Lead boost on Mark IV - am I missing something?

[FretsOnFyre]

Hey all,

So I recently picked up a Joyo Vintage Overdrive (tubescreamer clone) as a lead boost for my Mark IV A combo. Trying to get a little bit of a gain boost to make legato and tapping lines easier. However, when I set the knobs on the lead channel for a good rhythm sound (gain at 7, drive at 8, treble at 8, presence at 7) and then boost it with drive at 0, tone in the middle and level at max, I have WAY too much gain for a usable lead sound. If I set it to get a good lead sound boosted, I don't have enough gain for a rhythm tone. Am I missing something here? :?:

Thanks!

 

[SonVolt]

Too much gain or is the pedal just adding unwanted noise?

 

[FretsOnFyre]

Too much gain or is the pedal just adding unwanted noise?

Too much gain - when I play lead sections with the pedal on, I have to switch to the neck pickup to make it sound reasonably articulate. On the bridge, it just turns into a mess.

 

[stephen sawall]

Most people boost RHY2 - not the LEAD channel.

 

[lifele55]

Most people boost RHY2 - not the LEAD channel.

This makes alot of sense

 

[BoogieBomb]

Hi! This is a bit late, but just turn down the boost pedal's level. That will reduce the amount of gain you are hitting the front end with.

 

[swbo101]

Most people boost RHY2 - not the LEAD channel.

+1

 

[LesPaul70]

I realize I'm jumping in late, the original question was posted almost two months ago. But anyways...

For that particular playing style (fluid legato/tapping), I would suggest at least trying a compressor rather than an OD. Unlike an OD, a compressor will leave your base tone unchanged, it just adds sustain (and squashes dynamics, obviously). Just what you want in that kind of playing.

There are pedals that are capable of both, actually, like my Visual Sound Route 66, which has a separate compressor side, and a separate TS808 clone, both footswitchable individually. However, I might not recommend that particular pedal to everyone - its compressor side also adds a hissing noise. :wink: