Tagged: clean tone

Why clean archtop and jazz tones often translate better through amp-sims than high-gain does, and how to set levels so your DI tone sits in a mix properly.

Your comping hand controls voicing clarity, dynamics and tone more than any pedal or amp setting. Here's how I actually practise it.

Most fuzz control happens on your guitar, not the pedal face. Here's how rolling the volume knob shapes gain, gate and voicing in real time.

Why single coils choke a fuzz pedal differently to humbuckers, and how output, impedance and pick attack shape that gated, sputtering edge.

Most fuzz turns jazz voicings to mud. Here's which circuits, settings and chord shapes keep extended chords intelligible under gain.

Fuzz and archtops seem an odd pairing, but with the right circuit and touch, a hollowbody can push fuzz into genuinely musical territory.

Your overdrive can only work with what your amp gives it. Here's how to set a proper clean baseline before you stack anything on top.

A conservatory-trained session player's approach to DI'd archtop tone: gain staging, amp-sim choices and EQ moves that keep a clean jazz sound honest.

Your picking hand shapes tone more than pickups or pedals ever will. Here's how touch dynamics actually work, and how to practise them.

Why a Maj9 or a rootless voicing turns to mud under fuzz, and which chord shapes actually survive the circuit.

A jazz player's case for keeping one fuzz on the board, even if you never use it live — and which styles actually behave with a clean-toned rig.

A jazz player's guide to using overdrive pedals for subtle warmth and touch sensitivity, not distortion, on archtops and clean-toned electrics.

An archtop and a Strat don't want the same amp. Marc explains headroom, EQ voicing and why wattage matters differently for clean jazz tone.

Pickup height is one of the most overlooked adjustments on any electric guitar. Marc explains what it does to your tone, output and feel — and how to set it right.

Feedback and decay are the most misunderstood controls on any delay pedal. Marc breaks down what they actually do — and how to use them musically.

Wattage isn't just a volume number — it shapes how an amp breaks up, breathes, and responds. Marc explains what the specs actually mean.

Your guitar's volume knob isn't just an on/off switch. Marc explains how it reshapes overdrive response, cleans up dirt, and gives you a dynamic range most players leave on the table.

Your picking hand does more than keep time. Here's how subtle changes in right-hand technique directly inform which guitars, amps and pedals will actually work for you.

Where you put a fuzz in your signal chain changes how it sounds and responds. Here's how to think through the options clearly.

Recording guitar direct doesn't mean compromising on tone. Here's how to think through your DI and amp-sim signal chain and get results that hold up.

Not every amp flatters an acoustic-electric. Doug walks through what to look for — and what to avoid — when you need to amplify a plugged-in acoustic.