How do you get your cleans?

ErikH

ErikH

Well-known member
Pretty simple, eh? Sure, for some. However, for years I never could get comfortable with a "clean" clean tone - no clipping, no dirt, just a nice and simple clean tone. At home messing around it's fine, but not in a band setting. I always resort to my old school method - roll back the volume knob. I have an amp that could give me a great clean tone, yet I decided to use a nice dirty model and roll back the volume knob (Vox AC30TB). Call me old school, call me simple, but in a band situation, I've decided that's what works best for me and that's how I get my clean tones.

So, how do you get your clean tones? Old school like me? Clean amp or clean channel on an amp?

Discuss.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Clean channel of an amp cranked into breakup, but still clean enough to get perfectly clean with light picking.


So, backing off my pick attack.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Give a listen to the way Larry Carlton does it. I was tickled to hear how he rides the edge ... just attack ... but I'm betting he's using the guitar volume knob too.

Check out TECH BENCH then TWEAKING TONE ... at this link ...

http://mr335.tv/

Cool huh ...
 
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Re: How do you get your cleans?

i step on the one on the far left...

Footswitch.jpg


:D

-Mike
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Tube Combo, (Marshall DSL401, cheers Kyuss_rock) clean channel. Gain at 10 O'clock, treble and mids at 2 or 3 O'clock, bass at 11 or 12 O'clock. I only use Strats and Teles, and I usually have their volume on 8, 9 or 10. I have the mid and treble high because I think it brings out a more jangly type of clean (especially on my Strats). I should also note that I have a smattering of reverb.

I love my clean sounds, but that's what Fenders do better than anyone else, right?
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Well, I use a modeling amp...lol. However, if I had the cash...I'd probably run an aby switch between either a Roland Jazz Chorus or a Fender Twin Reverb and then use my distortion for the 5150 I just scored. I've always loved the sounds either of those two amps can produce. Actually, the cleans I use in my crap is either one of those two modeled amps.

However, I must admit that if I was running an old 80's model JCM 800...I'd straight up use it for cleans on it's own channel. I think they have some of the most underrated clean tones out there....but that's just me.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Smilemon said:
I was playin the 64 reissue the other day, on 10 it was barely breaking up. It was Hella loud though.
Click to expand...

Mine is a 1969 that was completely blackfaced and tweaked to perfection by tube amp guru Bruce Collins of Mission Amps...one of the best amps I've ever played thought if you have to be loud and/or clean.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Rid said:
Big clean British amps....I love a clean fat tube amp.
Click to expand...

I hear ya Rid...I do love my Twin but I do wish I still had a high power britt amp...I used to have a HiWatt and I still have a Sound City and even thought they're both 50 watters they both have great cleans however I woudl love to have a nice old school Britt 100 watter...or bigger!
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Clean channel. When I get a tube amp I'm going to make sure it doesn't break up at high volume on the clean channel, even if it means buying 12AU7 or 12AT7 tubes. On the clean channel, I'm all about clean.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

Roll back the volume control on the guitar. Just last week I swapped in a 12AT7 in V1 of my 18 Watter because it wouldn't cleanup with a 12AX7. With the AT in there, I get a more usable range of volume/dirt control.

I'm still trying to come to terms with my Boss CS-3 compressor as a different way to get cleans. I'm hoping to find time tonight to finally do the Monty Allums mods on it and see if we get along after that.

Compressor cleans and volume control cleans are two different things, though. I see the compressor as an effect, to get that spitting clucky tone.

P.S. - Oh, yeah... I also make sure the drive control on Christian's SD-1 is turned down. That thing needs the Bleed Fix mod bad!
 
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Re: How do you get your cleans?

For a lot of the guitar stuff I do, I need clean cleans. I don't like cleans with "hair" on them (unless we're talking Vox-ish type tones, but that doesn't work all the time); I want pure, uncompressed, rich, punchy cleans. Riding the volume knob on my guitar isn't an option for me. I specifically bought my Bogner Shiva because I wanted a dedicated clean and dedicated overdrive channel. With an 80w tube amp, at loud gig volumes, even with higher output pups like P90s, the cleans stay intact and that's why I love having that kind of wattage on tap.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

I'll back off the volume knob a little and I'll back off my pick attack, but my new Cannabis Rex speaker for my Blues Junior keeps me loud and clean for a decent amount of the volume knobs. I prefer a little bit of crunch though, just a big fat cleanish crunch.
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

i use a Head switcher unit to switch from my 5150 to a Peavey Classic 50 for cleans...

The C50 is a nice clean amp for sure.... i sometimes use that 5150/c50 rig thru a Marshall 1x12 -(model 1912) speaker cab that is 150 watts.. great for clean as it has a lot of headroom.. and the 5150 is great thru that cab as well...

I mostly use the C50 with a neck postion humbucker... sometimes i add Chorus or Flanger and sometimes i roll in some Piezo's from my Godin to round out the cleans.. it works amazingly well... sure a cranked tube amp clean is not 100% clean but you would swear it is... with that 150 watt speaker it is really clean with all that headroom.

for band practices and smaller stuff i just use a C30 combo for it's clean channel and use some distortion boxes instead of amp dirt...
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

At home vox cleans just before breakup so u can hit it hard and punch through but it doesnt sound overdriven. At gigs I use a fender pro junior (with weber blue pup) and with that at gigging volumes (about 5 1/2) it breaks up a little so isn't clean clean but isn't really distorted (its an el84 thing).
 
Re: How do you get your cleans?

I do the old school roll back the volume on my orange. I need to get a footswitch tho, I really like the clean ch on this amp, only one knob volume :) Before when I had my marshall, I just switched between the channels. I never really liked the sparkly 100% clean tone much, I like a slighty dirty sound with a hint on od.
 
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