Guitar Gear Forum

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

The only serious amps remaining in my possession now are single channel jobbies. I have a 15 watt Laney practice amp that's two channels, but I only ever use the dirt channel, lol.

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

We should start a "multichannel amp as a single channel amp" club.

Years of playing a single channel amp led me to rely more upon my guitar's volume knob than anything else.

depends on the amp. with single channel amps (especially with no effects loop) i set it semi-clean and get dirt from pedals. last in line is usually a clean boost for solo boost so i can get an actual volume boost without going through effects loop. i use volume on guitar to clean up tone as needed. i generally stay with minimal pedals which saves space on stage especially at gigs with smaller stages.

if its multi channel amp with foot switchable adjustable level lead boost that works on all channels and the dirt is good on the amp, i'll use amp gain for dirt. i might still use boost pedals at times. if amp has serial effects loop but no built in boost/2nd master volume, i may put boost in effects loop for solo boost or just set amp semi clean and use pedals like it was single channel amp.

I chose "other" because it totally depends on what I'm trying to do.

If I'm pretending I can play stoner metal or doom I'm destroying a clean amp with a fuzz or my metal muff.

If I'm playing punk its either amp gain or RAT.

If I'm trying to cop a tone for a cover song it might be just amp or boosted amp.

My 4 amps give me a lot of options (except modern high gain but I can't play that anyway) so I just sorta use what works for what I'm doing at the time.

Most common is pedals -> clean amp.

Rampage wrote:

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

We should start a "multichannel amp as a single channel amp" club.

Years of playing a single channel amp led me to rely more upon my guitar's volume knob than anything else.

YESSSSS

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

That's what I am doing with my DSL40C. I've got it on, basically, the Plexi setting. Then I'm just slamming it with pedals.

Fucking glorious I tell you. GLORIOUS!!!!

Went other because most of my gain is amp only but I do use a badmonkey to tighten things up and add a little sustain from time to time.

paul88lx wrote:

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

That's what I am doing with my DSL40C. I've got it on, basically, the Plexi setting. Then I'm just slamming it with pedals.

Fucking glorious I tell you. GLORIOUS!!!!

By 'Plexi setting', I take it you mean the Crunch channel?

I could never get along with the Crunch channel. I much prefer Lead 2 with the gain around 2 on the dial. That to me gives me sorta a maxed out 800 gain level.

draelyc wrote:

rugbyguitargod wrote:Other. I generally run a boost into the front of a medium-gain amp. Lately though, i've kinda messed around with the gain between the amp and the boost pedal more. For example, i normally ran 95% of my gain from my amp and just a slight amount of grit from my Green Rhino. Now that i have the Doomsday Device, i like the gain structure on it much more than the Green Rhino. Because of this, i'm running less gain on my amp and more gain on my Doomsday device.

I just got the Doomsday Device today though, so this could all change. The aggregate gain between the two ( OD pedal and amp channel) generally stays the same regardless of what i am doing though. its just a 'which gain do i like more' situation and i use more from that device than the other.

Tell me about the Doomsday Device. I just got a Green Rhino and love it, but mainly as a boost.

the Doomsday Device is essentially a hot-rodded HBE Powerscreamer OD pedal but with a few additional features. it has a couple of different diode toggles for both the OD and Boost modes (Armageddon and Doomsday, respectively). it gets anywhere between a really gainy/midsy OD9/TS9 to some righteously compressed nearly fuzz tones and everything in between at the push of a button on the stomp. i'll make some clips later, but this should give you an idea for now...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BVO4qrVnWA

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

paul88lx wrote:

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

That's what I am doing with my DSL40C. I've got it on, basically, the Plexi setting. Then I'm just slamming it with pedals.

Fucking glorious I tell you. GLORIOUS!!!!

By 'Plexi setting', I take it you mean the Crunch channel?

I could never get along with the Crunch channel. I much prefer Lead 2 with the gain around 2 on the dial. That to me gives me sorta a maxed out 800 gain level.

On the DSL40C it's the Classic Gain channel with the Clean Crunch switch engaged. The switch easily doubles the output/volume of the amp. I've got it setup clean---ish.

paul88lx wrote:

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

paul88lx wrote:

NaturalBornBoy wrote:

draelyc wrote:I don't own a Majik Box, but my boxes is magical!

Srsly, I love the sounds of these pedals. I guess that's what's changed my approach to amplification, huh?

Using my DSL like a single-channel amp was the best thing I ever did with that amp tonewise.

That's what I am doing with my DSL40C. I've got it on, basically, the Plexi setting. Then I'm just slamming it with pedals.

Fucking glorious I tell you. GLORIOUS!!!!

By 'Plexi setting', I take it you mean the Crunch channel?

I could never get along with the Crunch channel. I much prefer Lead 2 with the gain around 2 on the dial. That to me gives me sorta a maxed out 800 gain level.

On the DSL40C it's the Classic Gain channel with the Clean Crunch switch engaged. The switch easily doubles the output/volume of the amp. I've got it setup clean---ish.

Ah yeah, it's the Green channel.

soundgardener75 wrote:I still have my Grunge pedal if needed to.

It can't be as cool as my old hot pink DOD Thrash Master! Ran that baby into a Gorilla.
Sad, but true.

draelyc wrote:For years and years, I was an "amp only for gain" kinda guy. Didn't even like boosts so much, tbh. Certainly didn't dig running dirt pedals into a clean amp.

Welp, turns out getting a different amp, one famous for taking pedals well, changed my tune on that. I've actually gigged now with the Plexi set clean & using pedals for all my dirt ~ something I *never* thought I'd ever do!

But my current favorite set up is to have the Plexi (or whatever amp) set for low to mid gain crunch (nice, roaring growl, but not compressed & easily cleaned up from the guitar) and to use dirt boxes (either as boost or dialed to add gain from the pedal) for extra gain and for different flavoring. Seems so incredibly versatile that way, and the higher gain stuff actually sounds better that way to me now than a guitar straight into a high gain amp.

So, how do y'all do it?

Pretty much this.

All ways but mostly straight-in, amp only.

It depends on the song really. For a lot of our songs live at the moment, I'm discovering how cool amp gain can be; Big tones, dynamic, juicy bass... loving it. But, there are a couple of songs on our set that don't want that. There's one where gnarly rat into a pitch shifter adding an octave down note is the ticket, no amp could do that sound unless it was broken, but it's so aggressive and in your face it's perfect for that song.

But, a bunch of songs we wrote a couple of years ago when I was using AC30+pedals just sound totally wrong with amp gain - I think distortion pedals into the clean channel of an amp naturally constricts and controls the frequency and dynamic content in a way I've never heard an overdrive channel do. For those songs, which have their roots in a more pop rock style, that's what they need.

As a rule at the moment I'd say live a 2 channel amp that gets clean and most distortion sounds, then pedals added to cover extra tones as needed, works for me. Live it's always a compromise to get something that works over a wide range of songs.

Recording, all bets are off but my philosophy is to keep the chain as simple as possible and given that the volume of the amp isn't so important when recording different sections, I find myself naturally using amp gain most often because I can, say, turn an AC30 right up to get mid-gain sounds for rhythm whereas live that'd be impossible because I'd be too loud relative to all my other sounds.

Totally varies depending on my mood and what I'm playing.

I could easily just plug straight in to any of my amps and be done with it, but as a boost junkie I do like to use my Keeley SD-1 and/or Pigtronix FAT Drive/Aria/Diamond Marquis. I could also use the Keeley or either of my Pigs for pure gain through a clean amp.


I also built an Alembic Stratoblaster but it stopped working once I put it in it's case I need to troubleshoot it and get it working, because while it was up and running it sounded killer.

Cirrus wrote:It depends on the song really. For a lot of our songs live at the moment, I'm discovering how cool amp gain can be; Big tones, dynamic, juicy bass... loving it. But, there are a couple of songs on our set that don't want that. There's one where gnarly rat into a pitch shifter adding an octave down note is the ticket, no amp could do that sound unless it was broken, but it's so aggressive and in your face it's perfect for that song.

But, a bunch of songs we wrote a couple of years ago when I was using AC30+pedals just sound totally wrong with amp gain - I think distortion pedals into the clean channel of an amp naturally constricts and controls the frequency and dynamic content in a way I've never heard an overdrive channel do. For those songs, which have their roots in a more pop rock style, that's what they need.

As a rule at the moment I'd say live a 2 channel amp that gets clean and most distortion sounds, then pedals added to cover extra tones as needed, works for me. Live it's always a compromise to get something that works over a wide range of songs.

Recording, all bets are off but my philosophy is to keep the chain as simple as possible and given that the volume of the amp isn't so important when recording different sections, I find myself naturally using amp gain most often because I can, say, turn an AC30 right up to get mid-gain sounds for rhythm whereas live that'd be impossible because I'd be too loud relative to all my other sounds.

Insightful post is insightful.

Depends on the amp.

With my Mesa Mark III i go straight in cause it has plenty of gain, and is plenty tight without the help of a pedal. But when i use my Randall RG100ES i boost with a Maxon od808 or a Metal Zone.

Yeah depends on amp and situation.

If I'm using my bogner rig, all amp gain. If I'm using backline stuff, probably pedal gain. For recording, most things amp gain but certain things sound better with my little super champ cranked and slammed by a pedal. Also depends on guitar, for single coils I'm more likely to use a bit of a boost even with the bogner just to kick up the output a bit. There is no "rule" for what works, do what sounds best in your situation within the volume constraints of that situation.

Usually it's guitar straight into the amp. I love the sound of the the Legacy's lead channel. I have a MXR 10 band eq in the loop if it ever needs a boost for gigs, rarely used. I usually get the gain I want for leads, then back off the volume on the guitar for my rhythm sound. The clean channel is one of the best sounding cleans I've heard on a tube amp, the eq can add dirt if necessary. I also have a Suhr Riot & Barber Dirty Bomb that I used in front of the Legacy as a boost before I started using the eq in the loop.

It really depends on the amp BUT I tend to not like a real clean sound so I set the amp to a slightly dirty sound and add pedals for boost and more gain. Some of my 3 channel amps I just set them up for clean crunch and lead tones. I won't used OD pedals. My TSL601 has a switchable FX loop with a 4db adjustable boost. I patch the loop with a cable, turn the boost all the way up and there's my clean boost. Great set up!

50W EL34 amp with bad teef. SG. my pedals are for sound effects.

depends on the amp.

Switchblade - straight in
Laney AOR - straight in with TC G-sharp in the loop to give me some reverb (best VH tone I've ever had haha)
Budda Superdrive 18 - OD808 in front (with gain set at 0, level dimed)
JCM 800 - same as Budda
Fender Twin - same as Budda

guitarbilly wrote:

ke2 wrote:Every way

+1

I have 4 basic sounds at the moment that are a combination of my OD pedal and my amp's channels:

Clean - amp clean channel/pedal off
OD - amp clean channel/pedal on
High Gain Rhythm - amp drive channel/pedal off
Lead - amp drive channel/pedal on


It's a pretty simple yet versatile set up.

THIS.