# Has anyone ever actually found THEIR tone??



## Gmork (Aug 24, 2021)

Thought itd be a fun thread. Most of us tone chase all our lives and when we finally find something you love its often only temporary.
With that said i THINK i may have found "MY TONE"!!

Yesterday i had all my pedals out and was just experimenting with all the different combinations (into a clean amp) and after playing around all day BOOM THERE IT WAS!
turns out my dream tone is an hm2 gain only the slightest bit on, high at 3oclock, low at 9oclock, vol at 3. Boosting a mountainking megalith fuzz with an amptweaker depth finder at the end.
My god its the best tone ive ever heard (including the amazing amps ive owned)


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## Scordare (Aug 24, 2021)

That sounds cool! The HM-2 has a lot of subtle settings, besides “everything on 10”, that are great. After countless combinations of gear, I absolutely love my current rig of a Boss CP-1X into the 5150 mk2 model in the Digitech GSP1101. Yeah, it’s an old, outdated unit but it sounds great.. medium gain and all the sustain I could want.. and dynamic, touch sensitivity.


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## Gmork (Aug 24, 2021)

Scordare said:


> That sounds cool! The HM-2 has a lot of subtle settings, besides “everything on 10”, that are great. After countless combinations of gear, I absolutely love my current rig of a Boss CP-1X into the 5150 mk2 model in the Digitech GSP1101. Yeah, it’s an old, outdated unit but it sounds great.. medium gain and all the sustain I could want.. and dynamic, touch sensitivity.


I use to have a gsp1101! Great piece of gear! Dont care WHEN it came out!


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## budda (Aug 24, 2021)

I dial everything in a certain way, doesnt really matter what the gear is these days.


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## Demiurge (Aug 24, 2021)

I've had lots of tones that I've liked but none I've stayed with. Not chasing any sounds in my head, but just kind of a 'rambling man' with gear.


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## Scordare (Aug 24, 2021)

budda said:


> I dial everything in a certain way, doesnt really matter what the gear is these days.



This too! Learning how to balance out and dial in.. EQ, gain & compression, is a talent learned from experience. I have always done the best with what I had at the time. That being said, there are some pieces of gear that are great on their own and in combo are magic! Hence this thread!


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## wheresthefbomb (Aug 24, 2021)

Sure, and then a week later the same settings sound like trash.

Or to quote my drummer friend, "you know that tone you're chasing? You know you're never gonna find it right?"

edit: @Gmork you are doing some serious unpaid marketing work for mountainking, you've just about convinced me to get a megalith.


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## Dumple Stilzkin (Aug 24, 2021)

My tone back in the day was actually pretty good, I wish I would’ve kept that old rig. Jackson USA RR1 w X2N into a valvestate Marshall 2x12 combo with a metal zone. Sounded really filthy! Nowadays I just go with whatever tone I’m craving at the time.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 24, 2021)

I think lots of people find/found it, but end up chasing their tails trying to get "better." If it is your tone, then why keep trying to get something like it, but theoretically "better"?


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## michael_bolton (Aug 24, 2021)

I experiment a fair bit, esp with a DAW since with all the plugins out there it's obv a very low effort deal. Mostly for shits and giggles, not a "tone chaser" per se. 

That said - I have a couple of tones that just sound right to me - boosted rat (I ended up switching to jhs modded version) and boosted big muff style pedal (I use a fig fumb clone). 

Everything else - I don't care too much and use e.g. 5150, Ironball, slo100 clone interchangeably. Or any other high gain amp I have in my possession at any given time.


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## 0rimus (Aug 24, 2021)

The Ola Syndrome

I've spent years and thousands of dollars trying to escape my tone.

I just end up with slight variations of 'my' sound. And kinda moronically anytime a piece of gear changes my tone too much, I end up hating it and getting rid if it.

10 years ago running an MXR Fullbore into a Crate Powerblock with a Danelectro Fish and Chips EQ, doesn't sound much different than my Synergy Freyette UL into a powered Cab/speaker/FoH now.

Just idunno, better? More expensive? Lol


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## Grindspine (Aug 25, 2021)

Since 1996, the first time I plugged into a Triaxis, the Mark IV circuit is the sound I always go back to using. Mark V 90 watt heads, the Mark 525, my Triaxis, even using Helix or Amplitube, I always end up going back to Mark IV based lead/rhythm sounds and Mesa's fat vintage clean. I enjoy a Rectifier sound, 5150s sound great, but I always end up using the Mark IV sound if the option is there.


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## Gmork (Aug 25, 2021)

Its funny that i started this thread because im one of those people who think that the gear itself doesnt reeeally matter all that much. But none the less there IS a very specific sound i crave that kinda stems from L7s album bricks are heavy which has been one of my fav albums since i was in grade 7 (ill be 40 this year btw)

For those who haven't heard it, its just this super fat fuzzy tone, not tight but not too loose either, not refined or nice. Just mean and heavy AF!! 
and yes i know the bass has a tonne to do with how guitars sound on albums which is partly also what i try to capture when tone chasing. Probably why i love playing through bass amps etc. 
So that tone has been with me forever, always loved it. I think im trying to recreate that tone (including the deep end of the bass) but a bit more gritty/raunchy or whatever. And by satan i think ive got it!


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## odibrom (Aug 25, 2021)

I'm also on the Mark sound. Got the Triaxis about 12 years ago, used a modeler previously and always fell for the boogie sound. When I first got the Triaxis, I couldn't find much difference between LD2 green and yellow modes, so I kept myself on the green mode. More recently, I changed the FX processor unit, which meant I needed to change the FX chain and I started to plug the guitar directly into the Triaxis... The LD2 Yellow (or is it orange?) is where I'm at for the last few years. I seldom play with the other modes, but I return to this one... I suppose it's the Mark II one, but who cares.

I've also played a Mark V 35 and the feeling was great, different cab and guitar and room, but the root tone was there...


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## Bearitone (Aug 25, 2021)

I'm damn close with the Kemper.

I use a Uberschall profile with an effect out front called "soft shaper" that just makes everything nasty but still articulate.
Its nuts. I wish I could get that effect as a stand-alone pedal. It almost makes it sound like a guitar mixed with the grind of a synth? If you have a kemper just try it.

Honestly as long as I can get a gritty overall gain structure, grinding mids, and decent control across the EQ range, I'm pretty happy. I could jive just as well with a 6505 as an uberschall, rectifier, etc...


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## Gmork (Aug 25, 2021)

@wheresthefbomb "you are doing some serious unpaid marketing work for mountainking, you've just about convinced me to get a megalith" oh man, its great! On its own im not in love with it, but boosting with different things sounds incredible. It def has the scooped big muff thing going on but it has a tone of controls so you can dial in mids very well. Makes a great base tone to work off of.
Mine is a clone made by quin of heathencraftfx (who builds amps and pedals at KSR amps!)


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## sevenfoxes (Aug 25, 2021)

budda said:


> I dial everything in a certain way, doesnt really matter what the gear is these days.


This to a large extent.


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## gnoll (Aug 25, 2021)

I'm not even looking for "my" tone, just something that works for what I'm currently doing. Even if I find something I like I think sticking to that thing would just end up boring.


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## Gmork (Aug 25, 2021)

Seeing as i like playing such a variety of styles ie tech death, surf, grungy doomy stuff etc I def have vastly different tones for whatever it is im doing at the moment.
But this particular tone is just deeper than that, hits me in the tone heart lolol ya know!


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## Gmork (Aug 25, 2021)

Im having a pedal built that is simply these circuits in a box (with an A/B loop ala amptweaker) so i can have a one stomp "clean channel"
In the final form it wont have the high and distortion controls for the hm2 section as ill never need to adjust those.
And obviously it wont actually look like this, this is just my mock up to get the idea down


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 25, 2021)

0rimus said:


> The Ola Syndrome
> 
> I've spent years and thousands of dollars trying to escape my tone.
> 
> ...


This is why I say tone is definitely in the fingers (and the instrument in your hand, sans electronics), and that what you get from gear -- from the pickups to the speakers -- should more or less be referred to as "voicing." 

It probably isn't necessarily "better," per se, but it is likely less "cluttered" of unwanted bits and pieces; more "pure" for lack of a better word.


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## TheBlackBard (Aug 25, 2021)

The more and more I fiddle with various pedals with a purely solid state signal, I feel I'm getting much closer. The Burial At Sea put me pretty damn close being boosted with a Boss SD-1 with an EQ in the loop. That said, I'm still buying the Klirrton Oh My Goat.


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## SSK0909 (Aug 25, 2021)

I have found it by accepting that it doesnt exist xD
I have a couple of presets I always use on the Kemper. And when my stupid brain one day concludes a presets doesnt sound as good as it used to, I just say "F U brain!"

Sometimes i switch to a radically different preset and play that for a while. Just to reset my brain and ears.

Years of playing has also taught me that there is no tone to end them all. You have to adapt to the venue when playing life and cant just rely on the same sound every gig. If you do. The sound guy will fix that for you xD


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## StevenC (Aug 25, 2021)

Finally getting a Buzzaround has made me probably the most content I've ever been with my tone.


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## sleewell (Aug 25, 2021)

I'm honestly happy with a 6505 and orange cab. Fits my current band very well and sounds like the sound of guitar that I hear in my head.

Tone chasing doesn't really do much for me anymore, still end up sounding like me.


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## LostTheTone (Aug 25, 2021)

I think that in all things musical, not just guitar tone, the last stage of enlightenment is realizing you don't need to buy anymore gear or fiddle with any more settings. 

We all start out as kids with crappy gear, and we all start fantasizing about how good we'll sound one day when we have 100w 4x12s and a proper guitar with sexy pickups and a million pedals and whatever else. And over time we slowly work towards that. Then when we have a really nice tone, we think maybe we could try a different way. But there is only so many times you can do this before you think that actually yes, we don't NEED to keep buying stuff. Oh sure, everyone likes to try new things. Tone is almost a hobby by itself, and it's cool to try new stuff. But you don't need it. You're chill with your sound. 

I like Dual Rectifiers or 5150s into greenbacks with EMG 81s. That's my sound. And a load of other people's sound too. But I don't own any of those bits as physical gear. If I had the money and space I might do, but I need space and I only play for me anyway, so software is fine.


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## oniduder (Aug 25, 2021)

lost then found, over and over again


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## WarMachine (Aug 25, 2021)

Yeah I've found mine. Many years ago actually. But @Spaced Out Ace hit the nail right on the head. Once its found we should be like "yeah, ok. Cool. FINALLY got what I was after". But thats why all guitarists are nerds. We can't leave shit alone lol. And nothing is ever "just right". At least I'll admit to being in this category.
I've spent and traded more gear over the years I care to talk about. But no matter what I play on/through, I always sound like me. Sometimes better. Sometimes worse. But always me.


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## TedEH (Aug 25, 2021)

I'm pretty sure I've been using the same Mark IV with pretty close to the same settings for something like 5 or 6 years now. I like the sound of that thing enough that I don't typically GAS for other tones very often. I only recently got a little Marshall DSL combo to get some variety, cause there's only so much the Mark can do, but generally speaking the Mark still eats it for lunch for a lot of sounds.

I feel like I do more tone chasing with bass than guitar - there's always something I don't like about my bass sounds, and I don't want to cover it all up with dirt/gain, so I'm forever fiddling with knobs and compression and even now I'm considering trying out new cabs, or maybe trying to get a good deal on a tube SVT head.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Aug 25, 2021)

Having been doing a few session gigs as well as writing/playing multiple genres, I have to make sure I have to be changing my tone and sounds based on the music I play. Obviously I'll be sounding different with a Tele through a Fender Twin with an SOV drive, than I would with one of my RGs into a 5153 with a Gigs Boson. And at the very least it gives me a strong excuse to accumulate more gear. 

But of course, as tone has and has always been in my hands and playing, I've also resigned to the fact that I'll always sound like me no matter what gear I play. 

I guess I sound completely different when I play keyboards...


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## cardinal (Aug 25, 2021)

I do end up trying to get the same basic sound out of every rig I use, which probably is stupid.


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## cGoEcYk (Aug 25, 2021)

I dial my Tremoverb with boost for the max amount of midrange saw and crusty (not super slushy) level of gain. That's tha sound I like. I dont GAS much anymore but I think about the ENGL Savage and Pitbull CL once in a while.


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## odibrom (Aug 25, 2021)

I must add to my previous post that I use my Triaxis in a very unusual way, I'll use the LD2 Yellow mode (or any other lead mode) to get either clean or dirt tones with expression pedals.This means I get all the tones in between from clean to mean: crunch, mild driven, overdriven and saturated high gain. Adding to that, all my guitars deliver at least 21 different tones, although the average is well above 50... hence the question, have I found my _tone_? Yeah, sort of, I gravitate towards the Mark II / III / IV tones with the help of different pickup combos... it's just bliss...


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## DeathByButterslax (Aug 25, 2021)

More of a “let’s try this today”, than looking for my sound. The main thing is with my current rig I can get to the extremes of what I want


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## sakeido (Aug 25, 2021)

yup. Mesa Stiletto Deuce stage 2 into a Mesa OS 4x12. Maxon OD808, TC Integrated Pre and a TC Hypergravity Compressor out front. Only part I think I'd want to change is the compressor pedal... don't like the hypergrav much.

The spread of tones on the amp and the extra shaping options the pedals give me, I can get whatever sound I want on any given day. Stilettos are so sick. Most underappreciated amp Mesa ever did... and they know it, too, cuz they keep trying to sell it just with different labels slapped on it 



cardinal said:


> I do end up trying to get the same basic sound out of every rig I use, which probably is stupid.


eh I did that for years. It's taken a really conscious, dedicated effort to try and build up my diversity of .. tone taste? I guess? and trying to branch out as a player. So I don't try and djent when I play a Lonestar or something. I put the picks down and fingerpick or try and do whatever it is I think the amp was intended for


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## devastone (Aug 25, 2021)

If you find your tone, you die, life is done, right? Either that or your bank account grows.


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## Elric (Aug 25, 2021)

Anyone who has seriously gone down the tone chase rabbit hole knows that analog signal chains (and to a lesser degree digital ones, too), vary from from day to day (there are a million variables including what you have heard just prior, your position relative to speakers, blah, blah, etc, etc).

So any given tone is, by definition, ephemeral. You do not "get" your tone. You have to go out and "take" it. Day after day.


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## laxu (Aug 25, 2021)

Found it in many places, from modelers to tube amps but ever evolving in some direction. Yet I dial in largely the same sounds.


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## Crungy (Aug 25, 2021)

@Gmork the GSP1101 is nothing to sneeze at. It's an awesome rack unit. I still have one but got an AxeFx 2+ XL that I feel is better because overall it's just easier to dial in. 

With the AxeFx I wouldn't say I've found _my_ sound, but a lot of sounds and flexibility that I really like. I am also in the camp of tone is in the hands, I'm not as far with that on guitar but feel "I'm there" with my bass playing.


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## ArtDecade (Aug 25, 2021)

I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.


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## wheresthefbomb (Aug 25, 2021)

ArtDecade said:


> I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.



I feel this. I've been playing with a very new guitarist, it's been a lot of fun and he's super enthusiastic and putting a lot of work in. He's using one of my amps and a dirt pedal I sold him, it's been illuminating seeing him struggle with things that I used to and realizing it's down to technique because I've used the same rig for years.

Example, he gets insane uncontrollable feedback and we tried dialing back a bunch of gain and everything. I played his guitar while he went to smoke to see if I could sort it out and viola, no feedback issues. I remember trying to compensate for this years ago with gear by moving pickups back, turning gain down, noise gates, standing ridiculously far from my amp etc, when all it took was some hours on my fret hand technique and picking dynamics.


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## Emperoff (Aug 25, 2021)

ArtDecade said:


> I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 25, 2021)

Crungy said:


> @Gmork the GSP1101 is nothing to sneeze at. It's an awesome rack unit. I still have one but got an AxeFx 2+ XL that I feel is better because overall it's just easier to dial in.
> 
> With the AxeFx I wouldn't say I've found _my_ sound, but a lot of sounds and flexibility that I really like. I am also in the camp of tone is in the hands, I'm not as far with that on guitar but feel "I'm there" with my bass playing.


When I was younger, I used to be into the whole, "Man, I can have 3-5, 10, 20 sounds I can call up whenver I want!" Now I just want 1-2 and use my guitar's volume/tone controls to do the rest.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 25, 2021)

ArtDecade said:


> I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.


One's technique (regardless of whether it is flawed or flawless, though I think flawless technique tends to sound robotic/boring) does improve things much more than your 15th distortion pedal.


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## MrWulf (Aug 25, 2021)

I got very close to it the other day. I always admired the Mark series style tone but actual Mark IIC+ or ReAxis is completely out of my range. But with modern emulation i've sort of managed to craft a very close approximation of a modern Mark IIC+ tone. 

Mercuriall TriAxis (ReAxis emulation) > Effector GC3607 (7 bands EQ pedal) > TSE X50 power amp (5150 amp emulation) > GGD Zilla (IRs using Zilla cabs).

The result is amazeballs. Ita a chunky, dry, articulate modern metal tone that is very mix ready while also retaining its vintage character. Playing within the DAW you can also try differeny combination of power amp emulation like using Plugin Alliance's VH4/Herbert/Savage amp sims or other IRs to yield different variations in sounds. Its great and the whole setup is about 10 times cheaper than an actual ReAxis slaved to any of those amps' power section.


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## Mathemagician (Aug 25, 2021)

I’m late, have we already made the 5150 + EMG jokes?


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## Gmork (Aug 25, 2021)

Bu


Mathemagician said:


> I’m late, have we already made the 5150 + EMG jokes?


But what if your dream tone isnt a tight modern metal tone?


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## katsumura78 (Aug 25, 2021)

ArtDecade said:


> I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.



Preach….says the guy with 3 tube amps in his bedroom lol looking for a recto to uhhh round out the collection ?


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## Mathemagician (Aug 25, 2021)

Gmork said:


> Bu
> 
> But what if your dream tone isnt a tight modern metal tone?



I know there is a good answer to this out there but I cannot guide one to it. I like lots of metal tones, big fan of that dry 80’s crunchy rhythm tone for example. But I have not ever made any attempt to dial that in. And at this point I’m too afraid to try. People posting about the work to get a perfect clean? Me: literally ANY clean tone + playing softer will do. A lil sprinkle o’ chorus if I’m feeling extra zazzy. Which kind? Any chorus idk the flavors.


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## michael_bolton (Aug 25, 2021)

ArtDecade said:


> I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.



totally. has to be no less than $299, then we're talking.


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## CanserDYI (Aug 25, 2021)

I have a tone that I generally fall toward, and its because of the music I've listened to has acclimated my ear to it, but the boosted recto/5150 with V30 speaker into an sm57 is just home to me. I dont care if its been done 500 million times, it sounds good. It just does. I stopped trying to find my own sound in texture and tone and find it in phrasing.


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## Legion (Aug 25, 2021)

Honest answer: I don't even know what I want. In hindsight, I started craving the old school Bulb tone, hated it in no time, craved the Meshuggah tone, downloaded the Nameless Suite trial and hated it, and now I feel like I want rectifier tones (because I am chasing Dead Heart in a Dead World now) and something tells me I'm gonna hate it in six months. 

idk, "my" tone...is just bad. Or maybe I tell myself that. Who knows.


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## BenjaminW (Aug 25, 2021)

I've gotten pretty close. I just need one more pedal, amp, and guitar.

But seriously though. I'd say I'm about 95% there for what tone I want. I just need to make the necessary adjustments on my amps and pedals to get me there.


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## youngthrasher9 (Aug 25, 2021)

ArtDecade said:


> I think people stop chasing tone when they realize that a little more technique goes way farther than another 200 dollar pedal.


I spent like 5 years trying to figure out why my trem picking tone sucked only to discover that I wasn’t holding my pick the right way for that. I still suck at guitar, but it taught me a lesson.

Also to add something for the “I can’t find something I like” people, I operated this way for many years: I lowered my expectations before I plugged in, enjoyed the shit out of my sound, and did the same thing the following day. It really helped extend the space in between GAS.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 25, 2021)

I find that if you're 85-95% there, chances are likely you'd get much closer if you used a looper, and dialed stuff in to get closer to what you're looking for.


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## Necky379 (Aug 25, 2021)

I’m always tweaking and swapping out this or that but the foundation of what I like stays the same. I’m lucky to have multiple amps and lots of pedals, I prefer multi amp setups dialed in to compliment each other instead of competing with each other. One big scooped and loose, one punchy with lots of mid range is my basic recipe. From there I’ve added a third amp, but two can do what three do. So basically the famous Recto + 5150 combination, in my case Cobra + 5150 which is in the same ballpark.

I remember @budda recommending something along the lines of “fuzz on one amp, tubescreamer boost on the other amp”. I’m butchering the message but it ties in without getting literal. More recently I saw Euge’s famous In Flames video which gives the recipe “HM-2 on one track, no HM-2 or something else on the other track”. A scooped set 6505+ with an HM-2 clone alongside the other two amps opened up a whole new level of hugeness. Now I’ve been tightening up the settings on the Cobra and bringing in the 6505+ mayhem. The Cobra and the 5150 both have a different mid range so they don’t fight each other. The HM-2 leaves room for the 5150 low mids, adds that wild high mid/high end sizzle and an out of control low end that fills up the room. Scooping the 6505+ keeps it out of the Cobra’s way. The Cobra gets a much more percussive thunky low end so it’s heard prominently whereas the 6505+/HM-2 is more felt underneath everything. Set up like this I can use the volume knob on the 6505+ as a blend knob to add in the sizzle and fatness. It’s like an organic BBE Sonic Maximizer grown in Gram and PopPop’s garden.


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## Heretick (Aug 25, 2021)

I feel like I'm very, very close with a digital, heavily boosted JCM800 tone. It's a pretty weird setup, honestly. A poor man's modern digital modeling metal tone. 

A Pod Go Tube Screamer into the Pod Go Klon, then it goes into the Go's FX loop section that has a Zoom G1X Four running a Tube Screamer with some pretty weird settings, which then goes into a Pod Go JCM800. There's also an EQ in there somewhere doing some minor things. The cab sim is turned off, and everything goes out to a Mooer Baby Bomb into one of those Harley Benton V30 112s.

It's insane, and I love it. It's sorta like modern, super tight percussive sound had a love child with a 90s tech-thrash sound, with a little bit of late-era Death splashed in. It's tight, it's nasty, it's not too overly concerned with clarity- I love it.


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## Screamingdaisy (Aug 26, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> I think lots of people find/found it, but end up chasing their tails trying to get "better." If it is your tone, then why keep trying to get something like it, but theoretically "better"?



20 years ago I had it with an EMG 81, a rack-mounted Recto and Slant/Straight Recto 4x12, and I’ve been screwing it up ever since.

In trying to find better tone I screwed it up bad enough that I really struggled for a long time. What showed me the error of my ways was hearing two recordings of myself playing the same song on completely different rigs. In both recordings I sounded more or less the same, but one rig produced that sound with no effort and the other rig I constantly fought with. I resolved to use gear that produced the sound I wanted with the least amount of effort.

Over the years I’ve consistently found my sound in various Rectifiers and Marks, but I couldn’t find everything I wanted in one amp.

The final piece for me was the Triple Crown. It managed to combine what I like about Marks and Rectos into one amp, and I never feel like I have to fight with it to get the sound that I’m looking for. It’s been around 4 years now, I’ve sold all my other amps, and the only amp GAS I’ve had is for another TC-50.

Edit - actually, the final pieces of the puzzle were finally finding the right delay (MXR Echoplex) and going back to high output pickups (JB).


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 26, 2021)

Heretick said:


> I feel like I'm very, very close with a digital, heavily boosted JCM800 tone. It's a pretty weird setup, honestly. A poor man's modern digital modeling metal tone.
> 
> A Pod Go Tube Screamer into the Pod Go Klon, then it goes into the Go's FX loop section that has a Zoom G1X Four running a Tube Screamer with some pretty weird settings, which then goes into a Pod Go JCM800. There's also an EQ in there somewhere doing some minor things. The cab sim is turned off, and everything goes out to a Mooer Baby Bomb into one of those Harley Benton V30 112s.
> 
> It's insane, and I love it. It's sorta like modern, super tight percussive sound had a love child with a 90s tech-thrash sound, with a little bit of late-era Death splashed in. It's tight, it's nasty, it's not too overly concerned with clarity- I love it.


Why not just use another PG TS?


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 26, 2021)

Screamingdaisy said:


> 20 years ago I had it with an EMG 81, a rack-mounted Recto and Slant/Straight Recto 4x12, and I’ve been screwing it up ever since.
> 
> In trying to find better tone I screwed it up bad enough that I really struggled for a long time. What showed me the error of my ways was hearing two recordings of myself playing the same song on completely different rigs. In both recordings I sounded more or less the same, but one rig produced that sound with no effort and the other rig I constantly fought with. I resolved to use gear that produced the sound I wanted with the least amount of effort.
> 
> ...


Whether a relationship or a rig, if you're fighting with it so much to keep it together, then it's an obvious sign you need to shit can it. Start over from scratch if you have to, and leave nothing sacred.


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## Screamingdaisy (Aug 26, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Whether a relationship or a rig, if you're fighting with it so much to keep it together, then it's an obvious sign you need to shit can it. Start over from scratch if you have to, and leave nothing sacred.



I think that’s the “chasing your own tail” part of the process. Sometimes I get something that sounded really good, then a week or two later something is off and I have no idea why.

A couple standouts were that I sold off three amps before I finally figured out it was the Orange 4x12 I didn’t like, and I actually managed to go so far as swapping pickups before I figured out the problem was I did t like NYXL stings I’d been using for a month or two.


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## Heretick (Aug 26, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Why not just use another PG TS?



It's sorta two reasons; one was to save space on the Go (it has some hard-coded blocks, and I wanted some good reverb and access to some flange for riffing), and I think the G1X Four's TS must be... less accurate, or something. It definitely sounds different, in a way I couldn't really replicate with the Go's. And like I said, it has some pretty weird settings. It was just a sound I sorta stumbled into and really loved, so I just decided not to question it too much, hahaha


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 26, 2021)

Screamingdaisy said:


> I think that’s the “chasing your own tail” part of the process. Sometimes I get something that sounded really good, then a week or two later something is off and I have no idea why.
> 
> A couple standouts were that I sold off three amps before I finally figured out it was the Orange 4x12 I didn’t like, and I actually managed to go so far as swapping pickups before I figured out that it was I the NYXL strings I started using a month earlier.


Dude, the speakers and cab are the last part of the chain. All you need is decent pickups that meet a certain need, such as the EMG single coils I use: I have them paired with two of EMGs preamps, as well as the single coils themselves being quiet. Granted, the boosts aren't, but that's true of any boost.

The speakers and cab, however, are the dictator. You can call them Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, or Mao if you like, but regardless, they will tell the rest of the gear -- no matter how expensive and great -- to go fuck itself. If the speakers and or cab are made of cheap materials, the rest is going to suck. Granted, that Orange (I assume it was the PPC flag ship cab) isn't made of cheap materials, but I gather that it has a very specific thing going on. Very directional. As such, if you aren't into the quirks of that particular cab, everything is going to sound "subpar" -- objectively speaking.


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## Screamingdaisy (Aug 26, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Dude, the speakers and cab are the last part of the chain. All you need is decent pickups that meet a certain need, such as the EMG single coils I use: I have them paired with two of EMGs preamps, as well as the single coils themselves being quiet. Granted, the boosts aren't, but that's true of any boost.
> 
> The speakers and cab, however, are the dictator. You can call them Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, or Mao if you like, but regardless, they will tell the rest of the gear -- no matter how expensive and great -- to go fuck itself. If the speakers and or cab are made of cheap materials, the rest is going to suck. Granted, that Orange (I assume it was the PPC flag ship cab) isn't made of cheap materials, but I gather that it has a very specific thing going on. Very directional. As such, if you aren't into the quirks of that particular cab, everything is going to sound "subpar" -- objectively speaking.



In my case it was the Orange cab’s upper midrange spike. It sounded great with lower gain amps, but the higher the gain the more I disliked it. For a long time I thought it was because I didn’t like high gain as much as I used to, then I plugged into another Mesa cab and realized high gain sounded great, I just didn’t like the Orange cab as much as I thought I did.

I sold the Orange, bought couple more Recto cabs, never looked back.


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Aug 26, 2021)

I tend to favor a Marshally high gain tone drenched in a stereo widening chorus all through a V30. It's very 80s inspired guitar tone applied to 90s era industrial.

For leads it's the bridge pickup through the same setting only with some delay and reverb to make it a little more messy and trippy since I love a good sloppy solo and I love the sound of running my hand up and down the fretboard. I think I developed that habit from Prince 

Regardless of what gear I use, that's the sound I get. It's really just a matter of what gear will do it without a lot of hassle


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 26, 2021)

Screamingdaisy said:


> In my case it was the Orange cab’s upper midrange spike. It sounded great with lower gain amps, but the higher the gain the more I disliked it. For a long time I thought it was because I didn’t like high gain as much as I used to, then I plugged into another Mesa cab and realized high gain sounded great, I just didn’t like the Orange cab as much as I thought I did.
> 
> I sold the Orange, bought couple more Recto cabs, never looked back.


The Orange was likely emphasizing the upper midrange spike of the V30s that I believe are in those. If so, that would've been upper midrange city. Fine if there is some lower mids and lows to balance it out, but upper mids can get outta hand really quickly. Too much pick attack sounds awful (same is true of the opposite as well).


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## laxu (Aug 26, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> When I was younger, I used to be into the whole, "Man, I can have 3-5, 10, 20 sounds I can call up whenver I want!" Now I just want 1-2 and use my guitar's volume/tone controls to do the rest.



This is the direction I find myself going. Having every option ever sounds like a dream until you realize that you still dial in roughly the same sounds for everything and don't necessarily want all those different flavors, just your a handful of your favorite sounds.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 26, 2021)

laxu said:


> This is the direction I find myself going. Having every option ever sounds like a dream until you realize that you still dial in roughly the same sounds for everything and don't necessarily want all those different flavors, just your a handful of your favorite sounds.


In the words of George Carlin: "Too many choices, America. It's not healthy!"


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## Emperoff (Aug 26, 2021)

Tone is the excuse we use to justify purchasing new toys. Simple as that. 

Here's some Friedman sounding like Friedman through an amp he never played before (he doesn't even set up his own amps).


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## WarMachine (Aug 26, 2021)

Emperoff said:


> Tone is the excuse we use to justify purchasing new toys. Simple as that.
> 
> Here's some Friedman sounding like Friedman through an amp he never played before (he doesn't even set up his own amps).



Instant like cause Marty.


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## Kyle Jordan (Aug 26, 2021)

I've mentioned it here on the forum previously, but the second day I owned my Axe FX III, I backdoored my way in to a tone I'd been chasing for about 15 years, using an amp model I've always kind of wrote off IRL. With more refinement and attempting similar on other amp models, I not only nailed it more accurately than I ever have any other type of tone before, but realized what and where I've been getting negative results from in other places.

The Mesa Mark series and Rectifiers have kind of been the two great pillars of tone for me since the late 90s, and while I loved them and still do, I grew tired of getting 90 percent where I wanted. With the Axe, I've been able to make my "ideal" Mark and Rectifier much, much more of a reality.

That said, I'd always been hunting something different. The Marks and Rectos always have been satisfying, but not quite on the target. And over the years, that really grew to kind of irk me as it's that so close but not right feeling. Liking endless teasing.

Enter the Fryette D60 and Engl Savage models on the Axe FX.

I've played both of these amps and their other stablemates in the past and liked them quite a bit. However, that was a long time ago in a music store far, far away, and only once for each. (Same story for the Ultra Lead.) I could never make myself buy once since I had such limited experience with them and clips can only be so helpful.

Not getting involved with VHT/Fryette and Engl earlier in life is probably one of the biggest gear mistakes I have made.

These (and the Powerball too actually) sound FANTASTIC! I can get great results with simple tweaking, but I can get even better ones by diving deep.

So to wrap up the ramble, the Axe FX III has helped me put the missing and incorrect pieces of the puzzle I've been trying to solve, FOR DECADES, together. I can get the elusive tones I've been wanting with the D60 and Savage, (Triptik as well. That thing is AWESOME!) my ideal Mesa tones, and even my ideal Marshall tones (Splawn Quickrod is FIRE.) with the Axe.

It sounds both cliche and cultish, but I have honestly never been happier with my tones than I am now. And the best part is that there's enough power and flexibility here to iron out those last little bits I have always tended to miss in the past.

(That said, it's also really shown me that I NEED to get an Ultra Lead after all this time. And soon.)


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## jarledge (Aug 26, 2021)

I have been able to buy quite a bit of gear over the past few years. Every amp I own can get a tone I enjoy, the trick is pairing it with the right cab and speaker. Speakers and cabs excite me more than most amps these days. There are still a couple of amps I'd like to have, don't get me wrong, but cabs and swapping speakers has been a way more rewarding tonal venture than anything else I have tried previously. I have owned probably 30+ amps in addition to what I have now but only in the past few years have I stared looking more at cabs and speakers and it makes me feel like idiot for selling some of the amps I have sold in the past because I thought I was unhappy with the amp, when it wasn't the amp's fault, it was the cab I was using with that amp. 

I do want to get a Laboga Mr.Hector, maybe a rivera or splawn, and depending on how much I like the hector, buy another mesa recto. Cab wise, I want a Krank either rev or K-stien, and another genz benz g-flex 4x12. Those are only wants for the collection, not needs for the tone chase.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Aug 26, 2021)

jarledge said:


> I have been able to buy quite a bit of gear over the past few years. Every amp I own can get a tone I enjoy, the trick is pairing it with the right cab and speaker. Speakers and cabs excite me more than most amps these days. There are still a couple of amps I'd like to have, don't get me wrong, but cabs and swapping speakers has been a way more rewarding tonal venture than anything else I have tried previously. I have owned probably 30+ amps in addition to what I have now but only in the past few years have I stared looking more at cabs and speakers and it makes me feel like idiot for selling some of the amps I have sold in the past because I thought I was unhappy with the amp, when it wasn't the amp's fault, it was the cab I was using with that amp.
> 
> I do want to get a Laboga Mr.Hector, maybe a rivera or splawn, and depending on how much I like the hector, buy another mesa recto. Cab wise, I want a Krank either rev or K-stien, and another genz benz g-flex 4x12. Those are only wants for the collection, not needs for the tone chase.


Cabs and speakers (and even the right ohm) are the unsung heroes.


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## TheBolivianSniper (Aug 26, 2021)

I found mine pretty easy, everything else just sounds not right when I don't have it dialed in. I dial everything to sound like varying degrees of tightness over a kind of fizzy, really high mid heavy tone. Low end and levels of gain vary but usually on the drier side, I like to be able to add low end and gain when needed rather than have to dial in more top end and try to get more clarity. Speaking of which I really do compromise on clarity for the sake of being cutting and adding more high end. 

Never modern. I hate that silly djent pick attack thing and I dial that out hardcore. Probably why most tones I hear I don't really like. I'll post some sound samples before I head for work since I actually never have here.


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## op1e (Aug 26, 2021)

Peavey Ultra 120, Mesa OS slant straight for metal. Origin 20h modded to 2204 and same cab, or Tourmaster OS 2x12 with Legends for saving the back. Gotta cover the rock tones, too.

I keep going back to my ugliest amp, Ultra 120. It's me. I think I only other wanted other amps cause they were new on the scene and nicer looking. That was before I got THE cab. I was always trying to get there with cheap cabs. First Peavey MS (Sheffields are awful), B52 LS. 70's Traynor cab, first with the G12-70's that came with it then Legends\Swamps. B52 AT412's before the word got out (gotta love the $111 GC deals back when flat rate shipping was $15). Good cab. Then I got the big boy cab I was always jelly when I saw someone rolling in with one when I was on a bill with them. Mesa OS straight slant.


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## DEUCE SLUICE (Aug 26, 2021)

On bass, yes. Nordstrand pickups, DR stainless strings, and a _lot_ of practice.

On guitar, unfortunately also yes. I sound like a bassist trying to play guitar no matter what I do.


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## FourT6and2 (Aug 28, 2021)

Once I learned about amp circuits, it was pretty easy (and fun) to just build my dream amp and voice it exactly how I like it. I haven't gassed for a new amp in years. If I get bored or want a variation in sound, I simply mod the amp... replace a resistor here or a cap there and boom... new sound.


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## Grindspine (Aug 28, 2021)

laxu said:


> This is the direction I find myself going. Having every option ever sounds like a dream until you realize that you still dial in roughly the same sounds for everything and don't necessarily want all those different flavors, just your a handful of your favorite sounds.



There is also knowing the area of sound that you are comfortable with using, but still having access to off the wall sounds for when the occasion calls for it.

My Triaxis rig has two cleans (hyper clean & vintage fat clean), Mark IV midgain, Rectifier crunch (This is a Tri with the Recto board), and a Mark III Boogie lead. If I want different sounds, I still have a Russian Picke fuzz, DOD Metal X, Revv G3, Korg Miku Stomp, Hotone Djent pedal, etc. I have a separate pedal board for when I want to use experimental sounds.


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## yan12 (Aug 28, 2021)

I agree with Spaced Out Ace...it ends with cabs and speakers.

AxeFX type gear is entirely different. The sound already contains speaker impartment to the tone, then normally goes out full spectrum speakers...( I know there are various ways to do this). But the point is a speaker/cab combo has great effect on what an amplifier says and that is not the case with modelers. 

My tone is greatly influenced by the old and original VHT cabs. I have found those to be the best. I blend the p50e's and the Mesa t4416 version of the V30's and I have never looked back or forward to some other cab. This is some of my gear but the VHT's are here.


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## CanserDYI (Aug 28, 2021)

Every time I try a new amp, Orange, Mesa, Peavey etc...doesnt matter. I always end up making it sound like a boosted 5150. No matter what, every time. i'm like "I'm going for a different tone" and boom, out comes the super present, high mid heavy, squishy 5150 boosted tone.


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## Wrecklyss (Aug 28, 2021)

Years ago, I talked a music store into letting me try out a Bogner Ecstasy. This was the only time I ever remember an amp feeling like an extension of my body. Any nuance or change I wanted to hear was easily dialed in. The cleans were crystal, the edge of breakup responded to my pick attack, you could feel the crunch in your bone structure, and you could feel the lead tones in your soul. Trouble is, I can't afford a flagship Bogner.

That being said, I knew I found "my tone" last summer when I bought my Budda. As an impulse purchase at the same time, I picked up a cheap 2nd hand BBE AM64 overdrive pedal because why not? After dialing in a delicious crunch tone, I switched over to the clean channel and started playing with the new pedal. Spent some time with it, dialed it in just right, then kicked it off and switched back over to the dirty channel. Played a few chords, switched back to the clean + BBE OD, then back, and back again. "Weird" I thought to myself, the tones between the two were so similar studio producers would have a tough time telling which was which. When I dial in the same tone twice in 2 different ways, I guess it's safe to say I have "my tone."

Still can't afford it, but I wonder how my tone would sound on a Bogner Ecstasy 101B with KT77 power tubes into a Fane F90 and B&C 12PE32 oversize 2x12 cab!


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## Modus_Operandi (Aug 29, 2021)

I feel I'm currently as close as I have been to getting the tone that's in my head, coming out of my speakers.

Thinking back on all the gear I've owned in the 26 years of playing, It comes down to feel and reaction of an amp, cabinet and mic combo (big part of my sound) and even plectrum choice.

my main axe is the Rivolta Baritone with 14-68 strings - so I need to fight and tame the low end, so using a TC compressor into Walrus Audio Ages OD and then TC Dark Matter just hits the spot into the Amp1. I then seem to live on the vintage channel for how it reacts to volume changes and just cleans up perfectly. 

How I know I've found my tone is when I turn it on each time, it makes me want to play and write guitar stuff - previously I'd sometimes get nervous about playing as often a tone would not sound consistent...I've been down a massive IR rabbit hole - so now this has stopped (thanks to the CAB M) I feel much more in control of my tone. 

Anyhow, thats my 10 cents -


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## Protestheriphery (Aug 29, 2021)

My toan pursuit and acquisiiton wasnt finalized with one specific gear per se. More so, it occured in stages. When I got my hands on the EVH 50 watt 8y ago, I decided I've found my amp. Recently, Ive found my main guitar, with the Gibson SG. For recording and all around home jamming, I prefer the old azz Lepou plugins/IR method. From here on out, anything other acquisitions are purely out of curiosity, rather than necessity.


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## Deadpool_25 (Aug 29, 2021)

You guys will think I’m deluding myself but yeah I really think I have. As for a single amp, it’s the EVH 50w 6L6. Absolutely loving the current setup and have ZERO complaints (after putting a 5751 in V1 to lower gain a bit).

Yes I’m sure I’ll but more gear here and there (the FM9 is a must have for me) but I really think I’m done buying amps. No…really. Stop looking at me like that.


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## ZombieLloyd (Aug 31, 2021)

Yep, after years of trying to figure it out, the sound I seem to be happiest with is a guitar tuned to B standard into a Peavey 6505 with my Fortin Fuzz set as a boost (Girth and Fuzz at 0, Volume at 10). Turn down the gain on the Peavey to get a "dry" gain tone, say to around 2.5-3/10, bass and Depth at 6, mids at 7, treble at around 3.5, presence at 8-9. Pretty satisfying but VERY unforgiving.


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## myampslouder (Aug 31, 2021)

I spent years bouncing from amp to amp and being thrilled with the sound for a month or two then get bored with it. Usually After owning an amp for a while I’d start noticing more of the annoying aspects of the tone that I could quite dial out.

In just a few years I went through a 5150, a 6505+, Blackstar Series One 200, Mesa Mark IV, Randall v2, a VHT Pittbull UL, Randall V2 Archetype, got the previously mentioned Mark IV again, laney IRT Studio(truly awful sounding), a rack setup with a Helix, another 6505+, and now I’m back on a Mesa Mark IV and I’ve realized the Mark IV is my sound. Paired up with a Mesa cab with v30s it’s legit the sound I’ve heard in my head for years. It’s the amp I wanted since I was 16 years old and it ended up being the one.


but no story has a happy ending. I sold my Mesa 2x12 a while back because I’d lost a lot of interest in guitar and was trying to find a pretty baller mountain bike at the time and have yet to recapture that magic of a Mesa amp into a matching cab. Running a port city 1x12 currently which also kicks several varieties of ass but doesn’t have the girthy ballsy sound of the recto 2x12 I sold. So currently saving up for another rectifier cab to hopefully recapture that magic.


Honorable mentions. The VHT/Fryette Pittbull UL with a Fatbottom cab is probably the next closest I’ve ever gotten to my sound. Loved that rig but had a bit of a financial emergency back in the day and that rig had to go to fund more important things.

The line 6 helix was also an incredible piece of kit but i ended up tweaking more than I played.


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## Huzee (Aug 31, 2021)

Just like happiness, you don’t “find” it you make it….it’s a journey, not a destination.


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## Repo251 (Aug 31, 2021)

ha! brilliantly framed question!


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## ErockRPh (Aug 31, 2021)

I used solid state amps for many years and tried many distortion and fuzz pedals chasing a tone in my mind. Several years back I found the first piece of the puzzle when I got a Tiny Terror. The second piece of the puzzle fell into place shortly thereafter when I got my Epi LP Prophecy with EMG's. An EMG 85 in the neck driving the TT gets me that thick, boomy, slightly fuzzy tone that I've always heard in my head. Master of Puppets meets Master of Reality, with a touch of late 90's Obituary. At least sort of, but I know it's my tone because whenever I play different guitars (different pickups, at least) or different amps I spend forever trying to dial that sound back up and it always falls short.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Aug 31, 2021)

I’ve been playing the same main guitar for 26 years, so I have no need to really chase the right guitar.  I just want to make more of this one that I designed and built for different tunings and such. There are other guitars that I wouldn’t mind having for recording, but considering the variety of guitars that come across my workbench, it is not uncommon for me to use customer guitars on recordings. 

As for amps, to me for high gain, the Bogner Uber for the left side, the Deizel VH4 on the right. Done.


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## v_BONES_v (Aug 31, 2021)

Tonelab SE into valve poweramp and real cab - just cannot find anything else which can do it. So I stopped looking and bought up 2 spare Tonelabs from Ebay.


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## vilk (Aug 31, 2021)

Boosted Marshall.
Boost it with a screamer
Boost it with MT-2
Boost it with HM-2
Boost it with Rat
It could be a Plexi!
It could be a JCM!
It might not be JVM? I'm actually not sure on that one... I know I did not like the one I played recently at Big Boss but I also did not have any boost.


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## fps (Aug 31, 2021)

Yes, but I haven't been able to put it on a recording yet. I loved the tone on the record we did release however, that was also my tone.


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## Musiscience (Aug 31, 2021)

Any Mesa Mark series. Plugged in and found my sound right away. Can’t get the same sound out of any other amp. PRS Archon is a close second.


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## budda (Aug 31, 2021)

v_BONES_v said:


> Tonelab SE into valve poweramp and real cab - just cannot find anything else which can do it. So I stopped looking and bought up 2 spare Tonelabs from Ebay.



I feel like a cloudkicker album was a tonelab and an LP studio or something.


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## wheresthefbomb (Aug 31, 2021)

I have revised my answer:


After having accepted the obvious truth that all amplified, electric string instruments are inherently terrible and unpleasant-sounding, moreso the louder they get, it's easy to be happy with my guitar tone.


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## potency (Aug 31, 2021)

Nope, search continues. Though I have a lot of ideas in my head of what I'm looking for.


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## Ted Pikul (Aug 31, 2021)

I know what my tone is - Gibson LP Studio or SG Standard, 490s and 498s. The difficulty is getting that_ and_ a decent trem system.


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## Kyle Jordan (Aug 31, 2021)

Ted Pikul said:


> I know what my tone is - Gibson LP Studio or SG Standard, 490s and 498s. The difficulty is getting that_ and_ a decent trem system.



https://www.gamechangeraudio.com/bi...6iMT6BduR0HNsw9iQf1Eg3oQBGuMKJt0sokB2opBiTi4v


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## Ted Pikul (Aug 31, 2021)

Kyle Jordan said:


> https://www.gamechangeraudio.com/bi...6iMT6BduR0HNsw9iQf1Eg3oQBGuMKJt0sokB2opBiTi4v



My goodness...I guess it's what _someone_ is looking for.

I'm actually really impressed with a Vibramate/Bigsby no-mod (that's really actually a little bit of a mod) that came out recently. Looks great and sounds like it works.


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## TheBolivianSniper (Aug 31, 2021)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-DgqsX0DD-4ee3MQhOngI3iPKNmAycsq/view?usp=sharing

Zero post processing, shitty riffing I just came up with in the moment, no polish, this right here is the raw sound. My hybrid Avenger into the Diezel VH4 with some NadIRs.

Here's a second clip of more shitty riffing into the Herbert, same IRs. Yes, I need to add noise gates.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lRktV__-uV1QRr0uWBf4BPVPwvx0aUX8/view?usp=sharing


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## Wolfhorsky (Sep 1, 2021)

I sound 90% the same on most of amps and guitars with slight variations. I am the happy camper with my PRS MT15 - it has the gain structure perfect for me. I tailor my sound with eq pedal in the FX Loop - it cured my amp GAS for like 2 years or so (until now I flipped amps every few months).


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## TheBolivianSniper (Sep 2, 2021)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TUoUQSKyugaU8BnCqniFXK39luTZI_mU/view?usp=sharing

first half is Herbert. second is VH4, this time with my BC Rich with the X2N bridge

this is pretty much my definitive sound, especially on the second half, since VH4 and X2N is my favorite tone

the combination of lower gain amp boosted plus slammed with a crazy hot and thick pickup is the perfect halfway between the classic snarl and bite and modern cut while still being super super chunky, tightness to spare, and plenty of punch


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## ManOnTheEdge (Sep 3, 2021)

I’ve kind of settled into a pretty basic setup:

superstrat with BKP nail bombs or Dimarzio AT-1 > MXR GT-OD > Amp*

*Cornford Harlequin / Bogner Alchemist /JVM410 (all regrettably sold)

but I’m a plug-in man until I have less space/volume concerns, may get an FM3 /Kemper to replicate the above chain


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## ManOnTheEdge (Sep 3, 2021)

Would also add that I “think” that tone is either an inspiration or a barrier but I’ve got to the point where at worst, it isn’t a barrier and that saves a lot of hassle.

if I could get my hands on a soundproofed garage, a Cornford MK50, 4x12 and A glut of pedals my opinions may change


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## WarMachine (Sep 3, 2021)

Here's my tone. Can't get away from it, no matter what i use. This is just with my 5150 sim and a York Audio IR. No boost. Only processing is compression and limiting on the master bus for glue and volume, a multiband compressor on the guitars to get rid of the clipping that you get on chugs and a high pass/low pass filter. The leads have a pass at 180hz to help it jump out and differentiate from the rhythms. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13BZdbBAdYwHcZXAe79FMwZt0tvXZQHxl/view?usp=sharing
0:00 - 1:18 - guitars only
1:19 on is the full mix


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## runbirdman (Sep 3, 2021)

My current live rig is close:

JP6> 
>FM3 (Shiva and Archon models)> SYN5050> Stereo 2x12 (WGS Veteran/WGS ET65)
>Friedman SS100> Diamond 2x12 (V30)

The signal going to the Friedman is completely dry. The signal going to the FM3 is for all of my effects including stereo modulation.

My tone has become a modded Marshall in a Wet/Dry rig. It seems to complement our other guitar player's block 5150 well. The only thing I'm trying to decide is what the third amp to complement this setup best for the FM3. I've been back and forth between the Archon and a couple of the FAS models but haven't had anything that felt perfect.


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## runbirdman (Sep 4, 2021)

Had some time with the FM3 this morning. I ended up using the Band-Commander for cleans, Triple Crest 2 for rhythm, and the FAS Modern II for high gain. It really ended up sounding great with the Friedman. I have a show on the 18th. We'll see how this combination fares.


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## Steinmetzify (Sep 4, 2021)

ESP with 81/60 combo into either:

boosted Pharaoh on ch2 of my Herbert or

boosted Pharaoh into chA of my Dual Dark

Either one of those will work for doom/sludge, if I want more modern thrashy tones I kick the Pharaoh off if I’m using the Herbert or kick it off and switch to chB of the DD.

I’ll switch guitars up every once in a while just for grins, go to some Black Winters or something lower output, but only thing that changes on the amps are the treble controls.

If for whatever reason I get bored of those tones, I have an Egnater Armageddon with 6L6s in it and a Fryette here too, but that deep thick bassy tone I get with the boosted Pharaoh into those amps is my fuckin jam.

Took me a long time to get here but yeah, I’ve found my tones.

Haven’t GASsed for anything in months, and don’t really see that changing.

EDIT: buddy of mine playing my Herbert boosted, then kicks on the Pharaoh at an amp fest we had a couple weeks back:


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## Kyle Jordan (Sep 4, 2021)

^Fog effects were a nice touch. Cool clip.


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## The Thing Upstairs (Sep 5, 2021)

I'm a bit too much of a tart but yes, I have sounds that I am very happy with. It does change with mood and guitar and I can be very flexible how I get there.

My favourite is a Marshall high gain tone with whatever pedals I need to give it some depth

Most of my playing at the moment is AxeFx3 in 4 CM into a standard JCM800. Sounds insane and at the touch of a button using the AF3 I have a 2 channel amp (by using a vol block).
I've chased that tone for years buying every JCM800 soundalike and derivative but in reality I should have just bought an 800...


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## TheBolivianSniper (Sep 6, 2021)

Here's another quick clip now that my Hondo is complete. Herbert in C#, VH4 in drop B. This is all Cpig flexing here, I can't get over how aggressive and saturated it gets without being too fizzy, and the massive low end alongside its natural brightness and clarity make this one of my all time favorite sounding guitars, even with the electronics needing major fixes.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UYwvXVN7zrY3tS2LyRqYic3wEthKXN9q/view?usp=sharing


----------



## GreatGreen (Sep 7, 2021)

What gets me is that I'll get some piece of gear that *almost* gets me me the tone in my head, but also does its own couple of things, which I always find myself appreciating and then leaning into and then going down that rabbit hole for. And at that point, "my tone" just becomes a moving target. It's no longer that tone I had in my head originally. I keep hearing new cool sounds and chasing those along with whatever I have envisioned as being "my tone."

I think the best idea I've had is the realization there is no single version of "my tone." Instead, I have "my clean tone, my edge of breakup tone, vintage rock tone, modern high gain tone" and so on. Different tools for different jobs, because like everybody else, my entire musical sound and identity is derived from more than a single album's worth of sounds, you know? This at least gives me a few relatively stationary targets to aim for.

Having said all that...
Best clean tone I've ever had came from a compressor into a Mesa Lonestar into a Mesa 4x12.
Best edge of breakup tone came from a Suhr SL68, an idealized take on a plexi, into a Marshall TV 4x12 cab.
Best rock tone I've had was an EQ pedal to cut some bass going into a Mesa Dual Recto Multi Watt into a Mesa 4x12.
Best modern high gain sound I've ever had would be an EVH 5150 III 100w EL34 head into an EVH 4x12 cab.


----------



## Lozek (Sep 7, 2021)

GreatGreen said:


> I think the best idea I've had is the realization there is no single version of "my tone." Instead, I have "my clean tone, my edge of breakup tone, vintage rock tone, modern high gain tone" and so on. Different tools for different jobs, because like everybody else, my entire musical sound and identity is derived from more than a single album's worth of sounds, you know? This at least gives me a few relatively stationary targets to aim for



Exactly this, I've got 'Go to's' as starting points but it's project relevant, ultimately it has to serve both the song and the mix (guitar tone has to work with bass tone, bass tone has to fit with kick drum).


----------



## sevenfoxes (Sep 7, 2021)

I honestly haven’t found my perfect tone. The Archon got close, but it needs just a bit more “oomph”. I’m hoping the MT100 resolves that.


----------



## RevDrucifer (Sep 8, 2021)

Yep.

Once I got my AxeFX III and had it for about 6 months, I was good to go. Really, it was mostly buying some York Audio IR's that got me where I wanted to go right away. Then with the Cygnus update, I really can't ask for more. If this unit never got another update to the modeling, I'd be fine with that. I don't go for just one tone, I go for whatever is working for the song I'm recording at the moment. Sure, I've got plenty of favorite tones, like Petrucci's tones on Awake are probably my favorite high gain tones, but there's also Vai's tone on Alien Love Secrets, EJ's tone from 88-93, Gilmour's tone from ....ever, etc. But I don't really try to get those tones because they're just a culmination of everything else on the album. 

For the most part, I hang out in the Jerry Cantrell/Awake-era Petrucci zone for distorted stuff, clean stuff is certainly influenced by EJ and 90's Petrucci and leads are a mix of everyone.


----------



## MetalHead40 (Sep 8, 2021)

A boosted MCII is the tone I've been most satisfied with. Been through 35+ amps and always come back to this amp...it's home.


----------



## WarMachine (Sep 9, 2021)

RevDrucifer said:


> Yep.
> 
> Once I got my AxeFX III and had it for about 6 months, I was good to go. Really, it was mostly buying some York Audio IR's that got me where I wanted to go right away. Then with the Cygnus update, I really can't ask for more. If this unit never got another update to the modeling, I'd be fine with that. I don't go for just one tone, I go for whatever is working for the song I'm recording at the moment. Sure, I've got plenty of favorite tones, like Petrucci's tones on Awake are probably my favorite high gain tones, but there's also Vai's tone on Alien Love Secrets, EJ's tone from 88-93, Gilmour's tone from ....ever, etc. But I don't really try to get those tones because they're just a culmination of everything else on the album.
> 
> For the most part, I hang out in the Jerry Cantrell/Awake-era Petrucci zone for distorted stuff, clean stuff is certainly influenced by EJ and 90's Petrucci and leads are a mix of everyone.


I just tried out 2 York Audio IR's in the last 2 weeks and i agree, that helped me get even closer to the sound i've always had in my head. I've tried OwnHammer, ML Soundlabs, Redwirez, Lancaster (Rosen Digital) and this is the closest sound to a legit recorded cab tone i've ever heard. Not a honeymoon phase either, i've had them for almost 2 weeks and jam on them daily. They are my new go to's.


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Sep 9, 2021)

WarMachine said:


> I just tried out 2 York Audio IR's in the last 2 weeks and i agree, that helped me get even closer to the sound i've always had in my head. I've tried OwnHammer, ML Soundlabs, Redwirez, Lancaster (Rosen Digital) and this is the closest sound to a legit recorded cab tone i've ever heard. Not a honeymoon phase either, i've had them for almost 2 weeks and jam on them daily. They are my new go to's.


I think I might use my second CAB M+ for IRs instead of virtual cabs. Should I spend money on them, or just use some of the free ones?


----------



## WarMachine (Sep 9, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> I think I might use my second CAB M+ for IRs instead of virtual cabs. Should I spend money on them, or just use some of the free ones?


Just DM'd you homie.


----------



## gclef (Sep 10, 2021)

I don't know if I found my tone, but I most definitely have a tone of my own.

I just don't know if it's THE tone. Lol


----------



## Gollapalli (Oct 19, 2021)

Yeah. I have. I’ve craved a single channel amp with lots of dynamics for years, one that actually cleans up when you roll back the volume knob or pull back with the right hand, but still squeals and djents (DEI djent not Obzen djent) and blues up when you want it to. 
Playing a swamp ash tele tuned to drop a on the neck pickup through an omega granophyre seems to do the trick. Up near the twelfth fret it gets really doomy. On the high strings round the third fret it gets really bluesy-honky and the open chug is djenty. You can play beat down riffs down low with doomy breaks and blues licks and it does it all without flicking a switch or anything. 

My sound. A simple guitar through a simple amp with nothing in between, and it does everything I ask it too.


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## Loomer (Nov 2, 2021)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> I think lots of people find/found it, but end up chasing their tails trying to get "better." If it is your tone, then why keep trying to get something like it, but theoretically "better"?



Jesus FUCK do I ever feel attacked by this post. This hit me where I live and I think I need to lie down for a bit. 

That said, I feel like I've pretty much landed where I need to be. Dry and gnarly solid state distortion, think either 90s death metal or recent-ish Black Metal filth is where I have settled down for the past many years. I don't plan on moving.


----------



## lewis (Nov 2, 2021)

Closest I got was Kemper using an ENGL profile with dual EMG 81s and some treble booster blended in tuned to Drop G# on 6 string Ibanez.

Was a perfect whitechapel/Heart of a Coward hybrid sound.


----------



## Drew (Nov 4, 2021)

A Mesa Mark. I own a Mark V and have never been happier, though I could probably get there with a IV, III, or II as well. That preamp, without the 5 band EQ, and with the presence fairly low just does it for me.


----------



## TheBlackBard (Nov 4, 2021)

Orange Rockerverb ended my amp hunt, so there's that.


----------



## USMarine75 (Nov 4, 2021)

budda said:


> I dial everything in a certain way, doesnt really matter what the gear is these days.



Same here. I have a bunch of pedals and different guitars yet I dial them in so they’re pretty darn close. Whether it’s an ES335 or Wolfgang I still have that core tone. I will say generally it’s open organic rhythm tones on the bridge pickup (or both) and liquid leads on the neck pickup with a more saturated tone.

For the most part I prefer spanky or edge of breakup clean tones via output tube saturation with my guitar vol rolled back.


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

I really really love the Jambi amp VST and it's my go-to. I love it so much that I wish I could do gigs with it. I'm sure any Helix patch or something can get me there but I'd love a dedicated Jambi amp model or a real amp like that.


----------



## WarMachine (Nov 5, 2021)

STRHelvete said:


> I really really love the Jambi amp VST and it's my go-to. I love it so much that I wish I could do gigs with it. I'm sure any Helix patch or something can get me there but I'd love a dedicated Jambi amp model or a real amp like that.


Having a stipped down, reliable laptop + interface and midi pedal would be the shit. Just don't know if I could be confident enough in it to work right.


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

WarMachine said:


> Having a stipped down, reliable laptop + interface and midi pedal would be the shit. Just don't know if I could be confident enough in it to work right.


Yeah that's the thing. I wouldn't gig with a laptop. I almost want a Kemper or something so I can copy the Jambi into a more gig sturdy situation


----------



## Gollapalli (Nov 5, 2021)

STRHelvete said:


> I really really love the Jambi amp VST and it's my go-to. I love it so much that I wish I could do gigs with it. I'm sure any Helix patch or something can get me there but I'd love a dedicated Jambi amp model or a real amp like that.



Isn’t it a Purple Nightmare? It looks like a Purple Nightmare.


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

Gollapalli said:


> Isn’t it a Purple Nightmare? It looks like a Purple Nightmare.


Nah. It's some custom thing Vadim created that's supposed to go after Adam Jones' tone. Doesn't do that, I don't think, but what it DOES do I like.


----------



## Lopp (Nov 5, 2021)

Count me in with:
@Grindspine @TedEH @odibrom @MrWulf @myampslouder @Musiscience @Drew

Mesa Mark... Particularly my Mark IV.

I play around with other tones through an AX8. Often enjoy a Marshall with a TubeScreamer or an Engle Savage, but my favorite amp is the IIC++.

Although, when I really want to have fun, I just go back to the Mark IV.


----------



## TedEH (Nov 5, 2021)

Club Mark for the win. I recently picked up a Fractal modeller, and even with access to "all the amps", I still come back to the Mark models on this thing too. That amp is my comfort zone. It's the standard by which I judge other amps.


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

I gotta say every time I try a Mesa Mark VST in whatever form I end up really liking it. If the Mark is good enough for Prince, it's good enough for me.


----------



## odibrom (Nov 5, 2021)

... we should do a poll with what types of amps forumites prefer, just for the fun of it and see the statistics...?


----------



## TheInvisibleHand (Nov 5, 2021)

I think I have two?

Mark V + Maxon OD808 + a Duvell.

Diezel VH2 + PRS Cu24. 

I think the Diezel "feels" more like me as far as under the fingers connection. But I do love the Mark rawness.


----------



## Gmork (Nov 5, 2021)

odibrom said:


> ... we should do a poll with what types of amps forumites prefer, just for the fun of it and see the statistics...?


Theres no way i could boil it down to one or even 2. At least let us pick top 3 in no order


----------



## TedEH (Nov 5, 2021)

TheInvisibleHand said:


> Diezel VH2 + PRS Cu24.


I remember trying out a Diezel VH4 (not sure how close that is to VH2) in a shop a few years ago and something didn't quite gel at the time. It could have been the room or something maybe. Felt kinda like a Mark but without the bawls, which seems like the wrong impression. I have a feeling I'd like these if I got the chance to get to know them properly.


----------



## /wrists (Nov 5, 2021)

it'd be cool for people to post their tones...


----------



## budda (Nov 5, 2021)

evade said:


> it'd be cool for people to post their tones...



People post their bands releases or their solo material here all the time


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

evade said:


> it'd be cool for people to post their tones...


Lol. Good luck getting that


----------



## odibrom (Nov 5, 2021)

Gmork said:


> Theres no way i could boil it down to one or even 2. At least let us pick top 3 in no order


Sure, why not, it can be a multiple options pool...


----------



## TheBolivianSniper (Nov 5, 2021)

STRHelvete said:


> Lol. Good luck getting that



Posted mine but now I gotta redo it lmaoooo


----------



## mogar (Nov 5, 2021)

I can't say for certain that I'll never upgrade, but for the moment I'm super happy and has the added bonus of being sub $1k if I have to replace it. Basically just a Digitech GSP1101 running the c63 firmware into 2 tech21 power engine 60s. The basic patch is a paraEQ running as a boost into a MarkIV at only about 35% on the gain. Plenty gainy for me and lets me run the unit as a 1 channel amp since I can roll off the guitar volume to get a dirty clean. Then that goes through a gate, a TC chorus running wide and slow for some sonic girth, a very very slight delay, and just a sprinkle of reverb. Then that splits off into 2 PE60s. I'm not super loud, but I'm also don't feel volume starved. At some point I may do a speaker swap in the PE's, but for the last few years, I've been happy.


----------



## Deadpool_25 (Nov 5, 2021)

Deadpool_25 said:


> You guys will think I’m deluding myself but yeah I really think I have. As for a single amp, it’s the EVH 50w 6L6. Absolutely loving the current setup and have ZERO complaints (after putting a 5751 in V1 to lower gain a bit).
> 
> Yes I’m sure I’ll but more gear here and there (the FM9 is a must have for me) but I really think I’m done buying amps. No…really. Stop looking at me like that.
> 
> View attachment 97245



Revisiting…I was right. The FM9 through the EVHs is it. Done.


----------



## Blytheryn (Nov 5, 2021)

STRHelvete said:


> I really really love the Jambi amp VST and it's my go-to. I love it so much that I wish I could do gigs with it. I'm sure any Helix patch or something can get me there but I'd love a dedicated Jambi amp model or a real amp like that.



Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that just a Driftwood Purple Nightmare?


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

Blytheryn said:


> Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that just a Driftwood Purple Nightmare?


Nope. It's not.


----------



## CTID (Nov 5, 2021)

i'm not sure if i've found "my" tone so much as i've found that ever since i got my helix i don't lust over new gear anymore. there's new guitars i'd like to have to expand my sounds in other ways but i'm very happy with how versatile my helix is and i can reliably get the tones i want out of it easily.

i actually had to study up on gear after i started my job at a music store because i realized i haven't paid attention to what's come out in the past 5 years


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Nov 5, 2021)

Blytheryn said:


> Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that just a Driftwood Purple Nightmare?





STRHelvete said:


> Nope. It's not.



I can't find anything about the amp.  Just find it weird how it looks like a Driftwood but doesn't have the same controls.


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 5, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I can't find anything about the amp.  Just find it weird how it looks like a Driftwood but doesn't have the same controls.


It's some custom thing.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Nov 5, 2021)

STRHelvete said:


> It's some custom thing.



I mean I can't find a website for the plugin period. It's not on his blog for me to check it out.


----------



## STRHelvete (Nov 6, 2021)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I mean I can't find a website for the plugin period. It's not on his blog for me to check it out.


It's on my IRs and amp sims post in the recording section


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams (Nov 6, 2021)

I'm extraordinarily satisfied with my live amp setup currently. I run a Tube Screamer into a Kurt Ballou made Brutalist Jr. Prototype and split the output to the low gain input of a Sovtek Mig 50H (Bassman on steroids) which goes into Rivera 4x12 with V30's. The other signal goes into the vibrato channel of a '73 Silverface Twin with a Eminence Texas Heat/Swamp Thang combo that I place sideways on top of Rivera. I ratchet strap the whole thing down and essentially have a 6' tall wall of amp. I keep a little bit of spring reverb on the Twin at all times and the combination of closed back 4x12 and open back 2x12 fills the room in a great way. Tons of clarity and punch from the V30's and the Twin has a complimentary midrange. I turn off the Brutalist Jr. for a pushed clean tone and when I turn off the Tube Screamer I have a wonderfully dynamic clean sound. It's not super high gain at all at full blast but between pickup selections and picking dynamic I can do anything from sludge to jazz to tech death. I can't see myself wanting anything else really.


----------



## Loomer (Nov 7, 2021)

evade said:


> it'd be cool for people to post their tones...



Well, here's the one I've been most happy with so far.


----------



## Gmork (Nov 7, 2021)

@AngstRiddenDreams thats sounds awesome! Seems like the type of rig id have lol. I had a brutalist jr at one point and while it was cool i could gel with its brash metallic clanginess.


----------



## wheresthefbomb (Nov 7, 2021)

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> I'm extraordinarily satisfied with my live amp setup currently. I run a Tube Screamer into a Kurt Ballou made Brutalist Jr. Prototype and split the output to the low gain input of a Sovtek Mig 50H (Bassman on steroids) which goes into Rivera 4x12 with V30's. The other signal goes into the vibrato channel of a '73 Silverface Twin with a Eminence Texas Heat/Swamp Thang combo that I place sideways on top of Rivera. I ratchet strap the whole thing down and essentially have a 6' tall wall of amp. I keep a little bit of spring reverb on the Twin at all times and the combination of closed back 4x12 and open back 2x12 fills the room in a great way. Tons of clarity and punch from the V30's and the Twin has a complimentary midrange. I turn off the Brutalist Jr. for a pushed clean tone and when I turn off the Tube Screamer I have a wonderfully dynamic clean sound. It's not super high gain at all at full blast but between pickup selections and picking dynamic I can do anything from sludge to jazz to tech death. I can't see myself wanting anything else really.



That sounds like a really sweet setup, I love the Mig50/Twin pairing. 

I'm moving toward a fairly similar setup, Lab Series L7 (open back 410 combo w/ Jensen Jets and Cannabis Rexes in an X) and Carvin x100b with matching oversized 412 with the original "British Voiced" (proto redcoat) drivers. I put mine on the floor though, use quite a bit of reverb on both and separate them by a few feet for maximum hugeness. The different flavors of reverb create a really nice stereo effect.

I think I could use any high headroom tube head and get similar results, but it's such a sweet combo I don't think I can go back to just one amp. I find that I don't have to be nearly as loud to fill space either, which I really enjoy. 

I'm going to keep fiddling with knobs until I'm dead, but I've certainly never been happier with a sound than I am with this.


----------



## Loomer (Nov 7, 2021)

Loomer said:


> Well, here's the one I've been most happy with so far.


Well fuck! I forgot the sound cloud link, like a complete dingus.

Here it is:
https://m.soundcloud.com/christianfriisjensen/death-hymn


----------



## budda (Nov 7, 2021)

Bonus points if you can tell me what guitar I used on this one:

https://soundcloud.com/sears-was-here/sunday-doomish-thing


----------



## rokket2005 (Nov 7, 2021)

budda said:


> Bonus points if you can tell me what guitar I used on this one:
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/sears-was-here/sunday-doomish-thing



Jazzmaster. What do I win?


----------



## budda (Nov 7, 2021)

rokket2005 said:


> Jazzmaster. What do I win?



Guess again, buckaroo!


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Nov 7, 2021)

budda said:


> Guess again, buckaroo!



1989 Squire Bullet- red.


----------



## rokket2005 (Nov 7, 2021)

budda said:


> Guess again, buckaroo!


I call shenanigans, you keep selling all your guitars that aren't jazzmasters to buy more jazzmasters, and you're telling me your sound isn't a jazzmaster? Unless that's your 594 with the coil split I think you're just a bad liar.


----------



## budda (Nov 7, 2021)

Seabeast2000 said:


> 1989 Squire Bullet- red.



I have a 91? affinity in red, but this wasn't it.



rokket2005 said:


> I call shenanigans, you keep selling all your guitars that aren't jazzmasters to buy more jazzmasters, and you're telling me your sound isn't a jazzmaster? Unless that's your 594 with the coil split I think you're just a bad liar.



No coil split on this one 

Here's your options:
- SC594 LTD SH
- MC594
- Cu24 artist
- AVRI mutt JM
- partscaster w/ Suhr ML's
- S2 satin Singlecut
- Custom "big blue" singlecut w/ PAFs
- Gibson 50's standard GT P90


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams (Nov 7, 2021)

Gmork said:


> @AngstRiddenDreams thats sounds awesome! Seems like the type of rig id have lol. I had a brutalist jr at one point and while it was cool i could gel with its brash metallic clanginess.


The version I have has a tone knob as well as another tone shaping knob that essentially starves low end or high end into the gain stage depending on setting. With both tones on 11am and the tube screamer tone right down the middle it is a great sound. Certainly bright but it's exactly what I'm looking for. 



wheresthefbomb said:


> That sounds like a really sweet setup, I love the Mig50/Twin pairing.
> 
> I'm moving toward a fairly similar setup, Lab Series L7 (open back 410 combo w/ Jensen Jets and Cannabis Rexes in an X) and Carvin x100b with matching oversized 412 with the original "British Voiced" (proto redcoat) drivers. I put mine on the floor though, use quite a bit of reverb on both and separate them by a few feet for maximum hugeness. The different flavors of reverb create a really nice stereo effect.
> 
> ...



I find that more speakers in general is absolutely a better sound at low volumes! Something about it is more pleasing that less speakers turned up louder. Do you use different reverbs on each amp or do they each have built-in reverb? I run an EQD Avalanche Run into mine (which is also how I split my signal) and it has an amazing stereo reverb/delay.


----------



## wheresthefbomb (Nov 7, 2021)

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> The version I have has a tone knob as well as another tone shaping knob that essentially starves low end or high end into the gain stage depending on setting. With both tones on 11am and the tube screamer tone right down the middle it is a great sound. Certainly bright but it's exactly what I'm looking for.
> 
> 
> 
> I find that more speakers in general is absolutely a better sound at low volumes! Something about it is more pleasing that less speakers turned up louder. Do you use different reverbs on each amp or do they each have built-in reverb? I run an EQD Avalanche Run into mine (which is also how I split my signal) and it has an amazing stereo reverb/delay.



Right now I don't have a true stereo split (ABY box>stereo looper is how I'm currently splitting) and am using both amps' spring reverb tanks along with physical space to create a stereo illusion. It's pretty darn effective.


----------



## USMarine75 (Nov 7, 2021)

Found it…


----------



## budda (Nov 8, 2021)

The clip I posted was my partscaster with Suhr ML's (bridge pickup on melody, neck pickup for chords-only track), mexi P bass.


----------



## Seabeast2000 (Nov 8, 2021)

budda said:


> The clip I posted was my partscaster with Suhr ML's (bridge pickup on melody, neck pickup for chords-only track), mexi P bass.



Now let's guess the tonewoods.


----------



## BornToLooze (Nov 13, 2021)

I haven't necessarily found my tone (I'd have to pony up for a Marshall or something in that vein to get the sound I hear in my head), but I have gotten to the point where I've found my sound which I think is more important. I have a bunch of different guitars and amps, but for all infants and porpoises, I sound the same through all of them.


----------



## Schweick (Nov 13, 2021)

Was bored one day, so I thought I'd try doing some tone experimentation. Took an old digitech Death Metal pedal I had lying around, and ran that into a Boss GE-7 eq, and then into an Audient Sono with some Two-Notes IRs. Thought it sounded pretty good. So I then tried using the exact same settings with a bass, and bingo! it clicked. Was finally able to get my guitar and bass tones to gel into something useable sounding.

So score one for the low-fi approach.


----------



## Kyle Jordan (Nov 13, 2021)

Kyle Jordan said:


> I've mentioned it here on the forum previously, but the second day I owned my Axe FX III, I backdoored my way in to a tone I'd been chasing for about 15 years, using an amp model I've always kind of wrote off IRL. With more refinement and attempting similar on other amp models, I not only nailed it more accurately than I ever have any other type of tone before, but realized what and where I've been getting negative results from in other places.
> 
> The Mesa Mark series and Rectifiers have kind of been the two great pillars of tone for me since the late 90s, and while I loved them and still do, I grew tired of getting 90 percent where I wanted. With the Axe, I've been able to make my "ideal" Mark and Rectifier much, much more of a reality.
> 
> ...



Quoting myself here as a bit of an update and a poke at. I'm still loving what I can get using the Savage, D60, Powerball, and Triptik in the Axe among many others. That said, the Mesa Mark series just must be in my soul. I dove deep and long in to the various Mark models here, and even thinking I had my "ideal" Mark series tone, have been just nailing incredible tones the last couple of weeks. Things I've wanted since the last century are being gotten. And barring differences like distortion texture, I think I've realized "my" tone now. 

We'll see what I say three months from now.


----------



## USMarine75 (Nov 13, 2021)

My tone is inside one of my 150 pedals. 

Just when I seem to have found it, it jumps into another pedal. 

Time is on my side… yes it is.


----------



## gclef (Nov 14, 2021)

gclef said:


> I don't know if I found my tone, but I most definitely have a tone of my own.
> 
> I just don't know if it's THE tone. Lol



I figured out what "my tone" is, and it is very surprising.

P90s are my tone! Across the board.

The revelation was surprising to say the least. Yesterday, i was playing my revstar p90 back to back with my rg921that has a set of breeds in it. Aside from gain(which wasn't that big a difference really) the tone was very similar. I tried some other guitars and noticed the same.

When i play single coils, i tend to go for fatter, higher output sounds and set up my rig accordingly. Sounds like i am eq'ing to get a p90 vibe, no?

So, I have been choosing pickups so my guitars can get that p90 vibe, apparently. My speaker choices, amp voicing, etc. all are utilized to get me that vibe as well.
Out of 9 guitars, my rg520qs with full shreds is the only non p90 vibe guitar i have.

Its crazy to finally realize this after 25 years.


----------



## wheresthefbomb (Nov 14, 2021)

gclef said:


> I figured out what "my tone" is, and it is very surprising.
> 
> P90s are my tone! Across the board.
> 
> ...



P90s rule. Every humbucker I try sounds awful, even the expensive boutique ones quack like a duck. P90s have the sound.


----------



## buriedoutback (Nov 14, 2021)

in the analog world : 5150
in the digital world : Engl


----------



## Marked Man (Apr 23, 2022)

Kyle Jordan said:


> Quoting myself here as a bit of an update and a poke at. I'm still loving what I can get using the Savage, D60, Powerball, and Triptik in the Axe among many others. That said, the Mesa Mark series just must be in my soul. I dove deep and long in to the various Mark models here, and even thinking I had my "ideal" Mark series tone, have been just nailing incredible tones the last couple of weeks. Things I've wanted since the last century are being gotten. And barring differences like distortion texture, I think I've realized "my" tone now.
> 
> We'll see what I say three months from now.



Via my Quad, I have the Mark IIC and III covered, and I also have a MkIII head and MkIV combo. This is my tonal universe, and I rarely play anything else unless messing around with a pedal.

The IIC has the best cleans of the bunch and a very interesting hard rock to classic metal lead sound. The III is the most brutal for Thrash, and the IV is a little more well-behaved for Prog Metal.

My essential sound is the Quad/2:90 on Modern setting (distinctly more aggressive than my MkIII head) through two 4x12s in stereo and a Charvel/Jackson Superstrat or Soloist of some kind. Only essential pedals I need are a t.c. electronic Sentry (noise gate) and NOVA delay, although I have several others on my board just in case the mood hits.


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## GreatGreen (Apr 24, 2022)

I do feel like I've found my tone, at least in the sense that I know exactly what kinds of sounds I want to be able to access. There might be other gear out there that I could magically stumble across one day that I like better than what I have, but I am totally happy with what I've got and where I've ended up.

Amps:

Modern high gain, tight and articulate - *Mesa Mark IV rev B*
This amp feels like home to me. It's my desert island amp. More than enough gain on tap and still sounds great even as you turn the gain down, which I find rare with high gainers. To me this amp strikes the ideal balance between doing the modern sizzly aggressive high gain thing while retaining a tight, dry articulation and clarity that I just haven't heard any other amp do. I tend to go for three major types of tones with the Mark IV, all in the Lead channel:
1. Balls out high gain - feels awesome, the distortion sort of jumps out and wraps around the notes, even though the amp is retaining clarity somehow, like you can still hear all the individual strings in a chord even when it seems like the preamp is totally saturated. This is the kind of tone you'd want to hear if somebody handed you a guitar after you just defeated your life's nemesis on a mountaintop or something, lol.
2. Gain down, Treble up - in this range you get clear, almost clean mids and lows mixed with slicey, distorted treble, which sounds extra aggressive and spitty in a good way. Very fast gain. Almost a kind of modern Marshally vibe here.
3. Gain down, Treble down - lots of clarity without the slicey highs but still sustains really well so you get this huge, relaxed kind of tone. Still relatively high gain and clear but less aggressive, it almost feels like the sound a big engine would make when it's idling. Like you can hear all those horses under the hood ready to go, waiting for the gas. Very cool vibe.

I really can't say enough good things about the Mark IV's Lead channel. I recently bought one of these amps after wanting one for probably two decades and It's every bit as good as I remember from when I first tried it and the handful of times I've played them since. Better actually, because now I'm playing it through the rest of my own stuff as opposed to trying it out in other places through rigs that weren't my own, here and there for years. It's every bit as good as any other ultra modern high gain amp I've ever played and I feel like I've played them all. Something to note about Mark amps, it's easy to make them sound a bit thin/ratty/reedy by dialing in too much Treble, Presence, and/or 6600Hz. Keep those controls just slightly lower than you think you need for a much bigger, bolder sound.


Modern high gain, huge and chunky - *EVH 100w Stealth *or* Mesa Dual Recto Multi Watt with boost*
I feel like these amps naturally want to move in completely different directions. The EVH starts from a relatively tighter, mid-centric place and the Recto starts from a looser, more mid scooped place, but when I dial them in I always end up in in the same territory. Gigantic, thick and chunky wall of sound that makes you feel like you're trying to control thunder and lighting.


Modern Squeaky Cleans to Overdriven Pushed Cleans - *Mesa Lonestar*
Big and modern with good natural compression, clear with as much clean low end as you could ever want and shimmery, presency treble that somehow never gets too harsh. It's got a Mid control that lets you sweep anywhere you want between Blackface and Tweed, and you can also dial in as much or little vintage style breakup as you want and it always sounds great.

Cabs:
Blend of EVH 4x12 and Mesa OS 4x12. Heritage Greenbacks and EVH cabs for warmth and lows, V30's and Mesa cabs for clarity and highs.


From here, the only real blind spot I feel like I have is with the VHT/Fryette stuff. All I really have any remaining desire to try is an Ultra Lead and Deliverance 120, just to see if either one can out-Mark IV the Mark IV in the modern high gain but still ultra clear, ultra tight department. I'm confident the Mark IV will still do the best high gain version of that kind of sound but I'm not concinved it will get lean as well as the Fryettes. Guess we'll see.


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## budda (Apr 24, 2022)

Wow did my guitar list change since last november


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## wheresthefbomb (Apr 25, 2022)

budda said:


> Wow did my guitar list change since last november



I also have none of the guitars I had last November. 



Regarding tone, I spent the last year on an epic and ill-advised quest to obtain a few pricey items I was sure would solve all my tone woes, only to find that my trusty Carvin X100b was already 99% of the way there. Truly amazing how much better it sounds to me now that I've A/B'd it with my "dream" amp.  Human brains are dumb.

I will say the Longsword was a worthy and long-sought acquisition, that one actually made it permanently onto the board.


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## budda (Apr 25, 2022)

Oh i have some but that list changed a lot.


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## Drew (Apr 25, 2022)

Drew said:


> A Mesa Mark. I own a Mark V and have never been happier, though I could probably get there with a IV, III, or II as well. That preamp, without the 5 band EQ, and with the presence fairly low just does it for me.


Just updating this - a Mark, and either fat, open sounding singlecoils, or a medium PAF-ish humbucker, is still the sweet spot for me, though lately I'd been doing a lot of practice with my Strat and the gain on noon in Mark IV mode on my V, and honestly something I started doing to help me improve my control by using less gain than I normally would, actually has me really happy with the "in the room" sounds I'm getting.


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## StevenC (Apr 25, 2022)

I think I'm pretty much there too. I've got my JVM and Herbert sounding great together, a couple of boosts that sound good for each, my perfect compressor, my perfect fuzz. 

This is probably the first time in a while I've had no amp GAS. I pretty much keep the dust cover on my Twosie, though maybe a visit to @narad would change that. I've still got plenty of pedals I want, and some on order, but very few of them are going to make it to the rig. And I'll keep buying guitars until my dying day. 

But yeah, pretty much have it and learned to live with it.


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## GunpointMetal (Apr 25, 2022)

My tone changes all the time, but I do feel like I've found my personal voice on the instrument. It's always been more about note choice and delivery than nailing down some perfect combination of gain/FX/EQ for me. I feel like I sound like me playing on a slightly pushed clean channel or a maxed out modern gain channel. What I'm trying to play usually has more influence on how dial things in than the other way around.


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## 4Eyes (Apr 25, 2022)

give me high output HB in mahogany body, through TS, Recto/SLO/5150 into Recto OS 412 (real or sim) and I'll be happy


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## TheBolivianSniper (Apr 25, 2022)

I've been screwing around with settings and I really think the mid level gain boosted VH4 is the sound, getting this insane high mid snarl with enough distortion and compression for a bouncy low end has been my goal and I've finally found it working around the chewiness of the EMGs in my stealth and dry djenty thing in my metal x. 


Once we have money tho pickup swaps for both are in order.


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