How to get better boost when soloing...

A

alphadog808

New member
Hi guys,
Anyone have suggestions on how to up my volume when it's solo time? I've heard about keeping your volume knob on the guitar lower until solo time, but that changes the tone...I've also heard about using a boost pedal, but it doesn't really make a big overall volume boost...

My amp only has 2 settings, and I use them for clean and distorted...what I really need is a 3rd channel, but my amp(AD30VT) doesn't have that capability...

What do you guys do? I can't count on our soundman to boost me when it's time to solo...:(
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

any kind of clean boost pedal should work. Or an OD set with the volume high and the gain low.
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

With a clean boost you really need to go into the effects loop... at the end of the chain, You WILL get a massive boost... trust me. I use an MXR micro amp and it works great,
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

d1dsj said:
With a clean boost you really need to go into the effects loop... at the end of the chain, You WILL get a massive boost... trust me. I use an MXR micro amp and it works great,
Click to expand...

Bingo! That's the only way to do it. Boosting before the preamp will only really boost your cleans, it'll just overdrive the solo stuff more.

I recently bought a Traynor YCS-100 head for this very reason. I refuse to roll back the volume for rythem playing. And my overdrive pedal only adds a hair of volume. When I play lead, I want it to be heard. I spent too many years with people telling me my fingers were flying but they couldn't hear a thing. So this Traynor has a Solo Boost that is adjustable and activated via the footswitch. It's awesome and it's LOUD. In fact, I've not yet kicked it in at any higher of a setting than "5" on cleans or leads. And it doesn't add any extra drive to the signal. Just pure power-amp tube volume. So they must have designed it to be post-pre amp for that to be the case. Me likey lots!
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

I use a Boss GE-7 EQ for a boost for solos..Believe me it works!
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

krall said:
I use a Boss GE-7 EQ for a boost for solos..Believe me it works!
Click to expand...

Are you boosting the mids? A friend loaned me his Boss EQ and I tried that but was not happy with the results for my tone. I should play around with it some more though...
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

Red_Label said:
Are you boosting the mids? A friend loaned me his Boss EQ and I tried that but was not happy with the results for my tone. I should play around with it some more though...
Click to expand...

I had my GE-7 modded by Greg @ Solid Gold Soundlabs to be virually quiet and with better equalization..I basically boost the mids..It has quite the jump (while retaining the tone) if you tweek it right.
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

I think the trick is that the boost needs to be in the effects loop. I don't have an effects loop and had my GE-7 in my signal chain...hence just more gain...not volume...I heard there is a hack to make a efx loop, but it takes some soldering, etc...
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

By a matter of logic, and the way amps work, it's completely obvious that any kind of boost should go in the FX loop to achieve the best results.

But here's my gripe: I don't have one! :argh:

Still, I do get a boost... sort of, with my GE-7 and a bit of creativity: I keep the gain lowish on the amp, and a slight boost on the mids and high-mids in the pedal. That gives a better bite. The thing is, I've never done this live and I don't know if it would be that effective. The tone could get a bit piercing too, and I don't wanna blow anybody's eardrums, or my own for that matter. :D

You guys reckon I could try something better with the gear I've got?

No amp suggestions please. :D

Thanks!
 
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Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

The other guitar player in the band uses a BBE Boosta Grande in front of his Vox, and it works great.
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

I sold Krall his GE-7, and that was my one-and-only overdrive/boost for years. I used it in front of a moderately dirty Marshall. The Marshall gave me my crunch rhythm sound when the guitar was wide open. I got cleans by backing the guitar volume down, and the GE-7 with a hump in the mids (in addition to an overall level boost) gave my overdrive and a slight volume boost.

Problem is, it worked well for that particular setup; a crunchy tube amp. I recently switched to a distortion pedal because I wanted a lead boost/gain increase that worked in a clean amp, too. The level boost from the EQ would just make my Vibro Champ farty and really loud. (Loud is relative - in thuis case compared to the clean sound.)

The boost in front really doesn't work with modern extreme overdrive sounds, either, because there's no more headroom left. These amps need it in the loop.
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

there's a mod you can do to your guitar that won't change the tone when you roll back the volume

that'd be the cheapest option
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

I use a High Gain Volume+Boost pedal. Volume function plus up to 6x clean boost on tap if I want to push the button!! I'd reccomend it but I'm pretty sure it's discontinued. I bought it off a forum bro on here!! I stick it last in my effects chain on my pedal board.
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

I'm just wondering if you're using the gain on your amp or a pedal? If you're using a pedal with a very clean amp, I don't see why a Micro amp or similar, or even a volume pedal won't work as long as it is at the end of your chain (though I'm i'm not sure that's correct.. you may need it after WAH, EQ, DRIVE and before your modulation or reverb/ delays??) ! IF I was doing that, I'd set my amp as clean as possible... i.e master volume HIGH and Pre vol LOW to stop the pre amp stage going into drive. This is really assuming your amp is a valve of course. All the best.
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

alphadog808 said:
Hi guys,
Anyone have suggestions on how to up my volume when it's solo time? I've heard about keeping your volume knob on the guitar lower until solo time, but that changes the tone...I've also heard about using a boost pedal, but it doesn't really make a big overall volume boost...

My amp only has 2 settings, and I use them for clean and distorted...what I really need is a 3rd channel, but my amp(AD30VT) doesn't have that capability...

What do you guys do? I can't count on our soundman to boost me when it's time to solo...:(
Click to expand...


i hear ya.... i had the same issues in my last band so i built a rig that allowed me to switch between 2 heads into a single cab.... So just switch heads or set one head up for clean and the other for rythym and solo..

Saddly there is no real effective way of boosting without colouring the sound.... most OD pedals don't add volume...

3 channel heads are my next buys for sure!!!
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

I use several different techniques.

But the most used and easiest is the

Visual Volume

pedal. I play with it at half-on (first red LED). I floor it for solos (2nd red LED).
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

Well, first, I do not have a effects loop...so scratch that. I use the gain on the amp and have a TS9 between the guitar and amp for an extra oomph...When I had my GE7 in my chain, it only saturated the sound more, it didn't make it louder. Like others have said, I believe a volume pedal would work, but it needs to be in the effects loop.

However, I think I found a solution. You *can* get 3 channels out of the AD30VT...you can use the manual setting as the 3rd channel. The nice thing iss that you can set the amp to go to manual mode via footswitch. The bad thing is that you need to change the knobs to what you want before you play because as you know, knobs move during transit...

This sounds safer/easier than hacking the amp to have an effects loop...;)
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

clean volume boosts are a huge problem.. I use a Boss GT-8 which allows me to have some patches at say 80% (with no tone degradation) and solos at 100%.. before this I had the same problem as you.. the Keeley Katana boost is supposed to do the job (I haven't tried it out yet) but it's expensive.. there's also the visual volume, which is cool but you have to bring the volume back down to your exact rhythm position after every solo, which is difficult in live playing... Morley makes some volume pedals with a "minimum volume" knob which could be useful for more exact volume pedal shifts

most amps you can turn the "send" level all the way up and use your effects loop as a boost.. with series II Mesa rectifiers I notice that the "solo" function really just adds more gain.. I'd say the best solution for this was done by Marshall with their JVM.. it has footswitchable master volume controls.. very cool!
 
Re: How to get better boost when soloing...

You need one of these

spinal-tap-amp-11.jpg
 
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