Here’s a book for tone freaks and gear heads, “Tone Wizards: Tone Wizards: Interviews With Top Guitarists and Gear Gurus On the Quest for the Ultimate Sound”.
Related Feature:
Modern Guitar Rigs 2nd Edition
This new book from guitarist Curtis Fornadley features unbiased conversations that reveal how expert musicians and technicians achieve their tone, and is now available in e-book format from various online bookstores.
Because he independently shouldered all the expenses of creating this book, Curtis was not clouded by sponsorship deals and the like. This allows for honest and unbiased research, and ensures that the conversations are in no way manipulated to point to a specific result, or worse a sponsor.
The book features interviews with various guitar virtuoso’s, the techs that help them get their tone, and gear manufacturers. Each one of them shared their experience and snippets of the philosophy and methodology they use to achieve their distinct sounds. They also provided important practical advice that any gear head will appreciate.
Example wisdom quotes from the book include:
- “Style is a reflection of your own creative instincts, but tone, the way you play it, can be changed” from Steve Vai.
- “There is a very symbiotic relationship between the amp, the guitar, and the sound” from Joe Bonamassa.
- “The average person is hearing not only the sound part of tone, but they are also being influenced by the vibrato and the intonation” from Joe Satrianii.
- “I think tones and playing do become dated, but everyone’s moving on, all the time.” from Peter Frampton.
Growing up in southern California, Curtis Fornadley began playing guitar at the age of 11, and grew p to be a solo artist that has released multiple albums. The press release also mentioned that Curtis was a finalist in Guitar Superstar Competition. The author continues to compose and produce his own music on top of writing music for film and TV.
Other artists that were interviewed in the book include:
- Eric Johnson
- Jeff Kollman
- John Suhr
- Pete Thorn
- Carl Verheyen
- Bob Bradshaw
- John Carruthers
- Cliff Chase
- David Friedman
- Jay Graydon
- Scott Henderson
- Jim Kelley
- Ronan Chris Murphy
With this long list of virtuosos, this book will be a treasure trove of wisdom and technique that we can all apply to our own never ending quest to finding the perfect tone. I for one am very much interested on the details of Eric Johnson’s interview, who is my personal favorite tone guru and virtuoso.
The Tone Wizards book is now available at online bookstores like Amazon in Kindle Format and in paperback form. Having just been released, it has already garnered a number of positive reviews with readers describing it as a must have for guitarists who are chasing that elusive perfect tone.
Related Article:
See our roundup of the Top 10 Effects Pedals including single pedals & multi-effects processors.