I can't get a mild crunch that sounds or feels right...

G

guitarman19853

Member
The only way I've been able to get a mild crunch sound that feels and sounds right is with the Marsha BE with the guitar's volume rolled off. Now, I've been using this one patch since I got the AxeFx. It's so versatile that I use it for everything even clean but with the volume knob controlling the gain.

Problem is, now I need a crunch (more of a pushed clean) sound that isn't Marshall. I need a Fender crunch or Dr Z for the country band I'm playing with. I just can't dial something in that I'm happy with.

I've even considered getting rid of the Ultra and going back to amp & pedals. If I do that I'll probably end up buying the Axe 2 eventually, but I hope it doesn't come to that.

I know the Axe has it in there... but maybe I'm not starting from the right point. Any suggestions?
 
I get a really nice mild crunch with the Brownface sim using P90's. I can't tell you what the speakers are until I get home, but I'm pretty sure it's a mix of a 1-10" and a 1-12".

Terry.
 
Try to experiment with the master volume, this dramaticly affect the sound. For mild crunch, set the master at about 8-9, put the drive way down, and raise it slowly till you get that nice break up. Works best on non master amp sims like the Fenders and early Marshalls. But adjust the bass so you can cut the mudiness. for the BE, some people like it with the master crank. Still, it is a modern high gain amp, and thus works better with the master set around 3 and the drive pass 5, for more tightness. Keep in mind that the Axe works and feel like a real amp, so adjust your settings like you would do with your amp. I have an Axe 2, and while the Ultra was great for mild break up sounds, the 2 excels at it, with everything else. Good luck!
 
Try using the 2x12 G12H cab, and either raise the low cut (don't be shy) or reduce bass in the amp block. I find it works wonders for crunchy stuff.
 
On the Brownface sim I use the following settings for my P90 guitar:

Drive 3.54
Bass 2.52
Mid 5
Treble 8.03 (bright switch engaged)
Master 10

Speakers are 1x10 Gold and 1x12 Black

Terry.
 
What's your setup, and what's your definition of mild crunch? Can you give an example of a song that comes close to the tone you're shooting for? Without knowing the guitar, pickups, amp, speakers or whatever you have I would say, generally speaking, I'd look at a brown or blackface sim. You mentioned Dr Z so maybe try pushing that sim with a drive pedal. Besides that, all the rest here is good advice.
 
We need a better example of what you're looking for, but I'm sure you can find it in the Brownface, Top Boost, or Maz models. Others might work too, but those would be where I would start for the kinds of tones I think you are describing.

D
 
All the amps mentioned here are a good place to start- and something I often do is to load up a lower gain drive pedal like Full Od, or a tubescreamer, and dial back the mix a bit- it felt more subtle and natural to me at least. When I started doing this, I was surprised at how low I'd end up setting the mix on some pedals- often less than 10%, but it helped a lot with lower gain "crunchy" patches. YMMV.
 
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