Get That Vintage Tone

Tremolo and reverb formed the foundation of the California surf tones of the '60s. On the reverb side of the equation, a Fender tube amp and any number of reverb pedals lay the basis for the wavy reverb heard on recordings from The Ventures, The Beach Boys, and other '60s stars. To bring in the added vibrato warble of players like Dick Dale, try a tremolo pedal or a Fender guitar with a whammy bar like a Jazzmaster.

When it comes to Les Paul aficionados, it doesn't get much more iconic than Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. With a Les Paul in hand, Jimmy Page helped define the hard-rock sound of an era, propelling his savage riffs through British tube amps from makers like Marshall. Always a staple for songs like "Dazed and Confused," the Vox wah adds a watery sheen to your most frenzied leads.

Players like Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic and Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone kicked things into a whole new stratosphere of funktastic bass sound. While true funk must come from a special place deep within one's soul that simply cannot be purchased, the space-age sound of a envelope filter with a wah pedal is a good place to start. A bass with a comfortable neck like a Fender Jazz Bass is a great choice for slapping, while Eden amps do a great job adding some punch to your tone.

By the early '60s, a new school of guitar-driven country music rose in Bakersfield, CA to rival the heavily produced sounds coming out of Nashville. Led by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, the Bakersfield Sound embraced the iconic country combination of a Telecaster and an original Tube-drive Fender Amp. To give your pickin' guitar tone an even tighter sound, try a compressor pedal like the MXR DynaComp. For a slightly more modern edge, a little slap-back from an analog delay pedal is a popular choice.