The Tone Shepherd

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The Tone Shepherd

A loving guide for the P&W guitar community into tone everlasting.

06/20/2026

Am I a hypocrite? Of course I am. I'm well aware of that this world of social media can be soul corrupting. And I'm always praying for wisdom and the self discipline to let this be a platform of purity. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the most difficult thing ever to not let a little yeast get in the dough.

06/18/2026

I've been a little quiet lately but very hard at work behind the scenes. Truly, one of my passion areas is equipping. Both the tools and the knowledge of how to use them well is critical in any endeavor. And especially in the art of tone, I've been feeling the need to share much more of what I have learned through the years. So the last couple of months have shifted from capturing to building a course to act as the companion guide to the signature preset. It's the reason why I haven't dropped the V2 demo video yet, although it is done. My goal is to release that video along with this course at the same time. I genuinely pray that it's a resource that blesses you and helps you feel like you can have a mastery of the preset and the quad cortex in general. I don't have a specific release date yet, but just know I'm hard at work and when it's ready, I'll let you know!

06/15/2026

Jesus doesn’t warn us because spiritual practices are bad.

He warns us because even beautiful things can become corrupted when they are aimed at the wrong audience.

Giving can become branding.
Prayer can become performance.
Worship can become image management.
Serving can become a way to be seen.

But the Father sees what is done in secret.

For worship leaders, this matters deeply.

The stage should never become the place where we manufacture a version of ourselves that does not exist in private. It should simply become the overflow of a real hidden life with God.

So before we sing for the room, we return to the Father.

Before we lead publicly, we worship privately.

Before we ask others to behold Him, we behold Him in secret.

Because hidden faith’s true reward is not applause.

It’s Him.

06/11/2026

I'm not one to hide my appreciation for Lambertones pickups but in this video I want to make abundantly clear what I love most about the company—the man behind it.

When you have a million choices in great gear at our fingertips like we do today, the final tipping point might land on the values or character of the builder. In the case of Lambertones, you get legendary tonal clarity combined with one of the best men in the business. Zero compromise on quality or character.

That's what makes Lambertones the resounding pickup of choice for me.

The Crema/Grinder combo in my Jennings Voyager is my primary weapon of choice, followed by my Jazzmaster with Ristrettos, and close on its heels my Tele with Blondies.

If you've never tried Lambertones pickups before, there's always time to repent.

https://lambertones.store/

06/10/2026

Quad Cortex Signature Preset V2 Update:

1 — All V1 owners have received the new V2 presets and V2 captures. Any new purchase has been getting the final V2 resources for over a week now.

2 — My website and Read Me files have been updated to detail what's included and some basics on how to approach the EQ as well.

thetoneshepherd.com/quadcortex

Still working hard on video demos and audio clips. Should have something for you to watch within the next week.

I'm also working hard on a video resource library to help you get the most out of your QC. What kind of things would be helpful for you to know about the QC or the Sig Preset?

06/08/2026

Don't think Jesus' teaching of "turning the other cheek" means for us to be a doormat. Jesus casts a vision of loving our enemies that is much richer and more nuanced. Though we don't match evil IN KIND, we do stand up to injustice in creative non-violent ways that seeks true reconciliation for both the victim and the perpetrator. This is the kind of radical love Jesus displayed for US, after all, since we were all once enemies of God now reconciled through the cross.

Huge thanks to for your podcast and articles on this topic. My sermon was essentially one giant restatement of the truths you unearthed. 🫶🏼 📖 👌🏼

And I hope you all know this, but by supporting Tone Shepherd you're also supporting The Bible Project monthly! Good tone is making disciples!

06/04/2026

Quad Cortex Signature Preset V2 has been transferred to all V1 owners!

(It only took 2.5 straight hours to transfer! 😆…this video is at 40,000% speed)

A detailed walkthrough video is on the way, but in the mean time, here’s some info you should know:

The “CD65 NEVE” capture in all three main V2 presets is a combo capture of a SoloDallas CD65 along with my API 3122V preamp and Neve 8803 EQ. The CD65 provides a little bit of saturation/compression and the Neve EQ is tailored for each preset. This block is meant to be on all the time and act as your global preset EQ. The other EQ blocks are bypassed on purpose. This capture is also being used as a boost in some Scenes.

To EQ the preset for your guitar, use:
1. The Jewel compressor block tilt EQ and/or the Hi Cut (a fairly aggressive 2k cut)
2. The 3-band EQ controls in the CD65-NEVE capture

If you need to EQ the preset further, then reach for the EQ block.

Included with this V2 preset is the following:

6 Playable Presets
⭑ TS SIG PRESET HB V2
⭑ TS SIG PRESET SC V2
⭑ TS SIG PRE STRAT V2
⭑ TS SIG - ACPRO HB V1
⭑ TS SIG - ACPRO SC V1
⭑ TS SIG WASHED STRAT

30 AC30 Captures (V1 & V2)

30 Prosonic Captures (V1 & V2)

31 Drive Captures (Mostly V1)
TS 0 CD65 NEVE - BR
TS 0 CD65 NEVE - WM
TS 0 CD65 NEVE - STRAT
TS 1 CRUISER
TS 1 DAILY DRIVE
TS 1 DAILY DRIVER
TS 1 DAILY DRIVER (SC)
TS 1 GRIT
TS 1 KTR
TS 1 LIGHTSPEED
TS 2 BENSON PREAMP
TS 3 FPT HB
TS 2 FPT
TS 2 FPT (SC)
TS 2 FPT SC2
TS 2 KOT YELLOW
TS 2 PAGE TS
TS 3 ASPEN SECRET
TS 3 DRV MOD 1 - OPA
TS 3 KILT V2 - BLUE
TS 3 KILT V2 - RED
TS 3 KILT X BLU
TS 3 PLUME 1
TS 3 PROTEIN G (MOD&EQ) 1
TS 3 SUPERBOLT V1
TS 4 FOCUS FUZZ
TS 4 FOCUS FUZZIER
TS 4 FOCUS FUZZ SC1
TS 4 KILT V2 - RED (SC)
TS 5 BENSON G BOOST
TS 5 PRICKLY PEAR BOOST

06/03/2026

My wife used to know exactly when not to interrupt me.

If she walked into the garage and saw a pencil tucked behind my ear, she knew I was in "project mode." Whatever I was building, fixing, or improving had my full attention, and not much else could get through.

The problem is, I'm realizing that same mindset can follow me into my spiritual life.

In Luke 18, the disciples repeatedly try to shield Jesus from interruptions—children, a blind beggar, anyone they deemed less important than the mission at hand. But Jesus seemed to operate differently. He never treated people as obstacles to His work. More often than not, they were the work.

Maybe discipleship isn't just about following Jesus in the big moments. Maybe it's learning to recognize Him in the interruptions.

A few thoughts on pencils, projects, and the Kingdom in today's devo.

06/01/2026

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Gal. 2:20

The gospel isn’t just about making bad people better—it’s about bringing dead people back to life!

The fully surrendered Jesus follower is no longer bound to a code of laws that enslaves them to earning. Instead, through death to self and rebirth in Christ, their desires are transformed from the inside out to think and live like their King.

But this surely doesn't happen overnight.

It's a daily, moment by moment, surrender that accumulates to a freer and freer life. And once you've tasted it it's hard to stomach the blandness of the world.

Crucify me, Lord Jesus, if that's what it takes
To see You and know You and walk in Your wake
Remind me my striving and earning is done
My old life has died, and Heaven's begun

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

(Turn phone sideways for stereo goodness)

Took the Gretsch G6131T-62 for a spin for the first time on Sunday and really enjoyed it. It was my first time playing live with a non-Electromatic Gretsch!

Running my Quad Cortex Signature V2 HB preset with just a few EQ tweaks on the Jewel block (Hi Cut Off, Tone to 6, Volume to 9)

I love playing this guitar with the two different filter options…guess it's called a "mud switch"?

I used the down position (the less extreme of the two, kinda feels like a mid enhancement setting) on EG1 and really dug the focus it gave that Chorus lead line especially.

All you Gretsch users, what are your favorite things about your guitar!?

Address

3261 Felton Street
Thousand Oaks, CA
91320

Telephone

+18058074191

Website

http://thetoneshepherd.com/

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