If you’re looking to get started playing blues, you need to know how to get the right type of tone. The truth is that there are several different ways that you can get the right blues tone out of your guitar. For the most part, it’s going to be based on the way that you play and the type of guitar that you have. It’s also based on your setup. But there are a few things you can do:
Set your bass, middle, treble, and presence to level 5.
Plug into a clean channel on your amp and don’t activate the overdrive button.
If you have a low wattage amp you’ll want to set the volume to somewhere between 3 and 4.
You can play around a bit with the different levels and each of your settings to get something that works well. An E major chord will help you determine the best levels. If that doesn’t get you quite there you can use a G barre chord to assist. This will tell you the best bass level.
Set the guitar to 10 and play some licks using the higher strings. Too thin means to turn your amp up and your volume down. A too-sharp tone means turn down the treble while too-muted means boost up the treble.
Sit next to the amp or near it to get the best sound instead of directly in front.