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Guitar Metal Tone - 7 Tips To Get Heavy Tone For Your Instrument

So you may have learned to play guitar, but you really want a nice guitar metal tone. With a guitar tone that sounds truly metal, only then will you be able to shred and play breakdowns with confidence.

To achieve a nice rounded guitar metal tone, there are a number of very slight adjustments and variations that need to be made to your guitar and your equipment. Here are 7 tips to get the metal tone on your guitar that you want.

1. You need a guitar that is made for playing metal.

Guitars that are built for fast action and finger movement are very good for playing music of the metal genre. Electric guitar brands like Jackson, Schecter, and Ltd. supply lots of natural guitar metal tone.

2. Play with amplifiers that supply generous amounts of distortion with high wattage.

Marshall-style amplifiers supply good amounts of distortion with lots of wattage for clarity. However, refrain from boosting the distortion levels to 10 since that will only create white noise that is not very pleasing to hear.

3. Make slight boosts to the high and low ends on the amplifier.

By adding some low and high tone on your amplifier, you'll allow your instrument to cut through the mixes better in order to give a really crunchy metal tone. Don't cut out the mid-range completely however. You want your tone to retain weight from all sound ranges.

4. Try metal-zone and overdrive distortion pedals.

Companies are making guitar pedals just for this type of guitar tone. Read some online reviews on guitar metal tone pedals before purchasing however to make sure they will supply the distortion that you really want.

5. Adjust the tone knobs on your guitar.

A small adjustment on your instrument can make the difference between a good and bad guitar metal tone. Make sure your tone knobs are cranked all the way to maximum to ensure a strong and clean attack on every note.

6. Use compressor pedals or rack pieces for an extra punch.

Some metal guitarists like a lot of punch on stage and so they'll use compressors. Try a compression pedal or rack piece to give more bite to your attacks.

7. Use thicker guitar picks.

As minuscule as this tip appears, using softer or more flexible guitar picks can actually soften the sound of your guitar tone. Try thicker guitar picks in order to create harder hitting notes when playing metal riffs.

There are, of course, other things that can be done in order to get a great metal tone for your guitar, but these can get you started. Remember, that even though a metal tone uses distortion, do not over do it to the point of creating something ugly for your fans.

About the Author

For more information on how to get a guitar metal tone and other fast guitar tips, visit How To Guitar Tune.

What's a good guitar pedal?

I already have a Boss Metal Zone Distortion.

but i was thinking of just buying a good overdrive pedal also could someone give me a good brand and cost thanx

BOSS Super OverDrive SD-1 (Around $50)
Shown here:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Boss-SUPER-OverDrive-SD1-Pedal?sku=151339

Here are some helpful reviews/demos:

But I would really reccomend the Big Muff for a nice 70s rocking tone, although it has a lot of feedback/hum:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ElectroHarmonix-USA-Big-Muff-Pi-DistortionSustainer-Pedal?sku=153314

Review/demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4BaNfMAWpk

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