Correct knob settings and strings

[antacid]

I am recording with a Gibson/Epiphone electric. It doesn't have a model name on it, but it looks like the pictures of the SG model per its shape, color, pickguard, and knobs/switch.

I know absolutely nothing about guitar tone or how I should be setting these knobs. I've written most of my songs while playing an acoustic (despite the fact that they are rock songs). Now I have this electric and a Boss GS-10 to work with.

When I record, I use the direct/effect option to record both the processed signal and the unprocessed direct feed at the same time. I think that, ultimately, the effect I use when recording will probably not be the one that is used in the final product, and the unprocessed direct feed will be reworked with some other effect instead.

So my main concern when recording the guitar right now is to get the best possible clean feed, that will work for just about any effects I or someone else applies to it later. I've noticed a huge difference in the sound when I use distortion and flip the switch back and forth - so I don't want to mess this up on all my recordings.

The same goes for strings - no idea what strings to buy for this purpose. Some recommendations there would be really helpful also.

The guitar parts range from heavy riffs (think Deftones) to softer sections with finger picking. So I'm looking to set this up with the broadest possible application, in order to make sure that whatever I record ends up being usable with different effects.

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[one guy]

Its all about how you want it to sound there is no correct settings for tone control its all about what YOU want it to sound like

 

[miroslav]

Guitar knobs should all be set on "11".

Strings...anything except the plastic coated shit.
Only ghey people and those with sulfuric acid sweat, use plastic covered strings.
A set of "10s" are standard fare...09's and lighter are for young boys and girls...but if you've been playing mostly acoustic, then you can go for some manley "11s" or even "12s" (just forget about bending too much).

 

[antacid]

So I'm going to pick up some Ernie Ball 10s (unless there are downsides to that brand that I should know about), and leave both volume knobs all the way up...

But the tone knobs and the switch. Should I just leave both tone knobs at "5"? Because I don't want to have somebody working on it and then they come back to me saying that they can't rework the clean guitar signal because it always ends up sounding too muddy or too bright. Same question for the switch, which has "treble," an unmarked medium setting, and "rhythm." Should I leave it in the middle?

I'm a little wary of adjusting things per my taste when I don't know what it will sound like after being reworked with different effects. I basically just want to create the best blank canvas in terms of tone, for effects to be applied later.

 

[Lt. Bob]

10's are fine. Ernie Balls are fine.

I leave the volumes all the way up and I don't even have tone controls on my custom guitar because I NEVER use them for anything at all ever.
You'll find very many guys leave the tones all the way up all the time. All they do in most gits is roll off the highs. Use your own judgement but I prefer to set the tone on the mixer and leave the tones all the way up on the git.

The switch selects between the bridge p'up and the neck p'up.
All three settings will have different sounds ..... use the one you like best for a particular app.

There are NO absolute settings though. You will HAVE to use your own judgement as to what works well for you.

 

[Track Rat]

^^^^All of the above.^^^^

 

[miroslav]

So I'm going to pick up some Ernie Ball 10s (unless there are downsides to that brand that I should know about), and leave both volume knobs all the way up...

But the tone knobs and the switch. Should I just leave both tone knobs at "5"? Because I don't want to have somebody working on it and then they come back to me saying that they can't rework the clean guitar signal because it always ends up sounding too muddy or too bright. Same question for the switch, which has "treble," an unmarked medium setting, and "rhythm." Should I leave it in the middle?

I'm a little wary of adjusting things per my taste when I don't know what it will sound like after being reworked with different effects. I basically just want to create the best blank canvas in terms of tone, for effects to be applied later.

Ernie Ball Slinky strings are fine.

The switch is to choose your neck PU (up) bridge PU (down) or both (middle). I would use either the neck or bridge, depending on your desired flavor...though sometimes the middle/combined position works just right too.
Don't set the Tone knobs on "5"...it will make everything sound totally dull....leave them on full.

You are over-thinking this...

I generally leave all my guitar knobs on full...and I'll just make note of which PU I used for a given track. Most of the sound/tone shaping occurs at the amp for me, and I always make a note of which amp/settings I used for a given track, in case I want to go back to it... but if you are just plugging into some Pod, then make a note of those settings.

Also...getting the guitar tone up front is usually what it's all about. Finding the sweet spot on the amp for tone and crunch...and that's what you record. It's not really about getting some totally neutral/clean "middle ground" setting...though if you plan on re-amping later, you could always do a split from the guitar, and record one track DI from the guitar only. That will be pretty clean and barebones....but I would still record the main track with the full sound/tone you want, not some "blank canvas".

AFA adding FX...you can play with that later...you don't need a neutral/clean guitar track to add FX to...it still works if the track has plenty of tone and crunch etc....

 

[arcadeko]

Guitar knobs should all be set on "11".

True True...

I like the neck pickup myself - gets more BASS! You get the big boom

The only reason i ever touch the knobs is if I am plugged into a hot amp and I need to set the guitar down. If I don;t want ti to feedback I cut the volume until I am ready to play.

 

[sjjohnston]

You really didn't know what the pickup switch does? A bit surprising, but whatever....

For a "clean unprocessed feed," you almost certainly want the volume and tone controls all the way up. I can't think of any reason you wouldn't. Putting the tone control anywhere else is, pretty much by definition, "processing." The primary use of the volume knob (to my mind) is to adjust the amount and character of the distortion you get from your amp.

Whether you (a) adopt the approach of recording the plain, or "blank" sound of the guitar, and processing later, or (b) try to record the final guitar tone right from the outset is entirely up to you. The latter is the more common (particularly historically), but the former might well make a lot more sense if you're not starting out with a lot of experience and a clear idea of your guitar tone from the get-go.

If you had one of the Rickenbackers with "Ric-o-sound," you could go one better and avoid a pickup-switch decision by recording both of them separately.

 

[antacid]

You really didn't know what the pickup switch does? A bit surprising, but whatever....

I knew that it switched between the different pickups, but I didn't know which setting I should be using to get the "correct" tone for re-amping down the road. I thought maybe I should be using the in-between setting to produce a consistent blank canvas for when somebody reworks the effects later. But now, I think I'll be using the treble setting for higher parts and the rhythm setting for heavy riffs (yes, maybe I was overthinking things a bit.) With all knobs set to "11," of course.

Thanks for all your advice, everybody. I feel a lot better knowing exactly what to do, and I think my recording will benefit a lot from it.

 

[sjjohnston]

I didn't know which setting I should be using to get the "correct" tone for re-amping down the road. I thought maybe I should be using the in-between setting to produce a consistent blank canvas for when somebody reworks the effects later.

I don't think there's really a "blank" or "unmodified" pickup selection. The middle (both pickups) sound is itself distinctive from either, due to the interaction of the two (which is set up different with different guitars). If you look at guitars that only have a single pickup, they're all over the board (or all over the body, I suppose), including bridge-only (e.g. the original Fender Esqure, or the Les Paul Junior, from the '50s), neck-only (old Fender Musicmaster) or kind of halfway in-between.

But now, I think I'll be using the treble setting for higher parts and the rhythm setting for heavy riffs (yes, maybe I was overthinking things a bit.)

That doesn't seem like overthinking to me. Makes sense.

With all knobs set to "11," of course.

Of course.

 

[antacid]

That doesn't seem like overthinking to me. Makes sense.

Nono, I meant the original thought process of trying to avoid the two different settings was probably overthinking a bit (as another poster suggested). Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Lt. Bob]

I didn't know which setting I should be using to get the "correct" tone for re-amping down the road.

there's no such thing as a 'correct' tone for re-amping.
Basically, re-amping is ideally the same thing as plugging your guitar into an amp so the correct tone would be whatever tone you personally would choose if you were actually plugging into that amp.
It sounds like you don't really know yet since you're new to the electric.
What you're planning to do will be a good starting point. You very well may later on decide you don't like what you chose and will do it differently next time. That's an unavoidable part of the learning process.