How do you make a guitar sound 'metal'?

Pillowmint · 11-01-2009, 04:53 PM

How do you make an electric guitar sound like a metal guitar? Is there a setting on the instrument itself, on the amp, or is it a pedal or something you get? Sorry if this is a basic question, but with the guitar and amp I have there don't seem to be settings that can make any kinds of 'metal' sounds.

Alfred · 11-01-2009, 04:56 PM

Pretty obvious, but putting your guitar in Drop D or C makes it go lower, and is a pretty easy way of making it sound more 'metal' I guess.

~~CAPTAIN CAVEMAN~~ · 11-01-2009, 04:57 PM

downtune guitar, turn amp's volume & gain to highest setting

mr dave · 11-01-2009, 08:57 PM

depends on the style of metal you're looking to play.

for the most part you're looking for a distortion pedal. there are a few basic distinctions between the types of distortion you can get such as, fuzz, overdrive, or compression, but ultimately they're all distortion pedals.

new school metal and technical stuff that's played on 7+ string guitars would require down tuning, contrary to popular belief this also means LESS distortion. maybe even just a compressor to tighten up your signal so that it doesn't become a pile of mud.

on the other hand if you like the sludgy / muddy style of blues based metal then you're mostly looking for fuzz like a Big Muff Pi.

something a lot of old school metal guys used to do was 'scallop' their sound with the EQ settings on their amps. lows and highs would be maxed out and the mids would be completely removed. apparently Kirk Hammett used to duct tape the knobs on his amps to ensure that setting in Metallica's early days.

there's also a relatively cheap BOSS pedal called 'the Metal Zone' that normally runs around $100 that lives up to its name especially when you're still starting out. i'd also recommend picking up a wall adapter if you're going to get one as opposed to dealing with 9volt batteries.

**Janszoon** · 11-01-2009, 08:59 PM

Also you need to pledge your firstborn to Satan.

+81 · 11-17-2009, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

for the most part you're looking for a distortion pedal. there are a few basic distinctions between the types of distortion you can get such as, fuzz, overdrive, or compression, but ultimately they're all distortion pedals.

I was unaware that a compressor is a type of distortion. I know it balances out the attack of your notes, shapes your tone to an extent, limits volume spikes and such but haven't heard of it being use to produce distortion on it's own. I've played through Electro Harmonix compressor and it can create an overdriven sound but I just assumed it was a side effect of it's purpose.

asshat · 11-17-2009, 06:52 PM

...tune your guitar a half step down, put the treble and bass to max and put mid-range at 0.

...you also want distortion instead of overdrive pedals...and solid state amps instead of tube amps.

Sodacake · 11-24-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asshat

...tune your guitar a half step down, put the treble and bass to max and put mid-range at 0.

...you also want distortion instead of overdrive pedals...and solid state amps instead of tube amps.

Scooping your mids is really god damned useless. Sure, it sounds good when you're on your own but pretty soon you'll get used to playing with that sound and when it's time for you to jam with a drummer and bassist you will not be able to hear yourself very well.

mr dave · 11-18-2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by +81

I was unaware that a compressor is a type of distortion. I know it balances out the attack of your notes, shapes your tone to an extent, limits volume spikes and such but haven't heard of it being use to produce distortion on it's own. I've played through Electro Harmonix compressor and it can create an overdriven sound but I just assumed it was a side effect of it's purpose.

maybe calling it a type of distortion was inaccurate but like you said, that kind of pedal 'can' produce some rather distorted tones.

kouki · 11-02-2009, 06:10 PM

^^^LOL,oh and you can only go out at night and eat dead babies.

11-01-2009, 04:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
Pillowmint I Am the Lizard Queen Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 134	How do you make a guitar sound 'metal'? How do you make an electric guitar sound like a metal guitar? Is there a setting on the instrument itself, on the amp, or is it a pedal or something you get? Sorry if this is a basic question, but with the guitar and amp I have there don't seem to be settings that can make any kinds of 'metal' sounds.

11-01-2009, 04:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	Pretty obvious, but putting your guitar in Drop D or C makes it go lower, and is a pretty easy way of making it sound more 'metal' I guess. __________________ LAST.FM / VINYL COLLECTION / RYM

11-01-2009, 08:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	Also you need to pledge your firstborn to Satan. __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm

11-17-2009, 06:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
asshat king of sex Join Date: May 2009 Location: canada Posts: 331	...tune your guitar a half step down, put the treble and bass to max and put mid-range at 0. ...you also want distortion instead of overdrive pedals...and solid state amps instead of tube amps. __________________ Rye Catcher II: Electric Boogaloo http://oldhickory666.blogspot.com/

11-02-2009, 06:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
kouki Music Addict Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Devils armpit (aka Phx,AZ) Posts: 126	^^^LOL,oh and you can only go out at night and eat dead babies. __________________ It jiggles when he wiggles-Fez

11-01-2009, 04:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
~~CAPTAIN CAVEMAN~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: VAN Posts: 2,530	downtune guitar, turn amp's volume & gain to highest setting