Can't seem to get a tone I like

C

Chaos351

New member
Hello everyone!

For years now, I've been plagued with never being happy with my tone.

I used to use a Peavey Windsor half stack with an MXR D+, and 10 Band EQ (And other pedals, but they weren't used often) and I used to be able to get a half decent tone, although it was more 80's style (Nothing wrong with that, but lately I've wanted to get a more modern metal tone).

Since then, I've purchased a Bugera 6260 head (Which is a copy of the Peavey 5150), but I just couldn't seem to find a tone I really like with it. I purchased a Marshall JCM 800 2203 head, and the matching cab (The gt75 speakers, or whatever they're called), and it almost seems like my tone got worse! The cab itself seems to be an upgrade from my previous Peavey Windsor cab, but the JCM 800 doesn't seem as heavy, which perplexes me as I know it was one of the "go-to" amps for 80's metal bands. I know Zakk Wylde used one when he played with Ozzy, and I can't seem to get a tone anywhere near his tone, not that I'm that huge of a fan of Zakk. I know the speakers are different, but the "feel" of the amp seems light to me, if that makes sense. I have the maser volume set to around 5, the preamp at 10 (It's going into a Rivera Rock Crusher attenuator to control the volume down to bedroom levels) and I have a BOSS SD-1 set as a boost before the preamp with the settings roughly 9 o'clock on the gain, maxed volume, tone at 12 o'clock. It's not very heavy sounding at all to me.

The kind of tone I'm looking for is along the lines of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsDJih0yYgk

I've been thinking of getting a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier, but I'm also not wanting to go broke trying to get the tone I want.


My current setup is as follows:

Agile LP3000, "Chackson" Jackson Concorde (Chinese copy that's been outfitted with quality parts), Schecter Hellraiser -> DI box (To remove ground noise) -> Pedalboard -> MXR Noise Gate (Very minimal settings, just set to stop any feedback from happening) -> Ernieball Volume Pedal -> Boss SD-1 -> MXR 10 Band EQ (Minimal settings, just cutting out lows, really) -> MXR Noise gate -> Pedalboard -> Bugera 6260, Marshall JCM800, or Peavey Windsor, though usually the first two -> Rivera Rock Crusher -> Marshall 1960a Cabinet.

I've tried some other distortion pedals like the MXR Fullbore metal pedal, two different MXR D+ (One "vintage" and the other is modern), and the 10 band EQ as a boost, and none of them give me a half decent tone. I've tried plugging directly into the amp, and the tone feels even weaker.


I'm just trying to get a modern metal tone, and I just can't seem to get one. If anyone can offer me any help, that would be much appreciated.
 
Chaos351 said:
(It's going into a Rivera Rock Crusher attenuator to control the volume down to bedroom levels)
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There's probably your problem right there. "Heavy" comes from moving air. You're taking race horses on steroids and tying their legs together. What you're left with is flat fizz tone.

Being a JCM 800 lover myself, I can tell you that they are not high gain amps. They do need help for metal, which you're doing with the SD-1 and EQ, and that alone should get you there. But you gotta let that amp be what it is - loud. That aint no bedroom amp. Attenuators are fantastic tools for knocking a little off the top, but none of them adequately take a roaring amp all the way down to bedroom levels and have it all still sound fantastic. It's a compromise.

Having said all that, maybe you do need a Triple Rec if that modern metal tone is what you're after.
 
Choas, why don't you post up some of the tones that you are getting and people will see if they can help - sounds like you've got plenty of gear to try different things.
 
Greg_L said:
I'd personally love to hear another JCM 800.
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Yeah, I'd like to hear one in full metal mode aswell. Your tones with your JCM are fucking good, Greg but it would be interesting (for you as well I expect) to hear someone try something totally different with one.
 
JDOD said:
Yeah, I'd like to hear one in full metal mode aswell. Your tones with your JCM are fucking good, Greg but it would be interesting (for you as well I expect) to hear someone try something totally different with one.
Click to expand...

Sure it would. Everyone should own a JCM 800. IMO it's one of the greatest rock and roll amps of all time. :D

I can coax mine into metal madness, but I'm not a fan of that kind of tone for myself so I don't do it often besides to just goof around. 800s and a Tube Screamer will do 80s hair metal tones all day long. But that's not a "modern" sound.


Another option for the OP would be a JVM if he wants to stay in the Marshall family. They are based around 800s, but they have more channels, more options, and about ten times the gain of a stock 800. And...they can be found used for about $1000. Great amps. They can do "modern" all day long and still retain their Marshall character.
 
I can't watch the YouTube video at work (stupid proxy servers), but I too am a fan of the modern metal tone and I've come to find out that a Tube Screamer in the chain before the amp with the distortion turned all the way down and the level and tone turned all the way up does wonders to boost the "heaviness" of even a 5150. I'm looking at buying a 6505 MH in the near future and I plan to throw a TS808 in front of it.
 
I'm not sure which guitar tone you have in mind. What I'm hearing is a lot of layering of guitar tracks, none of them particularly loud in the mix. That's a good way of building up a heavy guitar sound, but it's not necessarily coming from any one of those guitars. It's the sum of all of them.
 
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