TOP M9/M13 Tone Tips!

[JB Eckl]

Lots of people have different opinions about the Line6 M series units, but I'm interested in what people are doing who HAVE committed to using them in real gigging situations. It might be helpful to state what amp you're using and how you generally like it set (bright, midrangy, slight breakup etc). I'll start:

Drives/Fuzzes:
If you run them into a super sparkly clean Fender amp, you'll get the same crappy fizz-fest as with most other dirt pedals (analog included). Of course there are exceptions, but here's what I found: On an already half-dirty amp, with some good mids - sort of a Keith Richards setting - the M13 drives sound killer. And if you do have a bright, clean 1-channel amp, try running the drives into the Tube Screamer model first to soften the highs and give them some gut before hitting the amp.

I still have my dirt pedals on the board, mainly because the ones I use aren't modeled in the M13. But I wish they were! (examples - Zendrive, nope. OD with clean blend, nope. Sludgy slow-attack Sunface, nope, even though the Fuzz Age model in Amplitube kind of nails it).

TIP: don't forget how cool some overdrive or fuzz sounds BEFORE wah and filter pedals!

Any others?

[mrdavek]

I HATED their drives up until I dialed in the Tubedriver model in front of the clean channel. It sounds AWESOME!

Just need to know how to dial it in, but I absolutely love it!

If you are a strat player, the key is rolling off the tone on your bridge pickup to about 6 or 7

Makes for a great Eric Johnson/Andy Timmons type tone!!

[Jon Silberman]

For me, the #1 key is, for most of the overdrives, keep the gain/distortion REALLY low (even off) and crank up the volume setting. If you're a bedroom player, you perhaps won't get it. If you play at stage volume, you will.

[Pietro]

Originally Posted by Jon Silberman

For me, the #1 key is, for most of the overdrives, keep the gain/distortion REALLY low (even off) and crank up the volume setting. If you're a bedroom player, you perhaps won't get it. If you play at stage volume, you will.

Other than really hard rock and metal, this is good overall advice, not just for the M-effects. When you use too much gain, it loses a lot of energy.

of course, if you're playing teh brootalz, all bets are off.

[Guitar100]

Try layering two separate echoes. This can be a lot of fun, though it can get a little over the top if you're not careful.

Like some others, I tend not to use the OD/distortion models much, as I'm just not ready to let go of my own pedals for this, but I do think the tube screamer and tube driver are quite good. I also like the sound of the Rat model (forget what it's called), but at loud volumes, it seems to feedback very easily, which is a bit annoying.

Also, despite what some people say, I've come to appreciate the univibe model.

[808quake]

i've been trying to compare tremolos in the M9 to the ones in my Yamaha UD stomp. one day i tried using both, gives you kind of a weird dirty thick sound. really digging the M9 even though I had to return the first one because switches went bad right away

[dwolfggc]

I think a mistake some people make with the m series dirt is not thinking outside of the box when it comes to models. What I mean is people think of the stereotypical sound of the pedal being modeled when picking which model they are going to use. However the m9/13 models all feature extra eq options that make the models very versatile. Say you want a low gain, med. gain and high gain option on a scene. I've found that the Classic Distortion can be anything from a low gain transparent OD, to an AC-30 in a box to a high gain Marshall type distortion. The Tube Driver is equally tweakable, and I've heard a number of times that the Line6 Distortion is one of the best tone bender type sounds in the pedal (I'm not really into fuzz so I don't know).

My point is that when looking for good drive setting think outside the box and try all the models not just the ones you would use for that sound if you were using the analogue counterparts.

[lspaulsp]

I started by trying to replicate pedals that I already had on my pedal board. 90% of what I already had I could clone to where we could leave the room and not tell which one was on including my first run dyna-comp and Phase 90.
After that, the sky's the limit.

[Guitar100]

Dwolf, can you tell me how you get the AC30 in a box? Do you recall the settings?

[dwolfggc]

Originally Posted by Guitar100

Dwolf, can you tell me how you get the AC30 in a box? Do you recall the settings?

With my LP into a Marshall I use the Classic Distortion on low gain, filter about half way, cut a little bass and treble rolled of a little to keep it from getting fizzy. It gets a nice jangly uncompressed tone that really reminds me of a Vox ac30 top boost.

[Guitar100]

Thanks! I'll give that a try.

[Kentano2000]

Originally Posted by dwolfggc

With my LP into a Marshall I use the Classic Distortion on low gain, filter about half way, cut a little bass and treble rolled of a little to keep it from getting fizzy. It gets a nice jangly uncompressed tone that really reminds me of a Vox ac30 top boost.

Just tried this tonight with my Tele and it sounds great! Thanks for the tip!

[scolfax]

Originally Posted by lspaulsp

I started by trying to replicate pedals that I already had on my pedal board. 90% of what I already had I could clone to where we could leave the room and not tell which one was on including my first run dyna-comp and Phase 90.
After that, the sky's the limit.

I did the same thing with three new high-end pedals. The trick is to be brutally honest with yourself.

[dwolfggc]

Originally Posted by Kentano2000

Just tried this tonight with my Tele and it sounds great! Thanks for the tip!

Cool! I got nervous after I posted thinking maybe it wouldn't work for anybody else and I'd look like a doofus.

[jrjones]

Jon from Desperation Band uses one as his touring pedalboard. IIRC he uses a 72 Deluxe tele into a small fender combo, with an M9 in between. Drives and everything come from it. Eric who was touring with them when I met them was using a homemade OD and a modded blues driver and the M13. Don't recall what amps Eric used.