It used to be pretty simple to record guitar. All you needed was an SM57 shoved directly into the center of a speaker and hit the record button. But over the last 70 or so years of amplified guitars, a lot has changed.
Granted, this method works well even today. Few pro tracking engineers would deny the Shure 57 - or the tons of knock-offs like it - are still part of their guitar miking strategy. But with evolution and advancements in sound technology, the opportunities to track and craft a unique guitar sound are really endless. And this is where we start.
WARNING
You should know before starting this journey that there is really no secret recipe for recording guitar. If you are looking for one, you won’t find it. This is because there are so many variables to the process, and each of them very impacting, so it can be both a frustrating and very satisfying experience at the same time.
Recording guitar, depending on your goal, may also be somewhat costly. Just as a singer may prefer a specific - and usually very expensive - microphone, your recorded “sound” may require some very specific mics, a Digital Audio Converter (DAC) with more than two pre-amps, Direct-In (DI) and Re-amp boxes, etc.
Of course much of this gear is found in any pro studio, but being somewhat of a control freak, and given the cost of renting a professional studio today, I prefer to have my sound ready before I track, which means I need to have at least the basics in my home studio.
You should assume your Engineer is not able to help you define your sound in the studio. They move mics, ensure levels are appropriate, and can do some magic on the post-production end, but only you know your sound. Don’t get me wrong, if you need more crunch or bass response, they should know how to achieve it through miking. And some Engineers are real pros at developing a sound. Just plan on that not being the case until you are working with them in the studio.
In the end of the day, only you are responsible for crafting how to capture your guitar. The days of lazy, entitled guitarists are lone gone. Showing-up to a studio unprepared and expecting engineers to fix everything for you will result in delays, and not the good kind, more cost, frustration, and disappointment.
SO MANY GUITARS
When a guitarist begins their life-long journey, they usually start with a specific guitar. They watch a Van Halen video or listen to a Led Zeppelin song and the itch to become a great guitarist begins.
The type of guitar and the sound it produces is the first and most important variable in the guitar recording process. And with so many guitars today being built like hybrids of their original design, like Telecasters with high gain humbuckers, it is easy to overgeneralize when defining them. So let’s be very specific, starting with pickups.
Pickups - The two primary pickups on guitars are Single Coil and Double Coil (humbucker). Singles tend to be brighter. The P90 is also a single coil, but it has a lot more copper winding and strikes a good balance between a single and a double. The type of pickup you prefer and the position of the pickup whether in the bridge or neck position will help define your sound. For recording purposes, you cannot expect to achieve a Tony Iommi sound from a Telecaster with single coils.
And of course there are a ton of other variables when it comes to guitar like the nut, fretboard wood, solid/semi-hollow/hollow body, neck and body wood, resistors, capacitors, potentiometers, bridge design, etc. all of this adds to your sound. But nothing impacts tone like your pickups. It has been my experience the guitarist who knows what a particular guitar sounds like, and why, yet prefers another, has put in the work to define their sound and is likely going to be the best prepared to record it.
AMPS AND CABINETS
Many amps today are either very specific, they have a signature sound, or they are somewhat of a chameleon and can reproduce a wide range of sounds. For example, a Marshall Plexi-type sound is very specific. Like the Fender Bassman that was its launching point. That punchy, over-driven, and very raw guitar sound has many slight variations that are impacted by bass/mid/treble, gain, tubes, etc. but in the end of the day, it’s a Plexi. Not unlike the Vox AC and Orange designs which again began their roots in powerful, clean amplification.
Then there are amps like Mesa, H&K, Bogner, Engl, Diezel, etc. that all have their roots in one or more types of sound. The moral of the story here is there are a lot of different amps to choose from, and many of them can sound very similar with the right combination of gear. Given the variety of guitar recordings, amps are usually employed in similar ways to our guitar predecessors. It’s pretty rare a particular guitar sound is considered unique today.
But an amp is really nothing without a speaker. After all, in most cases you cannot even hear an amp without a speaker. Which brings us to the amazing variety of cabinets.
The typical cabinet is either open or closed back. If the cabinet is ported, it is considered open. Closed cabinets are nearly air tight which due to the limited flow of air that can be supplied to the speaker as it moves in and out, tend to sound very tight. Compared to an Open cabinet that typically supplies the cone all of the air it needs to move in and out to its maximum ability which results in a less tight and more smooth, resonant sound.
Closed cabinets are usually the choice for guitarists who require a quick attack and very manageable sustain which is typical in Rock or Metal. While Open cabinets provide a more rich and deeper bass response due to the additional air supplied to the speaker.
And let’s not forget about the driver itself, the speaker. The Bassman started its popularity with 10” drivers, and it continues today. The 12” cone, however, is the most common speaker form factor. But while speaker form factor is really not much of an option for guitarists, the frequency response it produces very much is and considered to be one of the most critical components to a guitarists sound.
Without going into much detail here, generally speaking, Celestion speakers are a mainstay of most guitarists. My preference is the punchy Vintage 30. A very reminiscent version of the Bassman 10” coil to my ears. But many guitarists prefer other models like the Greenback or Creamback drivers which produce a more smooth response.
There are literally scores of different speaker manufacturers and tons of variations of different speakers on the market today. The options appear endless! Just know, there is really no way for a Greenback speaker to sound like a Vintage 30. Sonically, they are like apples and giraffes.
PEDALS
And let’s not forget the pedals. Literally thousands of them out there now. But from a tone perspective, there are just a few that really matter.
The most common and sought-after pedals out there are typically one form of Overdrive. And again the options appear endless. I typically like to stick to the standards like an Ibanez Tube Screamer, a Klon knock-off (the Electro Harmonics Soul Food is my favorite), or a Boss Super-Overdrive. Granted, some of these pedals can go for thousands of dollars if you are looking for vintage. The original Klon is likely one of the most coveted of them all. Thankfully just about anything built within the last 10 years is high quality and represents the original pedal design.
That said, if you can get your hands on the discontinued JHS-modded Soul Food (~$200-300), or a JHS Bonsai ($200 used) which is a multi-mode overdrive, you won’t be disappointed.
There are also pedals that combine these overdrive qualities and a specific tone all in one. The Friedman BE-OD and Lovepedal Superlead are two of my favorites for plexi tones. The Bogner Uberschall is also quite powerful for high gain.
And finally let’s not forget boost pedals. I am a big fan of the discontinued JHS Bomb Boost (~$200). It is very transparent. If you can find one, get it!
I am not going to get into all of the gimmick or time-based pedals here since they generally don’t impact gain or tone, but what I can say is if you can create your core sound with just one pedal, and maybe a boost pedal for leads, then you have enough dirt under your nails.
TONE
Most guitarists will vacillate between 2-3 primary tones. Clean, Dirty, and Crunch. A clean amp can even work for all three. A little breakup can be achieved with a boost or overdrive pedal. And high gain or crunch again can be achieved with one or two pedals. Again, a powerful clean amp can go a long way through all three of these styles, but you may prefer something a little more boutique or specialized.
I generally classify Dirty as Rhythm and Crunch as Lead to allow me to better apply them to recording. Here’s why:
If you use the same tone for rhythm and lead it will be difficult to balance them in the mix, to differentiate between them. Most session guitarists employ these tones purposefully, so it is important as a guitarist you have these tones down. This is not to say, however, that you can’t employ a high gain rhythm and even higher gain lead tone. But you get the picture.
So it’s safe to say before we even get started placing mics there is a lot to consider. As a guitarist you should have all of these figured-out before you enter a studio.
In the next sections we will discuss the types of mics typically employed and why, mic placement and all of the variations including common and uncommon techniques, the additional gear you will need to record guitar, and Post Production techniques that allow you to enhance or re-create the recording.
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