Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

H

herbychimp

New member
I am struggling to get the kind of cruch tone I really want with fairly basic gear and would appreciate some advice / help.

I am running a Tokai LP with a CC in the bridge / PG in the neck into a Marshall valvestate 50. I had been using a POD at the front end but the tones are so processed that I have given up with it! In front of the amp I have a Boss superoverdrive, Boss EQ, Boss chorus and a Crybaby Wah - I just can't seem to get a half decent crunch sound. As a tonal reference I guess I am thinking of some of the late 80's greats but I really dig Jake E Lee's rythm tone, especially on Dusk. I don't know whether the problem lies with an overly sterile amp (Valvestates are not know for their character) or whether I need a tube driven stopmp box - something like SD's twintube? I have also considered a Tech21 sansamp style affair..

Any ideas

SG
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

My old valves state had no balls what so ever on the crunch channel so I used to use a Boss DS-1 on the clean channel which was much more crunchy :)

If replacing the amp is presently beyond your budget then a stomp box may well be the way forward.

Depending what sort of crunch you want will define what pedal to go for, some form of solid state box may be just what you need if you're going for that eighties metal sound.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

I imagine replacing your amp with one of those 5W tube amp like the BlackHeart Little Giant would be a solution. Feed it the Super Overdrive and you'll be in crunch city.

You can circle around the issue with new pedals and gizmos, but I think we all more or less agree that your amp doesn't cut it, which is sad because it's an expensive upgrade.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

Diego said:
I imagine replacing your amp with one of those 5W tube amp like the BlackHeart Little Giant would be a solution. Feed it the Super Overdrive and you'll be in crunch city.

You can circle around the issue with new pedals and gizmos, but I think we all more or less agree that your amp doesn't cut it, which is sad because it's an expensive upgrade.
Click to expand...

+1 Theres really no substitution for a good amp. But despite what everyone seems to think, a Good amp doesn't have to be expensive. I mean sure if you expect it to say Marshall, Fender, or Splawn or whatever on the front of it, then its gonna cost alot...But theres TONS of makers out there making great amps that are affordable. If you don't mind buying used, then you can score even better amps for far cheaper.

The Blackheart amps are ok, but definitely wouldn't be my first suggestion.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

The BBE treble booster (called "Freq boost") might help. It was blown out by MF for $30 recently. It sounds good (I have one) but I can't say what it does in front of a transi amp.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

Diego said:
I imagine replacing your amp with one of those 5W tube amp like the BlackHeart Little Giant would be a solution. Feed it the Super Overdrive and you'll be in crunch city.

You can circle around the issue with new pedals and gizmos, but I think we all more or less agree that your amp doesn't cut it, which is sad because it's an expensive upgrade.
Click to expand...

I did exactly this. My AC30 has a certain character when driven that isn't quite that compressed chug that I was looking for. Turns out, a modded Valve Junior and big boxed 212 cab made exactly the noise I was looking for.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

I just suggested the Blackheart off the top of my head.
I don't know much about these newer low watt tube amps, but I'm just sticking to the principle here.

BTW, what's wrong with the Blackheart? I've read that with a tube swap those are great.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have been taking a look at some of Seymours different stomp boxes and like the look of the very tubey' twin tube mayhem. It sounds v.organic and I hope that it would improve things considerably, but in front of a valvestat, would it make that much difference. I am after hard rock tones (Jake E lee / Van Halen ect) and don't want metal but this SFX 04 looks like it can do the lot?
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

A tube based overdrive into a solid state amp will not sound as good as a solid state pedal into a tube amp. Part of the equation is the way that a pedal can overdrive a tube amp just by pumping a stronger signal into it. Solid state amps do not react in the same way, in fact overdriving the input stage of a solid state amp can produce horrible results.

You don't have to spend a fortune. Some of the cheaper Peavey, Traynor or Kustom tube amps with an overdrive pedal or two would be a HUGE improvement over your Valvestate.

If you're serious about getting a decent sound it's time to bite the bullet and go valve.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

richard parker said:
If you're serious about getting a decent sound it's time to bite the bullet and go valve.
Click to expand...

+1, I have to agree with the other bro's if you want a good crunch tone, it's probably time to pony up for a tube amp....


-J
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

Thanks for all the advice. As it happens my uncle is selling a Mesa Boogie Rocket (44?) and this looks very sturdy and may provide the tones that I am lusting after. I am also thinking about the Blackstar combo but it wonder whether it is suitable for medium sized gigs?
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

You know, I just realized you've got a Custom Custom in an LP. Your LP is all mahogany right? It might be worth throwing an Alnico 5 or 8 or a ceramic in that CC. I would think the added highs (and with 8 or ceramic output) would put quite a bit more bite into it. I'm running an Alnico 8 in the bridge at the moment in a Gibson LP Studio, and to my ears, it's the definition of organic crunch.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

My "upstate rig" is a Pocket POD through an old 8020 Valvestate combo. You can definately get some great sounds happening. You just need to spend some time tweeking the settings for the amps character.
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

Sell the Valve Sate and get a Peavey VTM or Butcher.

GREAT crunch for very little money
 
Re: Help needed: Great organic CRUNCH tone on a buget

definitely need a better amp

it's very simple

a bunch of awesome stuff into crap = crap

a bunch of not-even-awesome and maybe even crappy stuff into something awesome = still awesome
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

schecterplayer
A Frustrating NPD: Zoom MS70-CDR Noise Issues
Replies
11
Views
4K
vegetablejoe
vegetablejoe
U
Help needed to rewire my guitar and add an killswitch on a push/pull volume pot
Replies
0
Views
422
Urgo
U
P
Wah and buffer placement on a Nano board? Buffer-mod a Crybaby Mini?
Replies
9
Views
2K
Kamanda~SD
Kamanda~SD
Falloffthebonetone
Way Huge Swollen Pickle MKII review on Bass
Replies
2
Views
4K
Falloffthebonetone
Falloffthebonetone
S
Pickups needed for a few different guitars
Replies
3
Views
1K
Masta' C
Masta' C
Back
Top