Best way to deal with an overly bright guitar?

niquek

Member
IDK if anyone else has an Ibanez AZ 2402, but these guitars are just way too bright on the high end.
I find myself using the tone pot a lot.

Other than this problem I really do like the guitar, it's just using it with a lot of gain tends to be a nightmare without the tone pot rolled off at least a little.

This isn't really an AxeFX specific problem as the brightness is there no matter what I'm using, but...

What's the best workaround for this other than changing out the pickups for something else?

Is there like a "virtual tone pot" block that could be used and could I just stick it at the beginning of my presets?

Another thing I've been trying is EQing the input and output of the drive block, and taking off some of the high end there...but it's kind of a pain as the amounts and specific bands tend to differ a little based on which drive I'm using.
 
IDK if anyone else has an Ibanez AZ 2402, but these guitars are just way too bright on the high end.
I find myself using the tone pot a lot.

Other than this problem I really do like the guitar, it's just using it with a lot of gain tends to be a nightmare without the tone pot rolled off at least a little.

This isn't really an AxeFX specific problem as the brightness is there no matter what I'm using, but...

What's the best workaround for this other than changing out the pickups for something else?

Is there like a "virtual tone pot" block that could be used and could I just stick it at the beginning of my presets?

Another thing I've been trying is EQing the input and output of the drive block, and taking off some of the high end there...but it's kind of a pain as the amounts and specific bands tend to differ a little based on which drive I'm using.
I want to point out that what you may think it a too bright, may be the very thing to insure your guitar sticks out in a mix especially in a live situation with lots of other instruments.
 
Just roll the tone pot then? The fix has already presented itself and its easy.
That works very well for live playing, and it is easy, but unfortunately when recording multiple takes over multiple days, you tend to forget where exactly you left the knob at during the previous day, especially when I've got tons of other things going on.

It would almost certainly be easier to just record DIs with the knobs at full and then mess with it afterwords to ensure it's all the same and I don't screw it up :)
 
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I want to point out that what you may think it a too bright, may be the very thing to insure your guitar sticks out in a mix especially in a live sit
I agree, but ultimately I think it depends on the situation. For Polyphia style clean / crunch tones, I'm all for leaving the highs in. It sounds great! For more high gain metal tones though, especially rhythms, not so much.
 
I have a wide range of guitars, a couple of which can be quite bright. I really don't like using an EQ block to compensate for pickups, if you want to try an EQ use the Output EQ in the Amp block. Something about the way it works vs an EQ block seems to yield results that I prefer.

I would start with trying different IRs and use the High Cut parameter in the Preamp page of the Cab block. Cone or cone edge mic placements will typically have less high end as will different mics. Another suggestion would be turning off the Bright Switch in the Amp block or using a lower value.

The new Dynamic Distortion block would actually be great for this. Start with the Dynamic Mid Boost and Dynamic Depth Boost to start with.

Lastly, there are parameters in the Amp Block I've used that help reduce high end:

Fat switch - Turn on for more 'body', can result in the perception of less high end.
Input EQ - Reduce Definition and/or High Cut.
Input Dynamics - In the Dynamics page, reduce for less high end
HF Reso in the Speaker page. Reduce for less high end.
 
IDK if anyone else has an Ibanez AZ 2402, but these guitars are just way too bright on the high end.
I find myself using the tone pot a lot.

Other than this problem I really do like the guitar, it's just using it with a lot of gain tends to be a nightmare without the tone pot rolled off at least a little.

This isn't really an AxeFX specific problem as the brightness is there no matter what I'm using, but...

What's the best workaround for this other than changing out the pickups for something else?

Is there like a "virtual tone pot" block that could be used and could I just stick it at the beginning of my presets?

Another thing I've been trying is EQing the input and output of the drive block, and taking off some of the high end there...but it's kind of a pain as the amounts and specific bands tend to differ a little based on which drive I'm using.
Without a sample, "too bright" could mean a lot of things. Can you post a clip?
 
IDK if anyone else has an Ibanez AZ 2402, but these guitars are just way too bright on the high end.
I find myself using the tone pot a lot.

Other than this problem I really do like the guitar, it's just using it with a lot of gain tends to be a nightmare without the tone pot rolled off at least a little.

This isn't really an AxeFX specific problem as the brightness is there no matter what I'm using, but...

What's the best workaround for this other than changing out the pickups for something else?

Is there like a "virtual tone pot" block that could be used and could I just stick it at the beginning of my presets?

Another thing I've been trying is EQing the input and output of the drive block, and taking off some of the high end there...but it's kind of a pain as the amounts and specific bands tend to differ a little based on which drive I'm using.
Not claiming to be an expert, but I am currently an Ibanez endorser, playing this particular model exclusively.
Compared to my other guitars this model doesn’t appear to be overly bright to me, no matter the amount of gain you dial in.
Having said that, tastes and goals are different for everybody, so in this case I would put in a PEQ block somewhere in the beginning of my chain and ”color the guitar” to taste. This is a real effective remedy for taming or boosting certain frequencies your guitar is producing. But remember, the guitar is just one element in the total picture, so chancing amp (settings), IR or global settings might yield better results. Enjoy the AZ and rock on! 😀🤘🏻
 
As others have suggested; use the controls on the guitar. Rolling back the volume will also smoothen the top end, unless a treble bleed is installed. A couple of years ago I was in search of a kind of "fixed solution" for my bright guitars, but I found that 1) I seem to wake up every morning with an entirely new set of ears, and 2) the perceived brightness of the guitar changes along with the string age. Even 10 hours of play time significantly changes the timbre of the strings.
 
That works very well for live playing, and it is easy, but unfortunately when recording multiple takes over multiple days, you tend to forget where exactly you left the knob at during the previous day, especially when I've got tons of other things going on.
Take a picture of the settings at the end of the day.

I do that when using my tube amps and they’re sounding great.
 
I’d take it to a tech and ask their opinion.

Some pickups are bright. Some strings are darker and varying gauges affect the sound too.
 
I looked it up and I see they have SD hyperions, I am completely unfamiliar with them. I like hot pickups but for example Dimarzio evolutions are way too bright and thin for me, yet I love a paf pro and a tone zone, which has tons of gain.

Are you using the bridge pickup while trying to play a lead or what exactly is the problem?
I never roll tone off simply because I want all the dynamics to be there when I need them. If I felt the need to do that I would probably go with a different pickup or simply tweak the amp to make that change constant. But it sounds to me like you don't like the pickups it came with. What style and lead or rhythm are you playing exactly when you are noticing this is a problem?
 
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