Lead sounds on DR!

[Ellero]

Hey everyone, I just got my DR back after a month of repairs and its sounding more killer than ever! I just played a show with it and it sounded great, but the only problem i had was during my solos.

I play shred type solos, with fast picking and a lot of hammer-on/pull-offs and a few sweeps here and there. When I was playing my solos I noticed that the notes didn't blend together, everything was too singled out and it sounded almost choppy. Any suggestions for getting a (i hope i'm using the right word) smoother lead tone. Maybe something like Marty Friedman in his Megadeth days?

 

[ltd2recto]

I dont think you'll get a smooth lead tone on the distortion channel of a recto. Its designed more for rhythm work. The Mark IV has that smooth lead tone I bet you're trying to get.

What I do is use a pro co rat sim in the gt 8 into the clean channel. Throw a little delay & reverb in the loop. Pretty smooth lead tone.

 

[Chris McKinley]

Ellero,

I have some very specific recommendations, since I play lead through a Triple Rec. First, avoid playing through Channel 3 Modern for leads. Channel 3 Vintage, Channel 2 Modern, or Channel 2 Vintage are all workable, but Channel 3 Modern will give you way too much bass and way too much presence for solo work.

Next, use tube rectification instead of silicon diodes. The clarity and articulation that the diodes provide that is sooo good on heavy rhythms can get strident and austere for leads.

Next, make sure your amp's bass control is no higher than 1:00, your mids no lower than 12:00, and your treble anywhere between 11:00 and 2:00. For presence, it depends on the channel. If you're using Channel 3 Vintage, the presence should be no higher than 10:00 to 11:00. For Channel 2, it should be no higher than 1:00 to 2:00.

Next, put a good overdrive pedal between your guitar and your amp, with the gain minimal and the level cranked.

Next, set your amp's gain no higher than 2:00. With the overdrive in there, you won't need any more than that, and it will only get muddier anyway.

(Optional): Put a graphic EQ in the effects loop with 200Hz set to -4db and 800Hz set to +6db. If you play a thin guitar and/or use active pickups, you may also want to set 400Hz to +2db.

Give all that a try and report back. I'd be curious to hear what you think.

 

[domct203]

Ellero,

I have some very specific recommendations, since I play lead through a Triple Rec. First, avoid playing through Channel 3 Modern for leads. Channel 3 Vintage, Channel 2 Modern, or Channel 2 Vintage are all workable, but Channel 3 Modern will give you way too much bass and way too much presence for solo work.

Next, use tube rectification instead of silicon diodes. The clarity and articulation that the diodes provide that is sooo good on heavy rhythms can get strident and austere for leads.

Next, make sure your amp's bass control is no higher than 1:00, your mids no lower than 12:00, and your treble anywhere between 11:00 and 2:00. For presence, it depends on the channel. If you're using Channel 3 Vintage, the presence should be no higher than 10:00 to 11:00. For Channel 2, it should be no higher than 1:00 to 2:00.

Next, put a good overdrive pedal between your guitar and your amp, with the gain minimal and the level cranked.

Next, set your amp's gain no higher than 2:00. With the overdrive in there, you won't need any more than that, and it will only get muddier anyway.

(Optional): Put a graphic EQ in the effects loop with 200Hz set to -4db and 800Hz set to +6db. If you play a thin guitar and/or use active pickups, you may also want to set 400Hz to +2db.

Give all that a try and report back. I'd be curious to hear what you think.

Now THAT should be a sticky !!

Dom

 

[Ellero]

Ellero,

I have some very specific recommendations, since I play lead through a Triple Rec. First, avoid playing through Channel 3 Modern for leads. Channel 3 Vintage, Channel 2 Modern, or Channel 2 Vintage are all workable, but Channel 3 Modern will give you way too much bass and way too much presence for solo work.

Next, use tube rectification instead of silicon diodes. The clarity and articulation that the diodes provide that is sooo good on heavy rhythms can get strident and austere for leads.

Next, make sure your amp's bass control is no higher than 1:00, your mids no lower than 12:00, and your treble anywhere between 11:00 and 2:00. For presence, it depends on the channel. If you're using Channel 3 Vintage, the presence should be no higher than 10:00 to 11:00. For Channel 2, it should be no higher than 1:00 to 2:00.

Next, put a good overdrive pedal between your guitar and your amp, with the gain minimal and the level cranked.

Next, set your amp's gain no higher than 2:00. With the overdrive in there, you won't need any more than that, and it will only get muddier anyway.

(Optional): Put a graphic EQ in the effects loop with 200Hz set to -4db and 800Hz set to +6db. If you play a thin guitar and/or use active pickups, you may also want to set 400Hz to +2db.

Give all that a try and report back. I'd be curious to hear what you think.

well that was a mouthful. But something I'm definately going to try out. I currently don't have an OD pedal or a graphic EQ but it was something that I was looking at adding to my rig. Any recommendations on the OD pedal? I've heard a lot about a bunch of different ones, but you seem to know your stuff, so which one do you use/should I use?

I'll see if i can get it all worked in by the end of the week! Thanks a lot! :mrgreen:

 

[Daxman73]

You'll get a lot of opinions and replies for the OD pedal...There is a large fan base for them here on this forum...As for my recommendations, there are a few...1) TS-9(modded preferably, I use a Keeley modded TS-9)...2) Fulltone OCD, INSANELY good pedal...3) Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, again great pedal...Although, there is the golden rule, Tone is very subjective, so use your ears.

 

[Chris McKinley]

Daxman73's recommendations are great. I'd also add the Keeley modded SD-1, the Barber Direct Drive, the BB Preamp, the Fulltone Fulldrive 2 or GT-500, and even the Digitech Bad Monkey. There are probably at least a dozen other good OD's out there that I'm forgetting. Try a bunch of 'em out and pick the one you like.

Graphic EQ's are even easier. As long as it's analog and has sliders at 200Hz, 400Hz, and 800Hz, it almost doesn't matter which one you get. Again, try 'em out and get the one you like.

 

[Elpelotero]

or you skip the trouble and get a Mark


*runs away fast*

 

[kmanick]

I've got a Rectoverb ( not a Dual) but I couldn't even use it for lead with out my SD-1 in front and my MXR 10 band EQ in the loop.
without them I had the same problem you described.
There's no singing sustaining flow between the notes, they just drop off dead.
That's the main reason I bought my Mark III, I love my rhythm sound with my recto but I'm not crazy about my lead sound ( I don't even use modern mode at all anymore, vintage is just so much sweeter).
I can get a good bridge pickup lead tone but my neck pickups always sound too muddy for my taste.
My mark III lead tone just kills my Rectoverb lead sound (no freaking contest)

 

[EleventhHour2139]

or you skip the trouble and get a Mark


*runs away fast*

Haha! Spreading the gospel 8)

Sure do wish I had a Roadster too though

 

[stompboxfreak72]

Sorry to post this but I have struggled to get a good shred/sustain lead tone out of my DR for 7 years. I have gotten better at dialing in lead sounds but I have never been truly happy with them. Eq pedal, delay pedal and OD are a must.

Save yourself the headache and cost of adding pedals and buy something else. I am dead serious and not trying to be anti-Mesa or a complete forum dickweed. The DR can attain lead sounds but you always be searching and trying to improve it.

I finally broke down and ordered a Splawn Quickrod amp. I should have it next week. I wish I had made a change of some sort way before now.

 

[siggy14]

I kinda agree here, i mean if you dont solo much or alot of shred then stay with the rec, but honestly the newer recto's are just not designed for a lead player, they are a rythem players amp.

So either buy something else, or sell a kidney and get a pre 500 which is mroe suited for lead.

Sorry to post this but I have struggled to get a good shred/sustain lead tone out of my DR for 7 years. I have gotten better at dialing in lead sounds but I have never been truly happy with them. Eq pedal, delay pedal and OD are a must.

Save yourself the headache and cost of adding pedals and buy something else. I am dead serious and not trying to be anti-Mesa or a complete forum dickweed. The DR can attain lead sounds but you always be searching and trying to improve it.

I finally broke down and ordered a Splawn Quickrod amp. I should have it next week. I wish I had made a change of some sort way before now.

 

[Jak0lantern01]

Get a Stiletto, that will solve your problems. That's coming from a Recto owner who just got a Deuce. I couldn't be happier since discovering what the problem was: the amp itself. Don't get me wrong, the Recto has its place, but it's not for leads in my opinion. There's just something......missing when it comes to playing leads.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Or get a Stiletto and run both together...that's what I'm in the process of doing right now :twisted:

 

[Turumbar82]

this topic really interests me because I'm saving up for a new Mesa. I used to have a Solo 50 and liked it a lot but felt the lead sound was lacking. At that time I didn't have a graphic eq and didn't know how important they can be.

I find it hard to believe that a great lead tone can't be found in a Recto and that only in the Mesa line Marks and Stiletto's have great shredding leads but when I think about most of the players that use Recto's, there aren't a lot of shredders that I can come up with.

Of course no ones opinion on here is going to decide which amp I get, only after sitting down with some amps will I decide but I do like to hear everyone's opinion to get a better idea of what's worth trying.

After all of that, the best lead tone I could get from my Solo 50 was using a Japanese DS-1 with the level all the way up the drive all the way down, and the tone in the middle on the Vintage setting, bass around 9 oclock, mids 12, treble 1 or 2 and the gain was around 1 oclock.

I would like to try that set up again to see if I still think it sounds good because that was about 4 years ago and I don't have any of that equipment anymore.

 

[stompboxfreak72]

Or get a Stiletto and run both together...that's what I'm in the process of doing right now :twisted:

Hijacked thread.... wanna buy a Single rec ????? Im keeping my DR buy my SR that I used rarely on the backline is going....

 

[Jak0lantern01]

Or get a Stiletto and run both together...that's what I'm in the process of doing right now :twisted:

I was thinking of doing the same, it would be a sick sound. I'm just wondering: how do you manage clean vs. dirty? Are you running them concurrently or switching between the two amps depending on the tune?

 

[Ellero]

Interesting replies, and thanks to all who have replied!

The thing is, in response to the posts about not using a DR for shred, I don't always shred, I play thrash in a band, and I am just the lead guitarist, so I mainly need my tone for the rhythms because there are a lot more rhythms than solos in the songs of course. So I am looking for something that can alter my sound during the solos that will satisfy me for my solo playing.

Hopefully that can clarify?

 

[siggy14]

It is a great set up, I plan on switching between a mark4, stiletto and Roadking, I have my headtrip amp switcher that will allow me too.

Or get a Stiletto and run both together...that's what I'm in the process of doing right now :twisted:

 

[JOEY B.]

Interesting replies, and thanks to all who have replied!

The thing is, in response to the posts about not using a DR for shred, I don't always shred, I play thrash in a band, and I am just the lead guitarist, so I mainly need my tone for the rhythms because there are a lot more rhythms than solos in the songs of course. So I am looking for something that can alter my sound during the solos that will satisfy me for my solo playing.

Hopefully that can clarify?

In my opinion (I've owned a red and blue stripe model), this is the ultimate heavy metal Boogie. It has low end chug, tight thrash rhythm, and a liquid lead tone. :wink: FWIW, I sold my 2 channel blackface Triple Rectifier because of a lackluster lead sound.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mesa-Boogie-Mark-III-Coliseum-Vintage-Tube-Guitar-Amp_W0QQitemZ150296761813QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150296761813&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14