I have come to the conclusion that it is a rare amp that sounds good playing both chords and lead lines.
YMMV, but I have been listening to a lot of amp demos (for that is the stuff of which I am made) and I have noticed that some amps sound fantastic playing lead lines, but lose it somewhat when chording is involved; and others sound awesome when chording, but don't have it just so when lead lines are involved.
Obviously most amp demos are not in a band context, so I might be missing the point, but has anyone else noticed this?
Comments
Remember, for every good rhythm or lead tone you hear on record the amp has been set up just for that job and that take, often with help from pedals and certainly with help from outboard gear and mics.
Expecting one amp to reproduce all of that on its own in a boozer or living room is a big ask.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
I set it up to sound good for low chunky power-chords, and I generally just get on with it from there. If an amp sounds crap playing the heavy riff from Lateralus or Stinkfist, then it's going to be crap for everything else when it comes to my tastes.
+1
Or else just use a tubescreamer or SD1. Set the amp up for rhythm and a TS or SD1 will add the mids and smoothness for solos.