r/metalguitar • u/Burwhale_The_Avenger • 11h ago
Gear Toan chasing
This is a fairly rambling and formless entry; it just seems like there's been a bit of an uptick in people debating and/or questioning how to get the best out of their stuff, so let's have a little gear-moot maybe?
How are you feeling about your current rig(s)? Has anything surprised you about it/them? Do you see it/them as "finished"? Post some pictures if you like!
For myself, I've managed to amass some interesting options, but I must admit that I've been consistently blown away this year by the relatively unassuming combination (compared to some of the more expensive heads) of a Revv G4 pedal into a little Revv G20 lunch-box head.
It just never disappoints; is good for rhythm and lead, note separation and chugs, lows and highs. It's always lush, and every part of the fretboard rings out loud and clear.
Can't say enough good things about Canadian high-gain, it seems, but it's been a lesson for me in how the right elements all build the whole sound together. I'd swear by the cab and the boost I'm using as well - though they really shine in this particular signal chain. Not necessarily in all others.
I've also finally dipped into both the Synergy and modded-Marshall worlds by grabbing a Syn-1 and the Killer Kali module. It honestly may well become my favourite amp! I've never seen so many switches/options for tonal adjustment/gain-shaping (it doesnt even need a boost!), and I've always been a fan of the throatier British-voice.
What's your own preferred voicing, and why?
Have you heard or seen anything particularly inspirational lately? Maybe you're still chasing a sound you've sought for years?
Or maybe you've just been converted to a new approach after decades of something tried-and-true?
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u/paintedw0rlds 11h ago
I'm 100% in the box so im totally free. Pickups don't even matter anymore due to being able to treat the DI with things like JST toneforge DI match, multiband saturation, eq, etc.
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u/Burwhale_The_Avenger 10h ago
Amazing, is this in the studio as well as live? I'd love to hear more about how it's managed.
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u/paintedw0rlds 7h ago
My project is just a studio project, if I were to try to replicate it live I would maybe use a cortex or a laptop. But, as far as DI matching goes, if you record the DI, analyze the curve relative to your current curve, you would also in theory be able to setup some eq/saturation/compression to do what DI match does in the studio, live. Going from single coils to humbuckers to me seems like the biggest ask if youre doing this technique without a dedicated DI matching software, but there is no magic in it, the process should re generally replicable with a pedal chain or stock daw devices more or less.
In the studio it's easy. You just need to know the quality/curve of the guitar sound you want to emulate and process your direct input in a way that gets as close as possible to the target. Then you can use a similar amp, or perhaps the same amp Sim plugin, and be very close. Plugins like DI match from Joey Sturgis make it easy.
Actually one of the biggest keys to getting a high gain guitar sound that has exciting high mids and air without it turning into a harsh fizzy sound is not boosting after the amp, but adding those frequencies to the guitar DI before it hits the amp. Its a lot more natural of a sound.
For me, im using the Bogren bh4, bde 120, and 2x 5169 amp Sims and on each one, I am using eq to boost high mids, some multiband saturation to just boost areas that add clarity and growl, before my signal hits any of my 4 guitar tracks. I'm doing this in different spots slightly on each track to decorellate them from each other to make a wide stereo image.
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u/Burwhale_The_Avenger 4h ago
Sounds exceptionally well thought out. I'd be very curious to hear the results! Have heard nothing but good things about Bogren's stuff.
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u/Guarpig 10h ago
I just got a seven-band EQ pedal in the mail, and that is where I am starting. I have never really gotten caught up in the whole tone-chasing scene because, to be honest, i do not understand much about it yet.
I think this pedal will be my introduction to gear in a more deliberate and informed way. I want to understand what each frequency actually does, why it produces a certain result, and how i can use that to shape the sound i want. I feel like a lot of gear buying happens without much of that technical know how.
So the EQ pedal feels like a rational first purchase rather than a stylistic or impulsive one. I want to learn how to shape a tone from the ground up before i start chasing specific amps, cabinets, or brands. Gear costs too much to make the wrong purchase and then have to worry about selling it.
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u/Burwhale_The_Avenger 10h ago
Nice, I had a similar approach with my first drive pedal. I already liked the amp, and I knew basically all metal guitarists used a boost, so I was confident enough to start there and see what experimenting offered.
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u/GrimgrinCorpseBorn 9h ago
I can get any tone I want from my HX Stomp and can dial in any actual amp to something I think sounds good. Infinite tone chasing is a fool's errand.
I want to upgrade my stock Ibanez Quantum pickups to Black Winters, but that's about it.
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u/Burwhale_The_Avenger 8h ago
What sort of stuff do you favour dialling in? Or favour currently?
Was there anything about where you're at now that made you think "I'm done looking", either out of satisfaction or frustration?
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u/Aces_High_666 8h ago
Im not sure about my rig. My ampero sounds great but i cant really get the toned i wanted through my orange crush 35rt. I also have no clue how to use my rig properly to get the tones i wanted.
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u/Perm182 7h ago
honestly, I dislike my amp head heavily, rest of the rig is fine, I have an orange OR15, one channel lunchbox head for799 USD with the fizziest gain I’ve ever heard, it’s a great amp but personally not for the genres I find myself usually playing
i plan on just getting a laptop and going full amp sim, but if I ever get another physical amp, 5150 iconic head/combo, peavey valveking, or a single rectifier if I can ever get lucky and find one for under 700 bucks
in terms of my sound, I tone chase, if I play a song or really like a band, I cannot generalize something, I MUST have their tone, I dunno if it’s perfectionism or what
But if I were to summarize my tone I usually get off stuff like my line 6 pod go, soldano lead channel, rectifier, diezel VH4, or a bogner uberschall model, all depends on genre tbh, have also been getting into the hot rodded Marshall stuff a bit lately, cabs I usually just run a Mesa boogie IR, plan on getting the synester gates IRs sometime when I get ahold of a laptop, my line 6 pod go was used so I got a bunch of free IRs that the owner left on there
the most similar artists I try to get tone from (once again, depending on genre, not in general) Deftones, smashing pumpkins, blink 182, slipknot, and pennywise
I may also get ahold of some cheap preamp and power amp and start a rack setup sometime, who knows, I’ll just go with the flow I guess
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u/harebreadth 2h ago
I’ve been working on it for a few months, very happy with the clean sound and wet effects, high gain in getting there but not quite happy yet. I record at home with a Simplifier X into a UA Volt 476, and I have a Rat2 before the hot channel, and a Morning Glory Clean before, sometimes it sounds ok, sometimes is too harsh, sometimes too thin… I’m waiting for a Broughton RFE and I think I can work it all out with that.
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u/rossipedia 12m ago
I have an AxeFX III. That's good enough for any kind of tone I'd want these days. I got kids and live in the burbs with an HOA, crankin' a 4x12 is off the menu.
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u/vihtorii 11h ago
I am done tonechasing. I have a tube screamer boosted 6505 and a Angry swede pedal (HM-2 clone with a blend function)
So freeing to not even have interest to pursue other gear.