Base tone: how do you get yours?

[slowth]

Trying to pick some brains here.

Debating between edge of breakup amp and pushed with pedals, or clean and gain from pedals. I run my pedals in the front of the amp.

Testing out my amp and pedals, both ways sound pretty good so just keen to find out how others do it and what pips one over the other for you.

 

[Frankenstrat86]

I tend to have my amp set either crunchy or edge of break-up and roll my volume knob back for cleans and everything in between. I also have a blower switch that activates my high output bridge humbucker. When I do need more though I use pedals to push the amp

 

[Jason_77]

I plug into my plexi and get your basic Marshall crunch. I goose it with pedals if I need more and roll the guitar's volume back to clean it up. It works for the sounds I like.

However, if you need strong, punchy cleans, you'll need to get that from having the guitar's volume up and the amp set clean. That means getting your breakup from pedals.

 

[slowth]

Rolling the vol back won't give punchy cleans?

I'm just thinking how itd sound w my delays etc in front if the amp is set crunchy. Hmm

 

[jordane93]

run my amp clean. all pedals in front of the amp. my amp has no fx loop

 

[lostpoet2]

Edge of breakup is so much more fun and organic with pedals unless you're running a twin reverb or something that makes it impractical.

 

[Chris McKinley]

It doesn't matter how I do it unless I first know what it is you are wanting. What kind of sound are you going for and what are you running?

 

[Empros]

I run my amp slightly dirty, push it with pedals. All pedals in front of the amp.

 

[snow and steel]

how about this [which is how I do mine] my clean channel pushed to just starting to break up, and the 2nd channel with added mids, presence and distortion for solos. no pedals needed - just switch channels back and forth all night.

 

[Fat Dad]

I do both. I run the amp clean and use pedals for covers. For my own enjoyment and songwriting, I run it at edge of breakup or cranked and use pedals to boost or add character. I run delays out front either way and run the mix knob on the delays to taste when amp breakup is an issue.

 

[DewieCox]

I go with just past the edge breakup and use the guitar to clean it up. I feel like almost all of my dirt pedals need something from the amp to grab onto, to sound their best.

 

[slowth]

It doesn't matter how I do it unless I first know what it is you are wanting. What kind of sound are you going for and what are you running?

Well I'm running
Sp comp
LGW
Timmy
caveman OD
Delays

Into an Orange OR15, with a 5963 in V1 and 5751 in V2. This gives me a wide range of cleans and dimed it's a good thick crunch and that's enough for me (if I played without pedals) since I hardly play heavier than that since I play in church.

I guess lesser of a priority is that in church for the time being, I'm playing direct via a tech21 blonde and I know I'll prob have to look into how my pedals play with that, but just fine tuning my pedal/amp combo first m

 

[Coldacre]

the answer is 2 amps. best of both worlds. I have an AC30 set to clean with the master high. very clean & punchy. then there's an AC15 set to low gain. between 4 OD pedals and a couple of boosts, there's about 8 different levels of gain

 

[Jules-RM]

AC30 edge of breakup with a Timmy for a little more. I plug the board into the front and use a Wet, so the amp can't get too much gain on it. I use humbuckers, so I don't really do the cleanup thing.

 

[DaveKS]

2 chan amp, dirt chan set to edge of crunch with bridge pu. Pedals out front.

 

[Cado]

5E5-A set barely at edge of breakup for clean & Stephenson Stage Hog for dirt, guitar volume for in between tones.

 

[thiscalltoarms]

I prefer a clean amp a little below the edge of breakup point where you can hear the compression starting and the harmonics getting edgy but digging in doesn't quite let it rip... Then add Bearfoot/Bjfe/Strymon to taste.

 

[Jacob Van Noy]

I find that if I go too far in any one direction it gets bad. Too clean and my overdrive tones are not natural (harsher with not the correct type of sustain) and too dirty makes my dynamics and delay/reverb suffer. Right now I'm playing A Reverend Spy with lipstick pickups and I can turn my amps up louder to where the whole system starts to sing and that's when I'm happy. The low output pickups give me lots of right hand dynamics and any boosters and overdrives sound creamier because the amp is already compressing when they are turned on. I used to always be a pedal on type guy whether it be a compressor/overdrive/boost but you truly don't get the dynamics that the amp can deliver on it's own when running in that sweet spot. This means you need to find an amp that you love the tone of and you need a couple different power scales (I have a 40 watt 6l6 type and an 18 watt 6v6 amp) so you can pick the right amp for the situation.

 

[playthecray]

My amps are set fairly clean. I use the boost side (position 1) of a Jester and an RAF Mirage compressor for my base tone. The RAF Mirage is an incredible pedal that I never turn off.

 

[59Bassman]

Used to gig with a 2 channel amp and an OD pedal, plus a graphic eq or volume pedal in the fx loop. Gave me 4 basic tones that I could stomp on a pedal to get louder for solos. Clean, overdriven, crunchy (channel 2) or full-out (channel 2 + OD). Took a bit of playing around to get them all working together, but it really helped in a variety act.