Inconsistent and bad Tone

GuitarAddict

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I thought I’d share my recent frustrating experience regarding my tone problems.
After hearing the fantastic tone of the silver sky on a TP Utube vid, and being unable to try one out due to lockdown I ordered a maple neck model on click and collect. I paired it with a Gremlin amp (ToneKing) and a red/orange coloured ABY switching box from a well known American manufacturer.
After a while the tone seemed not as good, lacking brightness and clarity. I renewed the valves in the amp and convinced myself this had solved it. It still didn’t sound quite right and was turning guitar playing time into a nightmare. I dismissed the passive ABY switch as causing the problem as it’s passive. Finally yesterday after going back to my old DGStomp and moving the amp to the back of the room I decided to compare the sound of the stomp to the amp, and didn’t bother with the switcher, and the amp sounded brilliant, surely it couldn’t be that simple? Plugged the ABY back in and the tone was gone again. So very happy that I found the problem, more by luck than anything, but very surprised that a passive switch can affect tone so much. Thought I’d share.
 
I thought I’d share my recent frustrating experience regarding my tone problems.
After hearing the fantastic tone of the silver sky on a TP Utube vid, and being unable to try one out due to lockdown I ordered a maple neck model on click and collect. I paired it with a Gremlin amp (ToneKing) and a red/orange coloured ABY switching box from a well known American manufacturer.
After a while the tone seemed not as good, lacking brightness and clarity. I renewed the valves in the amp and convinced myself this had solved it. It still didn’t sound quite right and was turning guitar playing time into a nightmare. I dismissed the passive ABY switch as causing the problem as it’s passive. Finally yesterday after going back to my old DGStomp and moving the amp to the back of the room I decided to compare the sound of the stomp to the amp, and didn’t bother with the switcher, and the amp sounded brilliant, surely it couldn’t be that simple? Plugged the ABY back in and the tone was gone again. So very happy that I found the problem, more by luck than anything, but very surprised that a passive switch can affect tone so much. Thought I’d share.

Most ABY boxes are notorious for sucking tone.

Based on personal experience, I can highly recommend the line of switchers by Lehle. They don't cause tone suck - in fact, I'm very picky and can't hear a difference when they're in the signal chain - and they don't make switching pop noises, either (they use some pretty sophisticated relays for switching). Also, they connect the signal ground only to the active amp (unless you defeat that feature with a switch), so no hums or grounding buzzes.

You probably know this, but a good power supply with fully isolated outlets is also a good idea. I like the Voodoo Labs stuff.

In my studio I use four amps, and daisy chain a Little Lehle with a 3 at 1 SGoS switcher to switch between them. Brilliant devices. I also have their isolation transformer (P-Split) for running two amps at once without grounding problems, and their tiny, inexpensive, passive DC filter because some vintage or vintage-style amps will cause clicks in any pedal when switched without it due to a DC voltage at their inputs.

Other companies make good switchers as well, such as Fulltone. But I swear by the Lehle stuff.
 
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Hey thanks LSChefman thanks for the advice.
I am a big fan of having no pedals at all and just going into a nice amp. The Gremlin isn’t really designed as a switching amp, hence needing the ABY Pedal.
If I decide to try a new switcher I will certainly check out your recommendation, but for now I’m just enjoying the sound of the amp and making full use of the guitar volume control and the mid boost on the other guitar. I definitely prefer the sound of the PRS to my strat, even with no treble bleed circuit, although I might have to fix that.
 
Hey thanks LSChefman thanks for the advice.
I am a big fan of having no pedals at all and just going into a nice amp. The Gremlin isn’t really designed as a switching amp, hence needing the ABY Pedal.

I used to do the same with with my old Bad Cat and Roccaforte years ago to switch between inputs. It's a great way to go.

Here's how I use switchers currently:

I have four amps, each one miked up and ready to go (I do music for TV ads). Once I get going with a session, I like to move on to the next track while the ideas are still fresh in my head. I've found it helps to use one amp for solos, and a different amp (or two) for rhythm parts. It makes the mix richer sounding, though there are times when the clients don't want a thick track, and in that case I'll use one amp with the guitar straight in (or after the buffer/preamp).

The fastest way to fo (in my case) is to switch to the next amp, advance to the next track in the DAW using a remote, and record. Thus the switch between amps doesn't interrupt the creative flow.

Sometimes I go with pedals and/or old-school tape delay; sometimes not.

I get my favorite tones using a buffered preamp (I like the Pettyjohn Lift) whether or not I'm using anything else, so I'm almost always plugged into the pedalboard if only for that purpose. It also helps to use a buffer going into the tape delays to preserve the high frequencies over longer cable runs, or even to shape the signal a little (the preamp I use has tone shaping controls, and a boost function, and other little tweaky stuff that sounds nice).

Regardless, it's always great to find the tone you like, and you've done that, so hats off to you!
 
Regardless, it's always great to find the tone you like, and you've done that, so hats off to you!

took me long enough though!!
Have a look on youtube at the Tim Pierce comparison of the SS and the Strat. The tone of the neck pick up at the beginning is just what I wanted and finally managed to get once the high frequencies were back and the switch pedal was banished from the music bunker.
 
What??? What kind of craziness is this???? Shirley you must be joking. o_O

:D:D
Yes yes I know, crazy ha ha.
It all started with being a Clapton nut and getting my overdrive sounds from the mid boost, and the rhythm sounds from turning down a bit. I had a Peacemaker amp by Ashdown about a million years ago and it was so reactive to this was amazing.
Then I went blues junior with a pedal board and i used to run two overdrives a chorus and delay as my set included some floyd and i wanted the Doyle Bramhall tones from in the flesh tour. Had to stop gigging after that due to ill health and have been looking for a valve amp that doesn’t blow your head off in a small practice room. The Gremlin does a very good job and I haven’t found a pedal that makes it sound any better. Even the Duellist by KOT restricted it’s frequency response. It would be nice to be able to switch channel but I don’t actually switch mid song, i play the Clapton stuff on the tweed channel and SRV type stuff on the blackface channel and it’s not too much of a hardship just to pull the jack out and stick it back in the other socket. I don’t even have reverb and I’m so used to playing with out it now. I sometimes mic the cab up and have WDW mix through my monitors if I want a bit of verb but the less cables i have the less i want, something really cool about guitar, cable and combo set up I think. And don’t call me Shirley, only my mum calls me that!
 
I wonder if maybe having a buffer before the ABY box might help...?
Or is that a totally different deal.
It could make a big difference, depending on exactly what's in the box. But if I needed the box, that would be the first thing I'd try.
 
took me long enough though!!
Have a look on youtube at the Tim Pierce comparison of the SS and the Strat. The tone of the neck pick up at the beginning is just what I wanted and finally managed to get once the high frequencies were back and the switch pedal was banished from the music bunker.

In my humble estimation, the thing about tone is that it's a never-ending quest!

Orchestra players have been searching for it since the 1600s. Guitar players, for only 60-something years. We have a lot of catching up to do, and it takes time!!

;)
 
In my humble estimation, the thing about tone is that it's a never-ending quest!

Orchestra players have been searching for it since the 1600s. Guitar players, for only 60-something years. We have a lot of catching up to do, and it takes time!!

;)
I used to do that too. Trumpet at music college, two orchestras and a military band with my dad when I was 14. That in itself was an education. The marches were good, but the overtures from the shows were just amazing to play. I used to get absolutely entranced listening to the 40 piece band playing around me. Trombones were loud sitting directly behind us trumpet players though. I was always happy with the tone of my trumpet, not a lot you could do to change that though. Happy times.
 
I used to do that too. Trumpet at music college, two orchestras and a military band with my dad when I was 14. That in itself was an education. The marches were good, but the overtures from the shows were just amazing to play. I used to get absolutely entranced listening to the 40 piece band playing around me. Trombones were loud sitting directly behind us trumpet players though. I was always happy with the tone of my trumpet, not a lot you could do to change that though. Happy times.

We have enjoyment of orchestral music in common!

I write orchestral music and love it. Kind of related to my work, and kind of a hobby, This one's called Abbey Road Tango. There's some brass in it after the first few bars.

https://persistenceofmemory.band/single/26186/abbey-road-tango
 
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We have enjoyment of orchestral music in common!

I write orchestral music and love it. Kind of related to my work, and kind of a hobby, This one's called Abbey Road Tango. There's some brass in it after the first few bars.

https://persistenceofmemory.band/single/26186/abbey-road-tango
Brilliant. Just having a morning cup of tea and my wife just asked me what i was listening to, she loves it, said it was conjuring up all sorts of images in her mind, (she very artistic and gothic).
 
Brilliant. Just having a morning cup of tea and my wife just asked me what i was listening to, she loves it, said it was conjuring up all sorts of images in her mind, (she very artistic and gothic).

Glad you both liked it!

Because I 'came of age' musically scoring to picture, I always have images in my mind as I write music. The intent is to conjure imagery - she's very perceptive.

I would imagine that being married to someone who's so into art is a joy!
 
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