Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
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jake_xms3_punk
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
My tone is pretty much bright(ish) guitars/pickups into a Marshall. I rarely use pedals, and when I do it's things like delay, things that just add to my base tone rather than shape it. things that I could, and often do, live without. Wouldn't want to rely on pedals to get "my" sound
My tone is pretty much bright(ish) guitars/pickups into a Marshall. I rarely use pedals, and when I do it's things like delay, things that just add to my base tone rather than shape it. things that I could, and often do, live without. Wouldn't want to rely on pedals to get "my" sound
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
I used the Bassman clean with fuzz boxes for years... now i have a bunch of medium-high gain amps and plug straight in. I like what pedals do, i have a bunch of them, but i prefer keeping it simple. Focus on the notes instead of the tones, y'know?
I used the Bassman clean with fuzz boxes for years... now i have a bunch of medium-high gain amps and plug straight in. I like what pedals do, i have a bunch of them, but i prefer keeping it simple. Focus on the notes instead of the tones, y'know?
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
I do both.
My Vox is top-down. I just really add the treble booster.
The other amp is set clean as **** with a balanced sound, and I run the Bogner pedals into that. Bottom up.
I do both.
My Vox is top-down. I just really add the treble booster.
The other amp is set clean as **** with a balanced sound, and I run the Bogner pedals into that. Bottom up.
Johnny the Kid
Shaunofthedeadologist
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
Sort of top down, sort of ground up. I always start with a clean sound, and then I start working the pedals. That's always how I've done things. Even multi channel amps, I treat like one channel amps with distortion pedals.
Sort of top down, sort of ground up. I always start with a clean sound, and then I start working the pedals. That's always how I've done things. Even multi channel amps, I treat like one channel amps with distortion pedals.
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dystrust
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
I've tried both, but top down is the only approach that really works for me. For years the only decent amp I had was a Marshall Jubilee, and the clean "channel" isn't exactly amazing. I set the amp up for a medium crunch sound, and boost with a Maxon OD-9 as needed. For clean sounds I ride the guitar's volume controls.
I've tried bottom up with a clean amp & pedals, multi-channel amps, and several rack systems, but none of them worked for me the way the Marshall does.
I've tried both, but top down is the only approach that really works for me. For years the only decent amp I had was a Marshall Jubilee, and the clean "channel" isn't exactly amazing. I set the amp up for a medium crunch sound, and boost with a Maxon OD-9 as needed. For clean sounds I ride the guitar's volume controls.
I've tried bottom up with a clean amp & pedals, multi-channel amps, and several rack systems, but none of them worked for me the way the Marshall does.
Rand-O-Monium
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
< Middle Out >
< Middle Out >
Progbusters
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
guitar and amp first
guitar and amp first
GilmourD
Burritotoneologist
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
Did you mean:
This is all you really need for tone.
Did you mean:
sosomething
Seymour Duncan Customer Support
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
You just described a bottom-up rig, as I intended the description to convey. Though you can call it whatever you like!
I experience this too and I never know exactly why. It could be tubes behaving differently, ears hearing things differently, or some combination of both... But I can't remember the last time I plugged into any rig and left all of the controls totally alone.
oh shut up
dammit, poll ruined!!!!
You just described a bottom-up rig, as I intended the description to convey. Though you can call it whatever you like!
I experience this too and I never know exactly why. It could be tubes behaving differently, ears hearing things differently, or some combination of both... But I can't remember the last time I plugged into any rig and left all of the controls totally alone.
oh shut up
< Middle Out >
dammit, poll ruined!!!!
ehdwuld
A Ficus
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
I like the sound of my amps
usually just guitar>cord>amp with reverb
but I have pedals because they make me grin like a child when I plug them in
it feels like cheating
when I play into my modeling pedal, I choose a clean fender model with reverb
or heeehheheheehehe
an acoustic
hehehehehehehhe
I play alot of acoustic
I like the sound of my amps
usually just guitar>cord>amp with reverb
but I have pedals because they make me grin like a child when I plug them in
it feels like cheating
when I play into my modeling pedal, I choose a clean fender model with reverb
or heeehheheheehehe
an acoustic
hehehehehehehhe
I play alot of acoustic
jimijames
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
Kind of both now that I think about it. It's why I got into pedal and amp building in the first place - I want to know what all the electrons are doing from the time the magnetized strings send them running down the copper coil of a pickup all the way to where they shake the paper cone of the amp.
For me there are two aspects to the final tone - quantitatively you have a certain EQ shape you want in order to sit in a mix well. Qualitatively, you want a particular "voice" - something that's unique to you. To get that qualitative part, it's a combination of gear + technique, emphasis on technique.
I like the way telecasters sound, but they're very bright. I also love how marshalls sound, but they don't always play nice with telecasters. I love the way EP-style boosters sound, but they add a lot of bass and you can't change the EQ very easily. I love how an amp cleans up but to get it to distort you have to run it at ear splitting volumes.
So, my solution is this: I run a telecaster into a jfet-based distortion (with a very low-gain first stage, and high gain clipping stage, with some sag/compression so cleanup is very immediate) which has independent treble and bass controls, into a Marshall 1974x 18w amp (which only has a volume control and a tone control) and a 2x12 with a v30 and a greenback. I also have a wah pedal for wankage and a delay for when I want to pretend I'm Eric Johnson.
My future setup will be the distortion pedal with a more sophisticated clipping arrangement in a wah housing, and a big-box digital delay (in thinking the multiplex) with a rotary stomp switch for mode selection.
Kind of both now that I think about it. It's why I got into pedal and amp building in the first place - I want to know what all the electrons are doing from the time the magnetized strings send them running down the copper coil of a pickup all the way to where they shake the paper cone of the amp.
For me there are two aspects to the final tone - quantitatively you have a certain EQ shape you want in order to sit in a mix well. Qualitatively, you want a particular "voice" - something that's unique to you. To get that qualitative part, it's a combination of gear + technique, emphasis on technique.
I like the way telecasters sound, but they're very bright. I also love how marshalls sound, but they don't always play nice with telecasters. I love the way EP-style boosters sound, but they add a lot of bass and you can't change the EQ very easily. I love how an amp cleans up but to get it to distort you have to run it at ear splitting volumes.
So, my solution is this: I run a telecaster into a jfet-based distortion (with a very low-gain first stage, and high gain clipping stage, with some sag/compression so cleanup is very immediate) which has independent treble and bass controls, into a Marshall 1974x 18w amp (which only has a volume control and a tone control) and a 2x12 with a v30 and a greenback. I also have a wah pedal for wankage and a delay for when I want to pretend I'm Eric Johnson.
My future setup will be the distortion pedal with a more sophisticated clipping arrangement in a wah housing, and a big-box digital delay (in thinking the multiplex) with a rotary stomp switch for mode selection.
Johtosotku
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
When I'm recording, anything goes. Oftentimes convenience is a factor and it can lead to using pedals and such.
When playing with the band I typically just have the cable between the guitar and the amp. It's a convenience thing as well.
Maybe I'm just lazy.
When I'm recording, anything goes. Oftentimes convenience is a factor and it can lead to using pedals and such.
When playing with the band I typically just have the cable between the guitar and the amp. It's a convenience thing as well.
Maybe I'm just lazy.
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
Top down.
My tone comes from the guitar & amp. Despite using channel switchers I prefer to get clean/crunch/lead from the guitar's volume/tone controls and use the amp's channels to provide me with different feels/textures.
When I do use pedals it's to produce an effect and not for tone shaping.
Top down.
My tone comes from the guitar & amp. Despite using channel switchers I prefer to get clean/crunch/lead from the guitar's volume/tone controls and use the amp's channels to provide me with different feels/textures.
When I do use pedals it's to produce an effect and not for tone shaping.
sosomething
Seymour Duncan Customer Support
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
This sounds like a great, relatively simple but extremely effective rig. I guess I should have included a 3rd option that said "meet in the middle" or something.
This sounds like a great, relatively simple but extremely effective rig. I guess I should have included a 3rd option that said "meet in the middle" or something.
Gibson 1964
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
I have different rigs that do both.
I have different rigs that do both.
xxxplorer
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
Top Down... I found out a long time ago if you have a good amp, good pickups and practice... You can do anything with a single channel Marshall style amp. Granted... Not all pickups cleanup well and stay clear as you roll the volume back... But my Jim Wagner Pickups do that perfectly.
I have gone from an overly populated board to a wah, vibe, delay and a tuner. I can go from country to death metawl with the roll of a volume knob.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Top Down... I found out a long time ago if you have a good amp, good pickups and practice... You can do anything with a single channel Marshall style amp. Granted... Not all pickups cleanup well and stay clear as you roll the volume back... But my Jim Wagner Pickups do that perfectly.
I have gone from an overly populated board to a wah, vibe, delay and a tuner. I can go from country to death metawl with the roll of a volume knob.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
jimijames
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
I especially like the compressor part of the overdrive pedal - it's a simple setup designed to emulate tube sag and it really makes a difference in feel which is nice because my 1974x is a lite iib build with a solid state rectifier so it naturally feels stiffer than its tube rectified counterpart.
Edit: I should also say the overdrive pedal is the madbean flabulanche... A fender-inspired design and supposed to be somewhere between a blackface deluxe reverb and a 5e3. Having never played either I can't say if it is or not but with the volume backed off it plays very well with my Marshall 1974x. It's an always-on pedal especially because jfets fatten up as you add gain, and the compressor shaves off some highs as you turn up as well, so the overall effect is that it is fat and ballsy at 10 (especially when the Marshall is cooking too) and sparkle-y and clear when it's clean, especially with a buffer in front of it. Which is why the next iteration is going to have an on-board input buffer.
It's very simple from a user interface standpoint lol. Lots of work went into beneath the hood things but at the end of the day, having as much distortion as I'll really need at 10 and clean at 7 without having to switch guitars is well worth it.
I especially like the compressor part of the overdrive pedal - it's a simple setup designed to emulate tube sag and it really makes a difference in feel which is nice because my 1974x is a lite iib build with a solid state rectifier so it naturally feels stiffer than its tube rectified counterpart.
Edit: I should also say the overdrive pedal is the madbean flabulanche... A fender-inspired design and supposed to be somewhere between a blackface deluxe reverb and a 5e3. Having never played either I can't say if it is or not but with the volume backed off it plays very well with my Marshall 1974x. It's an always-on pedal especially because jfets fatten up as you add gain, and the compressor shaves off some highs as you turn up as well, so the overall effect is that it is fat and ballsy at 10 (especially when the Marshall is cooking too) and sparkle-y and clear when it's clean, especially with a buffer in front of it. Which is why the next iteration is going to have an on-board input buffer.
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DeadandBuried
New member
Re: Your Tone - from the ground up, or from the top down?
From top down. When I first started and I had no money or transport to lug round amps and shizz I had to get pedals to start off with. Now I want my main sound to come from my amp, or 2 sounds rather, usually I like 2-channel amps, or multi-channel ones I can just footswitch between the two. I like a crunchy "clean" tone I can just run on the edge of break up and then my main dirty sound. Currently playing through a Peavey 6505+ and love it. Boost the lead channel a bit with an Ibanez Tubescreamer and it sounds great, tightens up the flubby tone a little bit. I think pedals should "enhance" your tone rather than give you it, I see loads of these bands using a Boss Metal Zone straight into a clean amp (usually a Marshall combo) and never understand how they get a tone that bad!
I think most of the tone you get is from your hands, and then pickups/strings/amps/guitars come after.
From top down. When I first started and I had no money or transport to lug round amps and shizz I had to get pedals to start off with. Now I want my main sound to come from my amp, or 2 sounds rather, usually I like 2-channel amps, or multi-channel ones I can just footswitch between the two. I like a crunchy "clean" tone I can just run on the edge of break up and then my main dirty sound. Currently playing through a Peavey 6505+ and love it. Boost the lead channel a bit with an Ibanez Tubescreamer and it sounds great, tightens up the flubby tone a little bit. I think pedals should "enhance" your tone rather than give you it, I see loads of these bands using a Boss Metal Zone straight into a clean amp (usually a Marshall combo) and never understand how they get a tone that bad!
I think most of the tone you get is from your hands, and then pickups/strings/amps/guitars come after.
