cthames
Verified buyer
02/02/25
Simple settings for great tone
As always Mike gives a clear explanation of his course material. His simple tweaks using minimal gear creates great tone for four different music styles.
Down & Dirty Tone
Learn How to Craft Great Guitar Tone with Minimal Gear!
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Mike Zito
Educator
Genres
About this course
One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal isn’t just your technical skill—it’s your tone. A well-crafted guitar tone can transform your performance, forge a deep connection with your audience, and amplify the emotional and energetic essence of the music. But finding the right tone isn’t as simple as twisting a few knobs on your amp or toggling through your pedalboard. It’s an art—a seamless blend of gear, technique, and musical intuition.
Mike Zito exemplifies this art like few others. A gifted singer-songwriter, electrifying performer, and extraordinary guitarist, Mike possesses an almost uncanny ability to dial in the perfect tone for any song, regardless of genre. In his masterclass Down & Dirty Tone, Mike shares his insights, offering an eye-opening and ear-pleasing journey into the craft of creating the ideal guitar tone with just one guitar, one amp, and one pedal.
“We'll focus on getting great tones with minimal gear - just a guitar, a clean amp, and one pedal. I’ll show you how to dial in a classic rock sound, a Texas blues sound, a jazzy blues sound, and, of course, a chicken-pickin' country sound. They can all be done with just your guitar, a clean amplifier, and one pedal. Trust me, you can do it. It's a lot of fun.”
Mike will show you how to achieve an authentic Texas blues sound using a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 reissue pedal, and a Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Mike will demonstrate setting up the amp and pedal for rhythm and lead play. By adjusting the volume, overdrive, and EQ settings, you’ll learn how to create a dynamic range of sounds ideal for Texas blues, emphasizing the importance of playing dynamics and the guitar's volume control for expressive sound shaping.
Using the same Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal, and a guitar, Mike will demonstrate how to introduce the Tube Screamer to dial in a more distorted sound suitable for classic rock.
Adjustments to the bass and treble on the amp, along with strategic use of the guitar's bridge pickup and tone control, will help shape the sound. You’ll learn how to balance the pedal's overdrive and volume settings to achieve a rich, crunchy tone at a manageable volume.
Mike will show you how to craft a jazz blues tone using a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue and a Stratocaster by focusing on the subtleties that differentiate jazz blues from other blues genres.
You’ll adjust the amp's settings to emphasize a warmer, cleaner tone and utilize the neck pickup on the guitar to achieve the warmth and depth associated with jazz blues.
Lastly, with a Stratocaster guitar, a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue amp, and a Boss digital delay pedal, you’ll learn how to create a classic country sound by selecting the proper pickup on the guitar and making minor adjustments to the tone.
The critical element in achieving the country vibe is setting the delay pedal for a slapback effect, with specific attention to the delay time and feedback to avoid too long or brief echoes.
For each genre, Mike will also demonstrate and teach you the right and left-hand techniques, phrasing, vocabulary, and creative approaches for crafting the overall tone necessary to “dial in” the genre-all with just one guitar, one amp and one pedal.
You’ll have TrueFire’s interactive learning tools to customize your workspace and learn at your own pace.
The demonstrations and performances are tabbed, notated, and synced to the video lessons with controls for looping, slow motion, fretboard animation, and other tools designed to accelerate your progress.
You’ll also get the tab and standard notation files to print out, downloadable Guitar Pro files to edit if you desire, and backing tracks to practice and record with.
Grab your guitar, and let’s dig in with Mike Zito!
Mike Zito exemplifies this art like few others. A gifted singer-songwriter, electrifying performer, and extraordinary guitarist, Mike possesses an almost uncanny ability to dial in the perfect tone for any song, regardless of genre. In his masterclass Down & Dirty Tone, Mike shares his insights, offering an eye-opening and ear-pleasing journey into the craft of creating the ideal guitar tone with just one guitar, one amp, and one pedal.
Mike will show you how to achieve an authentic Texas blues sound using a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 reissue pedal, and a Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Mike will demonstrate setting up the amp and pedal for rhythm and lead play. By adjusting the volume, overdrive, and EQ settings, you’ll learn how to create a dynamic range of sounds ideal for Texas blues, emphasizing the importance of playing dynamics and the guitar's volume control for expressive sound shaping.
Using the same Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal, and a guitar, Mike will demonstrate how to introduce the Tube Screamer to dial in a more distorted sound suitable for classic rock.
Adjustments to the bass and treble on the amp, along with strategic use of the guitar's bridge pickup and tone control, will help shape the sound. You’ll learn how to balance the pedal's overdrive and volume settings to achieve a rich, crunchy tone at a manageable volume.
Mike will show you how to craft a jazz blues tone using a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue and a Stratocaster by focusing on the subtleties that differentiate jazz blues from other blues genres.
You’ll adjust the amp's settings to emphasize a warmer, cleaner tone and utilize the neck pickup on the guitar to achieve the warmth and depth associated with jazz blues.
Lastly, with a Stratocaster guitar, a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue amp, and a Boss digital delay pedal, you’ll learn how to create a classic country sound by selecting the proper pickup on the guitar and making minor adjustments to the tone.
The critical element in achieving the country vibe is setting the delay pedal for a slapback effect, with specific attention to the delay time and feedback to avoid too long or brief echoes.
For each genre, Mike will also demonstrate and teach you the right and left-hand techniques, phrasing, vocabulary, and creative approaches for crafting the overall tone necessary to “dial in” the genre-all with just one guitar, one amp and one pedal.
You’ll have TrueFire’s interactive learning tools to customize your workspace and learn at your own pace.
The demonstrations and performances are tabbed, notated, and synced to the video lessons with controls for looping, slow motion, fretboard animation, and other tools designed to accelerate your progress.
You’ll also get the tab and standard notation files to print out, downloadable Guitar Pro files to edit if you desire, and backing tracks to practice and record with.
Grab your guitar, and let’s dig in with Mike Zito!
What you'll learn
- Master volume control and pick dynamics for tone shaping
- Discover how to approach different genre tones with simple setups
- Understand that great tone can be achieved with minimal gear
- Understand two different approaches: cranked amp with boost vs. pedal-driven tone
- Understand the signal chain interaction between guitar, pedal, and amp
Release date: 12/19/2024 • 0h 27m runtime
Sample lessons
Texas Blues Tone
Demonstration
Texas Blues Tone
Performance
What's included
9 lessons • 8 charts • 4 Jam Tracks
Down & Dirty Tone
Hey, this is Mike Zito, and in this special series, we're going to focus on getting great tones with minimal gear. Just a guitar, a clean amp, and one pedal. We're going to talk about getting a classic rock sound, a Texas blues sound, a jazzy blues sound, and of course, a chicken pickin' country sound.
They can all be done with just your guitar, a clean amplifier, and one pedal. Trust me, you can do it! It's a lot of fun. So grab your guitar and let's get started.
They can all be done with just your guitar, a clean amplifier, and one pedal. Trust me, you can do it! It's a lot of fun. So grab your guitar and let's get started.
Texas Blues Tone
In this lesson, we will explore how to achieve an authentic Texas blues sound using minimal gear, focusing on a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 reissue pedal, and a Fender Stratocaster guitar. We'll demonstrate how to dial in the perfect tone, from the initial setup of the amp and pedal to fine-tuning the sound for both rhythm and lead play. By adjusting the volume, overdrive, and EQ settings, we'll show you how to create a dynamic range of sounds that are ideal for Texas blues, emphasizing the importance of playing dynamics and the guitar's volume control for expressive sound shaping. This practical guide will help you replicate that classic Texas blues vibe, even with limited equipment.
Texas Blues Tone
In this lesson, we will explore how to achieve an authentic Texas blues sound using minimal gear, focusing on a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808 reissue pedal, and a Fender Stratocaster guitar. We'll demonstrate how to dial in the perfect tone, from the initial setup of the amp and pedal to fine-tuning the sound for both rhythm and lead play. By adjusting the volume, overdrive, and EQ settings, we'll show you how to create a dynamic range of sounds that are ideal for Texas blues, emphasizing the importance of playing dynamics and the guitar's volume control for expressive sound shaping. This practical guide will help you replicate that classic Texas blues vibe, even with limited equipment.
Rock Tone
In this lesson, we'll explore how to craft a compelling classic rock tone using a minimalist setup: a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal, and a guitar. We'll begin by assessing the clean tone of the Deluxe Reverb, then introduce the Tube Screamer to dial in a more distorted sound suitable for classic rock. Adjustments to the bass and treble on the amp, along with strategic use of the guitar's bridge pickup and tone control, will help shape the sound. We'll demonstrate how to balance the pedal's overdrive and volume settings to achieve a rich, crunchy tone at a manageable volume. This session offers practical tips on creating a classic rock sound that's versatile enough for jam sessions and live performances, ensuring you're always ready to rock with just a few pieces of gear.
Rock Tone
In this lesson, we'll explore how to craft a compelling classic rock tone using a minimalist setup: a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal, and a guitar. We'll begin by assessing the clean tone of the Deluxe Reverb, then introduce the Tube Screamer to dial in a more distorted sound suitable for classic rock. Adjustments to the bass and treble on the amp, along with strategic use of the guitar's bridge pickup and tone control, will help shape the sound. We'll demonstrate how to balance the pedal's overdrive and volume settings to achieve a rich, crunchy tone at a manageable volume. This session offers practical tips on creating a classic rock sound that's versatile enough for jam sessions and live performances, ensuring you're always ready to rock with just a few pieces of gear.
Jazzy Blues Tone
In this lesson, we will explore crafting a jazz blues tone using a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue, a Tube Screamer pedal, and a Stratocaster, focusing on the subtleties that differentiate jazz blues from other blues genres. We'll start with the clean, uncolored sound of the Deluxe Reverb, adjust the amp's settings to emphasize a warmer, cleaner tone, and utilize the neck pickup on the guitar to achieve the warmth and depth associated with jazz blues. Adjustments to the guitar's volume and tone knobs will fine-tune the sound, aiming for a laid-back, sophisticated tone. This guide will show you how to achieve a jazz blues sound that captures the essence of the genre, demonstrating the process with a backing track to illustrate the final tone.
Jazzy Blues Tone
In this lesson, we will explore crafting a jazz blues tone using a Fender Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue, a Tube Screamer pedal, and a Stratocaster, focusing on the subtleties that differentiate jazz blues from other blues genres. We'll start with the clean, uncolored sound of the Deluxe Reverb, adjust the amp's settings to emphasize a warmer, cleaner tone, and utilize the neck pickup on the guitar to achieve the warmth and depth associated with jazz blues. Adjustments to the guitar's volume and tone knobs will fine-tune the sound, aiming for a laid-back, sophisticated tone. This guide will show you how to achieve a jazz blues sound that captures the essence of the genre, demonstrating the process with a backing track to illustrate the final tone.
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