Tone characteristics of a lead guitar

[advennt]

Hi,

I've got a DXMG and a DK2, and i'm experimenting with different tones, but I can't figure out what's the charactristics of a standard lead guitar, i.e. an early Metallica tone is highs and lows at max, and mids at min.

What I call a 'standard' lead guitar tone can be heard in the following video:

I'm using an Ibanez 30W amp and a Hardwire TL-2 metal distortion pedal.

[tomanyjacksons]

Tone is very subjective, if you like it then it's you. We all have a certain sound in our heads. I have been searching for a long time myself and being a moody person, mine changes all the time. Do what you feel and feel what you do.

[Trussrod]

i.e. an early Metallica tone is highs and lows at max, and mids at min.

First off, great playing whoever that was--very expressive and something only a musician--as opposed to a guitar player--can do.

The "scooped mids" equalization you describe is common, but not the only tone for playing lead in rock and metal. I think it's more a question of the different tones available than just one tone being definitive of the genre. IMO sustained high pitch harmonics and dense, crunchy chords are associated with metal and less so with rock. I can't imagine you getting much by way of tone from the setup you described.

[advennt]

The tone setting I mentioned above was just an example to make it easier to understand what I'm aiming for in my question.
I'm just wondering if there's a typical setup for a nice lead tone, which is 'distorted' yet clear enough that you can distinguish each every note played from the other.

[Nightbat]

Then the tonesample is gonna make matters worse
because "clear enough that you can distinguish each every note played from the other" is something I wouldn't try to get from that tone
the only reason things are clear is because it's single notes

Best thing I've come up with when dialing in a 'good tone' is that if 'dial one in' and it's a great lead tone, I dial out mids to get a good rhythm setting,
or if it's a good rhythm setting I just need to dial in some mids to make it a good lead tone

[markD]

i have found that i tend to up the mids and lower the bass with my lead tone. i have my amp set as follows:

master volume- 4 or 5 / bass- 4 / middle- 6 / treble- 4 or 5 / gain- 9

that yields me a lead tone similar to steve vai on "passion and warfare". only having a 2 channel amp (and hating pedals) i alos use that tone for my rytyhm sound. it works out rather nicely. in order to get the good sustain though, my amp is LOUD. that isn't a problem for me - for some people it is. i also gig, so that volume isn't too bad. i usually have the cabinets turned sideways so they aren't blasting the crowd.

as far as having the notes ring clear enough from the others, i find that comes from excellent technique. i, myself, am not a shredder and rarely play fast unless it is in the style of michael schenker. i am much more of melodic player - i will sustain notes for more than a beat or two in my leads. i also slur and bend notes a lot. those things help me have better note definition. i will admit that my tone does play some part in it....i am not so distorted that the amp feeds back and hisses. those things will certainly kill your note definition...

oh well, hope this helps....

[advennt]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a go and see how it turns out.

[MartinBarre]

You want to boost the upper mids for a great lead tone. That's why Marty liked the Seymour Duncan JB pickup so much.