Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

[cliffenstein]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

If an amp can't deliver what I want of its own accord, then I get another amp. I use no pedals whatsoever, they just get in the way.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

Absolutely I do. Any song I've played heavy guitar on, I can guarantee it's always been the amp providing the distortion and not a distortion pedal because that's the sound I like the bet. It sits in the mix right, has the best note definition. Sometimes I'll blend two amps together and occasionally I'll use my custom "Cornhole" overdrive which has a 120db clean boost built into it but seldom do I need external overdrives. I modified my Dual Rec to quasi-Rev C specs for that very reason.

120 db boost? Seriously? How does that work? (As in, how does that not blow everything up?)

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

Depends totally on the amp in question. With my new Dark Terror yes I will use the distortion in the amp, as it kicks serious ass. With my Fender Bassman, no way without a pedal. The trick is to not get hung up on it NEEDING to be ONLY FROM THE AMP. If I get a kick ass tone, I'm the only one who should care how I got it, and buddy, if it kicks ass, I DON'T care.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

Haven't had a dirt pedal on my pedal board in years. I have gotten great high gain tones with a number of amps over the years and many times at very low volumes.
Here is an example running my Zinky Velvet unmiced in a tiny room with no added dirt.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

120 db boost? Seriously? How does that work? (As in, how does that not blow everything up?)

You plug a guitar into the input, and connect the output to a speaker

 

[Demanic]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

120 db is quite a boost. Now, admittedly, the pre gain is going to absorb a lot of that boost and just compress as it distorts. But the power section is going to hit the speakers with a very concentrated band of mids that will test their response. If you haven't built in some serious wiggle room, you will have a problem, especially at the peak volume levels of the amp.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

I've been using Mesa amps since about 1994, so amp distortion for me. I use a clean boost pedal for a moderate ~6 dB boost, but I keep my cleans CLEAN. I have a Real Tube 901 OD on my board, but rarely use it. I detest the sound of most solid-state dirt boxes...they really sound unnatural to me.

But I have done it many different ways. From a BF BandMaster on 8, a super-clean SS amp with a dirt box, master volume amps from Fender and Marshall, and now the Mesas. Happy now...wouldn't want to go backwards.

Bill

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

I only use a distortion pedal when I'm not using an amp, or not using my own amp.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

There is a time for nasty ss dirt in a signal chain. It works very well for thrash/speed/death metal.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

It depends on application. I like to keep it really simple and straightforward.

Whenever possible I prefer tuner / wah / tube amp where the wah is the booster during solos and all dirt is produced by the amp. During the last 2 years a Digitech Drop polyphonic drop tune pedal was added, too. It completely solved the problem that all bands I play in use different tunings. Now I just carry around my 2 fav guitars with standard or drop-D tuning and regular light strings and play songs down to A if needed. There is a little difference when the dropper is on and certain things should be avoided but in a live situation it is absolutely okay.

When I carry all my stuff (no roadie) I just use a small 1x12" open-back cab, an EHX 44Magnum in the right pocket and an AMT preamp in the left pocket so despite that the AMT is functionally a dedicated preamp, it is a stompbox -> amp setup.

If a project needs an ample of sounds I just use a KORG AX3000G multi FX unit where all the changes are just a switch away. Depending on the venue I just go direct to the PA with a cab sim -> DI or use the EHX with a small cab and a mic.

 

[rumblebox]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

The JSX drive channels sound superb. I use a bad monkey and a green rhino, but i could easily do without them if i had to.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

The JSX drive channels sound superb.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Man! That's an understatement. I use to run a maxon od9 in front of mine but it just adds needless noise for nothing. Also how sexy is the noise gate?


As for the question it's simple, Some amps need od pedals or they just wont break up enough to get you there.:thumbsdow

 

[rumblebox]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

I've actually never used the noisegate.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

the real question is...how many use power amp distortion rather than preamp?

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

The only time I do that is when I have my Tubemeister 18 on the 5W or 1W setting.

 

[moshpit817]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

I use my EVH 3's red Burn channel,more than enough dirt/distortion on 2-3 setting..I just added a Xotic EP boost to the effects loop,but it doesn't need it.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

Gotta admit that I've never really owned a great amp... I get my dirt from amp modeling on my Zoom G5 going into the clean channel of a Fender Champion 100. When I was upgrading amps from my Crate earlier this year I considered going for a tube amp if for no other reason than that I've never had one and would kinda like to experience for myself what all the hype is about, but I can't crank up at home and we mic our amps into the PA in my band. I very rarely have it above about two-and-a-half for volume, so I decided to stay solid state clean and use models to get the tones I want because I doubt that I'd ever get to the amp's breakup volume.

All that being said, I love the sound(s) I've come up with for my basic setup doing it this way, so I just don't really feel the need to change. Many times I practice at home just using straight amp distortion, and many times I'll find myself wanting to figure out a good way to add it to my repertoire of sounds (it's not horrible, after all), but when I compare it to the distortions I'm getting from the Zoom I always realize that the amp's sound just isn't quite there.

Interestingly, the amp models I've used (both from Zoom and Line 6) always seem to sound much more natural than any pedal (or pedal model) that I've tried. My basic attitude toward OD pedals is that they're great for ADDITONAL gain, but rarely sound that great all by themselves.

 

[esandes]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

It seems that with the butt-load plethora of OD and Distortion boxes available (and damn, there's a ton), we've (gear businesses and players) forgotten that amps are capable of producing overdrive and distortion on their own. :smack:

So, anyone here actually use their amp's (natural) distortion versus slapping an OD/Dist in front?

i know what you mean. i have never bought an OD or distortion pedal. i do have a clean boost for driving up the gain to my non master volume marshalls. my master volume amps have enough of their own preamp distortion for my liking.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

Gotta admit that I've never really owned a great amp... I get my dirt from amp modeling on my Zoom G5 going into the clean channel of a Fender Champion 100
...

Interestingly, the amp models I've used (both from Zoom and Line 6) always seem to sound much more natural than any pedal (or pedal model) that I've tried. My basic attitude toward OD pedals is that they're great for ADDITONAL gain, but rarely sound that great all by themselves.

I agree on ODs, usually sound like cardboard/roughess into clean amps.

That said... I've played a variety of older solid state Fenders, all of which turn to static/mush with the use of any pedal. Sounds like the Champion is better than that? Curious about them.

 

[philthis]

Re: Using Your Amp's (Natural) Distortion

I use my EVH 3's red Burn channel,more than enough dirt/distortion on 2-3 setting..I just added a Xotic EP boost to the effects loop,but it doesn't need it.

Same Amp, I use the same channel, no pedal for distortion needed. The amp just sounds good. I like the E P boost for my fender Twin. That's a great pedal.