Help with solving low gain issue

digitald00m

digitald00m

Member
Hey everyone!

So I was watching this Youtube:


I noticed that just on stock settings right when he adds the recto and the cab it seems to sound great right off the bat. Decent gain, etc.

On my FM9 when I did the exact same thing I noticed my tone had way waaayy lower gain.

I'm using an Epiphone Les Paul Jerry Cantrell version. Seems to have a decent Seymour Duncan pickup. I've went through the FM9 settings and am tickling the red.

Not sure what is causing my gain to be so low. I have just been compensating by turning up the input gain (and amp gain) but feel I may be missing what this unit can really do.

Have you all ever seen this issue? Does anyone know what to do?
 
61.4% is very high for modern humbuckers, so if it's not clipping the input, I suspect your guitar has very low output for some reason. For comparison, with my Les Paul with a Duncan JB in the bridge, I run my Input Sensitivity at 10% and can still get it to clip if I hit really hard. Do you have another guitar you can test with? A different guitar cable?
 
True, but if he has to set it really high to get it to tickle the red, it indicates that the guitar has very low output. If the guitar Cooper is using in the video has high output (which I believe the JP guitars do have quite hot pickups) it would explain the difference in gain he's seeing compared to the video.
 
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mr_fender said:
True, but if he has to set it really high to get it to tickle the red, it indicates that the guitar has very low output. If the guitar Cooper is using in the video has high output (which I believe the JP guitar do have quite hot pickups) it would explain the difference is gain he's seeing compared to the video.
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True - I think we posted at the same time and your last message clarified your thoughts.
 
I would investigate why your guitar potentially has low output first. What specific pickups are in your guitar? From what I've seen, neither of the Cantrell Epiphone Les Paul models seem to come with Duncan pickups stock. Is the neck pickup any louder?
 
mr_fender said:
I would investigate why your guitar potentially has low output first. What specific pickups are in your guitar? From what I've seen, neither of the Cantrell Epiphone Les Paul models seem to come with Duncan pickups stock. Is the neck pickup any louder?
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It does have a Duncan pickup in the bridge, just not sure which one. I have plugged the guitar into other amps and it was fine. Also tested the FM9 with other guitars and had same issue.
 
Try plugging into Input 2 and see if your level is any higher there. It's possible something is going on with Input 1 on your FM9.
 
Either one will work. Just set the input mode for Input 2 to either Left Only or Right Only in the I/O menu to match whichever you use. That will duplicate the signal to both channels like Input 1 does.
 
Had my axe 3 for a year or two now but reading some of this I feel like something is wrong with mine. I have my input set to 93.7 to tickle the red but I use high output pickups.
 
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