Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

[Dave Locher]

I have a nice crunchy amp (1978 Randall RG100ES) that gives me a great rhythm sound. However, I also want a smooth, super creamy lead sound with massive sustain.

I have tried an EQ pedal, a couple different clean boosts, three different compressors, and two different TS-type pedals. The TS pedals come closest, but still don't give me the creamy sound I am really looking for. The comp pedals gave me the sustain, but we're either too low output (Joyo), too muffled (Pigtronix) or too bright and shrill (Super Comp). I have a Tech 21 Boost RVB pedal and it also gives me the sustain at full boost with the mix on full dry but it still does not have the smoothness I crave.
Help?

The shops where I live have very limited selection so I am stuck with buying & flipping. It's getting pretty old and I feel like I am chasing my tail.

[Demanic]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

Keeley Katana in top boost mode.

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[Dave Locher]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

Top boost? That will give me creamy sustain? I will check out some youtube clips. Thanks.
(BTW, you really should get Keeley to give you a buck every time you recommend that pedal. You'd be rich!

[Demanic]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

You'd be surprised. It takes whatever guitar you are playing through and makes it louder. Doesn't change the tone. Except when it's in top boost mode. Then, it adds a bit of hair to what it's already made louder. The overall effect is not what you would expect based on the name.
I endorse it because I love what it does.

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[Dave Locher]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

Does the mini sound the same?

[Demanic]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

Haven't heard it.

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[Matt42]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

I use the Electro Harmonix Crayon to get into the territory you are looking for. I use it into my Deluxe style amp set up to be fairly crunchy and it really pushes it into a singing, creamy lead tone with great sustain.

[Demanic]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

The thing with the Katana is, it has a lot of headroom and you can hit the front end with a huge signal. But you can also hit it at a more moderate level and with the top boost. Which simultaneously thickens your sound and adds more sustain. Without necessarily becoming screechy.

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[Lampy H]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

Take out the peanuts.

[EDX]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

boss od-3, it's really different from any tube screamer type overdrive, it's very wide and open, smooth and thick with a nice bottom end emphasis, i use it for ac/dc on the clean channel and for thick creamy dark high gain distortion on the lead channel of my envoy

really one of the best smooth lead tone overdrives

[Mincer]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

Add an extra gain channel with the Palladium. This is what it was designed for.

[devastone]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

The Palladium sounds awesome in the clips and videos, but seems a bit over the top just to push and already crunchy amp. From the SD line I'd recommend the 805 over that given the application.

I'm really not sure how you aren't getting that with a TS though, if you can't, I'm not sure you are going to with that amp. And, those Randalls aren't exactly know for a "creamy" tone, they're definitely more of the crunchy style with some bite.

Which kinda circles around to Mincer's suggestion on the Palladium, if you aren't digging your gain channel, then the Palladium would be a great choice to run into your clean channel.

[EDX]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

devastone it has to do with the nature of the amp, the tubescreamer pushes the mids and high mids, with that amp it will never give it a creamy sound, no matter how you set it, that's why i suggested the od-3 as straight in a clean channel it sounds very smooth and liquid, pushing a gain channel you can turn it into a creamy sound very easily, as the overdrive pushes the low end hard without turning so easily into a massive muddy mush

[Jeff5]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

You should try a Suhr Koko Boost, either the older model or reloaded. Great for what you are looking for, especially in mid-boost mode.

[Dave Locher]

Re: Help me find smooth, creamy sustaining notes with a crunchy amp

The Palladium sounds awesome in the clips and videos, but seems a bit over the top just to push and already crunchy amp. From the SD line I'd recommend the 805 over that given the application.

I'm really not sure how you aren't getting that with a TS though, if you can't, I'm not sure you are going to with that amp. And, those Randalls aren't exactly know for a "creamy" tone, they're definitely more of the crunchy style with some bite.

Which kinda circles around to Mincer's suggestion on the Palladium, if you aren't digging your gain channel, then the Palladium would be a great choice to run into your clean channel.

The TS pedals both give me great sustain, but not thick and creamy. The problem isn't getting more gain per se, it's getting it with the right mojo to give me a full, rich sound. Between the low-cut and the mid boost I get a very cutting tone with a TS, which isn't my goal. I'm looking for smooooth, but at stage volume through my crunchy amp I can't just keep piling on lots more gain.