Volume > Gain

[misterwhizzy]

For a while now, I've been running a Friedman Smallbox pedal into the front of my Marshall Origin 50 for gain tones. After having gone through a bit of an AC/DC kick, I decided I'd try to do a little less gain so I could hear the strings banging out more than just a crunchy mush of notes together I didn’t realize I was hearing in my own tone before.

So I turned the gain down to about nine o'clock and the volume up to two o'clock or so. I think this might be the way I should have been doing it all along. First of all, hats off to Friedman for creating a pedal that acts like I've always thought an amp should act. But once I made this change, all the dynamics reappeared. Volume knob down cleans up and decreases compression. Rolling it up fills out the sound and increases gain.

I know, I know, this is what a boost is supposed to do. I've been through at least a dozen boost/overdrive pedals, though, and this is the first one I've ever played that acts this way.

[solspirit]

I'm baffled how do you possibly call AC DC chords "just a crunchy mush of notes together?
i hear every note distinctly in their chords.

[Chistopher]

Yeah, I see gain as a "as little as you can use to get the sound you want" type thing. I never turn a gain knob up past noon, if I need more gain I stack an overdrive on it. I've always been surprised about how good a metal tone you can get out a "low" gain setup

[jeremy]

my metal days are well past, but i use the lower gain/higher volume method a lot. if im not going straight into the amp, i usually have a od set for a fat low gain tone with a bit of volume boost. if the amp is set right, the volume boost will push it into natural overdrive and the bit of drive from the pedal makes is sing

[GuitarStv]

Yep. The higher volumes I play at, the less gain I seem to need. I think it might be natural compression from the amp that is changing the sound in a way I like which makes the guitar sing better.

[Rex_Rocker]

How about volume AND gain!

[eclecticsynergy]

Yah, less gain is more dynamic and almost always better sounding.
Amps offer so much gain nowadays that many players - even seasoned pros - dial up more than necessary IMO.
I'm using a 20W Friedman Pink Taco with the current project. Magnificent amp for high gain British tone.
I run the input gain at ten o'clock, using pedals for grit/crunch tones plus a Lovepedal JMP Eleven that serves as my lead channel
This way I can roll back at the guitar and get nice sparkly cleans.

Home players prefer a lot of gain & compression; that makes sense for playing at low levels.
But at band volume you get enough natural sustain that a little bit of tube drive is all that's needed.
I've found that to be true even at today's much lower stage levels.

[maug2122]

Yeah, I see gain as a "as little as you can use to get the sound you want" type thing. I never turn a gain knob up past noon, if I need more gain I stack an overdrive on it. I've always been surprised about how good a metal tone you can get out a "low" gain setup

The Carvin X-100 B was a medium gain amp and it replaced my Marshall JCM 800 back in 1986. When I added my Boss, Super Distortion / Feedbacker, Tube Sceamer or Arion Hot Watt 2 , their was a magic that happened that the more high gained JCM lacked.

The notes seemed to have more headroom and dynamics .

[NegativeEase]

Unless it's some crazy lead that needs to be through the moon, I too am a keep the gain knob at noon or below and use volume or gas the amp with a boost upstream into the headroom you are allowing with the position of the lead knob. I know people like to make 11 jokes -but most amps operational limits get ratty out at the ends -especially the EQ and presence knobs.

Also, in general the sound of the guitar coming through and dynamics are better using volume over gain -just more natural and detailed too.