I think I use too much gain...

[jtw]

I was messing around with my rig last night, putting the Klon back on the board after a long absence. In trying to choose another OD from my harem to put before the Klon as a gooser, I realized that I think I may be using too much gain in my signal.

What I mean is that with the Klon set as a clean boost with volume just above unity, I get some very nice fat, woody OD even with my amp barely on. Certainly livens up the inherent tone of the amp in a very pleasing way. I eventually settled on a black Barber LTD running before the Klon to give some tubescreamer-y flavor for solos. Previously, I had just been using the LTD as my base OD tone and goosing that with mostly a Barber Direct Drive. In switching back and forth between the Klon and the LTD in the chain, the more pure and thick Klon tone seemed much more natural and pleasing overall.

All this led me to think that maybe I'm trying to compensate with too much gain (read: overdrive) in my rig. I'm using a Carmen Ghia through a greenback so it's already set up for breakup at lower volumes. I find I'm liking the FEEL the Klon gives me, and the only way I've been able to achieve the same sort of feel with other pedals is with the gain up. One of my biggest criteria with amps, pedals, guitars, or any gear is how it FEELS under my fingers. That's really important to me.

I feel like maybe I've been using gain and overdrive as a crutch. Anybody else deal with this or am I just another neurotic guitar player?

What have you found as a solution for running less gain but with the feel of a pumping amp? A compressor maybe?

jtw

[mojoslide]

I agree that less gain is sometimes (more often than not) better. I switched to a Dr Z Maz Jr because my previous amp (Budda SD series) had too much gain. I couldn't dial it down enough. Too much gain and your sound is choked, loses dynamics and won't cut (in my experience anyway). Also when you mic an amp with a lot of gain, it sounds like crap. I would imagine just the Ghia cranked with the Klon would be great. Also maybe add an attenuator to control volume, and then roll your volume control up and down for different levels of grind. That'd be a nice setup.

[jtw]

Would maybe adding another clean boost after the klon to tame the volume jump be a good idea? I have a Sex Drive and am wondering how it would do as essentially a master volume control for the Klon.

[stuagu]

lot of players have been through this, i used the gain to hide for years, now i am a better player than i was perhaps 5 years ago as you have to play accurately or else it sounds awful.
keep rockin

[Ghost219]

Originally Posted by stuagu

lot of players have been through this, i used the gain to hide for years, now i am a better player than i was perhaps 5 years ago as you have to play accurately or else it sounds awful.
keep rockin

i agree with this. i used to be all about full gain but found my tone too muddy. now, i play with my amp gain at about level 3 with my ocd's gain on 3. great sustain, sparkle, and low end.

[charless]

My guitar sound is tons better now that I learned to dial down the gain, the sound is so much more natural and since I really enjoy rhythm guitar and writing songs more than ever it really has become the way to go.

Of course it is sooo true ... you have to play tighter and cleaner cause without that massive compression it is all exposed! Practice!

C

[FrankieSixxxgun]

It's common to use too much gain as a crutch, but in a band situation, especially with another guitarist playing, you'll notice how bad that much gain ruins the ability to cut. Sometimes less is more.

[GTRJohnny]

Many classic rock tones are not that overdriven - like AC/DC. It's hard to get higher drive without the mush..

[powermatt99]

Even the heaviest bands use a lot less gain than many players realize. I work with a youth band at my church every guitar player that comes through has the gain dime'd on their Line 6 or Vox modeling amp.

[thedroid]

The "right" amount of gain depends on the style of music you play. Me, I'm always turning down the gain on OD pedals. But if I was playing more modern stuff, I'd probably be cranking a fuzz wide open.

[FrankieSixxxgun]

I keep the gain down pretty low on my JCM 800 and rely mostly on power tube saturation to get the grunt. I don't play high output pickups and only use an OD pedal as a lead boost with the gain also turned pretty low. My sound gets right out in front of the mix when playing live, and my rhythm stays behind the other leads like vocals or guitar when needed.

[Strat58]

Hi like tone of mine guitars much better when I use less gain, its realy opens up your guitar. I do agree you have to learn to play with less gain, but you will become a better player in the end.
Peace Strat58

[nibus]

Originally Posted by GTRJohnny

Many classic rock tones are not that overdriven - like AC/DC. It's hard to get higher drive without the mush..

Great example of the perfect amount of gain needed for rock.

I tend to hide behind a bit of delay rather than overdrive. But that's just me...

[rob2001]

Both high or low gain require skills. But no doubt it was only in the last 5-7 years that I began to learn the art of playing with little to no gain. There's a time and place for both.

[Buddy Boy]

I can usually tell in seconds if a pedal is too gainy for me...and most of them are. Just roll the gain OFF and see how it sounds.