What's your favorite way to boost vol. for solos?

[Uncle Rocker]

I absolutly love my new 5:50. But I'm trying to decide how I want to boost the vol. for solos. As I see it there are a few choices: #1 Use the Vol. knob on the guitar?, #2 Use a peddal (Vol. boost or an Eq), #3 Use the "other channel" on the amp. or #4 ???
I'd like to know how the rest of you do it. (ie: what peddal, which channel, or what ever).

 

[Newysurfer]

I absolutly love my new 5:50. But I'm trying to decide how I want to boost the vol. for solos. As I see it there are a few choices: #1 Use the Vol. knob on the guitar?, #2 Use a peddal (Vol. boost or an Eq), #3 Use the "other channel" on the amp. or #4 ???
I'd like to know how the rest of you do it. (ie: what peddal, which channel, or what ever).

3 options Uncle

for straight vol increase use the guitar vol pot
and/or use a volume pedal.
for up to 18dB vol increase plus the option of changing the tone to whatever you desire I use an MXR EQ pedal.
Best there is IMHO.

I use all 3.

 

[iFreedom]

Compression pedal to boost volume and add that "snap" along with sustain as well. I prefer the the blendy kind like the 5kbyoc or the tone press. The guitar volume knob works too like newysurfer said, especially on a strat. My thoughts anyway.

 

[Uncle Rocker]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Yeah, I've had this amp less than a week and I haven't found the contour to be that useful so far. It would really be nice if the Mesa Express had a Vol. boost though. It seems like it would be awsome if the contour had a Vol. (boost) adjustment maybe somewhere on the back or something. Wouldn't that be cool?
So anyway, I guess a Clean Boost pedal is what I'm going to go w/. I'm thinking about trying a Boosta Grande. Anyone have any thoughts on this pedal? Also, where's the best place to put it? In front or in the effects loop?
Thanks guys

 

[lerxst88]

I just step on the solo button on my Nomad's footswitch

 

[babow2]

BoostaGrande- I've got one in my pedal board, and it is the LAST pedal in my chain. I want it to boost the tone/effect, etc... coming down the line at the end, rather than driving the input into my other effects. At the front end, it will send a boosted signal to my various pedals, which will alter how they perform, and they will sound different boosted or not. On the other hand, putting it at the end means I boost the sound going into it, post FX if you will.

I use the Boosta for clean volume boosts (clean solos or as needed). I use channel two of my amp as the lead channel, set at a higher volume level. This is true about 90% of the time.

I rarely use my volume control. I find that cutting back on the volume cuts the tone too drastically and then my rhythm sound isn't what I want or what I have the amp EQ'd for. I would rather send a consistent tone (consistent volume) to the amp. That is the general rule. There are some songs that just call for me to juggle between the options to get the "just right" part for the song.

When I had a Mesa with a Solo Boost, I didn't need the Boosta Grande, but still did things the same way.

 

[smd24fan]

I absolutly love my new 5:50. But I'm trying to decide how I want to boost the vol. for solos. As I see it there are a few choices: #1 Use the Vol. knob on the guitar?, #2 Use a peddal (Vol. boost or an Eq), #3 Use the "other channel" on the amp. or #4 ???
I'd like to know how the rest of you do it. (ie: what peddal, which channel, or what ever).

SOLO button on my new Mark V! When I had my Express 5:50 I used my Keeley Tubescreamer for a little kick in the pants!

 

[Newysurfer]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Yeah, I've had this amp less than a week and I haven't found the contour to be that useful so far. It would really be nice if the Mesa Express had a Vol. boost though. It seems like it would be awsome if the contour had a Vol. (boost) adjustment maybe somewhere on the back or something. Wouldn't that be cool?
So anyway, I guess a Clean Boost pedal is what I'm going to go w/. I'm thinking about trying a Boosta Grande. Anyone have any thoughts on this pedal? Also, where's the best place to put it? In front or in the effects loop?
Thanks guys

A lot of people seem to go for these specific clean boost pedals. Fine - I'm not knocking them.
But it seems people don't fully understand what a good EQ pedal does.
My MXR pedal provides up to 18 db clean boost, or cut,
PLUS it allows you to shape the tone to just about anything you want.
So you can clean boost it and leave the tone the same or
clean boost it with mid scoop and it'll turn your Express into a metal amp or
clean boost and mid boost it for thick mid distortion leads
clean boost it with a fat bluesy drive
clean boost and boost sustain
clean boost and sound like an AM radio or
clean boost with a thousand different tone options

clean CUT and do all the above.
EQ pedals do everything a clean boost pedal does and lots more :mrgreen:

 

[soundchaser59]

Compression pedal to boost volume and add that "snap" along with sustain as well. I prefer the the blendy kind like the 5kbyoc or the tone press. The guitar volume knob works too like newysurfer said, especially on a strat. My thoughts anyway.

My thoughts exactly!

Get the primo best sound you can get without any pedals, then stomp on the Allums modded compressor and get acquainted with the volume knob on the guitar. People been telling me that for years.....now I know why. Guitar > compressor > Mesa > EV = sweet cream butter! 8)

 

[badjohnny]

I've always used pedal for solo boosts. But using the volume control has me interested. Basic question: does lowering the volume by using the knob do anything to a guitar's sound beside lower the output? i.e. does it change the tone at all? If I lowered the volume but boosed the level some other way would it sound exactly the same?

I use my Express 5:50 for its distortion. I'll need to up the gain and master to compensate for my lowered "rhythm" sound. Drawbacks and will I end up with much of a different sound?

Oh, I used a Fender American Deluxe Tele, noiseless pickups.

Thanks.

Johnny

 

[MrMason]

I've always used pedal for solo boosts. But using the volume control has me interested. Basic question: does lowering the volume by using the knob do anything to a guitar's sound beside lower the output? i.e. does it change the tone at all? If I lowered the volume but boosed the level some other way would it sound exactly the same?

I use my Express 5:50 for its distortion. I'll need to up the gain and master to compensate for my lowered "rhythm" sound. Drawbacks and will I end up with much of a different sound?

Oh, I used a Fender American Deluxe Tele, noiseless pickups.

Thanks.

Johnny

Yeah, lowering the volume on the guitar's volume knob CAN change your tone a little. Mainly, it can cause some of the high frequencies to bleed off to ground (that's what the volume pot is doing to lower the volume). Some pots are worse than others; my Carvins actually seem to increase the high end a bit when lowering the volume. Personally, I prefer using the volume to go from "AC/DC" style crunch to something slightly clean. For hard rock, the volume nob doesn't seem to get me from hard rhythm to hard lead all that well. I actually prefer setting my amp to said "AC/DC" crunch and use an overdrive to give it a harder sound, then kick in an EQ pedal to smooth things out for lead work. My Loopbone also has a boost switch, so if I want to get even harder and louder that's always there. :twisted:

 

[screamingdaisy]

My favourite way is to use my Lonestar's solo boost function. The big jump in volume makes using a pedal seem rather lacklustre in comparison.

On other amps, I tend to set the amp up so my main rhythm tone is in the 7 to 8 range on my guitar's volume knob, so I'll just dime the volume for a touch of extra gain/compression.

I don't tend to like using a pedal for leads... nothing personal, it's just not my thing. However, when I do use one I use a compressor. I find it gives me the extra needed compression without adding any gain buzz.

 

[Wolfboy1]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
Yeah, I've had this amp less than a week and I haven't found the contour to be that useful so far. It would really be nice if the Mesa Express had a Vol. boost though. It seems like it would be awsome if the contour had a Vol. (boost) adjustment maybe somewhere on the back or something. Wouldn't that be cool?
So anyway, I guess a Clean Boost pedal is what I'm going to go w/. I'm thinking about trying a Boosta Grande. Anyone have any thoughts on this pedal? Also, where's the best place to put it? In front or in the effects loop?
Thanks guys

A lot of people seem to go for these specific clean boost pedals. Fine - I'm not knocking them.
But it seems people don't fully understand what a good EQ pedal does.
My MXR pedal provides up to 18 db clean boost, or cut,
PLUS it allows you to shape the tone to just about anything you want.
So you can clean boost it and leave the tone the same or
clean boost it with mid scoop and it'll turn your Express into a metal amp or
clean boost and mid boost it for thick mid distortion leads
clean boost it with a fat bluesy drive
clean boost and boost sustain
clean boost and sound like an AM radio or
clean boost with a thousand different tone options

clean CUT and do all the above.
EQ pedals do everything a clean boost pedal does and lots more :mrgreen:

That's the ticket. The little MXR 6-band EQ is the dream machine.

 

[UKBoogieboy]

No need to boost for solos!!!!!!!!
My volume is solo level ALL the time,

 

[soundchaser59]

If everything else is set up right, a clean boost in the fx loop is a wonderful thing!

 

[EtherealWidow]

A dimed contour control adds a ton of definition to the upper harmonics. Good for my rhythms. Then I just turn the contour off and get a nice little hump of mids and cut through the mix for a solo.