A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
- Thread starter LukeW
- Start date
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Great post Luke! I have long been a fan of people learning how to "play" the amp.
My general settings:
Clean: gain 3, 8/3/7 B/M/T
Jazz: gain 3, 7/8/4
Blues: gain 4-5, 5/8/4
Rock: gain 6-7, 3/7/7 or 3/5/7
Metal: gain 8+, 4/1/7
And of course, these ALL vary with the guitar/pups and specific amp. Just kind of my "starting points"
Great post Luke! I have long been a fan of people learning how to "play" the amp.
My general settings:
Clean: gain 3, 8/3/7 B/M/T
Jazz: gain 3, 7/8/4
Blues: gain 4-5, 5/8/4
Rock: gain 6-7, 3/7/7 or 3/5/7
Metal: gain 8+, 4/1/7
And of course, these ALL vary with the guitar/pups and specific amp. Just kind of my "starting points"
CTN
The Drama Dude
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Interesting.
For me:
Normal Clean: gain 3-5, 5/6 or 7/6 B/M/T
Jazz: gain 2, 7/5/3 good to go, or 5/6/6 and roll down the tone on the geetar
Blues: gain 4-5, 5/6/6
Rock: gain 6-7, 5/6/6
Metal: as much gain as I can get away with, 5/6/6
Seeing a pattern here? think of the B/M/T figures I put more as ratios of what I like to hear rather than settings on the dial. The exact numbers of the knobs can vary depending on the amp, cab, room, guitar etc.
I use the EQ to find "my voice" and then adjust the gain to suit the style. And I NEVER EVER EVER mid scoop, unless I'm playing grimy, filthy death metal, which is rarely.
Interesting.
For me:
Normal Clean: gain 3-5, 5/6 or 7/6 B/M/T
Jazz: gain 2, 7/5/3 good to go, or 5/6/6 and roll down the tone on the geetar
Blues: gain 4-5, 5/6/6
Rock: gain 6-7, 5/6/6
Metal: as much gain as I can get away with, 5/6/6
Seeing a pattern here? think of the B/M/T figures I put more as ratios of what I like to hear rather than settings on the dial. The exact numbers of the knobs can vary depending on the amp, cab, room, guitar etc.
I use the EQ to find "my voice" and then adjust the gain to suit the style. And I NEVER EVER EVER mid scoop, unless I'm playing grimy, filthy death metal, which is rarely.
Mattr4president
New member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Everything:
gain- 7(varies on style) eq-10/10/10.
its been the absolute best way to run my amp. Not for everyone but noone complains about not cutting through the mix.
Everything:
gain- 7(varies on style) eq-10/10/10.
its been the absolute best way to run my amp. Not for everyone but noone complains about not cutting through the mix.
Morior
New member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Then again, my grimy technical death metal band mates and I preferred it when the guitars made discernable notes, so we were pretty weird.
Back in the days when I played grimy, filthy technical death metal, I would actually boost the mids slightly.
Then again, my grimy technical death metal band mates and I preferred it when the guitars made discernable notes, so we were pretty weird.
CTN
The Drama Dude
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Lol I used to dime the EQ on my Jet City too when I had it
Lol I used to dime the EQ on my Jet City too when I had it
CTN
The Drama Dude
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
technical stuff yeah, definitely needs the mids. but old school, just-heavy-grooves kinda stuff, I think that's the only kind of metal where an abundance of mids isn't needed.
technical stuff yeah, definitely needs the mids. but old school, just-heavy-grooves kinda stuff, I think that's the only kind of metal where an abundance of mids isn't needed.
Mattr4president
New member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
yeah. It was one of those things where I said "enough &$#*Ing around with settings!! Everything on 10 and leave it there." I use my ts9 modded and guitar to sculpt from there. I hate too many options. Give me tone that's all.
Lol I used to dime the EQ on my Jet City too when I had it
yeah. It was one of those things where I said "enough &$#*Ing around with settings!! Everything on 10 and leave it there." I use my ts9 modded and guitar to sculpt from there. I hate too many options. Give me tone that's all.
fouellet1701
New member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Ha! Ha! Ha! Very funny, the "letter" is obviously something he wrote to himself to support his demonstration.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Very funny, the "letter" is obviously something he wrote to himself to support his demonstration.
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
zenmindbeginner
New member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
Peavey Bandit? Is this a joke?
I like this guys lessons (long time subscriber) but I just couldn't get past the Peavey and suggestions for a Kirk Hammett tone... doesn't he know that the rhythms come from James only?
Would be a good start to set your amp up if you were born without ears and have never played guitar before.
Peavey Bandit? Is this a joke?
I like this guys lessons (long time subscriber) but I just couldn't get past the Peavey and suggestions for a Kirk Hammett tone... doesn't he know that the rhythms come from James only?
Would be a good start to set your amp up if you were born without ears and have never played guitar before.
guitfiddle
firstlessonologist
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
If you can't get a good tone on a Peavey Bandit, it's not the amp's fault...
If you can't get a good tone on a Peavey Bandit, it's not the amp's fault...
zenmindbeginner
New member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
I always thought that the 2x12 Classic was a noble amp... always sort of wanted one in the 80's and would feel a little funny when I stood next to one. No other Peavey made me feel that way.
My brother's practice amp was a Basic 40 when I was a little kid. The amp was absolute that... basic.
I did play that amp for a few months in '91 when I was doing the Marty Friedman thing of practicing without any distortion or overdrive. Nice smooth jazz tone for guitar despite it's "basic" nature.
If you can't get a good tone on a Peavey Bandit, it's not the amp's fault...
I always thought that the 2x12 Classic was a noble amp... always sort of wanted one in the 80's and would feel a little funny when I stood next to one. No other Peavey made me feel that way.
My brother's practice amp was a Basic 40 when I was a little kid. The amp was absolute that... basic.
I did play that amp for a few months in '91 when I was doing the Marty Friedman thing of practicing without any distortion or overdrive. Nice smooth jazz tone for guitar despite it's "basic" nature.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
My approach is to set the guitar volume on 7-8, dime all the amp tones, bring up the amp gain until I get crunch when laying into the strings but clean when playing lightly, then roll off any amp tones that are sticking out. Having the guitar on 7-8 from the start leaves me just the right headroom to dime it when I need and get pretty good high gain distortion with the same settings.
non sequitur: I always loose 10-15 minutes when I hit Stratman's signature, than I have to log in again.
My approach is to set the guitar volume on 7-8, dime all the amp tones, bring up the amp gain until I get crunch when laying into the strings but clean when playing lightly, then roll off any amp tones that are sticking out. Having the guitar on 7-8 from the start leaves me just the right headroom to dime it when I need and get pretty good high gain distortion with the same settings.
non sequitur: I always loose 10-15 minutes when I hit Stratman's signature, than I have to log in again.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
For me it is like this (at least on my amp):
Clean: Gain - less than 3; 3/8/5; B/M/T
Drive: Gain - 10 (the gain on my amp doesn't go too high, it goes up to the drive of a maxed out AC30. No OD pedals); 3/10/5; B/M/T
The clean is self-explanatory, and I use the drive for everything because it covers it all. Classic rock to extreme forms of metal, it is what I use.
Also, I am not 'cutting through the mix'. I simply STAY in my boundries of the mix. The whole 'cut through the mix' thing sound like people compete with other instruments to get heard. If you simply stay in your range you won't be too far back or too up front. I let the bass and kick drums handle lows, the 3 guitars handle the 'middle' mids and 'high' mids, my vocals tend to naturally handle lower middle and bass ranges - even when singing high notes -, the snare finds its own pocket in the mids, it is a pretty distinct sound, and cymbals/other percussion are in the high ranges along with possibly one or two guitars max.
A band should work together and complement in sound, not compete.
For me it is like this (at least on my amp):
Clean: Gain - less than 3; 3/8/5; B/M/T
Drive: Gain - 10 (the gain on my amp doesn't go too high, it goes up to the drive of a maxed out AC30. No OD pedals); 3/10/5; B/M/T
The clean is self-explanatory, and I use the drive for everything because it covers it all. Classic rock to extreme forms of metal, it is what I use.
Also, I am not 'cutting through the mix'. I simply STAY in my boundries of the mix. The whole 'cut through the mix' thing sound like people compete with other instruments to get heard. If you simply stay in your range you won't be too far back or too up front. I let the bass and kick drums handle lows, the 3 guitars handle the 'middle' mids and 'high' mids, my vocals tend to naturally handle lower middle and bass ranges - even when singing high notes -, the snare finds its own pocket in the mids, it is a pretty distinct sound, and cymbals/other percussion are in the high ranges along with possibly one or two guitars max.
A band should work together and complement in sound, not compete.
Last edited:
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
I had one of those in the 80's. It was an original with tremolo and reverb and 4 inputs. Big, heavy, pain in the @$$. Bandit would have been a better choice.
Do not blaspheme on the Bandit. That amp is a classic and full of nothing but road weary awesome. I would gig with one of those in any style, any band, any bar/club, any day!
I had one of those in the 80's. It was an original with tremolo and reverb and 4 inputs. Big, heavy, pain in the @$$. Bandit would have been a better choice.
Do not blaspheme on the Bandit. That amp is a classic and full of nothing but road weary awesome. I would gig with one of those in any style, any band, any bar/club, any day!
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: A beginners guide to dialing in your amp
ANother great moment of truth. The Uber-Amazing Ultra Tone that you just made in the living room, may sound like crap or be un-hearable in the band. The AMAZING band sound on stage might be unbearable in the living room alone. Many many many bedroom shredders (and sadly, band members) don't get this....and most JB haters.
ANother great moment of truth. The Uber-Amazing Ultra Tone that you just made in the living room, may sound like crap or be un-hearable in the band. The AMAZING band sound on stage might be unbearable in the living room alone. Many many many bedroom shredders (and sadly, band members) don't get this....and most JB haters.
