Tips for making a low-end amp sound better

  • Thread starter Thread starter dsideb
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dsideb

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Hey all,

I'm recording some demos over the summer for the first time. I won't really have access to some better guitar equipment until I return to school in the fall, and right now I'm playing my old epiphone along with the epiphone studio 15R amp that came with it.

I'm not expecting any miracles here, but what tips do you have for getting the best out of recording a cheap amp in a bedroom/home demo setting?

Thanks
 
The same mic positioning/experimentation with that, applies to any amp. There is a 'sweet spot' for every situation. Will it be the best tone ever? maybe/probably not, but it takes trial and error to get the best from any amp.

What are you using to record it with?
 
I agree. mic position can help get a thicker tone if you back it off the speaker a bit. 4,5 maby 8 inches? also if you can record 2 mics at once. put one out in the room to pick up some lower tones. probly get some reverb but might sound cool mixed right with closer mic.
 
What type of sound are you after anyway? There is no perfect solution to any type, but we don't know if you are looking to get bluegrass, blues, or metal. There are different techniques for every genre.

I keep waiting to hear someone ask how to get that RAP guitar tone! lol!
 
I hope its a metal tone. that would be easier to fake with a cheap amp then blues or any clean tone.
 
shellofme said:
I hope its a metal tone. that would be easier to fake with a cheap amp then blues or any clean tone.
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I'm not so sure I would agree there. Unless you consider the crap tone that most kids consider to be a 'Metal' tone. The heavy tone that is used for most newer styles of said Metal, is quite a daunting task to achieve. I find it much easier to get a descent warm clean tone, with a cheap amp, than anything useable in a heavy guitar driven rock tune. It all really comes down to the player first, then the guitar, then the amp. I remember one time I had an amazing guitar player show up in the studio to just mess around. The only thing I had for him to play through, was a crappy Crate G-hell I don't know. 8" speaker with a hole in the cone. He made it his bitch. It sounded amazing. Tried it with another guitar player doing scratch tracks in a heavy rock recording, and it sounded absolutely hideous.

Nothing like a Roland Jazz Chorus for clean warm tone though. Man I love that amp!
 
hey jimmy were not getting reply but I'm interested in your solution for metal tone on cheap amp. got anything?:rolleyes:
 
good point but I think distortion can hide more than a clean tone can. any expensive amp on a clean setting will give you the clearest representation of that amps tonal ability. distortion tends to hide or blend a lot of dynamic range of the amp.
 
if you could layer the recording at different settings. say 1st take bass , 2nd more high end, 3rd mid range. keep distortion to a minimal setting. and mix them you could get closer then just doing one take at that amps best metal tone. separate the tones and pan then differently. throw in some room mic.
 
Solution? No. Suggestion? Maybe. Turn the amp off. lol!

Just kidding.... Kinda

I have not ever heard a solid state amp give a great tone. I used to have a Johnson combo that sounded damn good in the room, once you put a mic on it, it just sounded like crap. That same old ADA tone that everyone seemed to have in the late 80's, but with more versatility. I had a guy come in with a tiny little Orange 1-12 combo, that sounded amazing. If a cheap amp is all that can be afforded, then get a cheap tube combo. The little crappy solid state Crate amp I have, sounded best with the bluesy dood playing on it. I could never seem to find a way to make a solid state amp, sound like a tube driven amp. And I don't mean a preamp tube. Power amp tubes are the only thing that seems to get anything useable. Even then, there is still much more to mess with. At least, it is a starting point.
 
yes the musician the guitar the pick ups all make a big difference but removing those variables and just talking cheap amp sounding better through recording tricks. what would you do?
 
shellofme said:
good point but I think distortion can hide more than a clean tone can. any expensive amp on a clean setting will give you the clearest representation of that amps tonal ability. distortion tends to hide or blend a lot of dynamic range of the amp.
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Distortion makes garbage out of tone. Anyone who shows up with anything more than a Tube Screamer, gets laughed at by me. Distortion pedals are an excuse for poor playing, and worthless for recording IMO. Good distorted tone, does not come from a pedal. It comes from over driving tubes in a pleasant way. Type O Negative type guitar sounds, make me want to curl up in the fetal position, and die alone. I suppose it has it's merit in the genre, but I just hate hearing it myself.
 
no solid state amps dont have great tone. but you can still get a good sound out of them. every heard of dime bag darrell/pantera. he used solid state amps and pushed metal into the mainstream like metallica. not with a tube amp. with a solid state amp. so come down a notch and be real. the player is a big part but there are always ways to make any amp sound better. and there are always recording tricks to reverse any downfalls of any amp. do you agree???????????
 
shellofme said:
if you could layer the recording at different settings. say 1st take bass , 2nd more high end, 3rd mid range. keep distortion to a minimal setting. and mix them you could get closer then just doing one take at that amps best metal tone. separate the tones and pan then differently. throw in some room mic.
Click to expand...

That sounds like an interesting experiment. Just the recording of more than one take, of a less distorted amp, will give better chance of good tone, than one track of heavily distorted guitar. It is a strange thing, the way microphones hear a distorted guitar. Played back through speakers, other than the ones the amp uses, tend to sound thin and not pleasing. It takes a bit of time to get used to the fact that less distortion, not necessarily less gain, will sound better when double tracked. I have found, and many others will probably agree, that turning down the preamp gain, and pushing the hell out of the output gain tubes, will result in that grinding tone, that ends up being the distortion that most are looking for.

That however, is not possible with a solid state amp.

Maybe you could try to do an experiment with what you suggested. But I bet you will just get a bunch of mud. Solid state amps just seem to loose the natural sound of the strings. It gets fuzzy really quick.

I would have more faith in getting good metal tone from a sim, than I would from a non tube amp.
 
i agree with distorion pedals. I only use a tube screamer. it is pretty transparent and wont really change your tone. just add a bite of sustain. but you can make a cheap amp sound better with a few tricks. do you have any.
 
shellofme said:
no solid state amps dont have great tone. but you can still get a good sound out of them. every heard of dime bag darrell/pantera. he used solid state amps and pushed metal into the mainstream like metallica. not with a tube amp. with a solid state amp. so come down a notch and be real. the player is a big part but there are always ways to make any amp sound better. and there are always recording tricks to reverse any downfalls of any amp. do you agree???????????
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Um, yeah. He used solid state preamps, through Randall tube amps through most of his career.

There are recording tricks, the first and foremost that I have found, is that tube amps sound better in the studio. I am not saying it isn't possible. Hell, every band has its own unique sound. I'm not sure Eddie ever needed an amp to make him sound like Mr. VH. It comes down to what sound it is you want for yourself. Be assured, you could play through Hetfields Boogie, and not sound like Hetfield. Just as Kirk would not sound the same as Mustaine on his rig. Reversing downfalls, is not the approach. Finding the tone that fits you is more appropriate. If you are feeling that the rig you are using isn't working, don't try to fix it, try something else. :)
 
tube amps are the best for tone IMHO but a solid state amp can also sound pretty good. its in the ear of the beholder. to make a cheap solid state amp sound big and full you have to separate the tones bass mids highs layer them and pan them differently. but record with low gain because the gain will multiply with each track on top of each other. its your best chance in your situation.
 
he's not asking how to fix his rig. he wants to know how he can get the best sound out of the cheap ass amp he has to work with right now.
 
shellofme said:
i agree with distorion pedals. I only use a tube screamer. it is pretty transparent and wont really change your tone. just add a bite of sustain. but you can make a cheap amp sound better with a few tricks. do you have any.
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Yeah, try a tube screamer on a cheap 'tube' head at Guitar Center, and hear the difference.

I am not trying to beat anything into your head bro. It just works so much better when the strings of a guitar are not emulated to sound like something. There is truly nothing better than actually hearing a string vibrate a speaker. Much like a piano, or better yet for metal, when you hear a bass guitar that sounds like a piano. So many try to go to far to create power from a guitar, when it is already there. It is just the way you get that power on tape, that seems elusive. The natural breaking up of a speaker (a whole different conversation), combined withe the grind you get from tubes, is just not possible to achieve otherwise. Yes, you can get close with a solid state amp, but you it will eat at you forever until you actually play through a 6505 or something comparable/better. Once you do, you will realize that you only needed to rob one bank to get there. Or get a job. lol!

I'm just razzin you. No offense meant. Shit, I can't afford one myself. I have friends that I borrow from. :)
 
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