This is probably a dumb question, but........

[Empty Uranus]

I've got an '83 Mk IIC. Absolutely love it and wouldn't change a thing, however, I'm looking for a solution for a volume problem.

I'm currently playing in a band with keys, and I keep hearing the same old thing from people in the audience - your rhythm sounds great, but you're just not loud enough on the leads. Sure - I know a good sound man would ride the fader, but we don't have a sound man (or one that would work for $1 a show), and obviously - I'm stuck with 2 channels.

Is there anything (maybe like a Power Soak with a pedal) that I could hit to up the volume a little for leads?

Thanks!

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Volume pedal in the loop, maybe?

 

[Empty Uranus]

Volume pedal in the loop, maybe?

Do you think that would decrease the gain, though? I should specify that I'm talking about the dirty channel only....

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Volume pedal in the loop, maybe?

Do you think that would decrease the gain, though? I should specify that I'm talking about the dirty channel only....

It shouldn't. Mesas are all about the preamp gain, and unless you're driving that power section really hard, it's probably staying relatively clean. You should have roughly the same amount of the gain no matter where the volume pedal is in the taper, just a quieter overall level.

However depending on how you're running your amp, it is possible that a certain amount of your gain might be coming from hitting your power section real hard.

 

[robredo_mattila]

How about a clean boost? Keeley Katana (has a boost function aswell as being a compressor) MXR Microamp etc. You could put a Boss GE-7 in the loop and increase the Volume and leave the rest of the sliders flat. The volume pedal would be the most versatile option if you need to make small adjustments on the fly.

 

[Whoopysnorp]

gts, I think what he's saying is that his level when playing rhythm parts through his lead channel is good, but when he switches to playing leads through the lead channel, the same settings that are giving him a good level for the rhythm parts aren't doing it.

 

[scottcrud]

put a boss GE-7 eq in your fx loop, and hit it for leads. Problem solved, done it for years.

 

[MrMarkIII]

I'll bet part of the problem is that when you turn up for a solo, everybody else turns up as well, the drummer hits harder, etc.
Using a volume pedal in the loop will act as a foot-controllable Master Volume. You can control the amount of distortion with the guitar's volume knob, then control the overall loudness with the pedal. For me, this is the greatest idea since, well, boobs.
The Morley Little Alligator works for me. Beware that not all volume pedals may work well in an effects loop.

 

[acorkos]

turn up your lead master and turn down your lead drive. too much drive results in compression and overall lower volume.

you don't need no stinkin' pedals with your IIC. you've got enough firepower onboard to cut through any stage volume. Lead master....raise it up...it's your friend.

 

[Lesgoldy]

I use an 18watt Suhr Badger a lot, one channel only. I set the amp for a decent amount of gain ( just a little less gain than I really want for leads). And for clean rhythms I turn the volume on the guitar down. For dirty rhythm I turn the guitar volume back up. For leads, it depends on what the rest of the band is doing, but if it is not loud enough I step on my BYOC Tube Screamer clone.

I set the Screamer to a minimum of gain and just use the level knob to add a volume boost and I also get a touch more sustain.

I used to never use pedals, hated them. But my Mark III is simply to loud sometimes. You have to turn the Mark III up enough to find a sweet spot. Anyhow, if your band plays loud enough or you want to use some soert of attenuator, get a Mark III or Mark IV. Then you'll always have natural tube amp volume in reserve.

 

[acorkos]

in 100 watt mode, with your lead master up high enough, your guitar should be the loudest thing on stage...unless you keyboard player has a B3 (those guys are all deaf).

 

[boswell]

A BBE Boosta Grande clean boost pedal keeps your tone the way you like it but boosts it by 20dB 8)

 

[phyrexia]

His problem is not that he doesn't have enough volume. of course he could just turn the amp up. the problem is that for most people chords are louder than single notes and as such rhythms (chords) are loud and leads (single notes) aren't loud enough.

 

[boswell]

His problem is not that he doesn't have enough volume. of course he could just turn the amp up. the problem is that for most people chords are louder than single notes and as such rhythms (chords) are loud and leads (single notes) aren't loud enough.

exactly and so by adding a Clean Boost to his setup he can get his increase in lead volume at the press of switch!

 

[mesa verde]

it's not about volume... it's all about tone.
a great rhythm tone does not necessarily make for a great lead
tone just because you make it louder. In fact too many players
out there think that 'making it louder' is the way to cut through
and sit up in the mix.
Here's the thing - you need to change your tone to a lead tone.
A nice rhythm tone sits back in the mix or has a nice wash to it
enveloping the band be it cleans to grind to crunch. Now take
that same tone and make it louder for single note leads and it
is still the same tone.. just louder. Doh.
You do not need big volume increases to cut through for leads.
You just need to sit your tones through the rhythm sounds.
In other words - boost the mids. Let the mids carry your lead tones
through the mix and slice through and sit way out in front of the mix.

Instead of relying on a volume pedal or further volume boost,
try relying on good cutting tones to get through. It's all about the mids
when it comes to lead tones. The scooped stuff is great for rhythms.
Not so good for leads.

 

[Empty Uranus]

THanks for the replies, guys!

I'm thinking the EQ in the effects loop might be the way to go.

Ya - I'm talking strictly on the dirty channel here. I like to get 95% of the distortion through my amp. If we're playing something like "War Pigs", I get it to the point of where it is right on the edge - right next to total feed back. Getting the dirty rhythm sound is probably the most important to me, because I know the lead "sound" will be absolutely fine. So - I'm just looking for a way to actually boost the volume up a little more when going to a lead. Sure - I've got enough power to overcome the band and PA in most clubs ( ), but I'm obviously wanting the rhythm sound to blend with everything else.

Come to think of it, I might be able to just ease back on the gain of the EQ, run it the whole time I'm playing rhythm, and kick it off when I want the dB boost for leads... I'll give it a shot and let y'all know....

 

[mr_fender]

Mesa Verde hit it right on the head. It's not so much about volume as it is about cutting through the mix. The human ear is naturally more sensitive to midrange frequencies (2K to 3K range is very sensitive - think crying baby!). You have to take advantage of that and push those mids for a good cutting lead tone. A small volume boost can help, especially when the tension of the song is high and everyone is playing hard, but you don't want to bowl over the audience with a 10db jump in level. An EQ pedal in the loop is a good way to go. Not only can you add a touch of boost, you can bump up those all important mids to really stand out. Think tonal contrast.

 

[kiff]

in addition to a mid boost, many fast/scale type players cut out a lot of the higher end freq's. this helps round off the edges/attack that can exagerate your picking imperfections...

 

[ahoi]

+1 for using an extra eq. I have an mxr 6band in the loop of my mark III and it works perfectly for that

 

[edgecrusher]

An overdrive pedal like the Tubescreamer would also work well for a bit more volume, mids, and sustain to help cut through the mix for leads.