What do you look for in a lead tone?

[b0nkersx]

This is kind of an open ended question. What do fellow Rectifier owners look for in a decent lead tone?

I am not speaking specifically about the Rectifier line, but in general.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

The biggest thing for me is fluidity / ease of play.

I don't like to fight the amp when I'm playing leads...I like it to express exactly what I'm doing, and right away.

That is why, IMO, the rectifier line makes such a great rhythm amp, but a poor lead amp....when playing a recto, I feel like I have to fight a bit to get the response I want, which for rhythm playing, just makes my picking hand crazy mean and aggressive.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Smooth.

Smooth ? gained up to compressed death.

Smooth = clean/clear without a ragged top end.

 

[plapnab]

Like the others...smooth. Lots of responsiveness, lots of saturation, lots of overtones and harmonics. I like it warm but not scooped. Some compression with a good helping of delay...and oh yeah, sustain for days :mrgreen:

 

[Neptical]

I look for a Mark amp in a lead tone. :twisted:

Lead tones = Smooth, (not overly compressed) with sweet singing sustain and just enough bite to keep it searing through the mix.

Comparable to something between old Di Meola ( LOTMS ) and Lifeson.

Nutshell. 8)

 

[fluff191]

Whats a lead? :lol: :lol:

 

[MesaENGR412]

A nice, rounded and fat tone that makes the notes that are played have more of a harmonic and toneful nature. I like more mids in my lead tone, and a little more gain, just enough to get a good saturation and good sustain without the guitar turning into a buzz saw. which is why I use Ch 2 on both of my Rectos for solos. That channel has a little more mids in Vintage mode than the Red Ch 3. The mids make the tone punch through the mix even better (as does the "Solo" button :lol: )


Here are my leads:
http://youtu.be/U1LzgZKQNNE

-AJH

 

[Blaklynx]

I tend to look for a 'balanced' tone between the high end and low end, not thin but a little thick and warm, with mids and hi-mids pushed a little more than the bass and treble and usually with a touch of 'hair' so the bottom end has a hint of sizzle. I tend to roll off the top end a little, 'filter' it so to speak, so the treble side sounds a little fatter and warmer when I use the bridge pickup. This makes it sound very much like a front pick up, somewhat 'vowel-like' but allows the bottom end to still have some bite. I push things along with OD pedals, hence the more than normal treble roll-off. There is a fine balance between 'blanket over speaker' tone and allowing some clarity and presence.

I also like it a little more compressed for sustain and fluid reasons and it's not unusual for me to cascade two (maybe 3) OD pedals to achieve this. An EQ pedal is a very handy one to have, in the loop and out front.

I've read my post and it sounds somewhat contradictory in parts but I can't explain it any better. **** hard to explain 'tones' in words..... hair, bite, thick, fat, round, toneful......

 

[ryjan]

Lots of high and low mids with the extreme high and low (Above 5k and below 100 hz) cut a bit. I also use less gain for my lead channel. It's a little harder to play but it makes it a little creamier to me.

 

[BostonRedSox]

Smooth.

Smooth ? gained up to compressed death.

Smooth = clean/clear without a ragged top end.

This is pretty much my understanding of what a good lead tone is to my ears as well.

Well said (written)!

 

[wildrat666]

:lol: :lol: :lol: I wonder myself what a lead is ??

Whats a lead? :lol: :lol:

 

[Gtr_Pkr]

Lead tones I like have sustain, harmonics, a bit of compression, mids, and not too much treble.