Pro Audio EXP Guitar Tone School

Get KILLER Guitar Tone like the Pros

Everything you need to get Killer Guitar Tone and model classic tones from Hendrix to Clapton with David Wills (Phil Collins, Toto, Michael Jackson, Chicago)

 

So many Guitars, Amps and Stomp Boxes!  How do you get tones like the Pros?

Hi...I’m David Wills, a professional audio engineer and teacher and also the founder of ProAudioEXP.

 

 

 

I've been a guitarist for most of my life and probably much like you...half of my life is devoted to playing the guitar and the other half is devoted to fiddling with all the pedals, amps and speaker configurations in search of the perfect tone.

 

 

 

Either I'm looking to emulate a classic tone from Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page...or I'm trying to come up with a brand new tone to fit into a song that I'm working on.

 

 

 

With so many combinations of guitars, pickups, amps, tubes, speakers, distortions, fuzzes, overdrives, choruses, delays and every new pedal that comes out from some new boutique shop...it's almost impossible to master how they all fit together.

 

 

 

I mean...how exactly do they all work and how do the pros combine them to get killer guitar tone?

 

We gathered over $200,000 of vintage and cutting edge guitars, amps and pedals and went to work!

In one of the most fun experiences of putting together training courses, we brought nearly a quarter million dollars worth of the finest guitars and gear into our studios for one reason and one reason only.

 

 

 

To explain how every part of your guitar tone chain works and how to combine them to get killer tone.

 

 

 

We know that it's frustrating trying to piece together your dream guitar setup.  It seem like everyone has to come to grips with the same problems.

 

What's the correct way to set up the order of your pedals?

How do you choose the right guitar and pickups for the job?

How do you set your amps up to emulate the classic tones?

What tubes give you a Hendrix tone?  A Jimmy Page tone?

What's the difference between, overdrive, distortion and fuzz?

How do you reverse engineer your favorite U2 guitar tone?

What's the whole deal with gain structure and tube overdrive?

 

Introducing the Ultimate Guitar Tone School

The Ultimate Guitar Tone School is a complete Encyclopedia of Guitar Tone designed to give you a ticket to an experience that is difficult if not impossible to get anywhere else.

 

 

 

A single place to hear each and every part of your guitar tone signal chain broken down into their individual elements so that you can emulate any tone you wish.

 

 

 

An online library of video modules that take you on a tour of the decades of guitar masters and how tones have been built by Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Brian May, Keith Richards and Eddie Van Halen.

 

Guitars x Pickups x Amps x Effects = MILLIONS of combinations

How do the pros set it all up?

With the help of master Guitar Tone Historian James "Rooster" Olson, we go decade by decade though every stage of rock history and reverse engineer exactly how to re-create any classic tone from your favorite guitar heroes.

Once you see exactly how the tones are built up, you can use the tools you already have to put them together.

A "backstage pass" to the pros who shape Guitar Tone.

Included in the Ultimate Guitar Tone School are interviews with working professionals who are shaping today's guitar tones.

 

 

 

Paul Jackson Jr. (Legendary Session Player and Guitarist for Tonight Show & American Idol Band) .

 

Andrew Scheps (Grammy Winning Engineer - U2, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Sabbath)

 

Mike Matthews (President - ElectroHarmonix and Effect Pedal Pioneer)

 

Bob Bailey (Head Honcho at BOSS Pedals US)

 

Brandon Montgomery (Boutique Amp Maker to the Stars - Santana, Eric Johnson)

 

John Pisani (Chief Engineer - ElectroHarmonix)

COURSE MODULES

The Ultimate Guitar Tone School is a complete, proven, step-by-step method to teach everything you need to know about getting the guitar tone of your dreams.

 

MODULE 1 : INTRODUCTION

 

In the introduction we'll learn about the relatively short history of the electric guitar.  We'll see an overview of the entire course and all the variables in the signal chain from pickup to speaker.

 

Breakdown of course subjects

History of the Electric Guitar

Variables in Signal Chain

MODULE 2 : WHAT IS TONE?

 

Have you ever considered exactly what tone is?  In this module you'll discover exactly how tone is produced including how distortion produces odd and even order harmonics that sound so good.

 

What is Sound?

Understanding Standing Waves

Understanding Harmonics

Nodes and Antinodes

Harmonic Content on Guitar String

Harmonics produced by Distortion

Understanding Modulation

MODULE 3 : GUITARS

 

Have you ever wanted to hear a wide variety of modern and classic guitars?  In this module we break down exactly what makes each Strat, Tele, Les Paul, Semi Acoustic and Lipstick guitar work.

 

Main Guitar Types

Pickup Demonstrations (all positions)

 - Fender Stratocaster

 - Fender Telecaster

 - Epiphone Les Paul

 - Epiphone 335 Dot

 - 1967 Gretsch with FilterTrons

 - 1961 Fender Jazzmaster

 - 2007 Duesenberg Starplayer TV

 - 1969 Gibson Les Paul with Lollar Imperials

Guitar Controls

Guitar Woods

Necks

Scale Length

Pickup Placement

MIDI Pickups

MODULE 4 : AMPS

 

Ever wondered exactly how Guitar Amps work?  In this module you'll see a tube amp built from the ground up and understand exactly how precise gain staging gets you the sound you crave.

 

Overview

DIY "Lamington" Tube Amp

How do Tube Amps work?

Tone Stacks

Reading Schematics

Building the "Lamington" Tube Amp

Gain Staging

 - Fenders

 - Marshalls

 - Hi Gain

Amp Effects Loops

Amp Switching

MODULE 5 : SPEAKERS/MICS

 

Matching impedance in series and parallel.  Miking up amps. Blending and positioning microphones (both dynamic and ribbons) are all covered in this module.

 

OverviewSpecifications

Series/Parallel

Impedance Matching

Miking up Amps

Microphone Positions and Blending

Using Dynamic Mics

Using Ribbon Mics

MODULE 6 : EFFECTS

 

Overdrive, Distortion & Fuzz. Compressors & Noise Gates. Flangers. Phasers. Chorus. Tremolo/Vibrato. Rotary. Ring Modulators. Wah-wah. Pitch Shifters. Delays. Reverb. Loopers. Effect Order. Buffers.

 

OverviewGain (Overdrive, Distortion & Fuzz)

Dynamics (Compressors & Noise Gates)

Flangers

Phasers

Chorus

Tremolo/Vibrato

Rotary Speaker Emulators

Ring Modulators

Wah-wah

EQs

Pitch Shifters

Delays

Slapback

Rockabilly

Ping-pong

Patterned

Reverb

Loopers

Effect Order

Buffers

MODULE 7 : RIGS

 

In this module you'll discover every type of rig that's out there. Pedalboard design. True Bypass. Loopers. Effect Loops. 4-Wire Setup. Wet-Dry Rigs. Wet-Dry-Wet Rigs.

 

Overview

Pedalboard Design

True Bypass

Loopers

Effect Loops

4-Wire Setup

Wet-Dry Rigs

Wet-Dry-Wet Rigs

MODULE 8 : ICONIC TONES

 

After everything we've learned in the course we can now easily build the iconic tones for every decade. From BB King to SRV. Hendrix to Clapton. Van Halen to Brian May.

 

Fender Era

 - Chuck Berry

 - BB King

 - Keith Richards

 - Stevie Ray Vaughan

 - Brian Setzer

 - Brent Mason

Marshall Era

 - Jimmy Hendrix

 - Eric Clapton

 - Jimmy Page

 - Joe Perry

 - Billy Gibbons

 - Slash

High-Gain Era

 - Eddie Van Halen

 - Randy Rhoades

 - Zakk Wylde

 - Eric Johnson

Vox Era

 - Gretsch / Vox Combo

 - Duesenberg / Vox Combo

 - Brian May