# Getting that crisp and clear perfect clean guitar tone...from an electric?



## wammy_bar (Dec 5, 2008)

how do you go about getting tone like this in a recording?

 the tone in the beginning

I have heard tone like it in lots of other songs too. how do you get it to shimmer like that? I have even heard this tone where it was confirmed as an electric guitar playing, not even an acoustic. ugh. what kinds of eq, compression, mic positions, amp settings are needed? I have a rectoverb so at least there's a nice tube amp to work with.


how?


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## Elysian (Dec 5, 2008)

i think the most important part of getting that tone is Andy Sneap at the soundboard 


its probably just him on his emg neck pickup, with a decent clean channel, not a lot to it, its a pretty basic simple clean tone...


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## newamerikangospel (Dec 5, 2008)

Im unable to listen to the clip at work, but most of the clean, shimmering clean guitar tones come from D.I.ing your guitar tone, either after a chorus pedal, or Pure in, then chorus"ed" via VST plugins/rack equipment.

If you are running a POD/emulator, turn off cab modeling, and run your eq as flat as possible (I usually stay in +/- 4db of eq on the input), then may boost the 2-2.5khz range for the "plinky"/piezo type sound.


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## JoryGriffin (Dec 6, 2008)

I have this same problem. Getting a nice 'JANGLY' clean.


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 6, 2008)

To be honest, that sounds like the steel string acoustic guitar tone that Malmsteen got on his first album, Rising Force. Especially on Icarus Dream Suite. If I knew what it was I'd probably have one by now. 

It's probably a 12 string.

EDIT: Check out 2:28 on this video:


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## JoryGriffin (Dec 6, 2008)

^^ That's insane if that's electric and not a piezo

I'd love to be able to get a convincing acoustic sound. Thanks for that


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 6, 2008)

JoryGriffin said:


> ^^ That's insane if that's electric and not a piezo
> 
> I'd love to be able to get a convincing acoustic sound. Thanks for that



It's not. It's just a certain acoustic guitar. Malmsteen doesn't use piezo pickups in his strats. If I knew what guitar it was I'd probably have one by now. It sounds a lot like a dulcimer actually.


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## Espaul (Dec 6, 2008)

I think you're not able to get that clean from either of those clips without piezo-pickups.

Both of those clips where probably recorded with acoustics :/


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## ILdÐÆMcº³ (Dec 8, 2008)

That sounds like an acoustic to me too. I don't think you are going to get that with an electric no matter what you do.


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## shadowgenesis (Dec 8, 2008)

there's a lot of things that can make it sound like that. One of the most common and often overlooked techniques is double-tracking. I don't think that's a twelve string, but those arpeggiated chords are either double-tracked and/or use a chorus pedal. And i'm 95&#37; sure it's acoustic, not electric. You can tell by the attack more than anything.

and single coil pickups help on electric. I, personally, have never gotten an articulate clean sound out of humbucker pickups in standard series mode. Some humbuckers get great clean tone in parallel or coil-tapped mode.


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## Pod_Lover (Dec 9, 2008)

It is possible to get that tone from a clean guitar.

I use my POD XT to get similar tones.

You just gotta dial in the correct combo!


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## darren (Dec 9, 2008)

There's almost certainly acoustic 12-string layered in that Nevermore track.


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## stuh84 (Dec 9, 2008)

That is an acoustic, no question, thats basically what a 12 string acoustic would sound like.


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## eleven59 (Dec 9, 2008)

That is definitely a 12-string acoustic, could tell immediately. There may be some clean electric layered in behind, but that's 90&#37; acoustic at the very least, right up until the heavy part.


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## Mattayus (Dec 9, 2008)

Yeah no emulation on earth can make that raspy woody tone so authentic IMO. Electric cleans sound like electric cleans, and emulation seems pointless when you can just use an acoustic in the studio. And yeah, this certainly sounds like a 12 string. Man I gotta get me one...



Pod_Lover said:


> It is possible to get that tone from a clean guitar.
> 
> I use my POD XT to get similar tones.
> 
> You just gotta dial in the correct combo!



Do you work for Line 6?  What is this shit?! It's like your 3rd ever post and they've all been bigging up the PodXt


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## newamerikangospel (Dec 10, 2008)

Wow, I just listened to the original posts vid/aud clip, and yes that is a 12 string mixed in there. I hear a 12 string double tracked, left right (maybe a duel mic setup) and (maybe) an electric "jazz" type sound (bright yet muffled, dont know how to describe it) mixed lightly up the middle, a little farther back. Layering and Eq will be your best friend, as well as for acoustics, multi micing also helps.


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## ZeroSignal (Dec 10, 2008)

I found a great sound if you play a clean electric, acoustic, bass and grand piano at the same time. It sounds amazing. 

7:35 in this clip is what I'm talking about but it has distorted guitar in it. If I can get my keyboard working with my PODxt you can expect this kind of action coming up soon.


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## Pod_Lover (Dec 10, 2008)

Mattayus said:


> Do you work for Line 6?  What is this shit?! It's like your 3rd ever post and they've all been bigging up the PodXt



LOL, no, but I wish I did!! 

Yeah, maybe I should tone down [no pun intended] the POD praising.

Sorry dudes.


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## stuh84 (Dec 10, 2008)

Pod_Lover said:


> LOL, no, but I wish I did!!
> 
> Yeah, maybe I should tone down [no pun intended] the POD praising.
> 
> Sorry dudes.



Might be an idea, because do enough of it and you'll have me as your antichrist, doing nothing but bash the POD


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## Pod_Lover (Dec 11, 2008)

stuh84 said:


> Might be an idea, because do enough of it and you'll have me as your antichrist, doing nothing but bash the POD



LOL!!!

 YESSIR!!!

I'll keep quiet.


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