Originally posted by: Snatchface
Originally posted by: Platypus
Originally posted by: Snatchface
The hot plate isn't hooked up yet...waiting for some cables to get here.
That is going to yield you more power tube saturation which will warm up your tone a bit. Make sure you run the lights on at all times too. Don't use the -16dB setting, it squashes the fuck out of your tone dynamics.
What are you after? It's kind of hard to know what you're lacking tone wise. I think my original recommendation is a good choice for you to look into.. check out the maxon or ibanez AD9 if you're looking for a specific pedal.
Thanks for the advice Platy. That is kinda what I thought. I think you described the problem that I am having pretty well..."stiff" is how I would describe it. Rather than sustaining the solo notes just end abruptly and that tends to amplify inaccuracies. I will turn down the mids. I thought that it might be primarily reverb that was missing. Not so? Also what exactly is that purpose of a compressor/sustainer.
Ok there are a lot of factors going on. Not having enough sustain and having abrupt endings is usually a symptom of having too much preamp to post amp mix ratio. Once you connect that HP you should get some warmth/sustain back.
You don't have to turn mids down completely, it's just about finding a good balance. When you are playing alone you will notice that too much mids sound bad or stiff and that it sounds better when you scoop that out.. unfortunately this is misleading because in a band situation with a bass player you will be stepping on each others toes frequency wise. You also won't cut through the mix if you wipe them out too much. I use different settings live than I do at home for this purpose. The guitar is a midrange instrument so don't completely wipe those frequencies out is my point.
If you're using to having reverb, the lack of it can make your tone seem very dry.. but you really don't need reverb to make your amp sound good and most pedals are kind of ass at reverb. Using a delay will achieve the same effect and also allow you to make your solo runs 'soar' and seem larger than life which is a very cool effect.
As far as amplifying inaccuracies, a good amplifier will show your mistakes and should be a motivator rather than something you should look to correct. It will force you to become a better player. Lots of amps let you hide behind a wall of gain to mask sloppy style. I am not saying this is the case with you because I don't know you or your playing but I would imagine if you're out of practice 8-10 years, ANYONE would have this problem.
Can you list all the controls you have on that model? I might be able to suggest some 'best practice' settings.
Lastly, I do not like compressors but some people swear by them. Essentially it makes the volume output of every note you play be consistent. You will notice that some places on the guitar are just simply louder than others based on where they are. A compressor will squash/squish the notes so they all come out the same level and therefore sound more fluid. I think it takes away too much from the tone of your guitar personally but like I said, that's just me.
Good tube compression is vastly better and that's something you'll achieve when you're pusing your power amp a little harder via your attenuator.
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