Any suggestions for dialing in a good clean sound?

jdosher

Inspired
What are you guys doing for your clean sound(s)? Both in terms of the amp model chosen, eq settings, and compressor (if you're using one).

I'm zeroing in on a dirty sound using the Dirty Shirley, but I'm still struggling to find a good clean sound. I thought I'd gotten it when I dialed up the Divided by 13 model, but it really wasn't working in the full-band context. I love the tonality of Div 13 - that bassy, glassy, scooped and sparkly old Fender sound, but it really isn't cutting through in a rock setting. If I was doing mostly strumming it'd probably be great, but I tent to be picking/arpeggiating notes out of a chord so I think that scooped Fender sound is causing the body of the notes to just disappear. It's not necessarily a new target for me, it's just that with the Axe-Fx I can now tweak to my heart's content, and it's time to nail a good clean tone.

I'm looking for something that's more Alex Lifeson than Kirk Hammet, more jazz than metal, more vintage than modern. Er, uh, somethin' like that ;-)

Guitar is usually a PRS semi-hollow or a Gibson ES-339. Amp is a Fryette 2/90/2 into a 2x12 with (I believe) Celestion G12M-70 Modern Leads. Some people seem to love that speaker, others hate them. I recently tried a Jensen Neo 12 in my cab and found it a bit too neutral. I think I'm fine with the G12M-70's, and I'm not sure that I want to go down that rabbit hole swapping a ton of speakers around.
 
My favorites change, but now #1 is the Swart atomic space tone with factory IR 1x12" tweed deluxe. A cutting but not screechy tone, and does a really nice oldskool overdrive too.
 
a little different approach is to admix an amped DI signal to the original ;)
 
Cool. Both the Swart Atomic and the Vibro-King were models that caught my ear. The Div 13 sound richer in tone, but I think that perceived richness translated into a big hollow space when I put it into a full band context. I'll give those two a shot. Are either of you using a compressor block?
 
No one should post a useful setting reply without telling you what kind of guitar they use, because it will be different with all. Almost useless.
Well, I'm just looking for suggestions; general or specific. Obviously specific suggestions, such as specific bass/mid/treble values will only be a starting point, but general suggestions - or novel approaches (like mixing in some dry signal) are great. I'm just looking for some ideas to try out; different amp blocks people have had good luck with, novel approaches, heavy compression vs none at all - that kind of stuff. The suggestions of the Atomic and Vibro-King amps were very useful. I'm going to revisit those amps and maybe I'll find what I'm looking for there.
 
Those cleans that sound glorious when solo'ed - the "bassy, glassy, scooped and sparkly" - often disappear when in a full-band context.

Look for cleans that have a mid-range character that you like. You need mids to "cut through" the mix.

Audition your presets at gigging volume, and experiment with the settings the LO-CUT and HI-CUT parameters (AMP block, ADV tab).

Carve yourself a frequency space in the mix that doesn't compete with bass, drums or other instruments
 
My first choice for cleans is Vibroverb. Any of the fenders should work. Check out the boutique.
Try the mbc block after the amp. I sometimes compress the top end, 2.3k and up.
 
I run FRFR with the band so I don't know if my experience really applies, but my main clean tone is JTM-45 jump set clean for light playing and a little bark when you spank it. I use the M-RI-75 (based on a Celestion "Heritage" G12M-20 w. 75 Hz cone) SP mix from the Ownhammer pack with it.

When I need a 'sparkly' clean I usually go with the deluxe tweed.
 
Matchless is great. i think a little hair or grit helps your clean tone cut live, but it's not a grit that is really heard or perceived....just adds dynamics to me. the Matchless is great at this....(i use the ownhammer 1x12 silver mix with it)
 
Concur. Either the Boutiques or the DC-30 are a great starting point for a clean sound with a little grind to it. Dial to taste on the grit.
 
And how helpful was your reply? Ditto - (almost) useless. Next time try to add something useful as a suggestion.

Sorry that came off the way it did. I believe my response was very useful. Walk into a reputable music store and tell someone you want a good clean tone. You think they will not ask what guitar you play. If people would tell there whole story then it would be much more helpful to the OP and to me as well. Do you really think the guitar does not make a huge difference. I have 5 different positions on my Strat alone that will clean up or break up differently with the same amp and the same settings. If I play a Strat, I would like to know what users have found that work well with a Strat. Strats and Teles generally work best with Fender style or Fender emulating amps. If I play a Les Paul, I would like to know what settings and amps are working well for them. I may not choose the setup, but I believe the OP is asking for help to find a clean tone that will work well for them. It would save a lot of time to know their guitar, pickup types as a base and then expound on their use of effects. Both OP and responders. The guitar is just as important as the amp for tonal shaping in my opinion.

I like the Shiver Clean with my PRS P22 and I like the Mr Z 38 with my Trussart Steelcaster. I like a little compression with a slight boost to eliminate "Squash" occasionally, and I am partial to the Fulltone and BB Pre OD. I would love to see Fractal emulate my Love Pedal Golden Cello OD although the Fulltone emulation has sent it to Ebay.
 
By the way, I agree "useless" was not a good word choice. I just believe it would be even more helpful to know what guitars are played by the responding parties.
 
Try the USA 1 clean amp, Input drive at 3 o'clock, bass at 10 o'clock, mids at 12 o'clock, treble at 2 oclock presence at 9 o'clock master at 12 o'clock use input trim to remove any grit or distortion, everything else at default.

I use this with EV12L so I don't know how it will translate to your speakers.
 
Those cleans that sound glorious when solo'ed - the "bassy, glassy, scooped and sparkly" - often disappear when in a full-band context.

Look for cleans that have a mid-range character that you like. You need mids to "cut through" the mix.

Audition your presets at gigging volume, and experiment with the settings the LO-CUT and HI-CUT parameters (AMP block, ADV tab).

Carve yourself a frequency space in the mix that doesn't compete with bass, drums or other instruments

Good advice. I get beautiful sounds in my studio that all disappear during the first song at a gig. Where did my guitar sound go? Funny how well the thinner sometimes harsh sounds fill out well when you add a keyboard, drums and bass.
 
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