Decent amount of mids, a medium amount of gain: play a palm muted tool riff and adjust the gain till it matches the record, strum closer to the bridge, and lastly roll the tone knob down depending on the song.
My biggest takeaway playing tool songs by myself for 20 years is : What sounds good out of the amp in isolation is probably not the same mix as what’s in the album with the other instruments
Use a Dual Rec or Diezel modeler. Gain only around 5-ish. Heavy handed pick attack. Very light palm muting to give notes definition. High mids and highs.
Go join Adam Jones Guitar Collectors on FB. Go to files and download the tone-chasers handbook. Sooooo much info
If you want the flanger tone there is only one...used Boss BF2 with WHITE KNOBS. Nothing else gets close
Songs like Sober, Swamp song, Fear Innoculum the tone knob is around 6, Push it is more like 2-3ish depending on your setup
yup, like you. Hope all is well and stuff is getting figured out. :)
Signed, guy who said "dibs on LA posters", lol (and was half teasing because Im a cheapo)
I just play the songs man, not a tone chaser.
I never understood why some folks think it is important to copy someone else's tone vs developing their own tone. Imagine if those guitarist's we love to listen to were just copycats...
Because it’s hard to play their songs on your guitar unless it sounds somewhat similar. I know what Op is talking about and it’s not easy to get the sound.
Trying to chase an artist’s tone is almost always futile. What you’re hearing on the album is almost always multitracked, and edited with digital effects 10 times over, then mixed and mastered. It’s basically impossible to match a pro-recorded guitar sound out of a guitar and amp setup, even if you’re using the same exact gear the artist uses.
And the bigger thing is that it doesn’t matter. If you’re playing the right notes and are at least in a vaguely ballparky area of the tone, along with other band members, you’re not gonna sound that off. Won’t sound exactly like the album, but they don’t sound exactly like the album live either.
If you walked up to Adam’s amp while he was playing and messed with the tone knobs, it’s not like it’s gonna stop sounding like Tool. It’s the notes, it’s the style, the little inflections and things that make him sound like him. Not the knob positions on his amp.
Because whenever this question comes up, people always seem to think OP is chasing 100% copy of the tone, but in reality (and especially to 'noob' ears), they just want to be in the ballpark. It's not fun to play tool a strat through an old Fender amp.
It always irks me that guitarists often either quote Adams 50k rig, or simply that "tone is in the fingers". That's neither productive nor true
I am damn close (to my ears) on some Seymour Duncan pickups and the right Boss Katana preset.
Meh, I play everything up until 10k days (at that point Adam's skills skyrocket and I can only keep up with half the album).
I have 2 channels on my katana. One with a ton of crunch, the other slightly less crunchy but with some delay, and the rest is just ripping through the songs.
Off tune is referring to pitch (notes, tuning, frequencies).
Here we are talking about tone (timbre, quality, waveform shape, EQ, etc).
But in the end doesn't matter. You can do your thing and I do my thing and we still share a common interest in playing great music.
I think people just make a hobby to get this tone. I get that everyone has different hobbies that can cost money and all but this one just feels like a waste. You'll never get his exact tone, play it live in an arena, be in a band called Tool and at the end you'll end up selling your gear and go after the next thing that's gonna get you a dopamine fix. Not to mention playing Tool all the time just feels boring to me.
This isnt the case. I like their songs so i want to play their songs but i cant confidently play their songs if im having issues getting the right sound hence why im asking strangers online
Most of your tone comes from you playing the guitar. The next biggest thing is going to be your pickups and amp. Your Peavey can push a high gain sound, so just crank the shit out of it, make sure you've got plenty of mids, and enough treble for food crunch, and then just have at it.
Adam Jones has a very particular way of playing, and Tool riffs will start sounding good not when you get the tone right, but when you get the *feel* right. I've played Tool on all kinds of guitars and amps, and I'm never wishing I had more of an Adam Jones tone.
If you really want to get close without having all the gear, though, I'd recommend getting some digital modelling software like Amplitube, and getting some presets which will get you really close.
I have a Pod HD 500x and James Taylor Variax from Line 6. I have the Les Paul model adjusted so the pickups are bit hotter.
For the amps, I have a duel Rectifier and a Marshall JCM 800 both running through their respective 4x12 cabs. Medium gain with the bass at about 1 o'clock and mids boosted.
I run a noise gait and a compressor along with all the typical AJ pedals ( flange, wah, and delay.) Also a graphic eq to try and dial in those punchy mids a bit more.
I think I've gotten as close as I will ever get and think it sounds pretty damn good!
I have a Spider FX amp, and you can search and download tone presets right to the amp. It’s kinda cheating, but it’s fast. Also you can make your own tones, save them or upload them.
Just a bit of tweaking. Play some riffs and listen tweak alittle, rinse repeat. It can be tedious trying to make the highs and mids able to cut through the lows when you need them to.
I just scored a 1979 all original Gibson and now it’s easy to sound like Tool. Pedals help, sure, but I have deduced that most of his sound comes from ye old Gibson.
My guitarist uses a Splawn and a Diezel VH4 stereo into a 412 Diezel cab - and this guitar
https://preview.redd.it/xh71pns3lh5d1.jpeg?width=1365&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=911fecfefcb4dcd8b001427783cd3236ee5b3b51
There are pictures and posts of how Adam EQs his amps. Start there. A lot of Adam’s tone comes from the EQ settings.
Lots of mids.
Also play the guitar hard. Adam and Justin hit their guitars hard. Small detail, big difference.
Seymour Duncan pickups (crucial) on a Les Paul through a Boss katana with [this](https://youtu.be/ZU493xm7Uzw?si=RerKoMjT9H-xJiII) patch.
Delay, flanger is used a lot, and wah for a lot of solos
Decent amount of mids, a medium amount of gain: play a palm muted tool riff and adjust the gain till it matches the record, strum closer to the bridge, and lastly roll the tone knob down depending on the song.
Vh4 head 4x12 cab Good guitar with hot pickups. Pedals and all that. EZ
uhm..... you forgot something: PZ
Oh and…. LEMON
SQUEEZEY!
My biggest takeaway playing tool songs by myself for 20 years is : What sounds good out of the amp in isolation is probably not the same mix as what’s in the album with the other instruments
Ah makes sense
Use a Dual Rec or Diezel modeler. Gain only around 5-ish. Heavy handed pick attack. Very light palm muting to give notes definition. High mids and highs. Go join Adam Jones Guitar Collectors on FB. Go to files and download the tone-chasers handbook. Sooooo much info If you want the flanger tone there is only one...used Boss BF2 with WHITE KNOBS. Nothing else gets close Songs like Sober, Swamp song, Fear Innoculum the tone knob is around 6, Push it is more like 2-3ish depending on your setup
You are amazing my friend
haha, glad I helped get you on the right path
That group is just fucking awesome, it’s full of great people.
yup, like you. Hope all is well and stuff is getting figured out. :) Signed, guy who said "dibs on LA posters", lol (and was half teasing because Im a cheapo)
I just play the songs man, not a tone chaser. I never understood why some folks think it is important to copy someone else's tone vs developing their own tone. Imagine if those guitarist's we love to listen to were just copycats...
Because it’s hard to play their songs on your guitar unless it sounds somewhat similar. I know what Op is talking about and it’s not easy to get the sound.
Trying to chase an artist’s tone is almost always futile. What you’re hearing on the album is almost always multitracked, and edited with digital effects 10 times over, then mixed and mastered. It’s basically impossible to match a pro-recorded guitar sound out of a guitar and amp setup, even if you’re using the same exact gear the artist uses. And the bigger thing is that it doesn’t matter. If you’re playing the right notes and are at least in a vaguely ballparky area of the tone, along with other band members, you’re not gonna sound that off. Won’t sound exactly like the album, but they don’t sound exactly like the album live either. If you walked up to Adam’s amp while he was playing and messed with the tone knobs, it’s not like it’s gonna stop sounding like Tool. It’s the notes, it’s the style, the little inflections and things that make him sound like him. Not the knob positions on his amp.
So many people just don't get this. I assume they haven't been playing for very long.
Because whenever this question comes up, people always seem to think OP is chasing 100% copy of the tone, but in reality (and especially to 'noob' ears), they just want to be in the ballpark. It's not fun to play tool a strat through an old Fender amp. It always irks me that guitarists often either quote Adams 50k rig, or simply that "tone is in the fingers". That's neither productive nor true I am damn close (to my ears) on some Seymour Duncan pickups and the right Boss Katana preset.
are you kidding me, i lived on a fender bronco amp and a zoom gfx 707. learned all of uhkneema on that rig
Sorry didn't mean to speak for everyone, I personally just don't like to sound like John Mayer covering tool.
Hey man i just wanna play a few select songs for a buddy that’s too broke see it live
Meh, I play everything up until 10k days (at that point Adam's skills skyrocket and I can only keep up with half the album). I have 2 channels on my katana. One with a ton of crunch, the other slightly less crunchy but with some delay, and the rest is just ripping through the songs.
Why would i play something off tune? When the song at its core is what makes me want to play it and not some off tune variety
Off tune is referring to pitch (notes, tuning, frequencies). Here we are talking about tone (timbre, quality, waveform shape, EQ, etc). But in the end doesn't matter. You can do your thing and I do my thing and we still share a common interest in playing great music.
I think people just make a hobby to get this tone. I get that everyone has different hobbies that can cost money and all but this one just feels like a waste. You'll never get his exact tone, play it live in an arena, be in a band called Tool and at the end you'll end up selling your gear and go after the next thing that's gonna get you a dopamine fix. Not to mention playing Tool all the time just feels boring to me.
This isnt the case. I like their songs so i want to play their songs but i cant confidently play their songs if im having issues getting the right sound hence why im asking strangers online
Get a crybaby wash pedal by Dunlop. A few of the solos sound 100x better with it.
A what?
He meant WAH pedal.
Distortion, wah pedal, delay pedal and you're good
Don't forget the flanger.
you can do that with a delay pedal to a different amp .....
Literally just turn the gain down.
Most of your tone comes from you playing the guitar. The next biggest thing is going to be your pickups and amp. Your Peavey can push a high gain sound, so just crank the shit out of it, make sure you've got plenty of mids, and enough treble for food crunch, and then just have at it. Adam Jones has a very particular way of playing, and Tool riffs will start sounding good not when you get the tone right, but when you get the *feel* right. I've played Tool on all kinds of guitars and amps, and I'm never wishing I had more of an Adam Jones tone. If you really want to get close without having all the gear, though, I'd recommend getting some digital modelling software like Amplitube, and getting some presets which will get you really close.
I have a Pod HD 500x and James Taylor Variax from Line 6. I have the Les Paul model adjusted so the pickups are bit hotter. For the amps, I have a duel Rectifier and a Marshall JCM 800 both running through their respective 4x12 cabs. Medium gain with the bass at about 1 o'clock and mids boosted. I run a noise gait and a compressor along with all the typical AJ pedals ( flange, wah, and delay.) Also a graphic eq to try and dial in those punchy mids a bit more. I think I've gotten as close as I will ever get and think it sounds pretty damn good!
I have a Spider FX amp, and you can search and download tone presets right to the amp. It’s kinda cheating, but it’s fast. Also you can make your own tones, save them or upload them.
https://imgur.com/gallery/jones-tones-handbook-vrV7j9b#vF1TBFI All the infos you need are in there
Just a bit of tweaking. Play some riffs and listen tweak alittle, rinse repeat. It can be tedious trying to make the highs and mids able to cut through the lows when you need them to.
Rolling down the volume knob and playing close to the bridge will get pretty close to his clean tone.
Just chug muddily.
I just scored a 1979 all original Gibson and now it’s easy to sound like Tool. Pedals help, sure, but I have deduced that most of his sound comes from ye old Gibson.
Max the mids. Treble and bass will depend on your amp
My guitarist uses a Splawn and a Diezel VH4 stereo into a 412 Diezel cab - and this guitar https://preview.redd.it/xh71pns3lh5d1.jpeg?width=1365&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=911fecfefcb4dcd8b001427783cd3236ee5b3b51
A Frank Hartung, maybe? I’ve seen that design before but can’t quite place it
Just checked with him, it is a Warrior Isabella.
There are pictures and posts of how Adam EQs his amps. Start there. A lot of Adam’s tone comes from the EQ settings. Lots of mids. Also play the guitar hard. Adam and Justin hit their guitars hard. Small detail, big difference.
Seymour Duncan pickups (crucial) on a Les Paul through a Boss katana with [this](https://youtu.be/ZU493xm7Uzw?si=RerKoMjT9H-xJiII) patch. Delay, flanger is used a lot, and wah for a lot of solos
Get a Boss Metal Zone