What have you learned on your tone quest?

[cisspcism]

Saw a similiar post on the effects and pedal section but think this would really be a good topic in the amp section. This is what I have learned so far and it took me a long while to figure this stuff out.

1)I do not like ceramic pickups.

2)I like alnico 2 or 5 pickups medium high output with polite highs and stronger mids and bass. Something with a treb 5, mids 9, bass 8 type of tone chart kinda like the Dimarzio Breed and Tone zone. The Breed sounds great both bridge and neck!!!!

3) For my amps, I tend to like mids very high, bass very low, treb and presence kinda noonish. For example OD100 SE + Bass 9 oclock, mids 4 oclock, treb noon, pres 11 oclock. Soldano SLO 100 Bass 9 oclock, mids 4 oclock, treb noonish, pres off.

4) It was too much bass that was making my amps sound scooped, not the treble.

5) I prefer adding low end at the pickup level versus the amp level(see #2)

6) I do not like depth, excursion, womp or what ever that adds lows in the power section. Keep my depth mod off on slo 100(will remove it and put back slave out one day), keep womp off on od100, and I keep excursion on xtc at tight.

7) I dont like bright switches, and on slo 100 I like the bright cap removed. So I am assuming if I ever got a marshall plexi or deluxe reverb clipping the bright cap should be the first thing I do.

8) Pickup choice has way more impact on overall tone then speaker choice.

9) Monster cables suck, I was getting some ground loop noise with my ISP prorackG not too much but just a tad when both channels of noise gate bypassed and even with the lift switches engaged on channel b of ISP. Got rid of the monster cable that went from ISP channel A out to input of amp and used a dimarzio cable instead... no more ground loop/electrical noise. (For those not familiar with ISP ProrackG, it is a nosie gate that works before your amp and in the loop of your amps using the 4 cable method and this can cause some ground loop issues)


Well, just some things I have realized when trying to find the tone in my head. Just thought I would share and hope you will too.