The SECRET to Getting STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN Tone 

Rule of thumbs, the more your neighbors call the cops the, better tone you’re getting from your amp.

I was at that concert the night he died. Incredible concert with an unbelievable lineup. I remember so much of it. At the end of the show everyone was on stage playing sweet home Chicago and each had their turn for a solo. They all did good but when Stevie played they all watched. The guys on the ends took a couple steps forward to look at Stevie who was in the middle next to Clapton. When he finished we all went nuts. He was truly the best! I can't believe it's been that long. RIP

The secret is to be Stevie Ray Vaughn Or this guy apparently Killer playing dude

“You don’t need crazy expensive vintage gear” *rips on a $20,000 guitar through a $3000 amp

“How to get SRV Tone... ooh neat” *clicks play* *matt starts playing* “Ok so step 1: get good” BRB

19 people are butthurt that this kid is a monster guitar slinger.

Turns Amp up to 7... Goodbye family and neighbors.

I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but being an SRV fan from the past, the intro into your video made the hair stand up on my arms. Very well done my friend 👍

What a great down to earth young guy. Refreshing to see someone on facetube with this attitude, thank you. Please, never lose it.

Me playing my all tube amp at 2-3 volume. 😕 hmm. Sounds like shit... okay no problem. Me playing my all tube amp at 7-8 volume. 😬 still sounds like shit..... but louder.

30 years ago. That, did not seem like 30 years ago.

Just like SRV is an inspiration to you, you're an inspiration to me🤘

The secret to getting Stevie Ray Vaughan's tone? Easy: be Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Big strings, strong hands, ferocious attack, and a life time of practice will get you CLOSE

I went to a funeral years ago and found out that Stevie was buried at that same cemetery. Before I left I had to go and pay my respects. It sounds strange but while paying my respects there was this feeling that I was in the presence of greatness. It sounds cliche but it is honestly what happened. RIP SRV

Matthew Scott: "Crank your fender amp to at least 7" Me: Sits in 2nd floor apartment ....ok

Almost falling into a vat of hot grease and then committing to not having a regular job ever again is motivation. I like the story of him hanging with Eric Clapton and Eric was playing a borrowed crappy Strat and complaining about it, so SRV swaps his #1 for it and then proceeded to rip on the crappy Strat. I think it was Eric that had to pull over to the side of the road when he first heard SRV on the radio. Anyways, tomorrow is my birthday, man it's been 30 years, so I was 24, dang I'm old, working for a living and still trying to figure out guitar. Play everyday, with a metronome.

Step 1: resurrect stevie ray Vaughan using your necromancy powers, if you dont have necromancy powers, store bought is fine.

I only have to say this. This young man has more class and more knowledge than any of those people giving the thumbs down. I’m 55 years old and I really enjoy listening to him. I wish he lived near me so I could talk him into helping me learn to play better. I guarantee this guy could sit and hold a good conversation with SRV himself. Good job young man. Keep your videos coming. God Bless.

Finally, someone who says the amp is most important in the signal chain. Amen!

I can't believe it's been 30 years. I was 28 when he died. Still makes me sad.

“You wouldn’t believe how much tone is in raising your action rather than changing the string gauge” , now that’s a lifetime guitar advice there ladies and gentlemen

SRV was a treasure and passed far too soon. Every time I hear Stevie’s sound, it just makes my day better. ❤️🙏

There is no secret on the tone: 2 big hands, 2 ts9, 2 super reverb, 2 strats with 0,13 and 2 big balls

I grew up in Texas. I remember Stevie put an ad in a few major TX newspapers looking for old Vibroverbs. I was fortunate to see him at Mountain Shadow Lakes in El Paso, TX a few months before he passed. Second row. That show STILL moves me over 30 years later

what sort of black market criminal dealings afford you such gear

One thing you almost mentioned but didn't - pickup height. Having a higher action and really low pickup height. If you watch video of him playing #1, you'll see his pickups almost flat with the pickguard. This prevents the sound from getting too boomy and driving the amps front end too aggressively. IMO that's a huge key to get his woody singing strat tone.

Me: Turns amp up to 7 House: *IMPLODES* Neighbors: Hide under their beds. But.... in all seriousness - great video. My lil' Type A tube amp kills me if I try turning it past 3 in my little room I play in :)

I saw Stevie and Jeff Beck when they toured. Jeff played it exactly like the album. Stevie was free form improvising every note. Never missed a beat. Leaves any guitarist in awe of his command of the fret board and sound. Always the right note. Just incredible. Dynamic. Unrelenting.

I can remember exactly where I was when I heard that he died. I couldn't listen to his music for at least a year after that. The music he could've created from that point to now? That's what I mourn, even now. That, and his joyful smile when goofing around on stage. He felt like a friend I knew well, although I never got that physically close to him.

Stevie secret is that he played HARD... REALLY HARD on heavy ass strings. Watch him play acoustic... he played electric exactly the same way. Dimed his amps. Even his "soft" playing is full of intent. This got him "home" sooner breakup wise...

there's no secret: nobody can sound like stevie

"For those of you out there who take it too serious... please don't. It's just for fun. It's about keeping music alive and keeping the history of all these musicians we love alive". Great takeaway. Well said.

I had the good fortune of seeing Stevie on many occasions and sometimes he was asked to sit in with other players and he used someone else's guitar. In those situations he always sounded like himself no matter what amp he played through or the guitar he happened to have in his hands at the time. I would say this is strong evidence that his tone was largely in his hands. Having said that, we all know that he was quite particular about his own personal set up. I would agree that much of that elusive Stevie tone came from his amps. As you mentioned, he achieved that sound by using several amps simultaneously to create a unique sound. He favoured NOS tubes in all his amps and played pretty loud. In my opinion his best tone was when he played his maple neck strat. It just sounded much more open and clear. I asked him about that and he kind of agreed with that assessment, but said that he preferred rosewood finger boards because they were easier to play when your hand was sweating. That made sense. His sound is such a big subject, but I feel what we are really hearing is his soul. Something that can never be really achieved with a certain guitar or amp.

I learned a tone trick from you on one of your other videos. Thank you. I’ve been a pro for 40 years. You really capture SRVs nuance effortlessly. I could tell you stories about the scene in 1980 and what other people were doing when Stevie appeared. I always loved his playing but I never worked on duplicating it. Most blues rock guitarists had already put those hours into Hendrix Clapton and Trower so it wasn’t immediately obvious to some of us just how good he was. For many guitarists like myself who love blues, turning down the overdrive and learning the jazz blues pocket was the greater challenge. I now would like to cover SRV well. You certainly are nailing it. Very well done.

For all the people here who can't crank their amp up, just buy an ATTENUATOR. thanks me later :)

The good news is I have a 70’s Twin. The bad news is I’ll never get that amp up to 6 or 7 without my house falling down around me.

Even a little Fender Champ, dimed, and with just a touch too much reverb will get such an awesome sound, especially in a small space. My 74 Champ only hits 106 DB totally dimed, but man, that sound is so fat, off-clean, and compressed. It really is addictive as a "bedroom amp" (although my neighbors have complained about what I consider bedroom volume lol).

The other day I was playing my amp on 7 and the old man from two states over asked if I could turn it down.

We can’t hear the examples of SRV playing because you’ve muted them and are talking the whole time. It shouldn’t take 12 minutes to explain how he gets his tone. What pickup? What pedals? What amp? That should take a minute of clarity.

Ye man I agree with you. Im not knocking the blues jr, it's worth the money, but now that I look back I feel like I made a mistake and not cashing in a bit more for a bassman or a super reverb. I generally play a tele, but stevie is def a giant inspiration for me as well, so im saving for a strat haha Great vids, and thanks man!

He played at expo 86 in Vancouver Canada. They served alcohol inside the venue and I was so pissed off because I was too young to get in. I stood outside and listened and was blown away. I never got to see him before he passed. At least I got to hear him play live.

Out of all the guitarists i have heard trying to sound like SRV you must be the closest without being him, fantastic playing mate!

I'm 68 years young, started playing at 12. I burned down a Champ, blew a hole in the end of my finger by discharging a capacitor, but never quit. I build my own amps now but I use the Blackface circuits, Prinston, Super, Champ. I build Champs out of old Webster Ekotape reel to reel. They sound great but I don't turn up any more. Permanant Ringing.

After all theses years since Stevie died, nobody has come out with originals that resemble Stevie Ray Vaugn. You know, like Led Zeppelin and Greta Van Fleet.

Couldn’t agree more, the amp is the most essential piece(besides hands), that’s why Keith Richards said he uses no effects, he just wants the amp. What I think the issue today is, people are so dependent on pedals they forget about unity gain and natural amp break up, all that’s needed is then to lower or increase the Volume for the dirt on the clean tone. Ohh I use to rock a super reverb so Fender is my jam 😎.

"Riviera Paradise" is my all time Favorite Guitar Tone - ever captured on record. R.I.P. Stevie Ray Vaughan = Legend. I enjoyed your playing. Nice demo.

SRV dripped sweat from his wizard sleeves on me, at an outdoor concert in CT, when I was a kid. My life has never been the same since. Thank god for small favors 🙏❤️🎯

I've never seen a generation of musicians that want to play like somebody else, as opposed to seeking their own style. There were no tribute bands when I started playing in the 70,s

The only way is to be SRV but you can’t so don’t try

Matt, this was a great lesson, i love your channel, I saw SRV with Jeff Beck 5 Months before the Helecopter Crash, what a show, at the end of the show Both of them came out and played 4 Yardbird songs togeather, What A Night I Will NEVER Forget, Rock On, Cousin Figel

Tin Pan Alley was Stevie’s foundation tone, once you have that the rest is boosts of various kinds and ways.

" El secreto es que nació para ser una Leyenda" Sigue practicando muchacho !

Sorry to break it to ya - Tone first and foremost is in your HEAD, not your hands. If your head can’t hear and know the “tone” that makes YOUR sound/tone your hands will not and cannot produce it. That’s it. It’s complex yet very basic at the same time. That “tone is in your hands” things sounds cool and has been floating around for years - but it just ain’t true. I hope this helps.

Yar, CLEAN speakers are THE killer tone tip. There was a HUGE AMOUNT of rock music played through thirty-watt Celestions farting their guts out. It IS a way to get some crank out of a rig, but as a preference it's not to my taste. I got hipped to this wayback when I learned about Duane Allman, who used Altec Lansing "Voice of the Theater" speakers. A fifty watt head, more or less dimed, but with ENOUGH high-power-rated speakers to handle that power easily. His brother-in-arms Dickie Betts used the same speaker setup, but with a hundred watt head, a bit LESS cranked, for a CLEANER tone. Another guitarist who simply used ENOUGH JBL speakers to handle some juice was Carlos Santana. What else can you POSSIBLY say.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SVI7ZDDQXKA.html

I love your approach to everything man. You’re so polite and inviting, and super informative.

Matthew, do you still have the Mary Kay strat? How about breaking it out for a jam?

“There’s only so many hours in a day to play the guitar” says A LOT about how very, very often he has practiced every day in his life.

I think playing loud tube amps and hitting the strings hard is the biggest portion. You need to be able to strum all strings and only have 1 ring out. If you can do this technique you will sound much more like stevie, who got it from hendrix

Stevie who? I mean we know famous guitarists like Richie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen... Stevie? Nah 😉

" Its in the fingers not in the guitar" plays XX.XXX $ equipment

I saw the great SRV at the Sydney Opera House way back then. During his set, he played a couple of Hendrix tracks and the thing that really hit me was they were note for note. If you shut your eyes it was pure Jimi Hendrix, no interpretation, no improvisation just a perfect rendition of Hendrix. It was so impressive that he had taken the time to work out every nuance of tracks like Voodo Child and play them as what came across as a tribute to another great guitar genius. I got two for one that night, one of my favourite musical memories.

Nice to see someone so young and talented with such respect for vintage gear.

I just clicked this link and honestly BLEW my MIND. That lick at 0:22.. DUDEEEEEEEEEE!

Get a fender amp put a tube screamer in front turn it all the way up… Bring SRV back from the dead and you’ll have it perfectly…. SRVs tone is about the simplest tone ever… it really is just an amp on 10, playing like Stevie though, no so easy…. the tube screamer just cuts the lows and gives a little boost to the signal, mostly in the mids, nothing at all special there… tune down 1/2 step, learn to play… done… Rob’s tip of the day, grab a $100 Bugera PS1 attenuator for your loud as hell fender tube amp and enjoy some SRV at reasonable volumes at home… You’re welcome, enjoy…

Great playing and tone Matthew. One thing you didn't mention was that Stevie tuned down a half step, which dramatically alters the tone of the Strat and allows for heavier strings if you want to put them on. Thanks for this video!

Matthew You're the man! Anyone who knocks this dude needs to go listen to his original music. He makes these videos because Stevie and other Blues/Rock players and vintage gear are his passion. But to me his original music doesn't really sound like SRV and the others. He has his own sound and feel which is something to admire. When you can combine your influences and find your own voice is where the magic is and Matthew has achieved that. Keep on rocking man.

The day SRV died is the last time i cried. Still the most influential musician in my life.

I have a fender Hot Rod ML. At 6.5 volume it flattens all buildings within a 2 mile radius!! Even at 3 the other band members give me dirty looks!! 😀

Great video, very appreciated .. After seeing Stevie Ray a few times, one thing that was apparent was, as good as his sound was on recording, nothing could capture the massive, encompassing, monster tone he had live .. and when I say his "sound", I mean HIM : his attack, his ability to generate emotion through the guitar .. and so many other guitar greats I have seen live shrink onstage, their "sound" coming from great recording production and great gear ... Stevie Ray Vaughan's greatness was actually hampered by technology and to attempt to capture his four dimensional guitar abilities and sound on a recording was impossible ..... Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon have talked about the shielding that was required around Stevie Ray's mic stand, as he was always getting shocked and creating arcs of electricity that would literally knock SRV backwards .. They talk about how, prior to the excessive shielding, the mics were always tested by other people, techs, etc .. They'd grab the mic stand, tap their mouth on the mic, etc and no one but Stevie ever caused these shocks and arcs of energy .. They are dead serious when they speak about how Stevie Ray carried a different / more powerful energy .... These things cannot be duplicated with equipment .... In my experience, as far as gear goes, it all starts with the 13 gauge strings dropped down to Eb .... The way those heavy strings vibrate at A 415.30 creates a completely different vibe

You’ve got some killer runs my man. Rip Stevie.

I watched him play 31 years ago, almost to the day, at the PA Beach Club in Gardner, MA. Dude, you have come the CLOSEST to SRV's sound and chops that I have heard so far. Great tones, great hands. INSTANT SUB one minute in.

I played Steven's beat up strat at the club one night with him standing next to me and I can assure you I did not sound like him at all. So there's that tidbit of information.

The key to have a great tone is to BE LOUD. Amps are designed to be loud, make use of that.

I can nor find a Vibroverb anywhere.. How about a Fender Vibrosonic with a 15 inch JBL? Can you show us how to set up a 10 band EQ also to help get that tone too?

I love your philosophy with guitar. Just have fun. I’m just getting back into guitar and this is a great reminder to not take it too seriously. Also, great tone advice and awesome playing man.

Got to sit in front of him early in a small club 300 ppl. Even then I was floored with his mastery, I only had been playing for 2 yrs then but he made me get serious! Too soon, too soon RIP brother.

I’m 51 years old, and have been playing off and on since I was 10 years old. I chased the Stevie tone for years, and found everything you said in this video to be spot on. For years, guitarists have been chasing that tone, and for the most part, it was much easier ( to a point ) than most people thought, due to so much heresy over the years about what Stevie really used gear wise. Keep doing what your doing Matt. You are the closest person I’ve seen so far, to capturing “the tone,” and technique of SRV. The cool thing is....that within all that, you’ve got your own thing going on as well.

I never understand why people put so much emphasis on the guitar the guitar has very little effect on the tone 80-85% of the tone is in the amp, and more particularly the speaker.

If you didn’t listened to the intro at least twice you’re not really into guitar

Nice playing brother , i can appreciate your passion for Stevie. I still miss the guy to this day , i feel very lucky to have seen him several times back in the early 80's at a small club in my state , before he made it big. I also saw him open for Robert Plant. What an unbelievable player he was and such a loss to the music world. I sometimes think about how much more of a contribution to music he would of had , lucky for us he left us with an unbelievable body of music that i still enjoy listening to today. Rock on brother!!!

Great advice! I'm a mediocre wannabe SRV guitarist with all the gear. 56 avr Strat w 7.25 radius. 69 super reverb. This helped me greatly! Thanks bro.

Spot on.Stevie was obsessed, and that's the only way to get to where he got; he attacked the guitar. The only thing missing from this lesson is how HARD he played. Anybody who tells you he shook hands with SRV after a show is LYING, cuz his hands were a bloody mess.On at least one occasion, he was seen pulling off his boot, cutting a piece of callus off his heel and super gluing it to his finger. Big frets became a huge part of his sound, but it was by necessity; he had four or five guitars in rotation, but all of them had to be refretted regularly.Stevie's Number One had Gibson bass frets, but like Matt, here, I've found Dunlop 6105s to be enough to get me there, with a set of 11s. The low tuning and loud playing also played a part, because his speakers were beat to shit; the closest I've come to nailing Stevie's sound was when I found a really old Super Reverb in a little shop in Indy and the 10s in it were shot. It was the only time I ever drew a crowd in a music store.

@UCaLCI9770qY9hGRmdZgVV-g Blues Guys have used heavy Gauge Electric Strings (they're basically Electric Guitar Nickel Wound versions of Acoustic Guitar Strings) to get a better better bluesier sound than they think Modern Electric Strings w/ a Plain 3rd would do. Metal guys use them for Down Tuning so that they're easier to play & the sound is bigger. SRV did both things w/ his Guitar, he used a set of 13s tuned down a Half Step cause this makes them easier to play, the tone becomes bluesier, & it was also easier for him to sing the higher notes since he was struggling to sing in E.

@UCaLCI9770qY9hGRmdZgVV-g I have a Stratocaster so I can get that sound. Rather than using 13s I'm using 9s so that they're easier to bend.

The most important things for guitar tone: amp, pickups, hands.

It's pretty bittersweet seeing all these SRV videos circulating on RU-vid lately... He actually passed on my dad's birthday, and it's been a few years since my dad's passing. I couldn't agree more on your theory of tone. Great video :)

I remember that day Matt , the news said SRV had crashed , it was devastating. He had just got help with some drug use and he was all well.

I seriously doubt if many of us live in a situation where we could turn an amplifier up to that level…. My neighbors would crucify me!

0:30 Thirty years ago to the day, Stevie Ray Vaughn passed - right over a ski lift and into side of a mountain.

1:25 seconds in, I already know, I love this video!

Step one: Be Stevie Ray Vaughn

No disrespect to Stevie, I love Stevie,...but your playing is just as impressive as SRV. I’m sure you’re very humble, but you should embrace your gifts and realize the greatness you possess. I’m sure Stevie would want you to realize the same. Good luck to you.

Yeah, but to compensate the lack of amplifiers you certainly need a compressor…

I already commented below, but I think of all of the "how to sound like Stevie Ray" videos, this one is probably the best. I'd just add a couple of things. There's a lot of debate on whether SRV tuned to E-flat for tone or for some other reason, but a Stratocaster really does open up and come alive when tuned down a half step. In my experience, it's a whole different instrument. Second, a rosewood neck creates a smoother tone, which is important if you're going to play at high volume and you don't have to cut thru other instruments in the band. Third, if you're going to create good vibrato on a rosewood neck, fret height is very important. Taller is better. String gauge is more important for bent string vibrato than tone. It's a question of resistance. Finally, don't overlook the tone that SRV got with his lead pickup. That's where the overdrive pedal comes in handy, because it can really smooth the tone of a Strat's bridge pickup. He had the whole range of tones available to him, from the deep Austin sound of the neck pickup to a smooth rock sound with his bridge pickup, as well as everything in between. He constantly manipulated his pickup switch to get whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.

Nice job. I'm a teacher, and a very amateur guitar player--I really appreciate your teaching style here, and your spirit. Keep it up. Oh, and you're a great guitar player! I saw Stevie a couple of times in the early 80s (lived in Austin then) and tone aside, there was something else about the guy that just transcended all the technical stuff. He channeled something. I don't know what it was exactly, but it was beautiful. Thanks for sharing your insights and for being so humble about it.

Matt, Thanks for celebrating SRV’s memory...I didn't realize its been 30 years. Please forgive me while I share an extended comment regarding my brief glimpse of his greatness. I grew up in Pittsburgh and he came thru in June of ’89 and played an outdoor show at Station Square, but I was so broke I couldn’t afford a ticket. But there I was, dragging my girlfriend along, and parked outside the fence listening. When he did Voodoo Chile, it was like Hendrix reincarnated. Four months later, I got married Oct 28, 1989, so, reluctantly, I was on the Honeymoon at Disney World when SRV came thru Pittsburgh with Jeff Beck at the tiny Syria Mosque. Can’t believe I missed that show. Wife knew I was conflicted missing that show. Two months later, entered the Air Force Dec, ’89 and wife surprised me with tickets to SRV when I came home from tech school in June ’90. I finally got to see him perform. Amazing? Of course. Joe Cocker? Not so much… I moved to Anchorage, AK the very next week and SRV was there just 2 weeks later, but I didn’t go because I had just seen him. Regrets? Of course. Then, just a few weeks later, he was gone...Heartbreaking. After all these years, its amazing how many people he touched and how his influence still lives on.

By the time SRV came around I had already been playing over a decade so my style was already set.I saw him for the first time in NYC opening up for the Greg Allman band and it was one of the greatest performances I have ever witnessed. I got to see him a few more times and as much as I enjoyed him I never wanted to sound like him.I think trying to copy someone is a waste of time.Find your own voice.

I think some players can really imitate their favorite guitar heroes or they fall short regardless of amp.

The best recreation of his tone I’ve heard.