camilovelandiamusic
Experienced
So I normally ignore any other AFX recordings and just stick to my own couple of presets that work decently for me, but the moment I go check out anything from any of the FAS celebrities, I'm slapped in the face with "holy cow, THAT'S how it's sounding for other people?" It can get really demoralizing.
Like for example, I LOVE the rhythm tone this Cooper Carter gentleman has at 10:17 of this video:
Tight, crunchy, beefy, has that scratchy "chock chock" presence to the palm mutes - it's ALIVE. So I find the same preset, adjust the amp to the one he's using in the video, copy his amp settings, EQ and IRs, and here's how a simple rhythm riff sounds on my end:
You'd have a very hard time convincing me those are at all similar preset settings, let alone the same one.
So my simple question is: why such a huge difference? Do people like this who demonstrate presets do extra mixing and producing to make it sound more "polished" than the preset actually is? Is he using a different signal chain not mentioned in the video? My clip was played through an Ltd H-1001 with a SD Pegasus bridge, but I found no more success with my BKP Juggernaut or my SD Custom. Am I just using terrible pickups for that kind of metal tone?
Help please, I really don't get it.
Guitar and pickups play such a huge role! Not to mention hands!