I think Im maturing in the tone department...

[RobRR]

Ah yes... in my early days, I never thought Id find myself doing this... usually, the heavier and tighter, the better! But no so much anymore... for the first time ever, in the past few months I have found myself turning the gain DOWN! Thats right ladys and gents, down.

Now I know, I know, it seems crazy... but its cool!

Seriously though, Ive really been experimenting more, looking for different, GOOD tones... not just balls-to-the-walls-scooped-to-hell sound. I still love it, but Im starting to expand big time. And thanks to the Vetta, I can experiment with just about any amp Ive ever wanted to, from the comfort of my gear room.

[Twisteramps]

A really nice sound on the Vetta is to take the Zen master, put the gain around 75%, and then hit that with the tube screamer. KILLER blues tone.

Pete

[Cleveland Metal]

Yeah, I use my CAE preamp gain on 4 and it goes to 10. I'd like a bit more grit, but the best control is around 4. Stays tight and has the best attack and definition. I get much higher and it's like running in sand.

[Racerx2k]

Exactly. I used to run my gain, balls-out. These days, I run it around 4 - 5. I think as my playing has improved, and my picking and fretting has become cleaner, I feel I want less gain. I've also noticed that certain amps that I used to dig, I don't care for as much, because the clarity I'm craving isn't quite there.
Lot's of players use less gain than most think. Vai and Gilbert, two of my favs, don't really use all that much gain. Alot of their sustain comes from the mere volume at which they are playing.

[markD]

one of the things i love about my amp is that it isn't over the top with gain. even on 10 i can play an open Cadd9 chord and hear each note note with clarity. that means a lot to me. my sustain comes from volume and the frequencies in the midrange that i like to use. it is certainly a tighter sound also.

[hippietim]

Yeah, I use my CAE preamp gain on 4 and it goes to 10. I'd like a bit more grit, but the best control is around 4. Stays tight and has the best attack and definition. I get much higher and it's like running in sand.

No shit, eh?

Most amps in the past I'd run the preamp pretty high but I find myself at about 12 o'clock at most on that beast.

My Brunetti Mille doesn't have quite as much gain as the CAE but there is certainly no reason to dime it either!

[Cleveland Metal]

Yeah, when I say four out of ten, I mean 11 oclock. That is where the attack, tighness and clarity do nicely. I wish it were a bit more brutal / raw tho. I likeit the tone at about 1 oclock, but then for fast sharp icking, it loses clarity.

Remember tho, I am running EMG 81s, and an EMG PA-1 booster at 10oclock into the front of the CAE3+se preamp. Without that slamming the front end, I'd sell the thing and go ENGL 570.

[GryphonGuitar]

Let me put it this way - when the model packs for my POD came out, I knew the old me would have loved it for the Metal Zone model, and for sticking that in front of a dimed Line 6 Insane amp for some serious square wave distortion

But how wonderful to have matured, and to have the gain below 7 on all my patches. Welcome to the world of the tone-grown!

[Robert Burns]

I mentioned this the other day also, that its suprising me, that im getting
a huge monster tone, with definition, and clarity on the green clean
channel of my DSL 2000 50 wt, with the volume at 5 (being controlled
by the GT-8) or else i would die!) and the Gain at 10 oclock!
3 months ago, i was maxed out on the gain, and even had the gain
on the GT-8 up to 2 oclock, which ive since discovered doesnt like anything over 9 oclock. But i seem to be getting a warmer defined
tone with twice the sustain, and still a huge bottom. (although i cheat
and i add the Pitch Transposer to 2 octaves bellow, but only use about
8% output of this effect, so you dont hear it directly, but its a ton 'o
Frieghtrain low end!

[axeman81]

I found myself going in this direction 3 years ago...just a simple realisation, that less is more.

[PittJitsu]

I took the expensive rout to great tone.. Vintage tube amps.. I'm spoiled now, and haven't touched my line 6 in 2 years.. I'm broke too.

[RobRR]

Let me put it this way - when the model packs for my POD came out, I knew the old me would have loved it for the Metal Zone model, and for sticking that in front of a dimed Line 6 Insane amp for some serious square wave distortion

But how wonderful to have matured, and to have the gain below 7 on all my patches. Welcome to the world of the tone-grown!

Amen brotha!


Im also getting some GREAT tones out of my Tone Port UX2, which I use most of the time now a days. Im still refining, but I really think Ive got MY tone on that little $200 piece of amazing equipment!`

[jackson1]

+1 on the lower gain revelation. When recording in the studio, a lower gain guitar sound will also be captured with much more percussive smack and brutality compared to a hell on earth setup with forty Metal Zone's in serial, dialed in at 10 and run through an ENGL Powerball. On 10.

[RobRR]

[GryphonGuitar]

Amen brotha!


Im also getting some GREAT tones out of my Tone Port UX2, which I use most of the time now a days. Im still refining, but I really think Ive got MY tone on that little $200 piece of amazing equipment!`

Always nice to run into a fellow Line6'er