What amp model has the most growl?

Tahoebrian5

Tahoebrian5

Fractal Fanatic
I’m looking for an amp/cab combo that has a mean low end growl. I know a lot probly comes from the guitar but I’ll take what I can get. Playing a suhr modern in drop d and mostly power chord riffs. Looking to use it to add another guitar layer to my track to make it sound a bit meaner.

So far the Herbie model is winning. The recto is cool for the mids but the low end sounds too compressed to me.
Let me know what you guys like

thx!
 
This might sound counterintuitive, but if you're wanting more growl to layer with your other guitars, using an amp with a looser distortion character and less low end can help you get a bigger tone. Sometimes if I have stereo guitars that sound good with the bass but need a little "growl," I'll use the Citrus AD30 Dirty with the bass at zero, mids and treble dimed, master volume around 7.5, and input drive to taste. Try a single track down the middle and edge it in with your wide rhythms and see how you feel. It makes things bigger without getting in the way of the bass.
 
The looser sounding JTM45 has a nice growl character on mid to moderate gain big chords, especially with a fat sounding guitar like a Les Paul. It's a big sound that is dynamic and punchy. Watch the low end going into the amp though, or the growl turns into flub.

To me, many high gain amps are too saturated and compressed to do the low mids growl thing. What constitutes growl is pretty subjective though.

I think a lot of the growl from a full heavy mix often comes from the bass track and not the guitars too.
 
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Clips > Words, right? :)

I was working on this right around the time the FM3 started to ship. Never got around to posting the full song because I could never lay down a solo I was happy with. But here's the intro:



And here's the preset: https://axechange.fractalaudio.com/detail.php?preset=8056

That was all done with my P90-equipped Lester into the FM3 and straight into Logic. No other processing. Backing track was off the interwebs.

That Blankenship Leeds amp is pure rock and f'ing roll.
 
+1 That one's definitely got a nice mid gain growl to it.

Chord voicing makes a difference in bringing out that growl too. Double stops and inverted power chords, where the 5th is in the bass really bring out the pissed off guard dog attitude.

Listen to some George Thorogood. His slide playing in open tuning is just raunchy and growly as it gets and he's usually playing a big hollow body guitar like a ES-125 through a cranked Dual Showman with a Fuzz Face boosting it, none of which are known for their tightness.
 
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a lot of different ideas of growl in this thread, lol.

I guess it would be helpful if the OP defined what growl means to him. Heavy and tight? or something looser/meaner to complement?

Interesting to me how some of the heavier progressive bands will use split pup positions and less distortion for character on rhythms
 
I posted this in the recordings section, but the tone method applies here. The guitars are in standard drop D like what @Tahoebrian5 mentioned. I don't know if this tone is anywhere in the ballpark of what you're looking for, but here are the basic concepts.

1. Use less gain for a bigger sound. I had the SLO's gain around 2-2.3 and the Mesa's at 3.5 for the main rhythm tone. Using less gain lets you bring up the guitars without introducing unnecessary noise and makes your tone speak better in the mix. Mark Holcomb gave me some of his Periphery Juggernaut presets and he had the PVH Block's gain set around 2.5 or so. Those tones are huge, and you can still hear every note even in a dense mix.

2. Quad tracking can work, but you'll get a lot of cumulative low end build up if you're not careful, which is why the triple track method can do wonders by adding thickness without destroying your core tones.

3. In my earlier post, I mentioned the Orange AD30 model (an amp I used to bring to sessions for this very purpose). Play around with different models until you find the one that sits the way you like. For this track, I used the same concept with my DC-5 (which has a looser gain structure) by cutting out a lot of bass and bringing up the gain level. It lets the notes in complex chords retain clarity, but also gives you a little extra energy.

4. If you triple track or quad track, record those after you have the main rhythms and bass tracked. That will help you pinpoint what the tone needs, but more importantly, what it doesn't. If your main rhythms are bright, your supplemental guitar should be darker. If your main rhythms are on the darker side, edging in a brighter layer will liven up the mix without needing to EQ a bunch of stuff.

 
Sounds great Justin.

Question
York Audio said:
I posted this in the recordings section, but the tone method applies here. The guitars are in standard drop D like what @Tahoebrian5 mentioned. I don't know if this tone is anywhere in the ballpark of what you're looking for, but here are the basic concepts.

1. Use less gain for a bigger sound. I had the SLO's gain around 2-2.3 and the Mesa's at 3.5 for the main rhythm tone. Using less gain lets you bring up the guitars without introducing unnecessary noise and makes your tone speak better in the mix. Mark Holcomb gave me some of his Periphery Juggernaut presets and he had the PVH Block's gain set around 2.5 or so. Those tones are huge, and you can still hear every note even in a dense mix.

2. Quad tracking can work, but you'll get a lot of cumulative low end build up if you're not careful, which is why the triple track method can do wonders by adding thickness without destroying your core tones.

3. In my earlier post, I mentioned the Orange AD30 model (an amp I used to bring to sessions for this very purpose). Play around with different models until you find the one that sits the way you like. For this track, I used the same concept with my DC-5 (which has a looser gain structure) by cutting out a lot of bass and bringing up the gain level. It lets the notes in complex chords retain clarity, but also gives you a little extra energy.

4. If you triple track or quad track, record those after you have the main rhythms and bass tracked. That will help you pinpoint what the tone needs, but more importantly, what it doesn't. If your main rhythms are bright, your supplemental guitar should be darker. If your main rhythms are on the darker side, edging in a brighter layer will liven up the mix without needing to EQ a bunch of stuff.

Click to expand...


Sounds great Justin!

Can you add a clarification on the 3 track method for me? Are you recording two separate takes for the panned guitars (1 left, and 1 right) and then a third take for the center? So not just multing/copying/haas, etc.

And also for the panned guitars are you using the exact same guitar/amp/cab settings?

Thanks!
 
Tahoebrian5 said:
Sounds great Justin.

Question


Sounds great Justin!

Can you add a clarification on the 3 track method for me? Are you recording two separate takes for the panned guitars (1 left, and 1 right) and then a third take for the center? So not just multing/copying/haas, etc.

And also for the panned guitars are you using the exact same guitar/amp/cab settings?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
never copy and paste, always record unique takes
 
Tahoebrian5 said:
Sounds great Justin.

Question


Sounds great Justin!

Can you add a clarification on the 3 track method for me? Are you recording two separate takes for the panned guitars (1 left, and 1 right) and then a third take for the center? So not just multing/copying/haas, etc.

And also for the panned guitars are you using the exact same guitar/amp/cab settings?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Thanks man! For the 3 track method, you record three separate takes: L, R, and Center. The amp and cab choices are up to you, but I personally like using different amps instead of doubling the same tone... it gives you more width and dimension in the mix. For the track I posted, each tone used a different IR that best suited each amp. A cab that sounds great on a Marshall might not be the ticket for a Mesa, but sometimes it is. For the sake of convenience, you can use one IR to start with and try different amps. Once you've got your Left and Right guitars feeling good, you just want to edge in your Center track until it sits well. You can check your level by listening to the stereo tracks and muting/unmuting the Center to hear where it gives the tone energy without necessarily making things louder. Your tone should feel full and complex with it on.

I hope this helps. Also, what amps are you currently using for your stereo rhythm tracks?
 
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