Joe Bonamassa: how to get 10 sounds from a Les Paul using just the knobs and pickups
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- For tabs and text of this video lesson, see the March 2022 issue of Guitar World -
bit.ly/GW2020w
TALES FROM NERDVILLE by Joe Bonamassa
LES TALK
The 10 sounds of a Les Paul
In this first lesson from his new Guitar World column, Joe Bonamassa talks about the 10 or so different sounds that one can get out of a Gibson or Epiphone Les Paul, simply by manipulating its electronic controls.
#JoeBonamassa #LesPaul 
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I think it's helpful to mention that 50s wiring is important to getting these tones...this makes the volume & tone controls more interactive and you don't lose that top end sparkle when rolling the volume back. Play this way with a loud amp and you will see what all the fuss is about. Great video - Joe is the master.
Bingo!
I rewired standard to 50s wiring and what an improvement,, wow.
Also..... using a full volume amplifier you can't get that at bedroom volume
@@aaronbrown0417 💯💯💯
@@aaronbrown0417 The way to get around that is to play with a clean bedroom amp, put a low-gain transparent overdrive like the Morning Glory in front of it and then put a boost in front of that (treble boosters sound awesome). Then you'll be able to mimic the feel of a cranked amp and still have the ability to clean up with your volume knobs.
So I am not a guitar player, but am a musician, did some time on the road, and a teacher. This was awesome for helping me understand why guitar players are such geeks about their sound and how their amps are amplified, etc. Wow! I mean I knew, but I really didn’t know and this really helped this novice understand some things on a different level. Thank you!
This applies to any twin humbucker setup. Each guitar with it's own unique pallette of tone. Thank you for that demo. Simple and informative.
No, more suited toward a les Paul. Sorry
I love the middle position on dual humbucker equipped guitars. It’s a pity that a lot of RUclipsrs don’t demo that on their reviews. Both of your tones show how good this sounds and the sound around the 3:18 min mark with the neck on full and bridge dialed back is a fave of mine.
Greetings from NZ 🎸🤘
Couldn't agree more. There is so much tone and versatility that can happen from the middle position. Cheers, mate!
Hello from Sydney.
Thx Joe. I saw you in concert at Long Beach Arena. You rocked it!👍😊🎸🎶
wow this is awesome...really appreciate this. Rock on Joe!!
Thanks Joe and Guitar World that was helpful.
Great lesson. Very informative!
2:30 - That is my favorite way to dial in a LP for most things. Great rhythm and phrasing tones and by flipping to the bridge only you get the searing leads with highs aplenty to cut through. The middle position with the neck volume dialed back a bit is also great with fuzz pedals. I've wired my Jazzmaster like a Les Paul in order to get the same setup. Works so well in a live situation.
Great video. Beautiful guitar
Cool!! That was fun. Thanks Joe.
Great lesson
Nice lesson from a great player
Best sounding Supro I've ever heard on one of these videos!
I love that middle position with tone at 2 for the neck and tone at 10 for the bridge.
(:
I really like the back to basics approach of this video which is designed to remind people that the guitar itself is a very dynamic device. We can theorize about the pickup types and the wiring and all the rest of it but the key issue here is use the knobs more and don't just rely on the effects pedals to do it for you...
Thanks for the lean tips, Joe!
Thanks!
My favorite feature is that, apparently, the more you turn it up, the faster you can play.
I'd love to see the amp setting for this video. Thanks so much - great vid!
Thanks Joe. Appreciate this. =)
There's nothing quite like the sound of a Gibson Les Paul, especially in the hands of a maestro.
this is so good it's put me off picking my guitar up ever again
Hey jw, i have a new 2023 Gibson Les Paul std. 60’s. I loved the Unburst & 60s neck profile, was Not really a fan of stock 61’ Burstbuckers (Alnico 5’s, on multimeter both read approx around 7.5k installed from factory).
I recently had a set of Seymour duncan Slash 2.0 Alnico 2 pro’s installed in my 2023 60’s Gibson les paul standard. (Note i like slash but i got pickups due to what tone i liked best that i felt was what i wanted in my LP to sound like & this set seemed to scatch my itch (loud, little but not overally grittier, rich tone on Slash 2.0’s).
After Slash 2.0’s were installed they read 8.6ish on neck & and 9.36k on bridge (advertised as 8.8 neck/9.38 bridge, but was told the pots eat some of the resistance so id only get that exact reading by testing pickups by themselves/directly to multimeter..also jw if true)?. But Main thing i’ve noticed…overall like tone much better..but it feels like i can work with Vol knob to about 7 then lower then 5 is very very quiet , and same with neck knob pot), the sweep seems to be less then my SG & i think i would have noticed if the 61 BB’s had such a lack of sweep. Would higher outpout of different humbuckers effect vol/tone knobs?? I know i have 50 style wiring and i saw him peel back a braided wire and solder it to like top corner of each Vol Cap , let it dry and was basicslly done (aside from small reset up). Does all that sound nomal or should i look into any trouble shooting…installion or pots wise( all i know is 50s style with orange drop caps and i believe 500k pots). Thanks would love any input on lack of sweep on knobs since swap most lol
I like hearing Mark Knopfler playing his les paul.
I like hearing him play any guitar, tbh.
I searched best Les Paul tone and this video came up on top. As soon as I saw Joes face I was like obviously. Why wouldn’t i expect that.
This was great, many people here are complementing the guitar tone and settings, but I have to say that the Supro amp sounds superb!
A Les Paul through a Supro is pure magic!
@@mikewilkinson694 One day I might get one Supro amp. I've bought some equipment, mainly pedals and a couple of guitars in this past year, and I need to save some money now. 😁
The man is unbelievable !
I just got my first Les Paul(s) at age 54. I’ve been playing Strats since I was 13.
I think I’m gonna put the Strats away for now and delve the music and players of the Les Paul.
I got a late 60’s to early 70’s LP Custom Black Beauty, an 00’-60’ LP Classic, a 58’ LPJ. Oh, and a 89’ Flying V 90.
Huge turn !? Strats do their own thing. But short scale is better for my fingers and bending strings are easier.
Stratos are much more durable or Teles. If you drop them nothing bad happens but with LesPauls, tears...
@kipponi when I was a teen I had one of my strats fall off the wall mount onto a hard wood floor. Dang thing was still in tune. No chips or any damage.
Missed one of the coolest ones! While in middle position, roll back the tone knob for the bridge pickup and have remaining three knobs on 10, get a cool nasal almost out of phase like sound.
definitely gonna try that! every day's a school day it seems, cheers
@@matthewtucker1699 For sure! Def big part of why I love guitar, always something cool or new to learn and try. Cheers!
To me, it sounds like it just takes a bit of edge off, but definitely a favorite setting for me, too.
Have the guitarist in the band set up with
neck full up vol tone rolled a bit
Bridge vol back to 7 tone at 7 too
This is the standard set up
Then when you flip to lead you still have a step from there
Keeps middle position clean too
Obviously they get moved throughout songs
But usually go back to those positions
Thanks! Your the Number one of my inspiration along with all the great blue celebrities! Thanks for helping keep the blues alive and always reinventing yourself! Thank you :-)
Bravo ...
YOU ARE AWESOME JOE!
That’s just an impeccable sounding rig.
The man's a beast. Love him!
I just bought a new Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s and it's just as perfect as an electric guitar can get. Love Joe B! Monster player, super nice dude!
@@Midnightmidway yeah so heavy that I brought it back and got a great 335 instead
Until your headstock snaps off.
@@zeronine-eightyfour and if that accidentally happens, I get it repaired..not a big deal. I've owned les pauls before and never broke one headstock..played clubs all over and don't baby these guitars at all. I don't let any miniscule chance of damage stop me from owning my favorite guitar ever made.
@@sixslinger9951 I worked in the past at a guitarstore, it was so extremely common. and I never understood why didnt didnt use a volute or maple necks to prevent it. Gibson is so much held back by "Traditions" it isnt even funny anymore.
@@zeronine-eightyfour Gibson tried to mess with tradition under previous CEO and it didn't work out so well...now they are back building guitars the traditional way and selling them as fast as they can make them. People want Les Paul's obviously and aren't really that concerned with the small risk of breaking them. You can damage and break ANY GUITAR, not just Les Pauls.
Nice sounding Supro. Do we know which model ?
“Reaching deep into your soul”. This is it.
I'd love to see Joe B. do a video on how he personally sets up his les paul pickups
Me too
Try out the middle with the neck tone at 10 and bridge at 0. Gives you an interesting "warble", especially if you have your amp a little past break up. Sounds a little like the tone Jay Graydon got on "Peg" to me.
Awesome player, awesome collector. JB is one of the greatest of the modern era
Nice one my friend .....who needs pedals !!
Would love you do that on a Fender FM 212. Could you?
Can someone explain to me how when he turns the volume knob it just changes the clean vs distortion and doesn’t seem to have a huge loss of volume?
Didn't even think of many of those examples, my treble pup all the way up, only toggle up to front pup on various levels, I gotta try more of what a Paul can do!
burstbuckers in a les paul were designed for vol and tone control effecting sound
aggressive when pushing amp or bell sweet butter tones when turned down
A really great demo of a vintage guitar. Is there another Bonamassa video like this using a modern 'affordable' Les Paul and valve amp?
there's footage of him playing an epiphone
I would love to know what the Amp was dialed into- just a quick shot of the controls?
Most of the key, is it being blisteringly loud
Which Supro amp exactly?
Exactly.
Great, now I know what them buttons on my Les Paul is for! If I only could learn how to play it properly 😝
I guess Joe also has 50s wiring. That has a huge impact on the higher tones in this demo.
Which Is the set up for the amp??🤔🤔
Amazing playing as always Joe. This is such a cool lesson 🎸🔥
There's gotta be something more to this. Adjusting the knobs on my Les Paul doesn't change much but volume. Does the Amp need certain settings to make rolling the guitar knobs have this much affect!?
Nope, it actually works unless your sound has too much gain then it's less effective.
Oh wow man.😃
Wow. My front pickup does NOT have that poppy, airy, open tone at all. Even with adjusting the height up and down to find “my” spot. I can haz Joe’s front pickup tone???
that's what those knobs are for?! dang. gonna pull my gold top out of the case today and see if mine works like that. thank you.
To control the brightness.
I've repaired guitars for close to 20 years and have been working as an amp tech for a few less. One of my favorite things in this context is when I convince players, especially ones that have been playing for years and years to start to use their tone controls. I had a guy with a Tele he bought new in the 70s that he bought it in now and then got setups. He loved playing it but always felt something just wasn't there tone wise. The pickups in it weren't great; the bridge was spikey and underpowered and the neck pickup was really dark. I finally convinced him to replace them.
I just took the entire pickguard and all the electronics out and swapped it for a set of Toneriders (personally I find that they're great on their own let alone that they're about $100/set), and gave him a 4-way switch for that neck/bridge in series sound.
He never used his tone control, or neck pickup for that matter. He had the same experience that makes others never use the tone pot: they buy their first guitar, try the tone control and find that it has 3 settings; open all the way, a little warmer and finally dark and unusable. Personally I find most tone controls use capacitors that are just too high in their values: I like vintage humbuckers with 0.22uf/bridge and 0.15/neck, and single coils between .22 or .33.
Another problem is people are used to using them dimed and when they decide "well, let's see if I can do something with the tone control," they roll down. I always suggest going the other way, cutting just makes it seem like they just get muddy (I just think it's something with how we hear that makes us favor high-end and upper-mids). I always suggest starting with the tone all the way down and work your way up. On a guitar I'm not familiar with I have it rolled down to 1, then play a note up at the 7th or 8th fret on the high E or B string and slowly roll until that muffled note starts to ring, it's not something that's hard to make out, it's REALLY apparent. I used to play with the tone all the way up and maybe once in a while down to 7 or 8. When I start down at 1 and do it this way, I usually end up playing with the tone set between 3.5 and 6 (amp dialed in), then maybe go to 7 or 8 if I want some bite. And I always have more room to go if I need it.
The guy with the Tele ended up loving it and brought the rest of his guitars to be setup similar. I've NEVER had anyone go back to always diming the tone. A side effect I also find is that many will tell me that after a year or so their pedalboard shrinks because they find that some of the gain or preamp pedals get rendered redundant, using other ones and adjusting their tone and volume controls not only do the same thing, but are better controlled through the guitar's controls.
So if you want to try to start using your tone control: start with it all the way down and work your way out. It's a much easier way to dial it in.
*Sometimes another issue is with the pot's taper: it has too much roll-off or hot spots. Sometimes it's worth spending a little more for a pot with a better ratio.
Intro song ?
GuitarWorld please tell us what model Supro!!!!!
I second that, what amp is it?
Seen this guy live in Austin; great show!
If I want to hear my Les Paul’s natural tones, would I set my amp to ‘Clean’? I’ve got a Line 6 with tons of presets and effects, so I’m not sure how to get the natural sound of the Les Paul.
A line 6 is a digital amp so when you set your preset to clean then that is what its gonna stay at. Look up what a tube amp is if you dont already know. A tube amp would show what the real natural sound of your guitar is.
Damnit, I didn’t even know to look for a tube amp. Now I need one, thanks!
@@derekirish5121 Ignore the above. Tone is 90% amplifier, it's as simple as that. They all have different wiring, different tubes - that's the whole damned point. Even if the percentage is slightly different, tone always = guitar + amp, leaning heavily towards the amp. The only way to discern 'natural tone', if you're looking at 3 identical LPs, is to play them unplugged. You're looking for resonant tonewoods.
If you're at the stage of your playing journey where you're happy with a modelling amp and don't know what a tune amp is, stick where you're comfortable. There's no rush.
@@derekirish5121 I would tell you to ignore Callum's comment for the most part. Other than that tone is 50 percent amp and 50 percent guitar you plug into it. That is as well considering you plug your guitar into a tube amp. It doesnt matter what guitar you plug into your line 6 because it has all preset effects. Watch some youtube videos about tube amps compared to digital amps and make your own opinion on whether you want one or not. I started off with a line 6 now you couldnt pay me to plug into one over a tube amp.
@@frazilly1 Lmfao, utter snobbery and drivel. The 'apart from', by the way, constitutes quite nearly my entire argument. If 'every guitar sounds the same' through a Line then 'every guitar' will sound exceptionally similar through tube amps. You need only watch one of the many Andertons blindfold challenges to support that claim. 'Effects' are not a part of the amplification process, and thus this argument is non sequitur.
Despite the wild inaccuracies of your further claims, they have nothing to do with the original discussion, which was the 'natural tone' of an electric guitar. This cannot be achieved via any amplifer, because the tone is predominantly created by the amplifier. You're arguing for the sake of arguing, and nobody gives half a fuck about whether or not you'd use a Line 6.
My favorite Bonamassa quote: (points to control knobs) "These are on here for a reason."
Makes me wonder about pedals and all that.
Description mentions march issue of 2022, I guess this is not out yet in January?
Yes.
Problem with some modern Les Paul's (or equivalent), particularly cheaper models, is that the pickups don't have the clarity and the controls aren't effective enough to do this.
Even my PRS S2 McCarty 594 struggled until I upgraded the electronics.
Best upgrade you can make to a dual Humbucker guitar is to fit new pots and pickups (do pots first as often they're the big issue and are cheaper) and make the guitar brighter sounding. You can get rid of brightness with tone pots, you can't add it in without active EQ!!
Did you do the 50's wiring mod? I've heard that mod fixes the treble loss/muddy sound what you usually get when you roll down the volume.
You can add a bit brightness (or remove a bit) by simply adjusting the distance between each string and the pole screws in a pickup. Increasing the distance by a quarter turn or so will roll off a little bit of the brightness while decreasing the distance will add a little bit of brightness. The changes are subtle so, don't expect huge differences. Larger changes in pole screw height will also increase or decrease the output of the correlating string(s). So, if you don't want to change the overall output of your pickup but, want to adjust the individual output of a string or two, adjusting the string's correlating pole screw is how its done. Its a great way to deep tweak a pickup's tonal characteristics that a lot of players don't ever think about. Cheers!
Knobs and selectors: "They put them here for a reason and they do work…" Yup!
It's interesting that Joe plays mainly Gibson's these days. A lot of footage I see of him younger he is playing teles and starts.
I read that someone came up to Joe after a gig and told him he sounded just like SRV. That kinda pushed him towards the Les Paul.
Just casually jamming on a $75,000 guitar. What a legend.
A les paul is a les paul. The artificial worth we assign to vintage guitars doesn't make this particular one special
@@ileutur6863 correct, i can take a Les paul Epiphone log creation , and make it sound nice
If you can find a 57 gold top for 75k buy it fast!
@@ileutur6863 this. Any PAF type pickup, into an eq to balance the pickup output, then into a screamer,with 0 gain and 100 volume, and finally into an amp, will sound amazing.
It's way more about playing the amp and gain staging than it is the value of a piece of wood with a name on a head stock.
I'm a drummer originally yet I understand that volume and tone controls are there for a reason yet all my guitar friends think that volume control is a on/off switch and the tone controls are there to make the guitar look cool. Oh, and the neck pickup Is there to add more weight to the guitar. They are talented musicians but never changed the settings and use bridge pickups only! And they say drummers are the dumb ones!
Past my sixties in age and I agree. I keep wondering why some people rabbit on about amp "tone", when a twist of a knob and a flick of a switch on the guitar itself can radically alter the sound.
I learned this for myself with a cheap Teisco-type guitar in the 70's. I didn't even have an amp. I tried the phono input on my stereo but settled with hacking an old school supply kind of 5" reel-to-reel tape recorder that had a valve amp. I liked making it distort, LOL.
Subscribed Nice
Take the hardware and electronics, put them in a tele, strat, semi-hollow etc. body and it will sound identical to the LP.
Is there a big difference in the wiring 50's vs modern?
Obviously yours is 50"s
Being vintage..
What amp does he use?
Supro amp. He said it.
stud...
I just dropped my Les Paul…that makes 11
Check out Chris Buck’s channel!
They need to add a “Joe’s fingers” knob.
Joe mentioned the pups were the primitive 1957 kind, would anybody take those pups outing exchange themwith others?
You be lowering the value by $10k by snipping those wires, but you could do it.
there is no way I would touch a thing on that classic! listen how perfect it sounds 65 years later! Of course it helps having Joe play it but still!
Try doing this with a Strat .
So…my guess is the volume
On that amp is set to…pretty damn loud!
I was thinking the same thing. Supros only overdrive when you have them cranked. Plus, it's Joe, so you know it's loud!
He said. That is why it is behind couch to dampen volume.
So simple thou almost impossible for most other guitars 🤷🏼
Joe, You have opened many musical doors for me. I can only say, "Thanks, Man!"
Well a 57 might sound pretty darn good no matter what you do lol
Put gibson pickups and wiring in a nice epi lp and your set for 1000
Ok kids, now go try these tips at home with your own '57 Goldtop.
This seems complicated. Why not just buy 10 expensive pedals instead?
lol
Because a single pedal can do more than anything performed here
"just the knobs and pickups" And a Supro amp. Which one? My Les Paul does not distortion or fuzz or overdrive at all.
Alternate title. 5 different sounds and 5 sounds that sound like the first five that can be done on any guitar with 2 volume 2 tone knobs. I know that’s not catchy but it’s honest
That's great if you own a real Les Paul. The rest of us who have Epiphones or PRS SEs have to deal with crappy volume and tone pots that go from 0-10 immediately with nothing in between.
You have to keep in mind Joe's playing LOUD. A great deal of what you can do with volume pot manipulation doesn't really apply at bedroom volume--as you say, it's basically on/off. Once you crank your amp up to its sweet spot, you open up a whole new world of tones with fairly subtle changes. As for your tone knob, any humbucker-equipped guitar should be able to give you a serviceable Woman tone (or tones) at minimum. If it's really a problem, then that's a cheap mod. If that doesn't fix it but you still like your guitar's playability, then you can also swap out pickups.
You could replace them with quality pots. Just saying.
I think is the first time I hear Joe sounding good with a Les paul
who needs effects anyway?
the knobs do work eh?
Yeah a great guitar into a great amp, find a tone.... bam
and some people say that a LP is a one trick pony . . .
Mine goes to eleven.
Doesn't he have a signature Epiphone though?
Yes.
I thought Les Pauls went to eleven??
This is super dependent on the quality of pickups, alot of cheaper 2 conductor humbuckers are inherently "muddy" and wont sound like much of anything without the tone knob at 10, the wiring style can also play factors into this, the 50's style wiring allows alot more variance to the pots, tends to be brighter, and clearer, not sure why, but thats been my experience.
10 different sounds you can get out of a Lp that is bright......and from 1957
Too much to remember lol