Country tone seeker

[Nevada240]

In a new band and doing everything from Zep to Mule to Floyd to country?? Yes and the tone is proving difficult for me to get, I'm guessing I need a compressor maybe. I have an old cheap one laying around that has never been used, should I try? Or can someone give me some settings to achieve that "classic" country twang tone? Thanks

 

[benderman]

Nevada I'm a country player and yes a compressor is a must in my book.Especially if you do the chicken pickin' it really evens out all the peaks.There are so many comps out there now the market now it's really flooded.If you're lookin' for something subtle you may wanna look at the Diamond Comp a lot of guys here really dig this comp.Some others are the Wampler Ego comp and The Barber Tone Press these comps have a blend knob on them where you can blend some of your origional guitar signal back in.I've been using the Wampler for a few years now and it's awesome,one of the best comps i've played.Good luck on the comp search brother!!

 

[mrpinter]

I use a Boss CS-3 and it does the job for me. In fact, when I was building a second, smaller, board I just got another Boss comp to go on it. (I think it's what Vince Gill uses on his board, and you won't find a much better country picker than him.)

 

[Nevada240]

I use a Boss CS-3 and it does the job for me. In fact, when I was building a second, smaller, board I just got another Boss comp to go on it. (I think it's what Vince Gill uses on his board, and you won't find a much better country picker than him.)

Can you give me some tips as how to set up the compressor and delay? I can tell they're using delay or something close? Thanks very much

 

[Nevada240]

I'm in a new band and they're doing some country songs and I need advice on how to deliver the tone. Im good on everything else but this is new to me, Please help, thanks!!

 

[daytonswords]

Mxr dyna comp (or something similar) a nobles odr-1 (my favorite od, $100 at proguitarshop.com and a lot of Nashville session guys use them) and a tele

 

[mrpinter]

I'm over my head here - I don't pretend to know how players like Vince Gill set their pedals. And I'm not a country picker. But I set my CS-3's attack and sustain both around 1:00 o'clock. That gives me a little bit of pop and the sustain I like. To get a country style delay sound you probably just want a little bit of slap-back (try just setting one repeat, with a moderate blend setting).

 

[Hotraman]

I play a fair amount of country/rock and like what the Wampler Paisley offers.
I have a Sarno Earth Drive on order, too.

 

[steelerboy329]

Wampler Ego Compressor
Wampler Paisley Drive
Wampler Faux Analog Echo

 

[5cent]

what kind of country sound? there are many, many sounds under the umbrella of "country". i never use a compressor, nor did Don Rich, Clarence White, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, or many other country greats.

 

[Hotraman]

Sarno Earth Drive, along with the Wampler Paisley will take you there!

 

[5cent]

i personally can't stand what a compressor does to my sound, and i play a lot of country music! twang is in the guitar's setup, and your hands; not in pedals.

 

[theanalogdream]

A good foundation is a spanky tele, and a nice clean amp with a comp and some slapback/reverb/trem and an OD for colour here and there, and you are on track.

The licks and note choices will take you there ultimately better than switching overdrive pedals...if that makes sense.

 

[Shredtrash]

I use a Wampler Ego as well. I set the sustain around 10:30 and boost the front end of my amp with the volume. That, along with some slapback delay, really makes the chicken pickin' stuff pop!

 

[Jim Moulton]

You have to know how to chickin pick first, to help you, Fender tele of some type, single coils, clean Fender amp wiith reverb, Wampler Ego Compressor, an OD pedal like the Wampler Paisley Drive. That would be top choice, Here is another approach,

bargain method, Vince Gill uses Boss CS-3, alot of pros use it. Vince's favorite guitar is a 72 Fender Tele, beat up or reliced. Vince likes a Hermida Zen Drive OD. He also likes a Boss DD3, 1 or 2 pedals, and he sounds great,

That's all
Jim

 

[benderman]

Hey Nevada I usually use a slow attack on my compressor this lets the notes come thru and it does'nt actually kill the dynamics.On the Wampler I blend some of my origional signal back in.I don't use a ton of compression just enough so I know it's there.And like the guys said above tone is in the hands for sure. And as for delay i'm using the Wampler Analog Echo for slapback for the country chicken pickin' stuff,I don't use any repeats for my slapback at all.To me it get's pretty cluttered with repeats I like the slapback to be nice and tight sounding.Hope this helps helps brother!!

 

[Capador]

I'm a country player as well. The bare essentials are the right amp and guitar. Check out JD Simo, awesome country tone with a Tele straight into a Fender Deluxe....no pedals necessary. With the wrong guitar and amp, it could end up being an uphill battle if you are after classic country tone. If you are in a cover band and need to get a variety of tones, check out Dr.Z. He is an incredibly popular amp maker for country guys, especially crossover players who are doing the "modern country" thing. His amps still have the brightness and attack you need for country tone, but can get very "rock" with the right overdrives.

As far as pedals, a compressor is a very good idea. It is the best way to get that evenness, richness, dynamics and sustain at low volume clean tones. The sound of the compressor has become a hallmark of country tone as well, so certain things may just not sound "right" without one. Compressor selection is important and should be thought out. Not all compressors are the same, largely because people use them for such a variety of tasks. Country is usually associated with the " very squished" tone certain compressors can get and others can't. The diamond, for instance, is recognized as being a much better "thickener/fattener" than a "squisher". While the opposite is true of something like a dyna-comp. Then again, having more than one compressor on your board is not unheard of, especially for a country player. Just FYI, most of the players I know/have seen in nashville use keeley or boss.

delay is not necessary and any TS style overdrive will do.

 

[sabby]

what kind of country sound? there are many, many sounds under the umbrella of "country". i never use a compressor, nor did Don Rich, Clarence White, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, or many other country greats.

It took me a while to figure out that all of my favorite country sounds were uncompressed. A compressor with a clean blend or low compression ration can be a great boost, but the squished twang is a sound I associate with the direction I wish country never took. For the rocking Americana (which I'm guessing you may be headed towards from the bands you listed) I'd guess that compression is not needed. Fuzz, though. You need fuzz.