Next up on our list of Tone Partners to meet is Matt Fig.
We asked Matt about his journey as a professional guitarist, his gear collection, and how he came to produce his TONEX Collections, which are available on ToneNET to demo and purchase HERE.
Learn more about Matt Fig:
IK Multimedia: Let's start from the beginning. When did you start playing guitar and why guitar?
Matt Fig: I started playing guitar when I was about 16 years old. Before that, I played piano and accordion. LOL, yes, I was ridiculed by many as the accordion has never been considered very "cool." I loved all the different sounds the instrument could make, its response to dynamics, and the workout you got by playing it aggressively for a while.
IK: Who were some of your early guitar influences?
MF: I grew up listening to Queen, the Beach Boys, the Ramones, K-Tel Records and lots of '50s and '60s rock. Before I knew anything about guitars and amps, I distinctly recall categorizing guitar tones. I remember noticing that the chords were often the same in some Beach Boys songs as Ramones songs. The main variables were simply attitude, guitar tone, and speed. I learned to appreciate a variety of sounds and always paid close attention to it, to this day.
IK: You have some very nice amps. When did this obsession with gear start? And how has it evolved?
MF: I started with solid-state amps, PODs, Digitech Rack gear, and used an ADA Microcab II to learn how to mic a cabinet. I would constantly compare my miked sound to the Microcab and adjust until they were close. It was my benchmark unit and was the predecessor to IR Technology and the like.
I had solid-state amps at first but quickly realized that the tones I wanted came out of tube amps like Marshalls, MESAs, and such, and thus began my search. I was heavily involved in the Modular Tube Series equipment from Egnater and Randall, so much so that I briefly had my own module company called Motor City Mods. I loved the idea that you could swap out preamps to save space and have a wide variety of tones. However, I slowly gravitated back to non-modular tube amps. Nowadays, I have a large stable of tube amps and modular stuff from Synergy.
IK: What components of an amp have the most impact on tone? (For example tubes, bias setting, new vs broken in speaker, cab size/material, aged components, etc...)
MF: The beauty I find in a tube amplification system is that virtually every component can have an impact on the tone. However, I do feel as though people often chase the wrong variables when it comes to trying to dial in their sound. For example, tubes make a huge difference in any amp. My experience, however, tells me that new tubes sound better than worn tubes but the brand doesn't make any real difference. Then things like gold pins and other bells and whistles tend to open the rabbit hole to many different things.
The most significant variables that impact tone are how the amp is dialed in and biased, the cabinet and speakers being used and of course, the mics and their placement on the cabinet, which have a huge impact as well.
IK: What is often overlooked when trying to get a good tone?
MF: Aside from the variables I mentioned above, I believe that the signal chain is another big piece of the puzzle. Are there pedals being used? If so, what order are they placed in? Are time-based effects in the loop (if available) and in proper order? A tidy rig without long cable runs with a well-maintained amp is always the goal.
IK: What do you look for in a guitar amp? How do you know it's good?
MF: I can usually tell if an amp is good within about 10 seconds. I usually hit an A chord, do a couple of quick chugs on E, and roll back the volume and play some big rock chords. How the amp responds tells me everything most of the time. There are times that an amp has to grow on me as well. But more often than not, I can tell right away.
IK: Name 3 of your favorite guitars you own and why.
MF: I had a multi-year endorsement deal with Waterstone Guitars in New York. I have several models and they're all great, but the WWAS model is one of the best. They made mine in a beautiful blue sparkle, it has Bare Knuckle pickups, and a push/pull pot on the tone knob to split the coils on the pickups. It plays like a dream and sounds amazing every time.
I have a Gibson Les Paul that was customized for me. It has Motor City Pickups, Jimmy Page wiring, and sounds spectacular in any style of music.
And, oddly enough, my third favorite guitar cost $138 USD. I bought it during the pandemic on a whim from Thomann. It's a Harley Benton gold top, Les Paul-style guitar with P90 pickups. I'm not sure what it is about it specifically that I love, but it has an overall feel and sound that is different than my others. I never expected to love such a cheap guitar, but it just goes to show you that quality instruments come in all price ranges.
IK: What would your desert island rig look like (money is no object)? You are limited to 1 amp, 1 cab, 1 guitar, 3 pedals.
MF: Amp - Friedman BE-100.
Guitar - Gibson Les Paul with Jimmy Page wiring.
Pedals - TC Polytune, Interstellar Audio Octonaut, Keeley Caverns reverb/delay.
IK: Even though you own a lot of great tube amps and gear you have also embraced digital technology. Tell us about when and why you started capturing your amps and what led you to TONEX?
MF: I started with Kemper and sold profiles for years. When I heard about TONEX, I had to try it. I fell in love with the streamlined capture process and the results spoke for themselves. I am proud to be an official Tone Partner and just love this system and the people at IK Multimedia. Some amazing things are coming!!!
IK: One piece of advice to players starting out and wanting to jump into capturing their amps?
MF: There is a learning curve. You have to experiment with microphones, placements, amp settings, signal chains, and so many other things. I think the most useful piece of advice I can give to somebody starting out capturing their amps, is to compare your captures against known captures that are tried and true. You can adjust as you go and learn along the way. Hopefully, you will end up with a wonderful digital recreation of your amplifier.
IK: You have created several amazing TONEX Collections. Tell us about why you chose these amps?
MF: I chose the amps in my collection because they are amps that I love, know well, and would be useful to other TONEX users.
IK: What was your approach to dialing in tones for these collections?
MF: One of the things I loved about TONEX is that my settings on the amp translate right into TONEX. With other systems, such as Kemper, occasions would arise that would require odd adjustments to the amp. With TONEX, you get exactly what you put in through the capture process. It's pretty amazing.
IK: What surprised you the most about the quality of the captures?
MF: I think the depth and clarity stood out most to me. The captures catch so many nuances in the amp - it still blows my mind.
IK: Do you have any new collections in the works?
MF: Oh, yes! I have plans to release many, many more capture packs. For the next few, you will see releases from vintage amps from as early as 1964 and current releases, such as the MESA Badlander and many more.
IK: Outside of capturing your amps, are there any music projects you are currently working on or have planned? (gigs, sessions, albums, etc...)
MF: Yes, I have released many albums over the years. I am in the process now of recording new songs with my bandmates for an upcoming release. I hope by summertime we can get out and start playing some of these songs live.
IK: Where do you see guitar gear going? Any predictions?
MF: AI takes over, digital amps will also be able to drive themselves to and from gigs, a band of Orangutans with Elon Musk's Neuralink chip become the most popular band in the world, and all original music becomes suspect from AI tampering. : ) I've been known to be a bit grandiose in my predictions, so we shall see.