Aaron, I'm 74. Been playing since 1960. Gigging since 1965. Teaching and recording in studios since 1975. And I'm still gigging. I have a little bit of advise for you. Keep doing what you're doing! You've come a LONG way in a year and a half. When your playing skills catch up to your ear and anaytic mind . . . you're going to be an unstoppable force! My best to you young man!
man, id absolutely LOVE to just hear you tell stories of your experience with people, music, and mental health throughout all these decades, you must’ve seen, heard, and been through so much whether it was beauty or hardship and you’re only 74 years young! still got plenty more time to go. i hope to have that much life too! i’m freshly 18 just starting out my music career so i hope all goes well in the future and if not it’s no worries at least i’ll know i tried and just continue to enjoy it for me. god bless you wayne 🙌🏻
I think part of the issues is that players chase the tones they hear on the album, without realizing there is a lot of studio magic going on apart from the actual guitar and amp themselves. Stuff you can't replicate in your bedroom or with your band.
That is why you should apply that to live performances, not studio albums, and find out what was used, rig rundown by premier guitar helps with that, and of course there are artists who refuse to give away all of their secrets, and rightfully so, learning and applying it in your own unique way is fine, but people should stop copying and discover their own sound, so much is available these days yet most sound the same because they copy eachother.
Yeah the fact that it's being microphoned at all is the golden trick, where you place it is the trade secret Just those 2 lone factors dictate MOST of what gets recorded, didn't even mention direct input haha
@@MrShadowofthewind True, but on a lot of albums, the guitars go through a setup of the producers choosing, or something the producer and guitarist choose together. Nirvana being a big case. Kurt used that Mesa Pre-amp - Live its was big and powerful, but Albini stated that for the studio it sounded like sh!t.
In my experience, studios are often seen as magic entities and I think that is kind of unfair. But what is true is that whatever ends up on record is never how you as a player will experience the sound of an amp. All tones we take as references are "recorded tones". Many people would be surprised in how it would actually sound when standing in front of the amp. Recordings never captures what you as a guitarist hear and feel when playing. There are three variables that the studio adds to the sound: 1) The sound of the room it is recorded in: but for a lot of guitar amps this is often not so relevant because many are close miked so that the sound of the room is not really present, and many amps are not recorded in live rooms anymore but in iso booths (with the guitar player usually just in the control room); 2) The microphone and placement: this has a lot of effect on capturing the sound. Moving 1 cm in any direction will have a noticeable impact. The particular microphone used also shapes the sound dramatically as all microphones have their own sonic signature and response. Condenser vs ribbon vs dynamic. And even within a category, a Sure SM57, Audix I5, Sennheiser 421, EV RE20 are all dynamic microphones, but sound dramatically different in their voicing. 3) What happens in the mix. This has the least impact in reality but many ascribe a lot of "magic" to this. Yes it is true that compression and EQ are added to fit things in the mix. But it only levels out dynamics (compressors) or it cuts/amplifies parts of the spectrum already there. Any other variable has far more impact on the tone. For example: if you think the guitarist should have dialed his tone knob down more, it is not something that you can "fix" by just cutting some of the highs with the EQ in the mix. The effect and sound is vastly different because your tone knob, the EQ settings on your amp, etc all interact with the creation of the sound and the response of the components in the chain (like how the tubes respond, how the speaker responds to the load, even how the microphone used to record respond). Whatever you do with EQ during mixing only affects the already existing result of that full chain.
@@santibanks very true. I think it’s very difficult to show through recordings how a valve amp sounds compared to a solid state amp, but when you play through a valve amp loud it just somehow “feels” completely different.
@Hugo Mouto I’ll absolutely agree with you Hugo. I’ve been playing guitar for 36 years & the tone chasing has STILL NOT ended for me. But I’ve learned so much from this channel that I’m realizing how much $$ & time I’ve wasted on buying amps, cabs & overdrive, boost & distortion pedals. I’ve never really considered the speakers really much at all…until I found this channel one late night after being super frustrated with my tone. Got quite a few different new & vintage Celestion speakers & a few different Warehouse Speakers that I’m gonna soon do a tone deep dive at home all alone. And I’m so excited about doing it that my inner nerd may completely possess me from now until forever! I love tone chasing with swapping preamp tubes…and soon, it’ll also be with swapping speakers!!! I fuckin’ LOVE this channel & his curiosity into everything between the guitar headstock all the way to the amp’s power cable & everything in between!!!🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻‼️
Speaker is the overall filter and final EQ of the guitar, so it’s effect on frequencies is massive. But the amp is also extremely important, especially for compression/overdrive/headroom. The hard truth is that it all matters to differing degrees and in different areas. Find your recipe and have fun
I came here to say that. The amp gives the kind of distortion, its "grain", its bias, the compression, if notes sound articulate, clearly distinguished, ... and the base frequencies that are later cut by the speakers. The speakers cut freqs and yes, they give a very recognizable sound, maybe it's the most important part to mimic? But I don't think a modern Mesa distorted won't sound like an old Fender Bassman distorted, even with the same cabs. Anyway the insight is very valuable as it makes people know the great impact of speakers on tone. Thank you. I also love Nirvana.
You're right. Amp doesn't matter . . . when it's clean. If you're using a pedal into a crystal clean amp, the speaker is way more important than the amp assuming the amp can achieve the necessary clean headroom for your application. When you're playing a even a slightly dirty amp, the amp does have a noticeable impact that is only equal to the speaker -- not greater than.
Dude, I’m totally with you on this. I would love it if you shared impulse responses of your favourite speakers!!! Would you also share your mic setups for this too? You could start a new series on recording and mixing because you clearly have a good ear and well experienced in this field. Keep the videos coming. I’m loving your content so far 🤘
I think there's something to be said about if somebody's getting distortion out of the amp primarily, but if they're doing that, there is also a real chance that somebody has created a pedal to recreate that distortion for any other amp to use. There are more dumble in a box type petals than I can count
Dude I’m so happy to see you reach this tone, I’ve been following your channel for sometime and have helped me so much with tone and my live tone. I give all the credit of my live and recording tone to you. Now let’s see some full never mind guitar covers🎸
As a metal player I do think amps are significant to a degree because you’d want a good high gain amp. However as far as actual tone goes, you are very correct. I was also making the same mistake getting different amp heads trying to tone chase. Once a finally swapped cheap speakers out for greenbacks and vintage 30’s (in my case), finally wallah! All I need to do now is sell some amp heads I ended up not needing in the first place. Great video man.
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO DO UNPLUGGED!!!!! I LOVE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD AND UNPLUGGED IS JUST THE BEST!! Dude I've been having such a bad time in my life and not only did YOU inspire me to play guitar (And listen to Nirvana) which has made me so happy when things have been rough but you've done it in the best looking and best sounding way. Best music channel on UA-cam hands down
Great video. So refreshing to hear a guitarist talk about speakers as the source of tone and not about amps or worse the infamous tone wood of the guitar. Instant subscriber keep up the great content
If you use plugins or digital pedalborad you might know that point, the importance of the cabinet is really great when you wanna develop a guitar tone.
dude this intro might be the best sound I've ever heard, not tone, not riff. just the most pleasant auditory information to ever be processed by my brain
Absolutely spot on with this video! I recently took my Victory Kraken to my Uncle’s house to try it through all the different cabs he was selling at the time. Jumping from vintage 30s to greenbacks to this and to that, I could not fathom how much the tone was changing just because of the speakers. I took me months to land on my ‘holy grail’ speakers which now sit in an old beat-up Marshall cab that blows everyone’s mind when I turn it up.
I have to agree with you on this. I’ve been writing a lot I recorded an album using Mesa speakers on the drive channel and v30 on the cleans I just started my new record with a new amp same cab and there is such little differences the feel is still there but sound is almost the same. My go to for a cab right now is a 1960 cab 2 v30 and two Mesa speakers gives it the best of both worlds using a prs archon as a amp and a bass vi for my main guitar always been inspired by Kurt’s work and your videos are great.
I'd love to get your take on the Queens of the Stone Age tone, especially the earlier albums, I believe that's one instance where the amp actually really matters, that's why I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it
@@particlesandpixels yeah ik, I watch all his videos but he tends to focus on amps, not speakers, whereas Aaron is usually the other way around, hence my comment
@@craig1474 would it be possible to recreate different types of speakers with a guitar pedal, or would it only be possible with the speakers themselves?
Yup! called this from the beginning. I learned this early on with doing Izotope EQ matches to try and clone album guitar tones ha. The speaker (and cab) are definitely the master toneprint of guitar sounds, especially with driven guitar tones. There is SO MUCH information and stuff happening to a guitar tone with the EQ curve of a speaker, even if you just look at impulse response EQ curves. The amount of dramatic variance from speaker to speaker even of the same kind of speaker (aka one V30 to the next V30) is very noticable. Nolly has done a lot of really great videos talking about this as he (and a few others) have collected and documented hundreds of speakers and figured out the secrets of the best V30s especially, as well as greenbacks and other classic speakers.
Damn, you nailed that Back in Black sound. Im pretty new to electric guitar and honestly I didnt really think much at all about the amp or speakers. I put a lot of thought into the guitar, strings, and pedals, but I just got a cheap bass amp and have been using that and honestly I have no complaints, I can get to basically any tone I want by starting with a very full, warm sound and sculpting it with the pedals.
this is THE video everyone needs to see. It's all about playing, pickups, speakers, and tubes. Amps are gain structures and EQ that can be adjusted, but the tubes have noticeably different qualities, the speakers FOR SURE, the pickups immensely, and then your fingers!!!!!
Bro how did you only just appear in my recommended- your channel is fire Also being a filmmaker I got extra respect for you as I can really empathise with the drive to make your content as stylised yet human as possible
Agree that speakers are a major tone shaping device. And even the same speaker can sound way different based on how old or broken in it is. I have several speakers and go back and forth depending on my mood or what I’m playing, but right now I’m enjoying a 50 yr old CTS and a newish but well broken-in V30. Not together, one or the other though a Deluxe Reverb.
so, instead of having a pedalboard, you could theoretically have a whole bunch of different speaker cabs with all kinds of wacky speakers in them that you can switch between?
Can you go into more detail about how you go about navigating all the different variables that go into chasing particular tones? I’m curious to know how you find the balance between finding the right guitar, amp, speaker/s, amp settings, pedal selection, pedal settings, mic type, mic placement… etc. How do you know which part of the equation needs altering?
My favorite channel on all of youtube. For me as poor student is really helpful to know, that i can nail those tones without spending a fortune. Thanks for these videos.
Ps yeah tone is in the cone, that's why we're always switching up impulse responses and using FRFR speakers or powered PA speakers to NOT have that speaker coloration, so we can choose our own through the gear using cab emulations. For any given set, I'm using 3-4 different types of/combinations of cabinets & microphones. This is exactly why your impulse response is damn near more important than whatever amp you're using, cabs/speakers (and how they're mic'd) is EVERYTHING. Good vid
Given that nevermind is recorded with layers of guitar tracks and that I think those layers switch speaker types a holly grail cab would likely blend speakers. One would have to be a v30 and zomething like g12 65 or 75 in an x configuration. You could also run it in stereo cab setup with chorus effect on one side only to create a sudo layering effect.
Hey @AaronRash your videos are amazing, man--this is all so helpful and informative, and makes total sense to me. That said, it does raise a question in my mind... A while back you did another great video about how different the Fender Twin and Fender Quad sound. I always thought the Fender Twin and Fender Quad were pretty similar amps to begin with, so I was kinda surprised by that, but your video was very convincing. But if, as you say, the tone mostly has to do with the speakers anyway, given that both those amps had Oxford 12t6s in them, I would expect they would sound basically the same. How do you account for the difference then? Does having 4 speakers instead of 2 make a big difference, even if you're only actually miking one of them? Also, on another totally separate note, I second the below comment that you should sell IRs (or even a pedal if you're so inclined!) for all these amps/speakers. I'm sure tons of people would be down to pay for them and help support your channel. Speaking for myself, I'm dying to get these In Utero tones but there's just no way for me to get a Fender Quad in my tiny NYC apartment. I'd absolutely pay for some way to get these tones in my setup. Do you think you could approximate the In Utero sound with the new Universal Audio Dream 65 pedal? I noticed that they have an "Oxford" speaker option, though I don't think it's the 12t6, and of course it's modeling a Deluxe and not a Twin... Or alternatively I was thinking of getting a real Fender Deluxe reissue and then replacing the speaker with an Oxford 12t6, but not sure how well that would work either... If you have any other tips for guys like me who unfortunately can't get a real Fender Quad I'd love to know!
God I wish there were videos like this for Poison or Black Crowes type stuff. The fact is that the amount of research I've had to do for CC DeVille tone is unreal. And the gear is all so weird and hard to find at this point.
it’s because an amp is a saturator, while speaker is a filter. filters will always have bigger impact on the sound, but that doesn’t mean saturators have no impact at all.
Been down this road at the beginning of my guitar journey and the interesting discovery I’ve made at this point is that I can show up to rehearsal with any of my different guitars, switch up my pedalboard, swap amps when mine dies, and essentially sound like me. Listening back to recordings I couldn’t differentiate probably…maybe the amp. Not that gear doesn’t matter, but rather that when you have your own sound it seems to print through. Obviously the gear has to be appropriate etc.
Never been into re creating anyone’s tone. Agree that speakers are most significant, but amps do matter. Amps like pedals have their own sound characteristics. The amp I use on my left channel, a Fender BJ, attacks and decays faster than the Plexi on my right channel. If you look at the VU meters when recording this is obvious. Great video!
Not to mention he's recreating Nirvana guitar tones, and Nirvana's sound was extremely stripped down (or so they said back in the day). You could probably recreate Nirvana's guitar tone with a couple of guitar pedals (distortion and EQ) running straight into a power amp feeding the speakers. 🤷♂️
Hey Aaron have you tried the Sirui anamorphic lenses yet? I want one so bad and I also think your videos would look so cool with the anamorphic look. I feel like the super distorted edges and crazy depth of field effects would really add to the grunginess of your shots when you're filming yourself playing
Nice vids !! very instructive ! I guess it's a matter of perspectives and needs. For instance I chose to run my rig into a Black Star EL 34 because of its weight (so light...). Then I use pedals to nail my tones. But for a studio, I may go for different cab' as you suggested. Thanks again for the demonstration.
This video was eye opening and I really enjoyed watching it. But I wonder how many Celestion 65s did you use to recreate that tone so perfectly (at 3:32 )and did you mix it with any other speaker? If somebody else knows it your help is much appreciated 👍🏼
Been playing since 1979 & it wasn't until the last 10 years that the speaker lightbulb went on in my head although I still do put importance on the amp too, but I just never realized about speakers till I owned several cabs & kind of realized by accident. Just discovered your channel today & watched several vids. Great job & quite interesting.
It's all important. Player, pick, strings, pickups, pickup height, electronics, cable, pedals, amp, speaker, preamp. Not to mention the gain staging between all these elements. The amp does matter - an Orange will not sound like a Fender (most obvious on distorted tones). Speakers are more important than some of these other elements, but the amp does matter.
His opinion of what "when I first started playing" means will change. I've been playing 20 years, and I'd say the first 5 years was when I first started.
As an amp builder I can confidently say that speakers and transformers are the majority of the tone of an amp. The amp does make a difference to a certain degree, a tweed will sound and feel different than a train wreck. But again you can change your tone so much by switching speaker. Saul marantz the hifi designer said “your sound is 70% your speakers”
Aaron. You gotta do some videos on how to build guitars. I’m currently trying to build my own accurate Cobain Jaguar. So any tips with that that i can use for my build? I also love your Ferrington. Which i also plan to build. Any tips with that?
As with any signal chain stuff, the closer you get to the end of the signal chain, the more any changes you make matter. That’s why speakers and mics/mic placement have such a big impact on the overall sound.
I don't speak english (i'm from Argentina), but watched the whole video anyways, your videos' production are just amazing, love your channel! PD: Sorry if it's not well written, I'm an amateur and i'm trying to write without translator
Cool video and nice cinematography. Your insight is appreciated. Speaker and cab are basically EQ so yeah, if you have the right gain structure and timbre (guitar, pickup, pedal, amp), by changing speaker you can definitely make it or break it. I am not tech savvy on this next point, but speakers are also wattage dependent (check what Bonamassa has to say on it), so depending on how much wattage the cone can handle you are going to also change the "body" of the sound (e.g.: flabby bottom end vs solid bottom) and this is a huge component. This said, a more precise title for this video would be " How I get my Nirvana tones". To suggest that any amp can get you ANY sound you want by switching speaker, I cannot say that it is a true statement, and could be pretty confusing for people, especially if you are not showing your chain. Every amp has their own gain staging and eq response that gives it a certain character, no matter the speaker. Now, you could say that you could build some sort of "all purpose" rig that lets you emulate any amp gain and eq response (check out Jim Lill) and with the right speaker you could actually get most sounds. That would be an amp modeler basically. A cool experiment for you would be to replicate the same sound, with different amps to actually prove that you can get the same tone with different amp except speaker, and also what adjustments you would have to do to the chain in order to do so. Finally, aside the first sound sample which was very close, your tones were not as close in terms of EQ, actually quite different (in Bloom, Lithium) even though the character of the sound was definitely there. Did you try any mic position changes or any post production? I think you could have gotten even closer.
Have you tried a Line 6 Helix? You can choose your speakers and mic placement. Would be cool to see you try to “Recreate that tone” on a Helix for comparison 🙂
I have the same 1960 Vintage Marshall cab. The guy I bought it from switched 2 speakers from his marshall 1960 lead. which has celestion g12 speakers. This cab is an absolute beast.
I’ve got a Line 6 Amplifi 100fx, an Epiphone Dot and a Fender Nashville Deluxe Tele. That’s all I personally need to nail any tone from Brent Mason to Russ Freeman to Zakk Wylde. Agreed, no one needs to shell out thousands of $$ in order to maximize tonal palettes. Audio technology is a wonderful thing, so long as you know how to utilize it to its potential.
I always knew that the tone depends very much on the speaker, if not totally, because at the end of the whole chain from our hands and guitar and everything in the middle like effects and amp, at the end is the speaker that filters the whole sound, like applying a specific equalization that the speaker has which is really what's going on if you think about it. The tone is totally in the cone.
Dude's been playing guitar less than 2 years and has invested thousands of dollars into gear... that's commitment.
hes also a producer tho, so even if he stops playing the gear wouldnt go to waste.
Like $100k I bet!
Sounds normal to me
Is it possibile to know all these things with less than 2 years of playing?
@@ols-c6410 he's also sound engineer so... yeah , the sound has no secret for him I'd say.
Aaron, I'm 74. Been playing since 1960. Gigging since 1965. Teaching and recording in studios since 1975. And I'm still gigging. I have a little bit of advise for you. Keep doing what you're doing! You've come a LONG way in a year and a half. When your playing skills catch up to your ear and anaytic mind . . . you're going to be an unstoppable force! My best to you young man!
man, id absolutely LOVE to just hear you tell stories of your experience with people, music, and mental health throughout all these decades, you must’ve seen, heard, and been through so much whether it was beauty or hardship and you’re only 74 years young! still got plenty more time to go. i hope to have that much life too! i’m freshly 18 just starting out my music career so i hope all goes well in the future and if not it’s no worries at least i’ll know i tried and just continue to enjoy it for me. god bless you wayne 🙌🏻
I think part of the issues is that players chase the tones they hear on the album, without realizing there is a lot of studio magic going on apart from the actual guitar and amp themselves. Stuff you can't replicate in your bedroom or with your band.
That is why you should apply that to live performances, not studio albums, and find out what was used, rig rundown by premier guitar helps with that, and of course there are artists who refuse to give away all of their secrets, and rightfully so, learning and applying it in your own unique way is fine, but people should stop copying and discover their own sound, so much is available these days yet most sound the same because they copy eachother.
Yeah the fact that it's being microphoned at all is the golden trick, where you place it is the trade secret
Just those 2 lone factors dictate MOST of what gets recorded, didn't even mention direct input haha
@@MrShadowofthewind True, but on a lot of albums, the guitars go through a setup of the producers choosing, or something the producer and guitarist choose together. Nirvana being a big case. Kurt used that Mesa Pre-amp - Live its was big and powerful, but Albini stated that for the studio it sounded like sh!t.
In my experience, studios are often seen as magic entities and I think that is kind of unfair. But what is true is that whatever ends up on record is never how you as a player will experience the sound of an amp. All tones we take as references are "recorded tones". Many people would be surprised in how it would actually sound when standing in front of the amp. Recordings never captures what you as a guitarist hear and feel when playing.
There are three variables that the studio adds to the sound:
1) The sound of the room it is recorded in: but for a lot of guitar amps this is often not so relevant because many are close miked so that the sound of the room is not really present, and many amps are not recorded in live rooms anymore but in iso booths (with the guitar player usually just in the control room);
2) The microphone and placement: this has a lot of effect on capturing the sound. Moving 1 cm in any direction will have a noticeable impact. The particular microphone used also shapes the sound dramatically as all microphones have their own sonic signature and response. Condenser vs ribbon vs dynamic. And even within a category, a Sure SM57, Audix I5, Sennheiser 421, EV RE20 are all dynamic microphones, but sound dramatically different in their voicing.
3) What happens in the mix. This has the least impact in reality but many ascribe a lot of "magic" to this. Yes it is true that compression and EQ are added to fit things in the mix. But it only levels out dynamics (compressors) or it cuts/amplifies parts of the spectrum already there. Any other variable has far more impact on the tone. For example: if you think the guitarist should have dialed his tone knob down more, it is not something that you can "fix" by just cutting some of the highs with the EQ in the mix. The effect and sound is vastly different because your tone knob, the EQ settings on your amp, etc all interact with the creation of the sound and the response of the components in the chain (like how the tubes respond, how the speaker responds to the load, even how the microphone used to record respond). Whatever you do with EQ during mixing only affects the already existing result of that full chain.
@@santibanks very true. I think it’s very difficult to show through recordings how a valve amp sounds compared to a solid state amp, but when you play through a valve amp loud it just somehow “feels” completely different.
This whole channel is one of the best examples of what happens when a guitarist goes "down the rabbit hole." And I love it.
“Secret to nailing ANY guitar tone” is pretty much having money
This channel has quickly become one of my favorites. You are hands down the best at recreating Nirvana tones!
@Hugo Mouto
I’ll absolutely agree with you Hugo. I’ve been playing guitar for 36 years & the tone chasing has STILL NOT ended for me. But I’ve learned so much from this channel that I’m realizing how much $$ & time I’ve wasted on buying amps, cabs & overdrive, boost & distortion pedals. I’ve never really considered the speakers really much at all…until I found this channel one late night after being super frustrated with my tone. Got quite a few different new & vintage Celestion speakers & a few different Warehouse Speakers that I’m gonna soon do a tone deep dive at home all alone. And I’m so excited about doing it that my inner nerd may completely possess me from now until forever! I love tone chasing with swapping preamp tubes…and soon, it’ll also be with swapping speakers!!! I fuckin’ LOVE this channel & his curiosity into everything between the guitar headstock all the way to the amp’s power cable & everything in between!!!🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻‼️
not only do you recreate the tone but you also add such a cinematic touch to them and i think thats whats so appreciated
Toon Town!
Speaker is the overall filter and final EQ of the guitar, so it’s effect on frequencies is massive. But the amp is also extremely important, especially for compression/overdrive/headroom. The hard truth is that it all matters to differing degrees and in different areas. Find your recipe and have fun
I came here to say that. The amp gives the kind of distortion, its "grain", its bias, the compression, if notes sound articulate, clearly distinguished, ... and the base frequencies that are later cut by the speakers. The speakers cut freqs and yes, they give a very recognizable sound, maybe it's the most important part to mimic? But I don't think a modern Mesa distorted won't sound like an old Fender Bassman distorted, even with the same cabs. Anyway the insight is very valuable as it makes people know the great impact of speakers on tone. Thank you. I also love Nirvana.
You're right. Amp doesn't matter . . . when it's clean. If you're using a pedal into a crystal clean amp, the speaker is way more important than the amp assuming the amp can achieve the necessary clean headroom for your application. When you're playing a even a slightly dirty amp, the amp does have a noticeable impact that is only equal to the speaker -- not greater than.
I think this video might change your mind: ua-cam.com/video/wcBEOcPtlYk/v-deo.html
Lol'd
Turns out amps do nothing at all, and it's almost entirely speakers
@@alf5617 But he shows in the video how the topology of each amplifier actually changes the tone
@@ImpostorModanica does he really
Dude, I’m totally with you on this. I would love it if you shared impulse responses of your favourite speakers!!! Would you also share your mic setups for this too? You could start a new series on recording and mixing because you clearly have a good ear and well experienced in this field. Keep the videos coming. I’m loving your content so far 🤘
Yes, I second this..Please make IR's for all the CABs!!
Simping for that next video
Hear hear
I think there's something to be said about if somebody's getting distortion out of the amp primarily, but if they're doing that, there is also a real chance that somebody has created a pedal to recreate that distortion for any other amp to use. There are more dumble in a box type petals than I can count
The unplugged tone is so on spot … congratulations!!
This has revolutionized the way I look at tones
Dude I’m so happy to see you reach this tone, I’ve been following your channel for sometime and have helped me so much with tone and my live tone. I give all the credit of my live and recording tone to you. Now let’s see some full never mind guitar covers🎸
i never thought i would hear you play AC/DC but that was amazing
Kurt did not used his 1982 twin reverb on Unplugged Show. He used a silverface.
You should make and sell some IR-files with all those great speakers.
Agreed! It's really hard to find some of IR's of old speakers..
Was just about to make the same comment! It would be a good way to support his gear habit, too
As a metal player I do think amps are significant to a degree because you’d want a good high gain amp. However as far as actual tone goes, you are very correct. I was also making the same mistake getting different amp heads trying to tone chase. Once a finally swapped cheap speakers out for greenbacks and vintage 30’s (in my case), finally wallah!
All I need to do now is sell some amp heads I ended up not needing in the first place.
Great video man.
The way you record to tape sounds absolutely gorgeous.. I'd listen to any song with that intro guitar tone
@@T.ELEGRAM-ME bruh yer fake yer name doesn't even match smh
Love this channel so much thanks for the lesson Aron! I'm speaker obsessed now! I have three 80's G12T-75s and two Marshall vintage 30s so far!
They Mix very Well together, v30s and greenbacks also Mix very Well together!
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO DO UNPLUGGED!!!!! I LOVE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD AND UNPLUGGED IS JUST THE BEST!! Dude I've been having such a bad time in my life and not only did YOU inspire me to play guitar (And listen to Nirvana) which has made me so happy when things have been rough but you've done it in the best looking and best sounding way. Best music channel on UA-cam hands down
Great video. So refreshing to hear a guitarist talk about speakers as the source of tone and not about amps or worse the infamous tone wood of the guitar. Instant subscriber keep up the great content
If you use plugins or digital pedalborad you might know that point, the importance of the cabinet is really great when you wanna develop a guitar tone.
Please god release the intro as a song, been stuck in my head since I first watched this video!
dude this intro might be the best sound I've ever heard, not tone, not riff. just the most pleasant auditory information to ever be processed by my brain
Absolutely spot on with this video! I recently took my Victory Kraken to my Uncle’s house to try it through all the different cabs he was selling at the time. Jumping from vintage 30s to greenbacks to this and to that, I could not fathom how much the tone was changing just because of the speakers.
I took me months to land on my ‘holy grail’ speakers which now sit in an old beat-up Marshall cab that blows everyone’s mind when I turn it up.
interesting... so what ends up being your holy graal speaker ?
Secret sauce speakers 🤔
i loved the intro for this one because it sounded like a "western" like thing. also can't wait for the future interviews.
I have to agree with you on this. I’ve been writing a lot I recorded an album using Mesa speakers on the drive channel and v30 on the cleans I just started my new record with a new amp same cab and there is such little differences the feel is still there but sound is almost the same. My go to for a cab right now is a 1960 cab 2 v30 and two Mesa speakers gives it the best of both worlds using a prs archon as a amp and a bass vi for my main guitar always been inspired by Kurt’s work and your videos are great.
Just gotta say, you have legitimately the best videos out there. The quality is just phenomenal man
I finally found a quad reverb. Ugh I need to find a vintage cab with old speakers loaded in next
TONE IS IN THE CONE!
Dude, I love the things you choose to play on your guitar. It just weeps emotion. I love it.
I'd love to get your take on the Queens of the Stone Age tone, especially the earlier albums, I believe that's one instance where the amp actually really matters, that's why I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it
Hey man, if you like try speaker changes then try the EVM12L. You will shit your pants.
@@craig1474 sounds messy!
Livingroomgeardemos is all about this
@@particlesandpixels yeah ik, I watch all his videos but he tends to focus on amps, not speakers, whereas Aaron is usually the other way around, hence my comment
@@craig1474 would it be possible to recreate different types of speakers with a guitar pedal, or would it only be possible with the speakers themselves?
Man… I’ve been checking every day for a new vid.. thanks for all your work Aaron! Hopefully come as you are and drain you intro tones soon 🙏🏽
Yup! called this from the beginning. I learned this early on with doing Izotope EQ matches to try and clone album guitar tones ha. The speaker (and cab) are definitely the master toneprint of guitar sounds, especially with driven guitar tones. There is SO MUCH information and stuff happening to a guitar tone with the EQ curve of a speaker, even if you just look at impulse response EQ curves. The amount of dramatic variance from speaker to speaker even of the same kind of speaker (aka one V30 to the next V30) is very noticable. Nolly has done a lot of really great videos talking about this as he (and a few others) have collected and documented hundreds of speakers and figured out the secrets of the best V30s especially, as well as greenbacks and other classic speakers.
I love your content man. Your passion bleeds through
Damn, you nailed that Back in Black sound.
Im pretty new to electric guitar and honestly I didnt really think much at all about the amp or speakers. I put a lot of thought into the guitar, strings, and pedals, but I just got a cheap bass amp and have been using that and honestly I have no complaints, I can get to basically any tone I want by starting with a very full, warm sound and sculpting it with the pedals.
Right on the money brother. Nice video. I’m starting to watch you everyday lately. Your becoming a regular 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉good job bro
That nirvana tone is sick
this is THE video everyone needs to see. It's all about playing, pickups, speakers, and tubes. Amps are gain structures and EQ that can be adjusted, but the tubes have noticeably different qualities, the speakers FOR SURE, the pickups immensely, and then your fingers!!!!!
Bro how did you only just appear in my recommended- your channel is fire
Also being a filmmaker I got extra respect for you as I can really empathise with the drive to make your content as stylised yet human as possible
A vid on your recording / mixing process would be great. Capturing that tone is another important part.
This channel has really stoked me. I absolutely love this
Agree that speakers are a major tone shaping device. And even the same speaker can sound way different based on how old or broken in it is. I have several speakers and go back and forth depending on my mood or what I’m playing, but right now I’m enjoying a 50 yr old CTS and a newish but well broken-in V30. Not together, one or the other though a Deluxe Reverb.
so, instead of having a pedalboard, you could theoretically have a whole bunch of different speaker cabs with all kinds of wacky speakers in them that you can switch between?
this channel is taking off. Incredible detail!
Thanks Aaron, can’t wait to see yr next vid about that cab/speakers.
Brilliant as always. Favorite channel!
Can you go into more detail about how you go about navigating all the different variables that go into chasing particular tones? I’m curious to know how you find the balance between finding the right guitar, amp, speaker/s, amp settings, pedal selection, pedal settings, mic type, mic placement… etc.
How do you know which part of the equation needs altering?
My favorite channel on all of youtube. For me as poor student is really helpful to know, that i can nail those tones without spending a fortune. Thanks for these videos.
Amazing video as always! 👏🏻
Love your vids also!
Hey you became my favorite Nirvana source. Keep going.
Ps yeah tone is in the cone, that's why we're always switching up impulse responses and using FRFR speakers or powered PA speakers to NOT have that speaker coloration, so we can choose our own through the gear using cab emulations. For any given set, I'm using 3-4 different types of/combinations of cabinets & microphones. This is exactly why your impulse response is damn near more important than whatever amp you're using, cabs/speakers (and how they're mic'd) is EVERYTHING. Good vid
Given that nevermind is recorded with layers of guitar tracks and that I think those layers switch speaker types a holly grail cab would likely blend speakers. One would have to be a v30 and zomething like g12 65 or 75 in an x configuration. You could also run it in stereo cab setup with chorus effect on one side only to create a sudo layering effect.
Brilliant Aaron - the Tone is in the Cone. Killer channel - love your attitude and approach. Cheers.
Hey @AaronRash your videos are amazing, man--this is all so helpful and informative, and makes total sense to me. That said, it does raise a question in my mind... A while back you did another great video about how different the Fender Twin and Fender Quad sound. I always thought the Fender Twin and Fender Quad were pretty similar amps to begin with, so I was kinda surprised by that, but your video was very convincing. But if, as you say, the tone mostly has to do with the speakers anyway, given that both those amps had Oxford 12t6s in them, I would expect they would sound basically the same. How do you account for the difference then? Does having 4 speakers instead of 2 make a big difference, even if you're only actually miking one of them?
Also, on another totally separate note, I second the below comment that you should sell IRs (or even a pedal if you're so inclined!) for all these amps/speakers. I'm sure tons of people would be down to pay for them and help support your channel. Speaking for myself, I'm dying to get these In Utero tones but there's just no way for me to get a Fender Quad in my tiny NYC apartment. I'd absolutely pay for some way to get these tones in my setup.
Do you think you could approximate the In Utero sound with the new Universal Audio Dream 65 pedal? I noticed that they have an "Oxford" speaker option, though I don't think it's the 12t6, and of course it's modeling a Deluxe and not a Twin... Or alternatively I was thinking of getting a real Fender Deluxe reissue and then replacing the speaker with an Oxford 12t6, but not sure how well that would work either...
If you have any other tips for guys like me who unfortunately can't get a real Fender Quad I'd love to know!
Dude!!!! This's so cool!!!!! You're awesome!!!! All your recreations are amazing!!!!
Man I wish you were around when I was still obsessed with Nirvana in high school
Love what you're playing at the start of your video
God I wish there were videos like this for Poison or Black Crowes type stuff. The fact is that the amount of research I've had to do for CC DeVille tone is unreal. And the gear is all so weird and hard to find at this point.
holy shit that tone that starts the video is epic
it’s because an amp is a saturator, while speaker is a filter. filters will always have bigger impact on the sound, but that doesn’t mean saturators have no impact at all.
One of the most helpful guitar videos i have watched thank you for this information
Learning soooo much from this channel keep up the amazing work 🔥🔥🔥
This was so informative, thank you so much!!
Been down this road at the beginning of my guitar journey and the interesting discovery I’ve made at this point is that I can show up to rehearsal with any of my different guitars, switch up my pedalboard, swap amps when mine dies, and essentially sound like me. Listening back to recordings I couldn’t differentiate probably…maybe the amp.
Not that gear doesn’t matter, but rather that when you have your own sound it seems to print through. Obviously the gear has to be appropriate etc.
The intros you make are so fucking good
Never been into re creating anyone’s tone. Agree that speakers are most significant, but amps do matter. Amps like pedals have their own sound characteristics. The amp I use on my left channel, a Fender BJ, attacks and decays faster than the Plexi on my right channel. If you look at the VU meters when recording this is obvious. Great video!
Hard agree with everything you said
1000%
Not to mention he's recreating Nirvana guitar tones, and Nirvana's sound was extremely stripped down (or so they said back in the day).
You could probably recreate Nirvana's guitar tone with a couple of guitar pedals (distortion and EQ) running straight into a power amp feeding the speakers. 🤷♂️
I really like your Vibe... Keep up the good work🙏 I will support your channel.
i just love your work man
Thanks 😀 Glad you enjoy it!
Hey Aaron have you tried the Sirui anamorphic lenses yet? I want one so bad and I also think your videos would look so cool with the anamorphic look. I feel like the super distorted edges and crazy depth of field effects would really add to the grunginess of your shots when you're filming yourself playing
ngl u r the best youtuber ik cuz like every time you upload i stop everything im doing to watch
Some of the best gear advice ever given!
Nice vids !! very instructive ! I guess it's a matter of perspectives and needs. For instance I chose to run my rig into a Black Star EL 34 because of its weight (so light...). Then I use pedals to nail my tones. But for a studio, I may go for different cab' as you suggested. Thanks again for the demonstration.
This video was eye opening and I really enjoyed watching it.
But I wonder how many Celestion 65s did you use to recreate that tone so perfectly (at 3:32 )and did you mix it with any other speaker?
If somebody else knows it your help is much appreciated 👍🏼
Think we need to wait for the next video for details on the hollygrail cab
Been playing since 1979 & it wasn't until the last 10 years that the speaker lightbulb went on in my head although I still do put importance on the amp too, but I just never realized about speakers till I owned several cabs & kind of realized by accident. Just discovered your channel today & watched several vids. Great job & quite interesting.
It's all important. Player, pick, strings, pickups, pickup height, electronics, cable, pedals, amp, speaker, preamp. Not to mention the gain staging between all these elements. The amp does matter - an Orange will not sound like a Fender (most obvious on distorted tones). Speakers are more important than some of these other elements, but the amp does matter.
Even in the box you'll come to find the key to tone is all in the impulse response. Great video really appreciate the craft
Man I really like your video production it is amazing
Awesome content, I enjoyed this one. Keep it coming.
His opinion of what "when I first started playing" means will change. I've been playing 20 years, and I'd say the first 5 years was when I first started.
Very honest video. Keep up the good work
I love your vids aron rash! You Jq guitars and nirvanaguitar inspired me to make my own channel where I post Nirvana covers!
As an amp builder I can confidently say that speakers and transformers are the majority of the tone of an amp.
The amp does make a difference to a certain degree, a tweed will sound and feel different than a train wreck. But again you can change your tone so much by switching speaker.
Saul marantz the hifi designer said “your sound is 70% your speakers”
This channel is soo dope glad I found it
Aaron. You gotta do some videos on how to build guitars. I’m currently trying to build my own accurate Cobain Jaguar. So any tips with that that i can use for my build? I also love your Ferrington. Which i also plan to build. Any tips with that?
As with any signal chain stuff, the closer you get to the end of the signal chain, the more any changes you make matter. That’s why speakers and mics/mic placement have such a big impact on the overall sound.
Please give us a studio tour
Very valid when looking for recorded tones.
I don't speak english (i'm from Argentina), but watched the whole video anyways, your videos' production are just amazing, love your channel!
PD: Sorry if it's not well written, I'm an amateur and i'm trying to write without translator
Your English is really good!
@@cryptkeeper5 Thank you! i'm trying to make it even better, i still have some mistakes, but it's all about practice
You're doing really well!
"I don't speak english"
- procede a escribir un inglés con léxico casi perfecto
Aaron when are you planning to release your own stuff? Your short sessions are amazing.
Cool video and nice cinematography. Your insight is appreciated. Speaker and cab are basically EQ so yeah, if you have the right gain structure and timbre (guitar, pickup, pedal, amp), by changing speaker you can definitely make it or break it.
I am not tech savvy on this next point, but speakers are also wattage dependent (check what Bonamassa has to say on it), so depending on how much wattage the cone can handle you are going to also change the "body" of the sound (e.g.: flabby bottom end vs solid bottom) and this is a huge component.
This said, a more precise title for this video would be " How I get my Nirvana tones". To suggest that any amp can get you ANY sound you want by switching speaker, I cannot say that it is a true statement, and could be pretty confusing for people, especially if you are not showing your chain.
Every amp has their own gain staging and eq response that gives it a certain character, no matter the speaker.
Now, you could say that you could build some sort of "all purpose" rig that lets you emulate any amp gain and eq response (check out Jim Lill) and with the right speaker you could actually get most sounds. That would be an amp modeler basically.
A cool experiment for you would be to replicate the same sound, with different amps to actually prove that you can get the same tone with different amp except speaker, and also what adjustments you would have to do to the chain in order to do so.
Finally, aside the first sound sample which was very close, your tones were not as close in terms of EQ, actually quite different (in Bloom, Lithium) even though the character of the sound was definitely there. Did you try any mic position changes or any post production? I think you could have gotten even closer.
so dope to see u here bro
@@dominic5602 😄🙏
this is wild news, thanks bro
Have you tried a Line 6 Helix? You can choose your speakers and mic placement. Would be cool to see you try to “Recreate that tone” on a Helix for comparison 🙂
Love your vids bro. What’s your main camera?
I have the same 1960 Vintage Marshall cab. The guy I bought it from switched 2 speakers from his marshall 1960 lead. which has celestion g12 speakers. This cab is an absolute beast.
What was your setup on that intro? That tone was incredible. How’d you get the reverb?
I’ve got a Line 6 Amplifi 100fx, an Epiphone Dot and a Fender Nashville Deluxe Tele. That’s all I personally need to nail any tone from Brent Mason to Russ Freeman to Zakk Wylde. Agreed, no one needs to shell out thousands of $$ in order to maximize tonal palettes. Audio technology is a wonderful thing, so long as you know how to utilize it to its potential.
That first chord goosebumps!
I always knew that the tone depends very much on the speaker, if not totally, because at the end of the whole chain from our hands and guitar and everything in the middle like effects and amp, at the end is the speaker that filters the whole sound, like applying a specific equalization that the speaker has which is really what's going on if you think about it. The tone is totally in the cone.
Very interesting video, looking forward to finding out what the holy grail cab is