Getting more gain out of an amp?

C

Canobliss

New member
I just got an EVH III and Peavey 6505+ (aka 5150 II) taking one back once i decide which one i like best. (Ill prob post some side by side tests eventually for anyone curious)
From my initial tests I love the EVH 3. Much smoother sounding distortion.
I wish the 2nd channel had just a little more gain, there isn't quite enough for metal. I already have EMGs and refuse to use distortion pedals. Ive also turned the volume up high but still not enough.

Im looking at the "Seymour Duncan SFX-01 Pickup Booster Effects Pedal". Anybody ever use this? Any other suggestions? Possibly tube types?
 
Fat Boost.

I think its around 20dB of clean boost. That should do the preamp good.
That or just a compressor pedal. Some things to consider before added a third stage of distortion.
 
Why no distortion? Seems you need some kind of pedal to enhance the gain-staging, be it an OD or booster.
 
TelePaul said:
Why no distortion? Seems you need some kind of pedal to enhance the gain-staging, be it an OD or booster.
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preface - I am referring to hi-gain amps with this:

If you can drive the preamp harder with a clean signal it will come out (IMO) better than driving it harder with a distorted signal.
 
yep I agree. The distortion on the amp sounds great! I definitely don't want to mess it up with a distortion pedal. Its just the way EVH designed it. Channel 3 has plenty of gain but for metal 2 is just barely lacking.

Ill try that signal booster, hopefully it won't have any negative effects on tone.

Thanks!
 
Well I suggested a booster, but even this will affect your gain - I use the term in its technical tense. As for an OD, I use one as a booster by setting the drive at 0 and the level at 10.
 
I recently designed a Booster curcuit that you install inside your guitar with a 9v battery....It can be Talored to the ammount of gain you want and is very clean and gives a nice boost and sounds great for overdriveing the input tubes on yer amp....

If you are electronics oriented I can post the curcuit and PCB design for you and you can build your own ,Probably wouldn"t cost more than $10 to build....

Cheers
 
The easiest way would be to get a compressor/sustainer pedal.

The problem you are having is the EMG's. They are high power, but most of the signal s in the upper midrange and high end. That amp saturates better when you feed it lower midrange. If you plugged a guitar with a passive pickup into it, it would be a different world.
 
Farview said:
The easiest way would be to get a compressor/sustainer pedal.

The problem you are having is the EMG's. They are high power, but most of the signal s in the upper midrange and high end. That amp saturates better when you feed it lower midrange. If you plugged a guitar with a passive pickup into it, it would be a different world.
Click to expand...

And would a compressor give more low-end saturation?
 
it might be worth it to try some sort of tubescreamer in front of it with the drive turned all the way down but the level cranked to taste
 
Farview said:
The easiest way would be to get a compressor/sustainer pedal.

The problem you are having is the EMG's. They are high power, but most of the signal s in the upper midrange and high end. That amp saturates better when you feed it lower midrange. If you plugged a guitar with a passive pickup into it, it would be a different world.
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to agree here - EMG's are (in my experience) great for very high levels of saturation, where their strong presence and upper mids and rather restrained bass gives them a lot of cut. They handle gain VERY well. However, in lower gain situations, passives seem to have more "chunk" because they're not so tightly focused into a wider frequency band...

I mean, you mention EVH - it's worth remembering his "signature sound" was a PAF (low output by humbucker standards) into a modded Marshall.

Also, a lot of guys use OD's out front of high gain amps partly as a slight boost, but partly as a bit of a pre-EQ. The "Andy Sneap" school of gear is to take a TS9 with the drive set quite low and the level up a bit, and use it to slightly goose the front end of a Rectifier, less for the gain boost and more to tighten up the low end somewhat. It's subtle, and more often than not I prefer my Rectoverb without a boost (especially for leads), but it's nice and can really work for some things (such as, say, technical metal a la Nevermore and basically any other band Sneap has ever produced, lol).

So, don't rule out a Tubescreamer or something just becase it's capable of adding gain, not just volume - you can set it so it adds little or no extra distortion, some guys get off on the mix of even and odd order harmonics anyway, and it's always nice to be able to take your boost, move a few knobs, and take it to a blues jam or something. :D
 
Tubescreamer is probably the best stock OD pedal I've used. Carry it a step further and get a Allums modded TS7. Better than any Boss pedal.

But you can start by testing a clean boost. The BBE Boosta Grande will give you 20db of clean boost, doesn't change your tone at all, and is completely noiseless even at full gain. (assuming the rest of your chain is noise free)

Open your eyes even further by putting the Boosta Grande in the fx loop so it is boosting the signal into the power amp!! You can almost remove makeup and pop zits by doing that..... :D

Dont ever underestimate the power and utility of a good EQ pedal. That is, imo, the best place to start......but testing pickups is the best suggestion, also.
 
TelePaul said:
And would a compressor give more low-end saturation?
Click to expand...
No. It would smooth out the dynamics of the playing to the point where it is always in the saturation. Most of the time when people want more gain, they are looking for more sustain and not necessarily distortion. The pedal gets you far enough into the distortion and keeps you there no matter what you play.
 
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