I have gas, thanks a lot

For years I had been somewhat content with my guitar sound, then I stumbled on this place a few years back. It's an addiction I tell ya, and I blame you guys in the cave. I mean honestly, Rockabilly and Setzer is only a portion of my mucial interests, but I find myself scouring these pages looking for answers to tone questions I never even thought about a year ago. I'm starting to get the feeling it's an unobtainable quest by the way.

But it has gotten me to thinking about tone more in general. Do you think that real talents like Setzer put this kind of effort into it, or do they just stumble into it? Seems to me his tone has evolved a lot over the years. I wonder if it's a function of changing tastes, different equipment available now that he's successful, different influences (Edmunds early on for example) or a concious effort to obtain a tone he's always been after and hasn't reached yet. I've heard he has some hearing issues as well. It amazes me that he hears those subtleties so clearly especially live on stage at those ridiculous volumes.

Well I've dipped my toes in the waters with mixed results. I know the real answer is to go after your own tone, but this Setzer tone thing is a drug, and Tavo, Daddio and Nikko are the dealers...I bet they really work for Gretsch, or fender, or Roland, or TV Jones and are computer generated Maxheadroom like inventions, created entirely to get me to buy more stuff.

I hate smilies by the way, can't believe I used one.

I think one commonality among all the great virtuoso guitar players is the unending quest for tone. If you notice, Setzer has a trademark sound that he's made his own, but he often goes for different sounds altogether. Listen to 60 Years from Nitro, or most of the tracks on 13 to hear a different rock sound. He's got a great blues tone. Most of the Rockabilly Riot tracks were recorded with different types of amps that inject subtle differences in tonality throughout the album. Gas though, is definately addictive.

Rick