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Tone HELP.

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(@leear)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 392
Topic starter  

I play Country/Texas Blues and Rock. I own a mexican tele with a texas custom in the neck and a dimarzzio chopper hot rail in teh bridge. I play in this band and we play anywhere from Play that Funky Music, to Sweet Child O Mine, to Your CHeatin Heart. I am getting tired of the clean sound, and I'm not keen on TOO much distortion a little is ok. I have pedals and I use almost everyone and here is my setup:

Guitar:MXR Dyna-Comp:Boss Blues Driver:Boss Tremelo: Boss DD6: Boss Noise Suppressor: Boss Super Chorus:Morely Volume: Clean amp Channel.

In That order. I got a nice clean sound and I always have my COMP on at all times. WHen I want crunch I usually hit my blues driver. But I am looking for a Texas Blues Rock Sound. Never really got it. I want that little crunch always there but with that Texas Twang I know this is confusing (not Vaughan or Healey sounding).

My soloing style is as follows. Slow medium tempo song, I tend to play more power ballad with some distortion just enough to make it cry. Faster Up tempo songs i tend to do the chicken picken. with the exception of the Slow songs I do some steel guitar licks. I do blues type solos, along with power ballads alot. I can get that power ballad sound when i stomp my blues driver thats ok.

Now for the fun part. I was told that using a comp, reverb(off amp) and Tremelo u could get a killer country/bluesy tone. If this is true HOW????? I was alos told the same but instead of using temelo use delay with a fast slapback. I NEED SOME HELP I'M ABOUT TO DIE I'M SO TIRED OF THIS TONE.

If i need to clear this up a little more please let me know ASAP.....

No matter where you go.... There You are! Law of Location


   
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(@kingpatzer)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 2171
 

I'm not a big fan of reverb. I don't think it does much to add to the tone.

Looking at your setup the first question I have is does your amp have an effects loop and a tube pre?

If so, I'd probably keep the volume pedal and maybe the chorus in front of the pre-amp, but I'd move the rest of your effects to the effects loop of the amp.

I don't see any eq's in your setup. I really like to have at least two -- one from the guitar signal and one between the last effect and the amp, it really does help you shape the tone.

Distortion provides compression. I never have understood having both a compressor and a distortion pedal. Choose one, or maybe get an a/b switch so that instead of turning distoriton on over the compression, you hit the a/b switch and bypass the compression and hit the distorition instead.

I'm not a big fan of the Trem pedal over a wah pedal. I'm guessing the sound you're looking for is sort of Thin Lizzy type souther rock/blues? If so, all that was was a wah pedal into a Marshall stack cranked up to full saturation. If you're looking for something closer to Robin Trower, add a flanger and a wah pedal and loose the tremelo pedal.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST


   
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(@dogbite)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 6348
 

I like your setup and whayt you are going after.

slapback is needed for some things but not always.
dynacomp compressor is a great pedal.

dont use chorus. it aint country in my mind.

now for the crunch you are looking for.
the blues driver pedal is meant to be a warm over driven old tube amp tone. good for some stuff, but as you experience not good for some things.
try the Tubescreamer. mine has four settings. each has nice overdriven tube amp tone, but some boost the low end. I find it very versitile.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=644552
http://www.soundclick.com/couleerockinvaders


   
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(@flashback)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 266
 

Overdrive? I always loved the texas blues sound my TS9 could get.

Definitly go with the Ibanez TS9 (or TS808 if you have the money). Its a great pedal to invest in.

GN's resident learning sponge, show me a little and I will soak it up.


   
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(@dogbite)
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Joined: 19 years ago
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(@leear)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 392
Topic starter  

THanks for the replies. I'm not a fan or EQ's in the system because i don't know really just never liked it because i was always changing it. I'd rather stick the the low, mid, and high eq on my amp. I love that texas blues sound. I still need a little clean and with my pickups and amp on clean the reverb makes a nice country twang, but i want a little more bite than what it has. I have an effects loop but I don't use it because I HATE THEM. never found the purpose really, i compared using it to not using and and there was no difference except that I had less pedals tied to me.

Now as far as my Trem goes, i got it for special purposes, I.E. song by Journey "Open Arms" we play and i like adding a really fast trem to the lead gives a great effect.

Most people don't know how to properly use a comp. I used to use it for volume gain, then i discovered this great thing called a volume pedal that made a much smoother transition. When u play highs and lows are not balanced, highs may pierce ur ears at some point in a song, and u may never even hear a low at others. A Comp allows all lows and highs to be balanced. Example when u play it brings the lows up to match the highest high. if the highest note u hit is say a 7 and then a low is registering a 4 the comp balances them out pretty close say 6 to 8. It balances out the tone, on top of that it adds great sustain. and yes the Dynacomp is the most awesome compressor out there. I am a big boss fan obviously but i sold my boss comp to by the dyna comp.

Ijust got my volume not too long ago a quickie here. When i solo i push down my volume (usually slide into the solo),when i am playing clean. When i use my blues driver for power ballad type its alwasy loud enough, do u recommend using the volume here too, or turning down my blues driver and using the volume???

No matter where you go.... There You are! Law of Location


   
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(@dogbite)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 6348
 

you can think of your volume pedal as an expression pedal too.

I have my overdive settings full on to where I want them. then I use the vol pedal to step out front form leads and volume swells for some crying or full out sonic assault.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=644552
http://www.soundclick.com/couleerockinvaders


   
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(@leear)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 392
Topic starter  

well i just got some help from a friend. My buddy owns a TS808 Ibanez Tube Screamer. He said put it in front of my COMP and use it to set my tone my liking which was very easy actually. I got a Blues/Crunch/Clean if u can imagine that. I keep it and my COMP on at all times. Then when I need that little edge to make it cry for them power ballad solos i hit my blues driver. Of course my Volume pedal when it gets here will be added to help out. Thanks for the advice.

No matter where you go.... There You are! Law of Location


   
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(@dogbite)
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(@slothrob)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 472
 

Another approach to this might be to adjust the preamp so that it is just on the edge of crunch. Roll back on the volume pedal and you go clean, roll up and you get as much hair as you want to add. This works with the guitar volume as well, of course.
This is where a lot of people begin tweaking the pre-amp tubes to adjust gain or tone.
An EQ pedal or a tubescreamer-style pedal (there's a million) set relatively clean can work in this set-up by hitting the tubes with a midrange burst that helps push them over the hairy edge when yo're ready for it. The compressor can get in the way of hitting the tubes with string dynamics (so you find the TS working well before the comp) or be used to sustain the volume a bit longer and squeeze out a bit more distortion.


   
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