To contour or not

[Gas Hed]

Tell me that I can get good tones without contour on. I haven't been able to turn it off since I bought the amp - I always use it. Am I missing another great tone without it??

 

[J.J]

Yes you are missing out if you always use it :lol:

I was addicted too for some time. Eventually I found that I could get some great, but different tones with it off. Generally you will get a fuller tone with it off, but if that is not what you want.

I like to setup channel 1 clean and contour off and channel two for burn with contour around 12:00.

 

[Selsaral]

The contour makes things sound modern. If you're going for vintage sounds, like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Blues, you probably don't want the contour. Modern rock/metal wants the contour. I've discovered that I love having it on the footswitch, but I play a lot of old covers.

Some our covers and how I like it:

Black Crowes: none or a bit of contour
Tom Petty: none
Aerosmith: healthy amount of contour
Robin Trower: a bit
The Beatles: none

 

[edward]

Remember that the Contour on these Express amps has wonderful variability (unlike the previous incarnation of "Contour" which was perfectly horrible and one-dimensional, IMHO). so feel free to use it as a subtle bass/treb enhancement. No need to feel guilty for using it all the time ...it is well voiced, IMHO. Like you, I have mine on in both channels, but set fairly low ...around 9-10 o'clock, IIRC.

That said, turn it off for a while, days, weeks, and play with the amp. Lots of great tones in there without the Contour. I did, and I like it. With reference to Beatles and Tom Petty above, I can totally see (hear) that it makes sense without. But I simply prefer the slightly extra bottom/top with it on, which is why I leave it in on both channels (Blues and Crunch).

Edward

 

[Bob Womack]

I use it on clean sounds and may or may not use it on gained sounds. I typically use channel 2 in blues mode for my clean so I can use channel 1 in crunch mode. For a classic sound, I'll use no contour in order to avoid the insect-attracting overtones. For a more modern sound, I'll kick it in and get the carved mids. Voile'.

You just have to remember the pre-post gain stage nature of the EQ and contour. EQ is pre gain stage. When you gain up, you'll never be able to make a pre-gain EQ very bright. That's why they include a post-gain contour that allows further tone shaping. My Marshall only offers post-gain EQ which severely limits my ability to shape the tone compared to this amp.

Bob

 

[Newysurfer]

The contour makes things sound modern. If you're going for vintage sounds, like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Blues, you probably don't want the contour. Modern rock/metal wants the contour. I've discovered that I love having it on the footswitch, but I play a lot of old covers.

Some our covers and how I like it:

Black Crowes: none or a bit of contour
Tom Petty: none
Aerosmith: healthy amount of contour
Robin Trower: a bit
The Beatles: none

+1
contour on or off - just widens the tonal pallate is all.

 

[ifailedshapes]

I remember the Contour control fattening or rounding the sound a little bit. Sometimes a fat sound will get lost in the band mix, and other times it's just what the doctor ordered. So I have to agree that there's no right or wrong. Just do what works best for your situation.

 

[jsabo]

what guitar are you using? when i use my LP i HAVE to have contour to make it sound good.

with my Legacy, the single coils sound fantastic without the contour or just a tiny bit on the clean channel. if youre using channel 2 for leads, with single coils at least, leave the contour off. especially on the blues mode!

 

[J.J]

I'm just the oposite, my Les paul aready has to much bass and plenty of top end. The contour takes out the already weak mids and leaves me sounding muddy and thin at the same time :? . Goes to show how many variables there are and that the contour is just another tool to use for getting *that* tone

 

[EtherealWidow]

The contour is wonderful. I was addicted to it for a while too. Makes it sound round and enveloping, even through my 1x12.

 

[EXPRESSLOVER]

I find it is essential to leave on at least at 10 o clock where you still get a nice midranged tone with definition. Having it completely off for me is only necessary when I'm backing off during verses and then switching it back on for a real kick! It's almost like having an extra channel and works great for intros. All the best, but for me the amp was designed with contour left on to bring out the full colour of this exceptional amp.

 

[Don]

I'm not a huge Contour fan. I occasionally use a small amount in the Clean mode to give it some sparkle and a bit more on the red channels modes to give it a more modern sound.

 

[CHATTERBOX]

Tell me that I can get good tones without contour on. I haven't been able to turn it off since I bought the amp - I always use it. Am I missing another great tone without it??

I found when I had my 5:50 that I loved using the contour. Especially when playing alone. It just sounded huge even at lower volumes. When in a band situation I used less contour and increased the volume level. The mids seemed to cut through the mix better without overpowering the other guitarist by excessive contour's high and lows.

 

[sax4blues]

I use more contour at low volume and back off as volume goes up. For my real clean tone I'll put gain-10, treble-10, mid-12, bass-12 and then add contour around 12. Backing off the treble keeps the front end very clean and the contour puts the sparkle back. For a lot of chord rhythm I will use less or no contour.