Dialing in a good low-gain OD tone

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RightBrainedLefty

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Hey everyone:

I'm having some difficulty dialing in a good low-gain tone - something that's relatively clean when picking lightly but gets gritty when you dig in.

I'm looking to emulate the tone in this video:



I play a 1992 Pensa-Suhr with 2 Suhr Michael Landau single coils in the neck & middle positions and a Suhr Thornbucker in the bridge position. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
 
I use the atomica high with low drive settings. Adjust input trim to taste.

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or

the morgan. I also use a pedal to adjust input trim.

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Morgan AC20 all day...but I hear an acoustic and at least 3 distinct electric guitar parts in this song. Also...in a heavily produced song like this, why would assume it was a single amp setting moving from clean to dirty?
 
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Will Chen said:
Morgan AC20 all day...but I hear an acoustic and at least 3 distinct electric guitar parts in this song. Also...in a heavily produced song like this, why would assume it was a single amp setting moving from clean to dirty?
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Hey Will: Thanks for the tip. While I have no idea what setup the guitarists used on this track, it sounds to me (and I could be wrong) that the amp for the guitar that's out front in the mix is set at that sweet spot at the edge of breakup. I dig the tone and I'm attempting to figure out to get as close to it as possible.
 
RightBrainedLefty said:
Hey Will: Thanks for the tip. While I have no idea what setup the guitarists used on this track, it sounds to me (and I could be wrong) that the amp for the guitar that's out front in the mix is set at that sweet spot at the edge of breakup. I dig the tone and I'm attempting to figure out to get as close to it as possible.
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There isn't 1 guitar at the front of the mix though.

We hear a gritty lead part panned left to start but in the background there is an acoustic and clean electric. Acoustic and electric continue, then midway through the versus (or the pre-chorus) we hear a doubled electric (super clean and just a touch of dirt) panned right. During the chorus I can hear at least 3 electric parts, but I'd be there are probably a couple more.

Interlude, we have a slightly dirtier lead than earlier panned left, an "interplay" cleaner rhythm panned right, and a higher gain tone pushed back doubling the bass line hook. Clean right side persists during versus, then a dirtier tone comes in left during the pre-chorus. etc

Now...I could probably get away with a mix/match of all these parts with one amp setting constantly riding the volume knob. But...when I'm playing any kind of lead in a live setting I want to be up front, so I'd set up scenes as I'd want clean volume boost, as such I'd probably add a little more gain at the amp block as well for those parts. The AC20 is where to start though, should be able to nail those tones with the AC-20 12AX7 treble model with a boost either from a compressor block or RCB drive block back off your guitar's volume to clean up. If things sound wooly and you want a tighter low end cut the input EQ up to 120-150.
 
The YouTube version has been mangled by their compression and it's affecting the sound of the guitars. Listening to the song from Apple's server cleans up everything, especially the guitars, at least enough to make them out better.

I think @Will Chen is on the right track. I'd use the AC-20 dialed to the edge of breakup. I'd also add a treble-boost before the amp using the Drive block, or in the Amp > Preamp > Input Boost. Switch to the bridge pickup and roll the guitar's volume back to taste. The "AC-20 Deluxe" factory preset sounded like a good starting point.
 
Love the AC-20 approach and idea for setting the gain based on the max amount you want and then backing off with the volume knob. One other thing that works great is to use the Amp block boost set to “Natural” and then dial it back to maybe 6-8 dB for just a bit more when you really want to push it.
 
On a separate note, I got to have dinner with Amanda Marshall and her band before their set at First Avenue in Minneapolis back when she was promoting her debut album and opening for Tears For Fears. She won me over as a fan that night.
 
ThatCrazyBeat said:
On a separate note, I got to have dinner with Amanda Marshall and her band before their set at First Avenue in Minneapolis back when she was promoting her debut album and opening for Tears For Fears. She won me over as a fan that night.
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I saw her open for them in San Francisco on that tour. I was very impressed but I didn't follow her.

And Tears for Fears was amazing!
 
To fine-tune edge of breakup tones, I use the Feedback type in the Dynamics Page>Output Compressor, typically set 1.50-2.00. Increasing the Definition in the Input EQ page will add some chime.

Another parameter with Class-A amps that can add a bit of 'hair' is the Cathode Resistance in the Power Amp page - Reduce the value to add more 'hair'.
 
JoKeR III said:
To fine-tune edge of breakup tones, I use the Feedback type in the Dynamics Page>Output Compressor, typically set 1.50-2.00. Increasing the Definition in the Input EQ page will add some chime.

Another parameter with Class-A amps that can add a bit of 'hair' is the Cathode Resistance in the Power Amp page - Reduce the value to add more 'hair'.
Click to expand...

I do that too with cathode biased power amps. Run them hotter. No tubes to burn up and sounds more betterer.
 
As said an AC20 or one of its clones is great place to start. This is one thing the FM3 (good modeling) has really opened up my mind. I never had any real world experience with actual Vox type amps. So much of my guitar playing life was battling either too clean or too dirty. Or maybe better said achieving natural sounding transition from clean to dirty.

Another model that is really flexible is 59 Bassguy RI Jumped.
 
I have a nice lo gain od type sound from a Revv Gen Green 1 with gain pretty low. Messed with EQ and different mics and cabs with DynaCabs. 🤷🏻‍♂️ just my 2 cents.
The AC20 is a phenomenal amp on FM3 too!!
 
for this vibe I'd say def an AC style amp. My preferred would be DC30 but the AC20 is a good choice as well. The Chieftain would even work. While not being an AC style the amp the Buttery would be a great option as well.
 
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