The Player's Guide To Ultimate Tone

Insightful and truly inspiring reviews on new, used and vintage electric guitars that reveal the true character and appeal of the instrument. We cover setup techniques, custom wiring tips, and practical guidelines on repairs and upgrades you can do at home, how to achieve true vintage tone on a budget, and great finds that are completely off the radar of the guitar magazines. We also cover the acoustic guitar world with in-depth reviews on guitars, acoustic amplification, pickups, and string selection— after all, strings make the tone of an acoustic guitar.

One of the most important (and misunderstood) areas that can enable you to achieve your own Signature Tone. Individual amp reviews, modifications and tone-tweaking tips that will amaze and enlighten you. Reissues vs. vintage— know the difference before you buy! Secret tips for “no harm, no foul” mods that retain the original character and value of your favorite amps— we’ll call it optimizing Tone!

More pickups have been bought and promptly listed for sale on the internet or thrown in a case and forgotten than possibly any other guitar accessory. Why? The Quest for Tone— unfulfilled again. We’ll give you expert reviews, descriptions, rewind sources for vintage pickups, wiring diagrams, a bit of theory, and a road case full of practical advice you can take to the bank.

Your choice of speakers is one of the most crucial decisions you’ll ever make— speakers are the final transducers! Find out which “bargain” brands easily rival the tone of speakers costing 3 times as much. Mixing speakers in one cabinet or combo amp for amazing results. When are vintage “recons” a complete waste of time and money? A/B a vintage reissue against a typical reconed vintage speaker and you may be shocked by the results! What are the real differences between various AlNiCo and ceramic magnet speakers? What are the speakers of choice for some of the most respected guitarists in history? Matching pickups, amps and speakers— finding the right combos are crucial, and there are no shortcuts!

Guitar effects pedals are easily the least expensive tools for acquiring truly memorable and inspiring guitar tones, and we guitarists are inundated with an unfathomable number of pedals in 2020. Where to begin? Our featured chats and reviews with Robert Keeley, Brian Wampler and Analogman (Mike Piera) will give you a new and enlightened perspective on “pedal tone.” from three of the top pedal designers in the world.

For 25 years we have featured insightful, inspiring and eminently informative interviews with guitarists whose influences span the entire universe of popular music, from the blues to rock and many genres that are simply too unique to describe with a convenient one-word description. Players such as Sonny Landreth, Carlos Santana, Robben Ford, Peter Frampton, Mike Campbell, Ronnie Earl, Charlie Starr, Jim Campilongo, John Jorgensen, Johnny A, Larry Campbell, Nalle Colt, Adrian Legg, David Grissom, Billy F Gibbons, and many, many more. All of these artists have a story to tell and you can depend on us to dig deep into their influences, the evolution of their careers from the very beginning, the gear they play and how they use it on stage and in the studio. The depth and detail found in our interviews has and never will be duplicated, because we aren’t fighting for space with ad pages. You can depend on The ToneQuest Report® to simply deliver the most insightful and fascinating interviews with guitar players in existence, in print or online. That’s our unwavering pledge to you as a subscriber.