Buying the "same" gear, will not make you sound like Vai

[orlandopunk]

Obviously the fingers of each individual are going to affect the sound in a way, but not that much as people make it out to be, what it does is it gives you a style, something that people will recognize you for, it doesn't make you better than others, or have better tone than others. These virtuosos don't have magical fingertips, that magically give them a better tone than the average guitar player.

The problem comes when all these self absorbed virtuosos, always repeat the 10 hour a day bullshit workouts, and how the main sound comes from the fingers, is a cliche thing to say because it sounds cool, and it separates them from average joe and the masses. It is like saying, well dude, no matter how much you try, you will never sound like me, because of my fingers. It puts them on a pedestal.

Do you really think the reason Vai has made his "gear" accessible to the fans, is because he cares about you, and wants people to sound like him? lol is all about money. Musician would never want others to sound like them. They just give you the illusion that you can.

You will never sound like Vai, no matter if you get the same equipment, not because of the fingers, but because you NEVER REALLY GOT THE SAME EQUIPMENT

- vai is using processors that would break your bank account
- vai uses technicians that set up everything perfectly, something you have no access to
- his gear is custom made for him, and only him, you dont have access to this, you bought a poverty watered down version of his gear, made to please his fans and make him and ibanez MONEY, and even if you did get custom, you wont get the same custom built as his gear, what idiot would share his customization, so other could copy him?
- he is playing at loud volumes, something you cannot afford to do at bedroom or apartment lol
- did i say again that he has the best setup of the world, technicians, companies, and everything at perfection, some you cannot afford to

THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE THAT SEPARATE YOU FROM VAI, how could you possibly sound like him by buying his gear, sold at music store, which is a poverty watered down version, only designed to make money, the jem, carvin legacy, effects that vai uses live, and the version you buy from the store, IS WAYYYYY different, no comparison, how could you sound like vai? you cannot, they prevent you from sounding like him, they give the illusion that can sound like him with the "same gear"

that is the main reason this kyle doesn't sound like vai

go to vai's house or concert, and play through his amp, and setup, already done and set up for him, and you will sound exactly like him, same tone, everything

the finger bullshit is myth, a cliche to separate the gods from the masses

[R1FSR]

Don't know why im answering this

ok ok everyone is sick of constant bullshit ..dunno where you get it all from.

I have played through Vais full stage rig ..his amps ...his effects everything or
90% of wich is stock of the shelf stuff ...maybe changed a little to his taste just
like any of us could do .

Guess what ...... I SOUNDED LIKE ME ..not Vai ...ME .

I own various pedals that Vai owned/used I even own a half legacy stack that
he used .... do I sound like Vai ...NO I sound like me wich im more than happy about.


heres $50 get a cab ....go away.....when you get there...go away some more....and stay there .

[orlandopunk]

Don't know why im answering this

ok ok everyone is sick of constant bullshit ..dunno where you get it all from.

I have played through Vais full stage rig ..his amps ...his effects everything or
90% of wich is stock of the shelf stuff ...maybe changed a little to his taste just
like any of us could do .

Guess what ...... I SOUNDED LIKE ME ..not Vai ...ME .

I own various pedals that Vai owned/used I even own a half legacy stack that
he used .... do I sound like Vai ...NO I sound like me wich im more than happy about.


heres $50 get a cab ....go away.....when you get there...go away some more....and stay there .

maybe it sounded like you, because you are listening from your own point of view, you are biased, obviously you are not going to sound like him, but the tone is the same

the fingers is just a cool thing to say, many guitar player repeat this mantra all the time, without even single science proof to back it up

obvioulsy is more cool to say that vai's tone comes from his fingers, this elevates your idol to the stratosphere

[Jeroen]

Good lord, this guy is getting boring.

- vai is using processors that would break your bank account

Steve's equipment from amp to volume pedal, from whammy to Axe-fx, is EXACTLY what you buy at the store. Having worked closely with Vai and Thomas on many occasions, having organized all his equipment for the 2010 NNO performances and owning a ton of stuff he has regularly used (including guitars), I can state without a shadow of a doubt that his touring rig is 1000000% identical to store bought equipment.

- vai uses technicians that set up everything perfectly, something you have no access to

Actually, it's not magic, and not that hard.

his gear is custom made for him, and only him, you dont have access to this, you bought a poverty watered down version of his gear, made to please his fans and make him and ibanez MONEY, and even if you did get custom, you wont get the same custom built as his gear, what idiot would share his customization, so other could copy him?

His gear is not custom made. Matter of fact a lot of stuff is just rental gear especially on tours outside of the US.
His guitars are only to certain degree (sustainers built in, just regular Fernandes 401 kits), a backstop here and there. He used to have thinner necks.

It's all BS anyway.
Vai sounds like Vai because he is Vai. His mannerisms, his articulation, his voice on the instrument is what makes him Vai, and that's what he means with it's in his fingers.

But this is the 20th thread you made being overly judgmental on others and to be quite honest, I'm getting tired of your nonsense. How about you just do what you do and leave others be?

J

[orlandopunk]

How did you even become site admin anyway?

I remember back in the day like 2006, you used to be another member, in fact, I remember you were that glasses guy in that pic with mike, I said who is mikey the nerdy guy in the t-shirt or something, I guess when you spend a lot time on this forum, things like this can happen

This forum is dead, my posts may be controversial but I'm helping keeping it active

[Jeroen]

No, your post are not controversial. They are only displaying your ignorance. That's a big difference.

How did you even become site admin anyway?

I remember back in the day like 2006, you used to be another member, in fact, I remember you were that glasses guy in that pic with mike, I said who is mikey the nerdy guy in the t-shirt or something, I guess when you spend a lot time on this forum, things like this can happen

Really dude...

j

[kyle am I]

Professional setup nobody has access to?

I watched Thomas walk out with an Allen wrench, hand it to Steve, and Steve lowered flos action by a quarter crank. Then Steve kept playing

I helped Thomas change flos strings, I have one actually, and te only special thing Thomas does to the strings is stretch them using te "string strecha". He's just very dedicated, and stretched them for like 10 minutes.

I asked Thomas when theyre on tour, how often he has to do the truss adjustments. He said almost never

I asked Thomas how low specifically Steve's action is. He said "low enough where he pull up a third with out fretting out, and low enough until they start getting buzz". No specific measurements, the bar is 5 centimeters from Thomas' mark.

Thomas does a lot, he slept for maybe 4 hours a night, constantly fixing stuff etc. the specialty lies in his dedication and his love for what he does, not in specific measurements.

[kyle am I]

Oh and you fucking imbecile-

I PLAYED THROUGH STEVES RIG. It's all stand and shit, nothing custom made except for a legacy channel switcher that switches only between the first and second channels, and leaving out the third. I asked Thomas wether Steve's L3s were modified in any way and he said no.

http://youtu.be/Pk5hkkig978" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I sound nothing like Steve, and I don't the whole few hours I would continue on to play FLO III through the same standard equipment.

[orlandopunk]

Oh and you fucking imbecile-

I PLAYED THROUGH STEVES RIG. It's all stand and shit, nothing custom made except for a legacy channel switcher that switches only between the first and second channels, and leaving out the third. I asked Thomas wether Steve's L3s were modified in any way and he said no.

http://youtu.be/Pk5hkkig978" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I sound nothing like Steve, and I don't the whole few hours I would continue on to play FLO III through the same standard equipment.

the tone is the same as steve

obviously you are not going to sound exactly like vai, because your level is low compared to his, on EVERYTHING

but the tone is the same, also is recorded through a potato cam, and you are hearing yourself play, which is very different from when others hear when live, while you were playing you thought "it sounds nothing like vai", when in reality the tone is the same

you can bet that steve hears himself very differently, from what we hear, the tone that he hears in his head, it is very different from what we hear him play

you should have known better before stepping up on stage and thinking you were going to sound like vai, obviously the technique is not there, and so many little details, that mainly have to do with TECHNIQUE, and not the skin on your fingers

Jeroen said that the reason you cannot sound like vai, is because of those small details, nuances, but realize that all those things have EVERYTHING to do with technique, which is different for everyone, everyone has different technique

it has nothing to with your "fingers" as people like to repeat, it has nothing to do with the skin on your fingers, it has everything to do with your personal technique

2 people can be at similar technique level, yet have completely different technique, style, the way they touch the strings, move them, pick them, all of this, has everything to do with technique, and nothing to do with finger physiology

[kyle am I]

What the fuck are you talking about

I didn't try to sound like Steve. Nobody tried to sound like Steve while we were there. Just because I played FLO through his rig with his band dosent mean I tried to sound like him. Nobody can sound like him. Even through his amps.

I really don't think you understand.

The way you play IS YOUR TONE. It's the way you hit your note, saying in the fingers really means in the mind, soul, technique, etc.

You can try to insult me or jeroen or however but it really won't work, I'm beyond caring what people on the internet say by years now, and I think jeroen is the same way as well.

I would like to see you playing the guitar since you seem to know so much about tone. Punk rock players are very well known for their technique and soul while playing.

You've also discredited yourself so any point you try to make is merely entertainment

[paulh123]

guys i really dont know why you bother answering posts like this,its obvious this guys another apprentice internet troll.
tries to wind everyone up but wants to make it look like he has a valid point or interest.
best ignored imo.

[R1FSR]

WOW ....

You just said in your first post ....

go to vai's house or concert, and play through his amp, and setup, already done and set up for him, and you will sound exactly like him, same tone, everything

then in your second post you said ...

maybe it sounded like you, because you are listening from your own point of view, you are biased, obviously you are not going to sound like him, but the tone is the same

so wich one is it ?? ...I will sound like him or I wont ?? or are you listening to your own point of view ?? ... take your head out your ass dude and think about what your typing .

[orlandopunk]

What the fuck are you talking about

I didn't try to sound like Steve. Nobody tried to sound like Steve while we were there. Just because I played FLO through his rig with his band dosent mean I tried to sound like him. Nobody can sound like him. Even through his amps.

I really don't think you understand.

The way you play IS YOUR TONE. It's the way you hit your note, saying in the fingers really means in the mind, soul, technique, etc.

You can try to insult me or jeroen or however but it really won't work, I'm beyond caring what people on the internet say by years now, and I think jeroen is the same way as well.

I would like to see you playing the guitar since you seem to know so much about tone. Punk rock players are very well known for their technique and soul while playing.

You've also discredited yourself so any point you try to make is merely entertainment

How am I insulting you or jeroen?

my point and the title of my thread is still valid

no matter how much gear you get, you won't sound like vai, that doesn't mean you can't get his tone or something close. I clearly put on my title, that you won't sound like him. I never said anything about tone.

My point about gear being different is also valid, many people here try to copy vai's gear to the last detail, yet cannot, because there are certain things about his gear that cannot be copied to 100%, you can get close to his tone though.

If you play through his setup gear, YOU WILL HAVE THE SAME TONE, BUT YOU WILL NOT SOUND LIKE HIM

WHY CAN'T YOU GET THIS DIFFERENCE?

You have a terrible misconception of what tone is, you believe tone, is your soul, the sounds comes from fingers lol that is not tone, in reality, tone, is the mixture of all the equipment working together. If you play through someone else's already setup gear, you will have his tone. The tone and fingers crap is just a cool thing to say. Tone has everything to do with equipment.

Even though the video sucks, the tone that I hear from it, is the same as vai, same distorsion, same mids, lows, highs, same everything, except the fact that your technique and style is different from his, that makes a huge difference in sound and how the listener perceives you, but the underlined tone is the same, you don't sound like him, but the tone coming from the amp, is the typical vai tone.

Play a single note through his setup, and it will sound exactly the same way as if steve, played one single note, why, because is the same tone, same setup, same everything, it will sound the same

The difference comes when playing solos, where technique and all those little nuances, that separate players, come to play, this is where you sound different, this is where listener will perceive you differently

When people say, that you will not sound like him, it has everything to do with his technique and personal style, which is unique, and cannot be copied

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TONE, anyone can emulate his tone, if you play through his gear, you will have his tone, but you will not sound like him

others will not perceive you as him, they will not that you are not steve

[kyle am I]

Wait what.

Isn't the point of this thread how "you can't get vais tone because all his stuff is special (even though it really isn't)" in which case "you can't get vais tone".

Nobody determines tone by just playing one note. Vais tone changes sound all the time, 1990s, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2010-2014, each recording of him playing through all these rigs sounds noticeably different, more so than just a mix or mic placement.

Tone is a direct correlation to the way you play. Like I said, get a Jemini, turn the drive to 5 o'clock like VAI has it, put it through a clean amp channel, and play some fast licks. VAI makes it sound effortless and gain rich, when really he just plays evidently very cleanly. So it sounds good.

I'm done arguing with this.

[Jeries]

First-
everyone shutup

second-

you know why we don't sound like vai and wont with the same guitars and amps?

we didn't play with zappa for years and tour
we didn't play for the most famous lead singer of the 80s after he left the biggest band of the 80s
we didn't join one of the other biggest bands of the 80s
we didn't jam and play and work with the best musicians and guitarists for years...

Zappa was one of the most prolific american musicians of all times
a jem and legacy will get you so far but you can't buy Zappa/DLR/Whitesnake/G3/Satriani/Etc