Amp up loud and using the guitars volume.

shaunm

Does anyone else do this? 

In order to get my amps driving I need them to be up at a reasonable (loud!) volume. I've been trying to play with my amps up and putting my guitar volume on numbers 3 or 4 and increasing when I need a little more dirt. 

The plus points are that I seem to get more clarity as the amps are not compressing as much with my guitars volume lower. I also have a lot of control over the sound.

The downside is that in order to get any real grit my volume on stage is loud! 

I do use pedals but I set them so that the volume isn't increased much, it's the tone I want from pedals (I don't use much dirt other than a fuzz face).

Perhaps I am making life harder for myself than I need to? Perhaps power scaling would be the easy way for me here? 

ICBM

An attenuator is the easy way. No modification to the amp, just connect it between the amp and the speaker.

Maynehead

Have you tried doing the same but into a good dynamic OD pedal instead? That way you can keep the amp volume low and get the crunch from the pedal when you up the volume.

Trude

Maynehead said:

Have you tried doing the same but into a good dynamic OD pedal instead? That way you can keep the amp volume low and get the crunch from the pedal when you up the volume.

Any specific recommendations for a pedal that does this well? Seems like the simplest solution on paper.

Maynehead

Trude said:

Maynehead said:

Have you tried doing the same but into a good dynamic OD pedal instead? That way you can keep the amp volume low and get the crunch from the pedal when you up the volume.

Any specific recommendations for a pedal that does this well? Seems like the simplest solution on paper.

I'm afraid I'm not a pedal expert, as I use mainly amp gain. I'm sure someone more knowledgable can make some recommendations.

hotpickups

Yes I do this mostly. However when I have my fuzz on my guitar doesn't clean up to no fuzz but great when I open her open again for solos etc. Not so much a volume increase though but certainly dirtier if you know what I mean 

cbilly22

I've started doing this again now. I just love the sound of the amp goosed with a tube screamer. Used to kick in a boost for solos but played the last gig just riding the volume for lead and rhythm, TS off and volume back for clean. Seemed to work ok.

shaunm

Did you use the TS at your last gig @cbilly22? ;

I set my Fish Factory so that I don't get a big volume boost, just a bit of a change in tone. It give me a touch more sustain. 
I do the same with my fuzz face.

Using the guitars volume does give you a nice amount of control. Plus if you want it (who doesn't want it) you can manipulate feedback this way.

ChrisCox1994

the only problem I find with this is the need to sometimes go "one louder" for that solo section or outro when the drummer gets carried away... 

and you cant get choppy loud clean for funk rhythm or conversely lower volume chunky driven rhythm sounds.

fine for a blues gig but for any kind of function work its difficult without a soundman to compensate for volume changes

shaunm

Great point @ChrisCox1994 ;

I couldn't have done this when doing functions. My current group is really a bit of a rocky set up where I don't have to play "clean" clean. My clean is still a bit gritty and my dirty is "led Zep" dirty. 

cbilly22

shaunm said:

Did you use the TS at your last gig @cbilly22? ;;

I set my Fish Factory so that I don't get a big volume boost, just a bit of a change in tone. It give me a touch more sustain. 
I do the same with my fuzz face.

Using the guitars volume does give you a nice amount of control. Plus if you want it (who doesn't want it) you can manipulate feedback this way.

Yeah had it on all night. My pedal board is shrinking by the gig. At the moment it's tuner, wah, TS, boost but might be just the first 3 come Saturday. Having said that I could always put the boost in the loop for those moments when everything does get too loud around me.

shaunm

If your amp is up do you get much boost? I'd have thought it would just compress more?

shaunm

My board is pretty static now. One OD, on fuzz, Wah, tuner and a few modulation pedals. For the band I'm in it's almost as simple as it can be.

cbilly22

shaunm said:

If your amp is up do you get much boost? I'd have thought it would just compress more?

The amp isn't too gainy (choice of a couple but set pretty much the same) I use the TS to get me where I want to be for solos and roll back for rhythm.

shaunm

Cool, that's similar to what I am trying with mine then. Using the Red Snapper as a tone shaping tool whilst adding a little drive.

cbilly22

shaunm said:

If your amp is up do you get much boost? I'd have thought it would just compress more?

Sorry, might have misunderstood the question. Re: The boost in the loop. Yeah, you still get a volume hike even at band levels. Only one amp has a loop though so if I ran it in front of the others it would just compress the sound more, and probably vanish into the mix.

cbilly22

I have also used a different, backwards solution before now too. Set the sound the way you like it then turn the boost on, only with it set quieter. Use this for rhythm and turn the boost off for solos to bring the volume back up. Probably the easiest way to get the same sound only louder without adding gain. Confused the crap out of me though, couldn't get used to turning a pedal off for leads, simpleton that I am.

shaunm

@cbilly22 yeah, that would be too much for my mind to deal with. Ha.

Does your current set up include two amps? 

My two are both 18 watt. One a Tweed which sounds super for lead and Rythm sounds and a Marshally type which cuts a lot better and has a lot more top end. 

Having them both on gives me a really thick sound that I don't get from either on their own. 

cbilly22

shaunm said:

@cbilly22 yeah, that would be too much for my mind to deal with. Ha.

Does your current set up include two amps? 

My two are both 18 watt. One a Tweed which sounds super for lead and Rythm sounds and a Marshally type which cuts a lot better and has a lot more top end. 

Having them both on gives me a really thick sound that I don't get from either on their own. 

Nah, I'm too lazy for that lol. One doesn't even have any valves!!

ICBM

ChrisCox1994 said:

the only problem I find with this is the need to sometimes go "one louder" for that solo section or outro when the drummer gets carried away...

An attenuator with a footswitchable bypass will fix that too.

hotpickups

shaunm said:

@cbilly22 yeah, that would be too much for my mind to deal with. Ha.

Does your current set up include two amps? 

My two are both 18 watt. One a Tweed which sounds super for lead and Rythm sounds and a Marshally type which cuts a lot better and has a lot more top end. 

Having them both on gives me a really thick sound that I don't get from either on their own. 

Similar to my planned new set up as soon as I get a GigRig Humdinger. Luckily I have the added benefit of the Ironman II attenuater on my Imperial mk2 which can be bypassed to only apply to one channel. Very very handy indeed for solos etc