BIG R's Tone Tips - Unclutter Your Signal Path

Jammin'


Listen. Here is something to think about. When you hear your favorite guitarist, just what are you hearing? Usually, the artist is using a straight guitar into amp setup. Not a lot of cords, tuners etc. running between the different parts of the setup. Effects OTHER than distortion are usually run through after the initial recording in the final mix. Extra cords/pedals in the way of your guitar and amp create signal loss and noise.

Here are some tips to help clean this up:

1. Keep cords to a minimum, and as short as possible.

  • This will help prevent signal loss, and errant hums in your rig. It will also help keep your pickups loud and crisp.

    2. Decide which gear you REALLY need, and draw a diagram to plot out cord lengths.

  • Do this for various venue scenarios (large, medium, small), keeping all cords as short as possible.
  • Do this for your external speaker cabinets as well.
  • Keep all cords in your gig kit so you don't get caught short!

    3. Don't be cheap!

  • Spend the money ONCE to get high-quality cords. You won't have the unpleasant experience of being on stage and having one of them short out. Stopping the set to either fix or swap it out really sucks. (I had to learn this the hard way!)

    I have done this to my rig, and it has really made a difference! Most noise disappeared, and by keeping the cords short, my "cord nest" on stage and in the studio has disappeared as well. No more tripping on those loose cords!


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