Your tricks for a SICK lead tone?

[boogietone]

Scott Humphrey's Crispy Cream Treblebooster.

 

[jdurso]

a shot and a beer... gets the fingers limber

+1

preferably a whiskey and a blue moon (no orange)

 

[livewire78602]

So where does the compressor pedal go in the chain? Should it be the first pedal that the guitar hits after the tuner? And should it go straight into the head vice the effects loop?

 

[MrMarkIII]

Compressors generally sound best early in the chain and not in the post-preamp loop. Since compressors are signal-leveling devices, loud sounds are damped, while quiet sounds are boosted, and all noise before the compressor will be amplified to the same level as the original signal.
Wah-wah pedals are are particularly egregious offenders.

 

[Ahess86]

I use a Maxon OD808 to push my lead channel. Also the occasional Keeley 2 knob compressor. Highly recommend the OD808 though.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Seriously folks... I think we can assume I4L_SZ has enough skills for the start of a good lead tone. He just wants to bump up his tone to SICK status. Sure tone is in the fingers but let's assume his fingers are as toneful as they need to be... I still say compressor and delay is good too.

 

[darren]

You want a sick lead sound?

Two words:

Octave Fuzz.

 

[fatoni]

just use a mark iv. there is more than enough compression to give fierce lead tone and still have that liquid violin type feel

 

[MusicManJP6]

You want a sick lead sound?

Two words:

Octave Fuzz.

Yeah, the octave fuzz is killer! I like it only in spots of songs i've heard it in. It would get old if used as your only lead tone...

 

[insideout]

You want a sick lead sound?

Two words:

Octave Fuzz.

Yeah, the octave fuzz is killer! I like it only in spots of songs i've heard it in. It would get old if used as your only lead tone...

Totally agree. I view the octave fuzz as an effect - like chorus/phaser/flanger etc. Awesome when used in moderation but not something to leave on all the time 8)

 

[CudBucket]

However, the guy's real secret is that he obviously practices his a$$ off.
He'd sound exactly the same through a Crate.

+1

So many times we think it's the tone we're not happy with but it's really the playing. Gear demos are always more impressive when a good player is doing the demo.

 

[darren]

Yep. I use the Octave Fuzz when i need that "amp-on-the-verge-of-blowing-up" lead tone.

 

[MusicManJP6]

Yep. I use the Octave Fuzz when i need that "amp-on-the-verge-of-blowing-up" lead tone.

Haha. Good description...

 

[Dreads]

i used to the boost midrange heavily..sometimes i'd add a light and wide bit of chorus to it too.

michael schenker used a whah pedal to boost his mids.. I love his lead tone. i also used to use sometimes instead of above.. A slight bit of compression but with the level knob up a ways to drive the amp a bit friskier.

 

[JW123]

A TS-9 is what I use. I have a Line 6 Modeler pedal for delay and use it on short then I can tap in the tempo. I dont use compressors, if you are using a tube amp and need a compressor then in my opinion you dont have the amp set up right. I use a Weber Mass attenuator to get my tubes cooking. I would recomend and attenuator to anyone with a tube amp. For me its more important to gettting my tone than anything else.

Lastly practice practice practice, the masters will sound the same on my amp as they do on theres as the will on yours. The biggest factor in your sound is your hands.

 

[Ellero]

Although practice is a huge issue....i think getting a good sound out of your amp will make you want to practice more! Cuz if you sound like garbage out of your amp, then people tend to give up easier.

Personally i like playing out of a shitty amp to practice tho, cuz then i know when something i play sounds good, i actually played it good haha.

 

[bryan_kilco]

just use a mark iv. there is more than enough compression to give fierce lead tone and still have that liquid violin type feel

I think, in a live band setting, anyone without their own sound guy needs a boost. my band plays shows at a few venues that dont mic the cabs. when i stand out in the audience and listen to other bands on the same stage, that dont have a boost, their leads are drowned out by the rest of the band. sure, the soundguy will try to raise that fader, but it wont be the same as with a boost.

I am looking for some sort of boost as well. will an OD pedal give me enough volume to cut above in situations like i just explained?

 

[scoden]

The best volume boost I have used for pure volume and no extra gain in live settings is an Xotic RC booster in the effects loop.

I hate relying on sound guy to hit the fader ..(always late ..and always overshoots volume......very distracting as Im soloing ...)

If you use an OD or the RC in front of the amp ...it will only give more gain and little to no volume for solos....and that can actually "shrink" your sound a bit from overly compressing the signal.

Put that RC in the loop and you will have more headroom for making solos "pop" than you will ever need.

However...the solo fucntion on my Roadster is just as nice and very useful in live settings as well.

 

[Herbie the Rad Dorklift]

My lead:

Mark IV Lead channel without GEQ:
Gain - 7/8
Bass - 3
Mids - 4
Treb - 7
Drive - 8
Presence - 3ish pushed

Ibanez TS 808:
Gain - 1ish
Tone - 3ish
Level - 10

G Major:
Hint of phaser
650m/s (I think) Dynamic Delay (Goes best with our songs)
Bit of verb
Bit of Compression

I change the amp settings slightly whether I'm playing my Gibson Explorer, Ibanez RGT3020, Vintage LP, or ESP M-II (Usually more bass, less treb for ESP and Ibanez).

 

[jab]

The best volume boost I have used for pure volume and no extra gain in live settings is an Xotic RC booster in the effects loop.

Interesting comment about putting the RC in the loop for a boost. In 25 years I've never found any OD, EQ or boost pedal that brought the volume up enough for solos (while using distortion that is). That was one of the biggest selling points of a Mesa for me - having that solo footswitch was ingenious. Saw a bunch of those RC's in use in Nashville last week - sounded great. I use an AC+ in front of my amp and really like it.