Why does using a colored boost tend to make different amps sound so similar?

Dolphinado

Dolphinado

Inspired
Something I’ve noticed lately (both in my own experimenting and in a lot of YouTube demos, even with real world amps) is that using a colored boost (like the Tube Screamer model in the Axe-Fx 3) with different amps of the same category tends to make them sound kinda same-y. For instance, using the T808 Input Boost on both a Friedman HBE 2018 and the 5150 Block Letter (assuming the same IR and signal chain) makes them sound uncannily similar, when they sound very distinct without the boost.

My understanding is that colored boosts (like the Tube Screamer) are colored because they’re kind of applying an EQ curve to the guitar signal in addition to raising the level hitting the amp, but I’m surprised that doing that is enough to make 2 completely different amps sound so alike.

Why do colored boosts tend to have this effect? Is it only really a thing for high gain amps? Has anyone else had this experience?
 
Maybe the differences in the models you're comparing are more emphasized in parts of the spectrum that the tube screamer is cutting out.
 
Dolphinado said:
Something I’ve noticed lately (both in my own experimenting and in a lot of YouTube demos, even with real world amps) is that using a colored boost (like the Tube Screamer model in the Axe-Fx 3) with different amps of the same category tends to make them sound kinda same-y. For instance, using the T808 Input Boost on both a Friedman HBE 2018 and the 5150 Block Letter (assuming the same IR and signal chain) makes them sound uncannily similar, when they sound very distinct without the boost.

My understanding is that colored boosts (like the Tube Screamer) are colored because they’re kind of applying an EQ curve to the guitar signal in addition to raising the level hitting the amp, but I’m surprised that doing that is enough to make 2 completely different amps sound so alike.

Why do colored boosts tend to have this effect? Is it only really a thing for high gain amps? Has anyone else had this experience?
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EQ. Try hitting the AC30 model (not the top boost model) with the treble booster drive block.
 
chris said:
If you add green paint to any other color paint, the paint becomes more green. That’s how I’d think of it. Maybe I’m wrong.
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LOL, well green and pink make grey and green and red make brown. But I got your analogy.
To the OP, I've had this experience with several amps. A tube screamer is going to alter any tone and gain, depending on how you dial it in. I use to run one cranked in front of a Twin Reverb. It didn't sound Fender at all.
 
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666was999 said:
You hit an HBE or a 5150 with a tube screamer? They don't need that extra kick. And they already have some tube srceamerish low cut in their circuit.
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Yeeeah turned out to be a bit overkill, but also my guitar doesn’t have the hottest pickups so I needed some way to push those amps a bit harder
 
To get a guitar louder you can use the screamer at very low gain 1?) but crank the volume of the block.
You also could use a GEQ, PEQ, FLT or alike.
 
666was999 said:
To get a guitar louder you can use the screamer at very low gain 1?) but crank the volume of the block.
You also could use a GEQ, PEQ, FLT or alike.
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Ah that’s pretty much what I was doing - I was using the Input Boost in the Preamp tab on the Amp Block, which is like using a Drive block with no added overdrive.

Havent tried any of the dedicated EQ blocks yet though!
 
I think it's because your then emphasizing the same freq into two amps that are in the same vein, so now that becomes the dominant thing you hear in both tones. watching a lot of Ola Englund videos you really hear this happen a lot. He puts that Fortin grind in front of every amp he demos, and bam, they all turn into the same amp.
 
666was999 said:
You hit an HBE or a 5150 with a tube screamer? They don't need that extra kick. And they already have some tube srceamerish low cut in their circuit.
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Most people hit a 5150/recto with a TS808 because it cuts the lows and boosts the mids, tightening the amp up. Some people like this, some people don't. I used to love the boosted 5150/V30 sound, until I gravitated towards other tones. I also don't use as much gain as most modern metal guys, so reducing the gain and running low resonance and presence did the job for my brief time with a 5150.

It's not about extra kick, it's about carving out low end and cutting through a mix more. It was one of the top modern metal tones pre djent.
 
The amps have a characteristic sound from the way they distort the guitar fundamental. When you run through a tube screamer, it's a prominent filter that's cuts the low end and high end and adds distortion. When you gain stage distortion circuits it's like smashing glass in a bag on an assembly line, regarding what it does to the waveform. If there is only one smash point, the chunks will be bigger and more discernable. If there are two smash points, and the first one nearly turns it to powder, the second stage can smash it the same way as it usually does, but it won't do much, it's already right smashed up. If you plug in to the front of a 5150 or dual rec they're pretty easy to tell apart from their preamp distortion signature. If you run into the front through a tube screamer, it gets less easy to tell which is which.
 
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