Distorted rhythm guitar not sounding right

I’m very new to home recording, started just a few months ago. In order to learn how to get the right sound, I thought it would be a good idea to record some really easy rock songs. I’m using Logic Pro to record my guitar and create the tracks for bass, drums, etc. I find it so hard to get the right sound for the distorted rhythm guitar. I wonder if anybody would care to have a listen and maybe give me some ideas on how to improve it?

California Sun (cover, instrumental) by Peppe | Free Listening on SoundCloud

(There are some minor rhythm imperfections due to a problem with latency, but I think I know how to solve that.)

The original (cover) sounds great:
California Sun (Remastered) by Wasa Express on Apple Music

Thanks!
 
Well I'm no expert but you should be able to get reasonable results by putting the mic on the edge of the speaker instead of the cone. Dial in the amount of distortion you're after, then back off the gain a bit. Apply a high pass after you've recorded it, job done. If only it was that easy :)
 
Well I'm no expert but you should be able to get reasonable results by putting the mic on the edge of the speaker instead of the cone. Dial in the amount of distortion you're after, then back off the gain a bit. Apply a high pass after you've recorded it, job done. If only it was that easy :)

Thanks. I'll experiment a bit with the mic placement. I noticed that high mid, low bass and treble produces a somewhat better sound.
 
Mic placement is crucial when recording this way. Experiment with different locations...closer to center = crisp and treble, towards edge=darker. Once you get a decent tone, you can the fine tune with some EQ. Also, use about 1/2 the gain you probably think sounds good to your ears.
 
what else you gonna do?

Good question. I'm actually making progress. Proves not to be just gain, EQ and mic placement, even if that's partly the reason. The guitar should be played a bit differently as well. It's actually the main reason for not sounding right.
 
The rhythm guitar is just sort of muddy. Play around with mic placements, and consider some heavy EQ'ing on the guitars. It ALWAYS varies for me as to what I do, but generally I add some extra brightness, cut out the 10k and above fuzz, and MAYBE lose some of the low mid zone if necessary. That can make you lose a ton of power though, so do it sparingly.
 
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