pedal that you can have. Finally someone give the pedal board MVP some love!
So I’ve been playing guitar for waaay too long being 55 years old now. But I have rarely used pedals until recently and now I’m hooked. Such fun! But I saw Tim Pierce talking about the EQ pedal being the pro guitarist secret sauce as it were, and I went out and found myself a used Boss GE7, the pedal tom has there, and I went home,hooked it up to my 68 custom deluxe reverb RI amplifier and I was absolutely shocked,blown away at the difference it makes in your tone! I’m convinced that I can just about use any amp regardless of quality as long as I have my EQ pedal. I cannot stress enough the difference it makes! I will never be without one again.
Tom is the only guitarist I follow that shows up to play for the song and not to show us what he knows. Thats a real treat to hear in guitarists these days. The guy has taught me mountains on guitar just by listening to him. 👌 👍 Great video.
"Tune to the hall" I had the opportunity to see Jefferson Airplane frequently back in the day. Early in each show, Jorma used to try to find the note that would sustain and reverberate best in the venue. Once he figured it out, he would work that note into his fills and solos as much as possible. ✌️
Can’t gig without mine. It is great for fine tuning your tone from venue to venue. Also use it as a boost when the sound guy got you too low in the mix 🤣
Yeah, I think I heard that too. Even when we are doing our own sound. Sometimes things just sound muddy or brighter depending on the venue or even the weather. It is pretty much my safety blanket lol
@@riklionheart23good point but it usually crowd feedback. Reading lips of people saying “I can’t hear you.” Also if I need to quickly change what I hear in the monitor .
Move each fader and hear the difference in sound. Look up frequency range of electric guitar, decide what characteristics you want more or less of, and play around with the EQ to find what you're after.
YES! 7:06 unless it's a solo instrument track, who cares what it sounds like alone, it's how it fits. I was amazed at how trashy Chris Squire's "Roundabout" isolated track sounded. But put it in the mix and, wow, perfect fit.
This is soooooo accurate! The secret is "get your sound", turn on the mix (backing tracks) Then fix your sound to where it fits the mix. Put a clothespin on your nose then turn off the backing tracks to hear the "solo" damage!😳 Mr. Baker is 100% correct!
What a great little seminar on EQ. I’ve never messed with one but lately it seems I’ve heard a lot of people say that it takes things to the next level and you won’t go without again. Thanks for posting this.
Tim Pierce had a video a few years ago about using the EQ to replicate the differences between humbuckers and single coils too. EQ IS the secrets weapon.
Once in a while I come across some playing that really makes you feel something. Godamn that was so soulful. The dynamics is what makes his playing so good.
That is some great information! I do have an EQ on my board, a Behringer, I use mostly as a boost. Of course I play by myself, so don't have to worry about fitting into a mix. But I do like to mess with the frequencies to dial in a sound.
I have a bunch of Behringer EQ s when Sweetwater was selling them for like $18 . I use various amps that each amp has its own EQ setting for that particular amp ..
Hey Robert, I've always enjoyed your videos, but recently they've been exceptionally good. The ones like this, where you have a guest or visiting a shop, are great. And of course, knowledge and wisdom from Tom is awesome.
This really applies mostly to a live scenario. For a bedroom guitarists it really doesn't matter that much. If you playing with a band and don't have an EQ on guitar, chances are you never really sounded good live :D Of course in a studio, the producer will 100% use EQ and of course in many cases the guitarist is the producer! It's also good to have multiple EQs for quickly reaching different tones or having them at different places on your pedalboard. For example EQing your FX loop is also a good idea. The problem is that most musicians don't have mixing experience and that can make it very difficult to mix with your band too.
If you have pedals, it’s ideal to have an EQ pedal near the beginning *and* one at the end of your effects chain. The first for selective frequency boosting for your gains, and the one at the end for final signal tone shaping.
I saw Chris Whitley in a club 20 some years ago and it was just him with his resonator and a 2x4 with a 57 on it for a kick drum. I was enjoying a beer listening to him do soundcheck and he blew my mind calling out specific frequencies he wanted boosted and cut. He had such a gift. I was really bummed when he died.
This is a gamechanger for me. I've mentioned the EQ as the main instrument to fix the mix to my sound guys and my musician friends many times. I knew was crucial. But this video is so hands on, simple illustrations, that it's like each band on the eq pedal is a separate instrument.
I always make my tones slightly thinner than I would normally like. Then cut the Lows and Gain by 1. Boost the mids by 1, and boost the highs by 0.5 Works everytime!
Two things struck me. Firstly, the generosity. Tom is giving a lot of hard won valuable information here. Secondly the speed. He can get a tone so quickly. If I'm producing a session that is what would make Tom my first call. He'd get me what I want ten times faster than someone less experienced. Amazing guy, must be great to be able to hang out with him and talk guitar.
Great video! This was a secret imparted to me many years ago by a friend, who still is the best guitar player I've ever personally known. He had a Les Paul, a Marshall 1/2 stack and two EQ pedals(one in front of the amp and another in the effects loop) and could get sounds I would have never imagined from that rig.
Tom has been on Rick Beato's channel for a long time.... he is an above and beyond level player and session player... we are lucky to witness his greatness...
Tom's wisdom will go completely over most players out there. Most want instant gratification. I for one am so grateful players like Tom are willing to share what they've learned. Wow.
Good one Robert! This video gives a good glimpse into Tom's ears. For a more detailed look into his genius I highly recommend digging up the old sessions where he was producing the Cliffs. Holy crap, I was amazed at how he heard everything good and bad and best.
I have the black version of the MXR 6-band eq with the red LEDs in the sliders (the current version is silver with blue LEDs… I’m not a fan of everything using blue LEDs that can guide in aircraft!) Yes, dark stages are a thing, but I don’t need to blind the band!
Brilliant video! 69 years old, guitar (etc) player, lived in studios, but did not know these pearls of wisdom. Phase canceling with the bass track - why didn't I know that? Because I was never a Nashville/etc. player & probably too high at the time to do it right. Just being honest. 🤦
The speed with which Uncle Larry dials in exact tones is amazing to watch. He says “say you want this sound,” cranks a couple knobs and sliders and bam. It’s exactly what he described. Pro for sure. 👍 Thanks for getting him to your place for this video, Robert!
As an old studio guy (and at times session guitar player), the strange realism of electric guitar is that the only person experiencing the “amp in a room” thing is the player. Not a future listener to the recording or audience on a gig, not the other musicians with cans or monitors, not the engineer and producer… All I can say, is that I humbly & repeatedly fall into the trap (rabbit hole) myself - but still, the ontology of the “player in the room” is not the ontology of anyone else, even in the same room. It’s fascinating - and probably why we keep going at it… 👍🎶
Hey Robert, that was a great interview with Tom and now I think that I understand how to use an EQ property. Thank you for taking the time to make and share these videos
Tom is just off the charts. Every time he plays it’s new and fresh and interesting. How is that even possible. I would have ran out of riffs after 3 episodes lol
Just for the record. Larr isn't talking about phase cancellation, he's talking about frequency masking. Whereas the results are the same, there is a big difference. Phase is related to time, masking is related to amplitude.
You can do so much with an eq pedal that it’s seriously stupid not to have one. You can use it to fine tune your tone, you can use it as a boost, you can use it to make a 1 channel amp into a 2 channel and so much other stuff it’s amazing.
The mix. That's right man. Really hard to use dynamics in your solo without being eaten by the bass. A dynamic mix is an option, but using your own eq is super.
I was watching a video with Kfir Ochian and Phil McKnight talking about dialing in tones on a digital and a tube amp and I was surprised at how much Kfir emphasized the midrange in the mix and manipulating the gain to make the tone stand out in the mix. This has been even more instructive! I've had a cheap EQ pedal for some time now but now I see how to use it! Thank you!
Awesome to see Tom on here!!! And as an audio engineer, I agree 1000% about the power of EQ. 99% of guitarists don’t realize the power of EQ. I’ll be in the studio and a guitarist will ask wow, what did you put my guitar through? It sounds amazing! Just a sprinkle of EQ 👍
They both sound good, but different. The HW sounds warner and bigger in the lows and mids to me. I wonder how much the cabinet size matters? The red still cuts and the added features and price make it mighty attractive. But, if you’ve got a Flint or Milkman F-stop you’re golden.
This information is GOLD!! This explains why so many bands in my area get louder and louder and you still can’t hear with any clarity….. We get so used to someone saying,”I can’t hear the guitar or vocals. Turn them up!!””😂😂😂
EQ pedals are very important for me, especially if you playing with a band. It let your guitar shine through the mix. Also if you play baritone and low tuned guitars. In a band with two or three guitars, a bass and drums, the space for each musician has to be clearly defined.
I like an EQ in the effects loop so it only changes the signal going to the power tubes. Just a tiny boost on the low mids can take a "nasal" sounding amp like a Marshall and turn it into a growling beast. Learned that from Blues Saraceno 30 years ago.
Going back in the studio to layer the second guitar/lead tracks for a worship album. I'm stressing the tones, and everyone is waiting on me. This Tom Bukovac(!) tutorial came in at just the right time. Thank you, Lord, thank you Tom, and and thank you Rob!
This must be one of the BEST of the useful tutorials for ANY musician if not, THE BEST useful video I have ever seen. It is always the BASIC foundations of any "Tone" creation that can make or break a player's continuing inspiration. THANK YOU guys for this!
Always good to listen to Bukovac speak to the simplicity of guitar tone. It was particularly satisfying to hear him give credit to Mason's p/u selections - I couldn't agree more. Validation of the universal appeal of the good ol' tele. Thanx
I saw Tom talk about the Boss GE-7 and I had to dig mine out of the “pedal locker” and RE-instate it into my board. I always used mine as a ‘clean boost’ and that is absolutely confirmed now in all applications !!!
you can easily demonstrate phase cancellation by putting a mic in front of that Princeton Reverb facing the speaker...and another behind it pointing at more or less the same point of the speaker cone....record both mics and play them back. They will sound like shit mixed together...but if you solo them they will sound great, especially the front one. think of it like this. as the speaker vibrates it oscillates back and forth. The diaphragm in the mic does the same thing..when the speaker pushes out, the mic diaphragm pushes in. The opposite will be happening with the mic behind the speaker. so when you add the two mics together one will be pushing in at the same time the other is pushing out....cancelling out most of the signal. Hope that helps.
Uncle Larry is an absolutely amazing person. We are all so lucky to have him. Incredibly admirable personality. I wish I could live in Nashville and spend time around these guys like Tom, Papa Bear, Andy Wood, Ben Eller and so many more. Thank god for UA-cam and being able to at least connect this way. 20 years ago this wasn't even close to being a thing. I have spent 60% of my guitar playing life in the dark in that respect. Just one on one personal instructors and crappy guitar mags that teach you nothing
There are so many variables between the audio source and your ears. All the pieces in that signal chain have to be chosen and adjusted to produce a sound that should sound good to most peoples hearing ability. And that is a difficult challenge. That challenge will go on forever. Tom has definitely got a big part of it figured out.
Oh boy. I always think that the EQ is the key to a great guitar tone, and this video totally confirms that. Tom is an amazing guitar player, and he has an ear for good frequencies to boost and cut for a good guitar sound. I'm schooled by this video, and enlightened! Thank you Tom, and Robert for this. Way better than watching videos of guys boasting their expensive gear, that they can afford blah blah blah. Cheers! 🎸
A question I wish was asked or explained more is.. what do you do with an Amp? Do you dial in a good tone on the amp first and then correct it with EQ? Or does the Amp stay flat, and just use the EQ to do all the shaping?
Great video! UL is right, in fact, the IR frenzy from a few years ago are really only custom DYNAMIC EQ curves as applied to an amp. Why not do that with a pedal? Makes all the sense in the world. That bass removal curve was a great example at 14:30.
THANK YOU for making a video on EQ. I have one and could not figure out how to best use it in the mix. Not even ChatGPT could give me a solid answer. This video is MUCH needed for guitar! Well done!!
I can get all this with the Wampler Triumph OD pedal. It has bass, middle and treble EQ dials, gain and master volume with a “smooth “ or “crunch” gain switch. $99
Nice job Roberto! Uncle Larry has been so gracious in making a lot of suckass guitar players like myself better, and doing it by thinking more and cranking it up less! You knew exactly who to contact on this subject of eq and mids. Nice job Roberto!
thank you robert.....you're a doll....editors note...at 10:34 i said "100K"...of course i meant "100Hz"
Appreciate you buddy.
Great film! The tone talk reminds me of Homeskoolin' Volume 200 with Dann Huff - great guitar tones on records can surprise you! :)
Hey Tom, perhaps you ere thinking of your Stewdant Body. And Robert Baker is very special. Ive been a sub for a long time ❤️
I watched a tonne of videos on youtube about tone. This one far exceeded all of them. The only one with such a good taste.
UNCLE LARRY is a national treasure! THANKS BUK!!! This was very insightful. Nice work Robert! your channel is damn fine.
The secret to Tom Bukovac’s tone is being incredibly good at guitar
It's "all in the hands" as they say
Tom's secret is Tom....😉
nah man, get a boss ge7. talent in a box.
Well said , Tom
Is great and i love what he plays
That's for sure, it's in his fingers.
I'm an old guy, and it's amazing to have a player of Tom's caliber show you his trade secrets and licks. When I was Roberts age, there was no UA-cam or much of anything else in which professionals would actually take the time to answer questions and share tips/lessons several times a week. Young players just don't realize how good they have it now, with instant access of how to play any song, or get really serious about the instrument. Hats off to Robert and Tom for sharing their knowledge and lives with a bunch of folks on the internet! What a great time to learn to play the guitar, or any other instrument!
Truth! Agree.
I concur! I probably went through every stage of doing the wrong thing lol. Using gear because thought I it was cool, using gear because so and so had one, using bad gear, using good gear incorrectly, you name it! And i definitely have had the experience of building a great guitar tone by myself at home only to find that it just didn't work in a band setting or at the gig in a particular room etc. One thing in particular is my love of humbucker equipped Gibsons, epiphones and such and the struggle of them being too dark, muddy in a band setting. The first time I played a strat thru a Deluxe reverb it was like an epiphany. I could cut through the mix and occupy sonic territory that i couldn't before. It solved so many problems and allowed me to do things I couldn't with lps and sgs. It wasn't until later I learned how these things could be cured with eqs and certain boost pedals but it literally took years of trial and error.
@cantyouhearmeknockin
You must be really close to my age because the only way I could learn Music is by picking up the needle and backing it up until you wore out the grooves in your Record . Definitely frikn sucked !! And then do another 2 weeks of Part Time Work to make enough money to buy a replacement Record . Other than that you just practice what you can and hope a buddy knows a song part that you don't know .
@@RikJSmith Been there, done that!
@@RikJSmithOr … you immediately buy two of the same LP because you know you are going to wear out one of them by playing at 33 1/3 rpm and either pressing down on the stylus/needle to make it play slower or … place a stack of nickels or quarters (taped together) on the needle to slow down the speed. I did that for Jimmy McCulloch’s solos, may he RIP.
Damn, that opening bit was killer
100% beautiful!
He is on a different level, that is for sure!
Damn it really was
yeah it was mindblowing!!
Reverb and it sounds like a harmonic tremolo with a killer ES 335.
Tom is such a humble, sincere dude. The opening music was just incredible. Thanks Robert!
every musician on youtube is "humble". Someone has to say it for every single video
@@fixedgear37fixedgear37 is such a humble dude
He's single now...take your shot bro!
This is GOLD. Guitarists who haven't mixed records simply can't know this; even some mix artists haven't learned it; the old school way of recording is the ideal, that you throw all the faders up to nominal and the mix id 85-90% there. How the instruments sound when isolated has zero to do with how they'll fit when you jigsaw them together, so leave that solo button alone-EQ your instruments IN CONTEXT. Biggest breakthrough I had was when I learned to dump everything below 50Hz, which is the 'foot' of the kick drum-there's nothing below that that you need or want to hear, so cut it mercilessly and hear the entire rest of the mix open up-headroom for days, so you can track more guitars, lol. BTW, we tune big PA systems with pink noise, not white noise, AND...that's some achingly beautiful playing.
Uncle Larry's opening piece is just smoking on every level. Damn
The Respect Robert shows Larry and the Love he gets back from Uncle Larry just shows how great musicians are. NO EGO's!! What we need more of IN LIFE. THANK YOU for this you guys! Much LOVE!
Uncle Larry?? What video did you watch?
I’ve been playing for nearly 40 years, and an EQ was my first pedal and this whole time I’ve been saying that it’s the most valuable pedal that you can have. Finally someone give the pedal board MVP some love!
I remember he saying once ‘it just makes your sound better’ when asked about that pedal. I bought one the next day and couldn’t be more thankful.
I'm curious how you use it and how it makes you sound better.
@@matthewmp111a little bump in the mids does wonders to strats for instance
So I’ve been playing guitar for waaay too long being 55 years old now. But I have rarely used pedals until recently and now I’m hooked. Such fun! But I saw Tim Pierce talking about the EQ pedal being the pro guitarist secret sauce as it were, and I went out and found myself a used Boss GE7, the pedal tom has there, and I went home,hooked it up to my 68 custom deluxe reverb RI amplifier and I was absolutely shocked,blown away at the difference it makes in your tone! I’m convinced that I can just about use any amp regardless of quality as long as I have my EQ pedal. I cannot stress enough the difference it makes! I will never be without one again.
Great video! GE-7 is a gem! Thanks for the shoutout on the Boost, Uncle Larry!
Anybody catch that the decending motif from 1:43 - about 1:56 is a quote from Radiohead's song "Paranoid Android?"
THANK YOU! i was wondering where i heard that
Tom is the only guitarist I follow that shows up to play for the song and not to show us what he knows. Thats a real treat to hear in guitarists these days.
The guy has taught me mountains on guitar just by listening to him. 👌 👍
Great video.
❤Skool loves Tom.
there is a mountain of ideas in each little piece he plays. loved the intro
An absolute hard thing to master!! A guy like Andy wood great player but just wants to show off! Probably an age thing to I spose.
What is the name of his channel?
Tim Pierce is another legendary session guitarist that does the same. He plays for the song. Less is more.
Tom is a National Treasure
"Tune to the hall"
I had the opportunity to see Jefferson Airplane frequently back in the day. Early in each show, Jorma used to try to find the note that would sustain and reverberate best in the venue. Once he figured it out, he would work that note into his fills and solos as much as possible. ✌️
thanks for this
to add I saw / read Satriani puts a tape x mark on the floor...
spots to play where the guitar feedbacks best.
Oh Man "Thank you for having me on.......Hopefully this is helpful" he is humble and pro, thank you very Rob and Larry. Cheers.
Can’t gig without mine. It is great for fine tuning your tone from venue to venue. Also use it as a boost when the sound guy got you too low in the mix 🤣
That's how Tom Morello said he uses his. I think the quote was "I could never trust sound guys in the early days, touring clubs and pubs"
Yeah, I think I heard that too. Even when we are doing our own sound. Sometimes things just sound muddy or brighter depending on the venue or even the weather. It is pretty much my safety blanket lol
Hard to know how loud you are in the mix while on stage behind the FOH speakers though…🤔
@@riklionheart23good point but it usually crowd feedback. Reading lips of people saying “I can’t hear you.” Also if I need to quickly change what I hear in the monitor .
Bout cried during that intro. Ridiculously beautiful
That was an outstanding pedal lesson Uncle, thanks for your time!
I gotta learn how to use an EQ better than I use them now. All I do is make a frowny face and act like I’m a tone wizard.
Hahahahahahahahaha!!! We are all guilty of that sometimes, but we all have to start somewhere! You’ll get it!
Turn that frown upside down. Thats yer Lead Boost
Call me crazy, but i do a frowny faces on Blackface amps and a smiley face on Tweed amps. It just sits right.
Move each fader and hear the difference in sound. Look up frequency range of electric guitar, decide what characteristics you want more or less of, and play around with the EQ to find what you're after.
YES! 7:06 unless it's a solo instrument track, who cares what it sounds like alone, it's how it fits. I was amazed at how trashy Chris Squire's "Roundabout" isolated track sounded. But put it in the mix and, wow, perfect fit.
Oh my God, his playing in the beginning just about brought me to tears. I wish I could do that with a guitar
You can, and you will 🙂
This is soooooo accurate! The secret is "get your sound", turn on the mix (backing tracks) Then fix your sound to where it fits the mix. Put a clothespin on your nose then turn off the backing tracks to hear the "solo" damage!😳 Mr. Baker is 100% correct!
What a great little seminar on EQ. I’ve never messed with one but lately it seems I’ve heard a lot of people say that it takes things to the next level and you won’t go without again. Thanks for posting this.
Tim Pierce had a video a few years ago about using the EQ to replicate the differences between humbuckers and single coils too. EQ IS the secrets weapon.
Holy Shit dudes a tone genius. This is amazing. What an Ear Tom has.
Once in a while I come across some playing that really makes you feel something. Godamn that was so soulful. The dynamics is what makes his playing so good.
Thanks!
Thanks so much!!
I could listen and learn from Tom all day. I would never have a pedalboard that didn't include a GE7.
This may be the most useful video on guitar tone that’s ever been uploaded to UA-cam. Thanks guys!
That is some great information! I do have an EQ on my board, a Behringer, I use mostly as a boost. Of course I play by myself, so don't have to worry about fitting into a mix. But I do like to mess with the frequencies to dial in a sound.
Same here
I have a bunch of Behringer EQ s when Sweetwater was selling them for like $18 . I use various amps that each amp has its own EQ setting for that particular amp ..
@@marshallohio5512 smart!
I’ve been playing for a looong time. This guy has some of the most haunting phrasing and feel I’ve ever heard. Top marks.
Hey Robert, I've always enjoyed your videos, but recently they've been exceptionally good. The ones like this, where you have a guest or visiting a shop, are great. And of course, knowledge and wisdom from Tom is awesome.
He’s so good…he loves what he does and explains everything perfectly.
This needs more discussion. The audio engineering part. I have done both live engineering and studio mixing. I love talking about this stuff.
This really applies mostly to a live scenario. For a bedroom guitarists it really doesn't matter that much. If you playing with a band and don't have an EQ on guitar, chances are you never really sounded good live :D Of course in a studio, the producer will 100% use EQ and of course in many cases the guitarist is the producer!
It's also good to have multiple EQs for quickly reaching different tones or having them at different places on your pedalboard. For example EQing your FX loop is also a good idea.
The problem is that most musicians don't have mixing experience and that can make it very difficult to mix with your band too.
If you have pedals, it’s ideal to have an EQ pedal near the beginning *and* one at the end of your effects chain. The first for selective frequency boosting for your gains, and the one at the end for final signal tone shaping.
Good point
Hey I’m not clear as to where uncle Larry has his EQ pedal in what order ..??? Is it first ..??
I saw Chris Whitley in a club 20 some years ago and it was just him with his resonator and a 2x4 with a 57 on it for a kick drum. I was enjoying a beer listening to him do soundcheck and he blew my mind calling out specific frequencies he wanted boosted and cut. He had such a gift. I was really bummed when he died.
Love the deep dive on one pedal like this. More Tom is always a great thing!
I've been using that GE7 for decades...most underrated pedal on my board.!
This is a gamechanger for me. I've mentioned the EQ as the main instrument to fix the mix to my sound guys and my musician friends many times. I knew was crucial. But this video is so hands on, simple illustrations, that it's like each band on the eq pedal is a separate instrument.
That opening riffage was amazingly beautiful
I always make my tones slightly thinner than I would normally like. Then cut the Lows and Gain by 1. Boost the mids by 1, and boost the highs by 0.5
Works everytime!
Two things struck me. Firstly, the generosity. Tom is giving a lot of hard won valuable information here. Secondly the speed. He can get a tone so quickly. If I'm producing a session that is what would make Tom my first call. He'd get me what I want ten times faster than someone less experienced. Amazing guy, must be great to be able to hang out with him and talk guitar.
The playing is always tasty when Uncle Larry is around.
What are the settings you use?
Tom: There are no settings. The settings are like a steering wheel.
Great video! This was a secret imparted to me many years ago by a friend, who still is the best guitar player I've ever personally known. He had a Les Paul, a Marshall 1/2 stack and two EQ pedals(one in front of the amp and another in the effects loop) and could get sounds I would have never imagined from that rig.
I have been playing for most of my life and I just learned that EQ trick from Tom. Super useful tips.
This was gold, more Uncle Larry sharing his useful tips and tricks please
Tom has been on Rick Beato's channel for a long time.... he is an above and beyond level player and session player... we are lucky to witness his greatness...
the piece he opened with is chill inducing... I have listened to it at least times. Amazing Uncle Tom
Tom's wisdom will go completely over most players out there. Most want instant gratification. I for one am so grateful players like Tom are willing to share what they've learned. Wow.
Good one Robert! This video gives a good glimpse into Tom's ears. For a more detailed look into his genius I highly recommend digging up the old sessions where he was producing the Cliffs. Holy crap, I was amazed at how he heard everything good and bad and best.
I have the black version of the MXR 6-band eq with the red LEDs in the sliders (the current version is silver with blue LEDs… I’m not a fan of everything using blue LEDs that can guide in aircraft!) Yes, dark stages are a thing, but I don’t need to blind the band!
Brilliant video! 69 years old, guitar (etc) player, lived in studios, but did not know these pearls of wisdom. Phase canceling with the bass track - why didn't I know that? Because I was never a Nashville/etc. player & probably too high at the time to do it right. Just being honest. 🤦
Bought two GE sevens after seeing this a couple of months back amazing tool thank you TOM and thanks for making this video Mr. Baker
The speed with which Uncle Larry dials in exact tones is amazing to watch. He says “say you want this sound,” cranks a couple knobs and sliders and bam. It’s exactly what he described. Pro for sure. 👍
Thanks for getting him to your place for this video, Robert!
Such great info.. and real world advise! Fantastic video
As an old studio guy (and at times session guitar player), the strange realism of electric guitar is that the only person experiencing the “amp in a room” thing is the player. Not a future listener to the recording or audience on a gig, not the other musicians with cans or monitors, not the engineer and producer…
All I can say, is that I humbly & repeatedly fall into the trap (rabbit hole) myself - but still, the ontology of the “player in the room” is not the ontology of anyone else, even in the same room. It’s fascinating - and probably why we keep going at it… 👍🎶
Hey Robert, that was a great interview with Tom and now I think that I understand how to use an EQ property. Thank you for taking the time to make and share these videos
Tom is just off the charts. Every time he plays it’s new and fresh and interesting. How is that even possible. I would have ran out of riffs after 3 episodes lol
Just for the record. Larr isn't talking about phase cancellation, he's talking about frequency masking. Whereas the results are the same, there is a big difference. Phase is related to time, masking is related to amplitude.
You can do so much with an eq pedal that it’s seriously stupid not to have one. You can use it to fine tune your tone, you can use it as a boost, you can use it to make a 1 channel amp into a 2 channel and so much other stuff it’s amazing.
The mix. That's right man. Really hard to use dynamics in your solo without being eaten by the bass. A dynamic mix is an option, but using your own eq is super.
16:55 - 17:45 This is an improvisation of some song but which one? Incredible sound. What song is this?
I was watching a video with Kfir Ochian and Phil McKnight talking about dialing in tones on a digital and a tube amp and I was surprised at how much Kfir emphasized the midrange in the mix and manipulating the gain to make the tone stand out in the mix. This has been even more instructive! I've had a cheap EQ pedal for some time now but now I see how to use it! Thank you!
Awesome to see Tom on here!!! And as an audio engineer, I agree 1000% about the power of EQ. 99% of guitarists don’t realize the power of EQ. I’ll be in the studio and a guitarist will ask wow, what did you put my guitar through? It sounds amazing! Just a sprinkle of EQ 👍
You are a goldmine of valuable information. Iremember whenplayers kept their 'tricks' a big secret!
They both sound good, but different. The HW sounds warner and bigger in the lows and mids to me. I wonder how much the cabinet size matters? The red still cuts and the added features and price make it mighty attractive. But, if you’ve got a Flint or Milkman F-stop you’re golden.
Nobody plays or sounds like Tom Bukovac. Great work Robert!!!
I literally can't get enough of his sleepy, nonchalant way of being 😅 you just know he's going to be good
This information is GOLD!! This explains why so many bands in my area get louder and louder and you still can’t hear with any clarity….. We get so used to someone saying,”I can’t hear the guitar or vocals. Turn them up!!””😂😂😂
Thanks you!
That opening from Unk was fantastic! Lazy but clean. Very tastefully done. He pulls that stuff off like he's tuning his guitar.
EQ pedals are very important for me, especially if you playing with a band. It let your guitar shine through the mix. Also if you play baritone and low tuned guitars. In a band with two or three guitars, a bass and drums, the space for each musician has to be clearly defined.
I like an EQ in the effects loop so it only changes the signal going to the power tubes. Just a tiny boost on the low mids can take a "nasal" sounding amp like a Marshall and turn it into a growling beast. Learned that from Blues Saraceno 30 years ago.
Going back in the studio to layer the second guitar/lead tracks for a worship album. I'm stressing the tones, and everyone is waiting on me. This Tom Bukovac(!) tutorial came in at just the right time. Thank you, Lord, thank you Tom, and and thank you Rob!
This must be one of the BEST of the useful tutorials for ANY musician if not, THE BEST useful video I have ever seen. It is always the BASIC foundations of any "Tone" creation that can make or break a player's continuing inspiration. THANK YOU guys for this!
Absolutely love the videos you do with Tom!! Keep em coming. 🙌
Great pedal, especially after modifying them to improve noise floor. Vital for higher gain playing.
This is really great!
Always good to listen to Bukovac speak to the simplicity of guitar tone. It was particularly satisfying to hear him give credit to Mason's p/u selections - I couldn't agree more. Validation of the universal appeal of the good ol' tele. Thanx
He got into some Parinod Android chords about 1:42.
I saw Tom talk about the Boss GE-7 and I had to dig mine out of the “pedal locker” and RE-instate it into my board. I always used mine as a ‘clean boost’ and that is absolutely confirmed now in all applications !!!
you can easily demonstrate phase cancellation by putting a mic in front of that Princeton Reverb facing the speaker...and another behind it pointing at more or less the same point of the speaker cone....record both mics and play them back. They will sound like shit mixed together...but if you solo them they will sound great, especially the front one. think of it like this. as the speaker vibrates it oscillates back and forth. The diaphragm in the mic does the same thing..when the speaker pushes out, the mic diaphragm pushes in. The opposite will be happening with the mic behind the speaker. so when you add the two mics together one will be pushing in at the same time the other is pushing out....cancelling out most of the signal. Hope that helps.
Uncle Larry is an absolutely amazing person. We are all so lucky to have him. Incredibly admirable personality. I wish I could live in Nashville and spend time around these guys like Tom, Papa Bear, Andy Wood, Ben Eller and so many more. Thank god for UA-cam and being able to at least connect this way. 20 years ago this wasn't even close to being a thing. I have spent 60% of my guitar playing life in the dark in that respect. Just one on one personal instructors and crappy guitar mags that teach you nothing
There are so many variables between the audio source and your ears. All the pieces in that signal chain have to be chosen and adjusted to produce a sound that should sound good to most peoples hearing ability. And that is a difficult challenge. That challenge will go on forever. Tom has definitely got a big part of it figured out.
Oh boy. I always think that the EQ is the key to a great guitar tone, and this video totally confirms that. Tom is an amazing guitar player, and he has an ear for good frequencies to boost and cut for a good guitar sound. I'm schooled by this video, and enlightened! Thank you Tom, and Robert for this. Way better than watching videos of guys boasting their expensive gear, that they can afford blah blah blah. Cheers! 🎸
That's all the wisdom you need to record great guitar tracks. I wish I'd knew all this 35 years ago.
A question I wish was asked or explained more is.. what do you do with an Amp? Do you dial in a good tone on the amp first and then correct it with EQ? Or does the Amp stay flat, and just use the EQ to do all the shaping?
This man is a genius. Thanks so much for this interview and video.
Great video! UL is right, in fact, the IR frenzy from a few years ago are really only custom DYNAMIC EQ curves as applied to an amp. Why not do that with a pedal? Makes all the sense in the world.
That bass removal curve was a great example at 14:30.
Indeed I've never heard so many awesome sounds come out from that ES..
The knowledge from Tom is Golden..
THANK YOU for making a video on EQ. I have one and could not figure out how to best use it in the mix. Not even ChatGPT could give me a solid answer. This video is MUCH needed for guitar! Well done!!
JFC this guy is something else. I could listen to him just mess around for ages. And every tone was lovely.
I love your slow blues! Expressive and soothing; I closing eyes I become emmersed .
I can get all this with the Wampler Triumph OD pedal.
It has bass, middle and treble EQ dials, gain and master volume with a “smooth “ or “crunch” gain switch.
$99
Loved this as a bass player😢……Tom knows his stuff, freaking awesome.
Nice job Roberto! Uncle Larry has been so gracious in making a lot of suckass guitar players like myself better, and doing it by thinking more and cranking it up less! You knew exactly who to contact on this subject of eq and mids. Nice job Roberto!
Tom Bukovac IS music! That instrumental intro was just 🤌🤌🤌. I think I died and went to heaven 3x times ❤