Using a tubescreamer

[chamelious]

Originally Posted by Tadpui

Is this for recording or for live performances? If it's for recording, then cranking your preamp gain all the way up is probably the reason that your distortion needs "beefing up" in the first place. Too much gain is just going to make a recorded guitar sound thin, tinny, and robbed of all dynamics.

Beefing up heavy guitar is more about creating layers of less distorted guitars and less about creating a single layer of over-distorted guitars. Back the preamp gain way back from full (that 1:00 position you mention sounds better for a reason) and try recording 2 tracks of that, pan them wide in the stereo field, and see if that yields a heavier sound. All that preamp gain just serves to make a guitar indistinct and grainy in the mix. Even the V3, the XXX, or the Bugera are going to sound pretty terrible on record with the preamp gain maxed out.

Live. Teaching how to suck eggs unfortunately but thanks anyway!