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How do you get your growl?


Teahead

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I'm wondering how many people use the overdrive of their amp alone, versus the number of people who use an overdrive pedal.

What's more, if you do have a stompbox, does it drive your clean channel or boost the drive channel?

Finally, how many of you pedal-heads use clean boosts, such as the Z Vex Super Hard On, to saturate the amps input? As opposed to Tubescreamer type boxes to provide a pedal flavoured tone?

Just curious about how others get their sound, best wishes, Tea.

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Live sound or recording? I've never played live, so I can't give any advice there. I like to use the amp's overdrive on my JCM 800 clones, unless I want to easily switch between OD and clean tones, then I use a distortion or overdrive pedal into the amp's low-gain input.

BlueStrat

a.k.a. "El Guapo" ;)

 

...Better fuzz through science...

 

http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html

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Originally posted by bluestrat:

Live sound or recording? I've never played live, so I can't give any advice there. I like to use the amp's overdrive on my JCM 800 clones, unless I want to easily switch between OD and clean tones, then I use a distortion or overdrive pedal into the amp's low-gain input.

Blue have you ever played out? :wave:
The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye.
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I've used a TC Electronics Chorus/Flanger pedal with the effect off as a clean boost to pummel blackface Fenders into growling back and grinding along. The TC E C/F pedal has a built-in preamp and stereo outs; if I remember right, it goes from zero to fifteen db of clean boost, at least ten db for sure. Killer for growl'n'grind! A superior chorus/flanger, too, and I hate most chorus effects.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Originally posted by DARKLAVA:

Originally posted by bluestrat:

Live sound or recording? I've never played live, so I can't give any advice there. I like to use the amp's overdrive on my JCM 800 clones, unless I want to easily switch between OD and clean tones, then I use a distortion or overdrive pedal into the amp's low-gain input.

Blue have you ever played out? :wave:
Nope.

BlueStrat

a.k.a. "El Guapo" ;)

 

...Better fuzz through science...

 

http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html

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if I were playing loud, I'd rather use the amp by itself. But since I don't/can't do that, I use overdrives and compressors to get that grit at low volumes on a clean amp setting. I also rather hear the amp over the pedal so I use pedals that don't coor the sound as much.
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Originally posted by headlow:

I use an Ibanez Tubesreamer through my Fender Stage 100's clean channel for my dirty sounds. I then use an MXR micro amp to get a little more volume for lead lines

I still have an MXR micro amp kicking around in my basement somewhere. Gotta put it together. I like just kicking on for an extra boost sometimes, rather than adding distortion.

 

I have a channel switching TSL-122...but the switch function isn't working up to snuff. One of these days, I'll get it fixed, and then use it, I reckon.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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To be absolutely honest, I only use the amp, the cord, and the guitar. Normally its either the Powerhouse Strat, Nashville Tele, and a little Gretsch Jet Jr that I hotrodded with a Hot P90 from Duncan, to play slide in the pubs. All single coils, all the time! My amp normally is the Hot Rod Deville with 4 tens, but occasionally I'll take the Budda Twinmaster, or a Super 112, Pro Jr and Blues Jr together, just depends. Sometimes I'll use an old Boss SD-1 for solo boosts. Thats all she wrote with my stuff. If its a nice show I may bring out the 65 SG with P90s.
Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in
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Yeah, I'm with Gene...

 

Les Paul -->Monster cable --> hot-rod modded Marshall 1/2 stack.

 

Thank you, drive through.

\m/

Erik

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

--Sun Tzu

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I use the drive straight from my Mesa/Boogie F-100. It sounds great and better than any pedal I've tried IMHO. For solos and the like I step on my Boss EQ pedal which boosts the signal and adds some tonal sweetness.

 

When I was playing through a Fender Blues Jr., I used an Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer, which suited the purpose well. Before that, I used the dist. channel on my Champion 30, which seemed pretty good at the time, but looking back the tube screamer would have sounded better.

 

I suppose in general I love Mesa/Boogie and Marshall drive channels, but on Fenders I like a pedal.

"I look for whatever will cut the deepest... whammy bars and wah wah pedals can't be used as just gimmicks. They have to reflect and express your feelings." - Jeff Beck
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Teahead,

I'm wondering how many people use the overdrive of their amp alone, versus the number of people who use an overdrive pedal.
I didn't even know enough to ask this question when I got here (Guitar Forum). Then I found out that the sound I was looking for was most probably the sound of an overdriven tube amp and now I've got an A/B tube amp and love the "dirty" channel. :thu: I'd still like to try it with a Tubescreamer though. :D

 

bluestrat,

I like to use the amp's overdrive on my JCM 800 clones, unless I want to easily switch between OD and clean tones, then I use a distortion or overdrive pedal into the amp's low-gain input.
My Randall Tube Pro II has a foot-switchable A/B channel set-up. :cool: Now if I can only find the right F/S! :( I tried a Hughes & Ketner FS-1 and it didn't work. I haven't gone back to try and sort it out though.

 

Also, bluestrat; You've never played "out"?! :eek: You owe it to yourself to do it. I've never done it "amplified", but have done it a few (unpaid, amatuer) times acoustically. It's good for the soul. :cool: It's amazing how non-musicaly inclined people think anything you play is simply amazing. :rolleyes:

 

Dave

Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need".
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I run straight to my Fender Stage 100 most of the time. Sometime I'll plug in my digitech RP100 but it gives me a lot of background fuzz that I don't like. It also feeds back way more than I want.
"What's with these new bands, everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact." -Homer Simpson
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Originally posted by strat monk:

I use the drive straight from my Mesa/Boogie F-100. It sounds great and better than any pedal I've tried IMHO. For solos and the like I step on my Boss EQ pedal which boosts the signal and adds some tonal sweetness.

 

When I was playing through a Fender Blues Jr., I used an Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer, which suited the purpose well. Before that, I used the dist. channel on my Champion 30, which seemed pretty good at the time, but looking back the tube screamer would have sounded better.

 

I suppose in general I love Mesa/Boogie and Marshall drive channels, but on Fenders I like a pedal.

hey! you have a champion 30 too! I was thinking of getting a tubescreamer as well, because i am thinking more and more that the drive channel on the champion is ok, but too bleh. so what settings did you use on the champion?
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I know I've said this a million times, but anyone new to overdriven guitar tones should at least go and try a Pro Jr. Don't pussy foot around with it either, get a guitar with some balls, and turn that sucker up 3/4 the way up, with your guitar volume knobs wide open (is there any other way?). What you will hear is the overdriven tone of the sixties and early 70's. Its akin to the tone of a JTM45 cranked or an AC15/30. All this for under 2 bills. You can spend thousands looking for the simple yet complex tone that this little giant killer can produce. I've yet to hear ANYONE listen to my tone using just a strat and the pro jr say they didn't think it was incredible. And loud by the way.
Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in
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It's all in the hands, right Geenard? ;)

 

Different distortions help to make you a multi-tasker, able to cover different eras of rock. Fuzz, Metal distortion, Overdrives, it all comes in handy. I'm working on a Distortion + for that 80's Randy Rhoads tone. :thu:

BlueStrat

a.k.a. "El Guapo" ;)

 

...Better fuzz through science...

 

http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html

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Originally posted by elferoony:

hey! you have a champion 30 too! I was thinking of getting a tubescreamer as well, because i am thinking more and more that the drive channel on the champion is ok, but too bleh. so what settings did you use on the champion?

Good plan on the tubescreamer. It's been a long time since I've seriously used the champ so I can't remember the settings I used it on.
"I look for whatever will cut the deepest... whammy bars and wah wah pedals can't be used as just gimmicks. They have to reflect and express your feelings." - Jeff Beck
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I use a Pro-Co Turbo Rat pedal to boost leads when playing live. The distortion is set pretty low on the pedal, but the volume knob is on 8 or 9. Mostly use the drive channel on my Carvin Bellaire gets used, with the volume on my guitar set at 8 or 9, so I have the options of either the pedal or maxing out the guitar for leads. I don't often use the clean channel on the amp except for on old R&B tunes. It sounds better to just roll back the guitar volume to clean it up in most cases. I never use the pedal on the clean channel because that particular pedal doesn't sound good when used that way.
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Well, for those of you that don't know me from a previous life, I play bass. This bass: http://www.peavey.com/images/fullsize/00462570.jpg

 

It has a pretty outstanding growl to it plugged in to my SWR. But, for a little extra I add a little chorus...that really gets the lows goin' on. If not that, then a little overdrive; Boss, to tell the truth. I like it.

 

Overall, I get a good solid growl from the neckthrough deal. Nice, really.

Well, I see greenboy is back, so why the heck not....
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