I was speaking with a friend who is a drummer for a touring metal band. He mentioned that the band he plays for recently downscaled their line-up to one guitar from a previous two guitarist unit. They were not sure how the band’s sound was going to be because in theory one less guitar would mean a weaker sound. Upon my friend’s recommendation to have the remaining guitarist play the metal parts with more of a bigger, aggressive, open, rock feel – the guys in the band actually realized that things are sounding pretty good and have so far continued to tour as a four piece.

I thought about that and I realized that another truth of a great guitar tone lies that example.

I consider myself a full-on heavy metal guitarist and have had that exact goal of becoming one from the day I picked up my guitar. However, as I was growing up I developed a taste for all kinds of rock and metal music and enjoyed everything from Whitesnake to Motley Crue to Fates Warning to Loudness to Priest to Megadeth and Slayer. You get the idea. I was scrutinized in High School for that, as many might remember that if you liked real metal you only stuck to a particular band and heavier. Didn’t matter. I thought that was stupid.

I never learned a huge boatload of songs while learning how to play the guitar, but one thing I definitely worked on is hearing the way the guitars sounded in a particular band. I quickly learned to distinguish how Mick Mars from the Crue “hits” the chords versus someone like Akira from Loudness and how the band’s sound changes because of that. I learned how punk inspired aggression works in a band like Slayer and how K.K and Glenn Tipton let their early psychedelic rock roots influence the great sounds on the early Priest albums. My guitar riff bible comes from early Megadeth records where there was just enough precision and attack to make the riffs come alive. Those records really pulled in nearly perfect mix of early Priest like sound into a pissed off, frienzied, machined metal assault. I dug it. It was perfect. You were able to hear the notes, the overtones, the attack while you were allowed some air to enjoy it all.

I think it is a good idea to listen to bands who might not fit into a particular genre you might be into. As I said, I dug uber heavy down-tuned sludge of Carcass, could appreciate the looser Aerosmith inspired riffing and also took good note from Dime’s surgical precision of riffing. I suppose it is about being open to learn lessons from others while you shape your sound.

I might get some heat for this, but I believe the art of great guitar sound is slowly slipping in heavy metal. I think the recording medium is partly to blame and how guitars are edited. All I am really saying is that I do not hear “auras” of guitars like I did on records a while back. You knew which band it was by the sound of their guitar. Maybe it’s me, but I think many might agree. You knew that “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” was a Judas Priest song even before Rob’s vocals came in. Did anyone question who the band is when they heard the riff and guitar tone in “Walk” by Pantera? Who knows, maybe our uncles felt the same about their music versus the one we grew up on. Whichever decade that might be.

To cap of this blog – I think it is important to listen how bands achieve sounds and how this information can ultimately shape your own tone. All great guitarists have been known to have a solid guitar sound and a particular way they play it or attack the chords. Without getting too technical, you can play metal while injecting good movement in your picking hand to let the notes breathe. Many people try to copy Yngwie’s licks and sound, yet not many realize that the space in between the notes is where the answer might hide. I see many guitarists just “play” chords and hear them come out on the other side through the speakers, but we can do even better that.

I hope you can take the above and see how it can work for you. This is just my observation and I’m simply sharing what I noticed through the years.

Today, I will talk a little about upgrading your guitar. I received an e-mail from my student Ed and I thought it would be best to answer it here since many of us might find the info helpful or at least interesting.

The e-mail contained a few great questions. To answer them I will use the example of a Jackson, not only because I know these guitars best, but also this is a brand Ed was asking about in the e-mail.

1. Are USA made Jacksons better made than, let say, ones made in Indonesia? Is it true that the quality of instruments overseas is now better than before?

MM: So, I have never received a guitar that was made in the USA (for that matter a USA model Jackson) that was poor in quality. The factory looks over each model that I get and makes sure it is right before they ship it to me. Every single time I open the case, the guitar plays fantastic. One thing that is interesting is that Jackson does not make a ton of these USA guitars at all and the supply is limited. They don’t want to sit on a bunch of unbought guitars. Each one is well balanced, meaning they feel just right and it does not tilt from left to right when you have it on a strap. Overall, I must say the USA made Jacksons are really an amazing sounding guitar. I play them because I like them, that is pretty much it.

Now, with that said, when I got cautious about taking my USA made Jacksons overseas one time for a tour, Jackson sent me a “Professional” model. I was surprised how well it plays and it sounds very good. So, if this is an indication how they make them overseas now, than yes, the quality has improved a lot. These Professional models are made in Indonesia as well. Another student of mine, wanted one and he is super picky about the guitars being mint and perfect. I saw the 3 Jackson Professionals that Sweetwater Music sent him and they were all excellent. He kept sending them back b/c he kept finding tiny specks and faults, but I wouldn’t even worry about it – they were all good. And, they sell well for under a $1000.

2. Is upgrading to a USA model worth it for a non-professional?

Well, it is hard to say depending on what you are looking for. Can an intermediate player enjoy a $1000 guitar? You bet. If you have achieved something that you want to reward yourself for and you can – go for it, life is short. The only thing I believe is that, if you at all can, don’t get a super low line cheap guitar because they are hard to play, most don’t stay in tune and it is easy to get discouraged. So, I keep talking about that $1000 Professional Jackson because to me it is a cool happy medium of a well made guitar that is not uber expensive. But, if USA Randy Rhoads is what you really want, and you know it deep inside, then, I definitely would not discourage anyone. They are the ultimate monster instruments that withstand anything you throw at them.

With all of the above, new gear is fun and always will be. New gear high fades fast though and you already know that the lasting change in your playing is learning something new and sticking with it. Nicer gear, better effects or amps is like the icing on the cake of who you are as a player. It is certainly important and of value, but it must be used in conjunction with practicing and committment to getting better on the guitar.

Above all, lots of awesome guitars out there. One of my favorite guitars to pick-up and jam is my $649 Ibanez RG750 (Original 80’s) and sometimes I even noodle around on a Charvel that I stole (not literally, though) at a Guitar Center sale for $99. They all work and are fun.

Of course, my ultimate concert and recording guitar that I love is the USA made Randy Rhoads. I play them stock.

The only thing I ever do over time is to replace some Floyd Rose pieces with titanium parts and a bigger block (in the cavity behind the pickups where the springs attach to) for longer sustain. I have done this to 2 of my guitars so far and the rest of my RRs are completely stock.