Roadster rhythm tone - help!

[blacklight_uk]

I just got my Roadster last week. I LOVE channels 1,2 and 3 for cleans, crunch and some nice thick lead tones. However i am rapidly falling out with channel 4.

I'd like to have a channel for rhythm sounds and i want something with a lot of meat but that still retains clarity for full chords. No matter what i do with the EQ this channel sounds flabby and messy.

Can anyone help?

I'm using a 2007 roadster with an Engl SE 4x12 (loaded with V60s)
The guitar's a Burns Marquee

Thanks
Josh

 

[123thefirst]

What happens when you clone a setting that you're happy with from channel 3 to channel 4?

The essential difference between 3 and 4 is the taper of the presence pot. If you don't have the presence turned way down in channel 4 you may be getting so much high frequency grit that it's telling your ears "this is really messy".

 

[ericlingus]

You should try putting a tubescreamer pedal in front of the amp. Put the gain all the way down and the level all the way(or most of the way) up with the tone knob in the middle or maybe slightly to the left. This tightens up the amp a lot. It'll get rid of the flubbiness and give you more clarity. The compensate for the extra gain added just turn your gain knob lower than you normally would put it. This works well for me with my Mesa F50. If you don't have a tubescreamer pedal you could try an eq pedal instead. Lower the lows around 100, and maybe the real low mids slightly. Raise the mids and level. This will give the same affect as the tubescreamer. You may like it even better. Hope this helps.

 

[abecon5]

dude, but a MXR 10 band eq in the loop!
you will cream in your pants

 

[123thefirst]

For lead, yeah, it's definitely worthwhile to add an EQ and possibly either a boost or a compressor with a variable gain and possibly distortion. But for rhythm you should be able to get a very compelling and detailed sound with no pedals at all. Either your settings don't work or your pickups aren't quite right if you can't get that. The pickups could be so hot that the clarity and high end washes out. You're using good quality cables?

 

[ericlingus]

well it's really not for extra gain but for the other reasons i've mentioned. It does a great job of tightening up amps and adding clarity. This trick has been used on many modern recordings. Worth giving it a shot anyways. An eq in the loop is also nice to have. I usually add some bass from the bass that is lost from the tube screamer. I also cut the mids a little bit. Turning the bass up on the mesa's eq seems to just add flub. Works great for an attenuator too. I can turn my amp up enough to really open it up and cut the volume with the eq pedal in the loop so I don't go deaf and also piss everyone off.

 

[blacklight_uk]

Thanks guys. Im in Portugal right now but ill try it all when i get back! My Boss ME-50 has a tubescreamer built in. Might see how that sounds!


jOSH

 

[Laskyman]

I am not familiar with the ME50, but here is how it works with the Boss GT8 via 4CM-

Make sure that your OD/DIS section is before the preamp in the chain- dial in a Tubescreamer sim with the gain 25 and level 50- then, and this is the key to keeping the sound ORGANIC- dial the DIRECT LEVEL to 50. If the ME50 doesn't give you the option for direct level, you may want some other advice. I use this for my lead channel and it really sounds good- adds gain without boosting too much level (thats what the solo button is for....)

Hope this helps-

Laskyman

 

[blacklight_uk]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Ran the ME-50 through the FX loop with a Tubescreamer sim. Gain on nearly zero, slight compression and the tone at noon. Sounds much clearer once you back off the mids and a little off the presence on the roadster.

The pickups could be so hot that the clarity and high end washes out

I was actually looking into replacing my pickups with some high end ones. The Burns uses factory pickups - Burns Rez-O-Matics. They're alright for what they're worth but i struggle with high gain playing. Are there any pickups on the market that come anywhere near to the versatility of this amp? I play a range of styles from Indie, Funk and Alternative through to Death Metal.

Thanks

Josh

 

[123thefirst]

Since you need a variety of sounds I think you definitely don't want something extreme. My preference is to get as hot a pickup as possibly that still has perfect balance and can cover all tones. Then you can take full advantage of a Boogie's extensive tone and gain for maximum number of options. You probably want to set the height to be as close to the strings as possible too, within reason. You also might try different types of strings such as nickel rather than steel or vice versa.

Since Mesa apparently demos their gear with Bill Lawrence XL500 pickups you probably can't go wrong with those. I like the Gibson 57 Classic Plus which I'd guess is very similar. They will give you bite and definition and I think you never want to lose that. I have a used set that I'm thinking of putting up for sale by the way, but that's not why I'm responding of course. I have plenty of things I should put up for sale but haven't gotten around to it.

 

[blacklight_uk]

Thanks man those Gibsons sound nice. Just out of interest how much would you be looking for?

 

[Octavarius]

You ran the tubescreamer sim through the LOOP? :shock:

Please try it in front of the amp.

 

[Fotis]

Try the following settings for channel 4:

tube tracking
bold
modern

master 12
presence 10
bass 11
mid 11
treble 1.30
gain 1.30 (o 'clock)

 

[jab]

try the BBE Sonic Stomp. Really cleans up the bottom end and adds sparkle to the top. It's described as "taking a blanket off your amp" and it's true. Check out the review at Musiciansfriend.com. You'd think it was the greatest invention in music. They sell for $99 and it includes the adaptor.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Sonic Stomp is good if you have a bunch of pedals in your loop sucking your tone coz it adds the tone back... I use it to punch up the bass as well. It can sound a little compressed at times if you turn the process up above 12.

Try Fotis's settings. They look very similar to mine...

 

[alex1fly]

Since you need a variety of sounds I think you definitely don't want something extreme. My preference is to get as hot a pickup as possibly that still has perfect balance and can cover all tones. Then you can take full advantage of a Boogie's extensive tone and gain for maximum number of options. You probably want to set the height to be as close to the strings as possible too, within reason. You also might try different types of strings such as nickel rather than steel or vice versa.

Since Mesa apparently demos their gear with Bill Lawrence XL500 pickups you probably can't go wrong with those. I like the Gibson 57 Classic Plus which I'd guess is very similar. They will give you bite and definition and I think you never want to lose that. I have a used set that I'm thinking of putting up for sale by the way, but that's not why I'm responding of course. I have plenty of things I should put up for sale but haven't gotten around to it.

I'm pretty sure they demo their amps with Tom Anderson H3s actually. And while the L-500XL is a high output, full frequency passive pickup designed to act like an active pickup, 57 Classics are lower output Alnico II PAF style pickups... completely different animals. With all the gain Mesas have to offer a lot of players like to go with the low output pickup of their chioce and get their gain from the amp. Low output pickups are usually more versatile, have better clean tones, and let you make fuller use of the gain control.

 

[MetalMatt]

alex is right, unless they changed...

H3
"Our original super hot pickup. This is the pickup used for developing, testing and insuring the great tonal quality of Mesa Boogie amplifiers. The sound is open, not muddy, but with rich, full mid and bottom end tone."

http://www.andersonguitars.com/tonelibpickup.cfm

 

[fendercustom]

i use to almost crank the presence...make the bass respons much tighter, also the sound get very sharp and aggresive.

Diode, 100 watt, bold

Gain: 1:00
Treble: 1:00
Middle: 9:00 - 11:00
Bass: 1:00 - 3:00
Presence: 3:00 - 5:00

sounds great to me also cut through in the band

stay metal dudes

 

[taz_wynter]

I've had the same problem, then i found a video on youtube done by Mark Tremonti, from alter bridge.. considering he has a great tone, and his sound is 80% his mesa boogie amp. plus he does rythem and lead sounds without using a tube screamer.. you bought a 3000.00$ amp you don't need pedals its not a marshall, haha...sorry marshall fans.

Anyway heres mark tremonti settings.

Tube tracking
Modern
BOLD
i use 50 watts to lower headroom, but use 100watts for live unmic'd
Channel 4

Output - 5
Solo - 7
Master - 4
Presence - 3.5
Bass - 10
Mid - 3.5
Treble - 6
Gain - 6.5

hope this helps a bit

 

[taz_wynter]

thats in straight numbers, not o'clock..