Sound Like Your Favorite Guitarist
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Ever tried to get your guitar to sound just like Eric Clapton's, or Carlos Santana's, or any of your other favorite guitarists, but couldn't even get close? It can be a very frustrating ordeal, especially if you don't know what type of amp, guitar, or pedals that guitarist uses. With a good ear, you can often narrow down the possibilities somewhat, but there are very few of us who can accurately tell what type of distortion unit a guitarist uses, or what gauge of strings they use, without reading it somewhere, or at least seeing their gear firsthand.
Fortunately, the web is full of sites devoted to all of your favorite guitarists, and many of these sites carry info on what guitar gear that player uses. Acoustic Guitar Magazine Online offers a resource for finding out the acoustic and archtop guitar set-ups of hundreds of the world's top guitarists. Many of the descriptions include string gauge information, microphone information, and more.
The following is a listing of direct links to information on the gear set-ups of each guitarist. Some sites are more accurate and complete than others, but each should give you some basic insight into the set-up of each artist. With a little perseverance and luck, you might be able to approximate their sound with your own equipment.
Boston - Here's a ton of info on the ton of equipment guitarist Tom Scholz uses to get the very distinct sounds that have been heard on Boston recordings since the mid 1970's.
Carlton, Larry - This good site features rather scant information on what guitars and gear the supersession guitar player uses. There is also documentation from a fan who attended one of Carlton's shows, and noted all the gear he could see.
Clapton, Eric - Part of the Eric Clapton FAQ, this page offers good documentation of Clapton's guitars; past and present. Although it doesn't go into much detail with regards to Clapton's amps and effects, it's still worthwhile.
Frehley, Ace - Taken from a spotlight in Guitar World Magazine, an article featuring the Kiss guitarist's gear. Discusses the really important aspects of Frehley's gear, like his use of smoke bombs onstage, and which ones he prefers.
Gilmour, David - This site provides a ton of information on everything about the Pink Floyd guitarist's equipment, and set-up, although it doesn't provide info on how the guitarist sets his effects. It's surprising to see how much gear Gilmour uses to get his sound. I feel sorry for his roadie!
Hammet, Kirk - This page provides a brief overview of the guitarist from Metallica's gear, including a listing of his guitars, amps, and effects. The rest of the band's equipment is also listed on the page.
Kobain, Kurt - An entire website devoted to the equipment used by the master of the haphazard guitar sound, that became one of the inspirations for the grunge movement.
Morello, Tom - From Guitar World Magazine, an interview with the Rage Against the Machine guitarist, in which he discusses extensively his gear, and his unusual uses for it.
Radiohead - Each of the band members is profiled on this Radiohead fan site; describing what sort of gear they use to create the highly unusual guitar sounds found in their recordings. The information is fairly basic, but includes some interesting insight into their concept of creating sound.
Santana, Carlos - Very thorough documentation of the guitarist's gear is provided on his official site, including info on his guitars, pedalboard, amps, and speakers. There is no info on settings provided, regarding his effects.
Satriani, Joe - In this area of Joe's official site, every aspect of the guitarist's favorite axe (which he has nicknamed "Chrome Boy") is highlighted in excrutiating detail, in annotations by his guitar tech, Gary Brawer.
Smashing Pumpkins - This site contains a simple list of the guitar gear the band uses, mostly centering around guitarist/singer Billy Corgan's equipment. Not too much information here.
Sonic Youth - This impressive site offers great documentation of what each band member plays, and is quite thorough. NOTE: July 4, 1999. The band's equipment has been reported stolen, while on tour in Orange County, California. (read the story) If you have any info, please contact Aaron Blitzstein via e-mail.
Vai, Steve - Here is a listing, from Vai's official site, of the gear he used in live settings in Vai's various bands. Focuses on effects and amps, rather than on guitars.
Van Halen, Eddie - Lots of detail about the guitarist's axes, amps, and effects. This good site goes into a rather large amountof detail, and fans will find it very useful.
Vaughan, Stevie Ray - This site has a good presentation of SRV's guitars, including pics of the guitarist with each instrument. It details pick-up info, string gauges, and more. There is brief documentation of SRV's amps, but almost no mention of any outboard effects or settings.
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