📺 If you’d prefer to watch, here’s the link to the video.

In today’s world, you can buy the right gear, build or even buy the right presets, and still fall short of your goals as they relate to tone. Social media has removed the mystery—we can see exactly what gear players use to create the tones we love. In theory, that should make it easy. Just copy their setup, and you’re set, right?

But time and time again, players do exactly that—same pedals, same settings, even the same guitar—and still don’t get the sound they were chasing. Why is that?

Where Are Your Tone Problems Stemming From?

Why getting this right matters: When your tone is locked in, you’re free to worship, rather than being distracted by what doesn’t sound quite right. You can shift your focus from how you sound to what it is you’re taking part in: leading others in the praise and worship of Christ our King.

Over the years, I’ve given hundreds of consultations, and tone is one of the most popular topics people want to discuss. But let’s be real—most aren’t coming to me because they’re thrilled with their tone. They’re searching for that sound—whether it’s the one they hear in their head or the tone from their favorite worship song or album.

It’s no surprise that tone is highly influenced by our gear; but what a lot of brothers and sisters I’ve consulted for have never considered is that tone is also greatly influenced by our technique.

Key Point: Tone isn’t just about the gear we use—it’s also about how we play. It’s a combination of both gear and technique, working together to create the sound we’re after.

While gear often gets the spotlight, technique tends to be either overlooked or worse, purposefully ignored. It’s easy to focus on swapping pedals or upgrading gear instead of addressing how we play. Sometimes this happens because we don’t fully realize how much our technique impacts tone—or we don’t have an understanding of the specific techniques we can use to shape our sound. Other times, it’s because it can feel uncomfortable to acknowledge where our skills might need work.

Today, I want to give attention to both gear and technique, with a particular focus on how refining your technique can make an enormous difference.

1. Is It a Gear Problem?

Gear is often the first thing people look at when their tone isn’t where they want it to be. And for good reason—gear matters. Here are some areas to evaluate:

Your pickups:

Your pickups define your tone far more than the guitar they’re in. If you take two Tele-style guitars and put the same humbuckers in both, you’ll be hard-pressed to hear much of a difference—regardless of the name on the headstock. However, if you swap the pickups, the difference can be night and day.

To take this further, we have to be mindful of the give-and-take when balancing clarity, compression, and output. If you’re after single-coil-like clarity, you’ll need to sacrifice some of the extra push and compression that come with higher-output humbuckers.

The pedals you’ve chosen:

The truth is, even high-quality pedals can sometimes fall short—not because they’re bad, but because they aren’t designed to create the specific tone you’re chasing.

Mono vs. Stereo:

One important consideration in shaping your tone is whether you’re running a mono or stereo setup. Stereo can create a sense of space and depth that’s hard to replicate in mono. However, stereo isn’t always an option for everyone. Mono might be your only choice. And that’s okay! A well-crafted mono tone can still sound incredible. The key is knowing the strengths and limitations of your setup.

2. Is It a Technique Problem?

Here’s where things often get overlooked—or even intentionally avoided. Many guitarists pour their energy and money into gear upgrades, thinking that’s the key to better tone.

But the truth is, even with the perfect setup, your tone will fall short if your playing technique isn’t on point. Tone isn’t just about what you play—it’s about how you play.

Before we hop into the tips, keep this in mind: Be dogmatic about your faith and the fact that Christ is King and Lord—but don’t be dogmatic about tone. There’s no one way to get a great sound. However, understanding key principles and techniques—and how they can shape your tone—can make a huge difference.

How to Prioritize Gear Upgrades

1. Get one really good drive pedal that can handle medium gain tones and less.
2. Add one really good reverb pedal to create depth and atmosphere.
3. Follow with one really good delay pedal for texture and movement.
4. When upgrading your guitar, choose one that allows you to also afford a set of nice pickups.
5. When possible, set up your rig to run in stereo.

Pro Tip: Less expensive guitars, like Squiers, are totally fine! The pickups make up the majority of the tone, so focus your investment there if your budget is tight.

The Balance Between Gear and Technique

The journey to great tone requires a balance of gear and technique. Worship guitar has a significant gear element, but it’s your technique that will bring the sound to life.

Encouragement for All Situations:

• If you have the resources: Invest in great gear, but also dedicate time to refining your technique.
• If financial resources are tight: Focus on doing the best you can with what you have. A well-practiced player with modest gear can sound incredible.

Tone is a journey, and every step forward—big or small—is progress. Wherever you are on that journey, I hope this has given you clarity as to what your next step should be, while offering an encouraging reminder that Christ is King, and all this is for Him.

Coram Deo,

Troy, GFHG