Hell Yes/ My Tone!

62strat

How often can i say that? right now, its stellar...i will see how it sounds with the band....

all thanks to you gentleman...


62strat - les paul
tu2 tuner
gcb595q wah
cs2 sustainer- level cranked...
mxr phase 90 - perfect control over it in this place
boss m2 delay- thank you lord
ibanez sonic distortion - distortino at about 45%, level at about 90%
ts "808" - level about 60% distortion at about 50%
now heres the kicker..and the reason for it all....
tsdx10 - wow, level cranked, distortion at about 25%

having the tsdx 10 cranked, really pushes the tubes, so i can have my amp at around 2..and crankthat pedal, and it makes a worlds difference on the + setting, gives it a really thick volume crank..a little break in the clean tone, but really drives the amp(whether its actually driving the tubes i have no idea, but it sounds like it)so i can have a gret tone at quiter volume. So as my distortion, i have that going at all times then hit the sonic distortion, its not as mushy and muddy and "sonic" as the pedal alone, the DX really thickesn it up, rounding it out and really driving it..really full sounding heavy distortion, yet can hear distinctively all notes...then i can press the ts808 for any leads...or vice versa depending on the song...

sounds excellent with both guitars as well. i always have the cs2 on when im using my strat cause it really thickens it up...get that great bluesy tone on the neck pickup, and that great ripping rock from the others, much tonal possibilities...

yup, im very pleased right now.

tomorrow? hopefully ill feel the same!

exhausted

cool. i'm sure it'll take a bit of fine-tuning with the band but if you're happy with the order of things, you'll have a good handle on it.

62strat

ya i think so too. im afraid it will get lost within the band, its alays hard to hear while other instruments are cranking in apractice room...but i just have to remember it sounds good on its own so...hopefully it holds up and i can manage it on stage as well

evenflowrocks

the never ending quest for tone...can be so satisfying when you get it just...right. now a tech question.. the cs2 sustainer, is that a compressor/sustainer and if so, exactly what does it do to your tone? I heard they really help on the lead channel for solos and such. Just wondering, thanks scott

62strat

well for me, im no technical expert ill leave that up to ex and paco...


but what it does for me is, where it is at int he chain..it really thickens up my tone ont he strat..give sit more of that....well, ya...better feel, thickens it up..does add sustain...( dont knwo techincal terms, i just know what sounds and feels good to me) i dont use it as volume for any solos or leads...i use it to basically crank up the output of my amp without having to turn my amp up. I dont use it on my les paul because it feedbacks too much, and not cool feedback..a deep swell that i cant control...i just use the compression sustainer on my strat to thicken it up and make it sound...like it should...

god that made no sense...

greg please....

but i tell you what, when ijust have the 808 on , ir tsdx on..and i punch in the cs 2 on either guitars..it cranks up the distortion, and nmot making it muddy or messy..but pucnhes it and makes it harder...

evenflowrocks

sounds like I might have to go get one of these. I mainly use my marshalls distortion and then kick in the tubescreamer for a little help and this sounds like more help!!!!! yahoo thanks for the "guitarist terms" answer. very understandable....later

Pacomc79

I love that feeling All warm and fuzzy. The band will undoubtedly be happy and pissed as you will stretch solos out 10 more minutes or so

mccreadyisgod

A compressor is meant to take a signal, squish down the volume on the loudest parts, and then bring the whole level up a bit. The term "compress" comes from the squishing part. You set a certain volume threshold, and if the volume ever exceeds that level, it squishes it down. You adjust how much it squishes with a ratio adjustment. If the ratio is 2:1, then for every 2 dB the signal goes over the threshold, it squishes it to 1 dB. If the ratio is 5:1, then for every 5 dB over the threshold, it squishes down to 1 dB. Since you take all the really loud notes and squish them, you can raise the total output and make the whole signal sound richer and fuller. This also helps sustain quite a bit.

Now, compressors for guitar are a special case. Many guitar compressors don't have "threshold" and "ratio" adjustments, they just have an overall compression control that alternately lowers the threshold and increases the ratio with one knob (MXR Dyna Comp is a great example). The CS-2 is similar, but adds in a sustain feature to help hold the notes. A compressor can really help low- to medium-output guitars, taming the squeaks and odd loud notes and bringing up the overall volume. This effect becomes really obvious when you compress before distortion.

However, high-output single-coil pickups and especially humbuckers can have a lot of trouble with compressors, mainly because their overall output may be higher than the threshold, meaning that they're always being compressed, not just the loud notes. That tends to throw the whole system into feedback, and like 62strat said, it's not a feedback that's cool or interesting. If you are a humbucker player, you can get a compressor, but it will take a LOT of tweaking to get it to sound good. Tips for humbucker players: Turn the volume of the guitar (not the amp, the guitar itself) down, or put the compressor after the distortion/overdrive.