Tonal richness in a pushed preamp - your thoughts?

[andy474x]

My amp has been sounding RIGHT lately. Seems like every time I take it to rehearsal or a gig and really get that master going, it just gives me goosebumps. Forgive my gushing, I'll get to the point.

I've noticed that my drive pedals sound best when my preamp is pushed just to the point where it already has a bit of hair on it. It adds some extra volume, and brings out that extra harmonic content that lets the tone "breathe" more. Similar story with clean tones, they sound best when the preamp is pushed to the highest point before it starts to break up. My amp really sings when I find that sweet spot on the preamp, and the master is up past noon.

It seems that when the tubes reach breakup, the fundamental tones are maxing out their volume and starting to distort, and the harmonics can increase their relative volume in the mix, becoming easier to hear and resulting in a fuller sound.

Anyways...

anyone notice this with their amp?

 

[Chester]

I hear you Andy - edge of break-up and rich overdrive is where I now live, and have changed my backline accordingly

I was a Marshall then Mesa guy - now I own Matchless/ TR / Bad Cat and Redplate amps that excel in that pushed pre-amp / power tube zone. When properly balanced, rich drive and harmonics are excellent

I found "less is more" worked best with OD pedals - lower gain allowed for a more natural tone, beautifully controlled from the guitar volume knob

 

[László]

Anyways...

anyone notice this with their amp?

Yes, and to help get that happening and have more tone choices, I love a good clean boost. The Suhr Koko Boost I have on my pedalboard pleases my ear more than others I've tried, but there are several very good ones on the market. It also has a mid-boost option for when you need a little more cut.

I find it indispensable for clean-ish solos with the DG-30, but it also pushes an HXDA right to the front of a mix as well.

 

[andy474x]

Yes, and to help get that happening and have more tone choices, I love a good clean boost. The Suhr Koko Boost I have on my pedalboard pleases my ear more than others I've tried, but there are several very good ones on the market. It also has a mid-boost option for when you need a little more cut.

I find it indispensable for clean-ish solos with the DG-30, but it also pushes an HXDA right to the front of a mix as well.

You would think a clean boost would be a no-brainier effect to design, but apparently there's an art to it. Making something 100% true to the original tone, especially in terms of the EQ, must not be an easy task. I have a BBE Boosta Grande, a basic box at mid level price, that I never really liked - turns out they actually boosted the lows slightly in the design. I modded it for more transparency, and it's better now. Also have a Lovepedal Eternity Fuse that is supposed to have a clean boost as well, but I don't care for that setting. Now that Koko boost looks very useful...

 

[László]

Now that Koko boost looks very useful...

I've had a couple of EP Boosts, a Fulltone Fat Boost, and the new Bogner boost pedal. And of course in the old days I had traditional treble boosts like the Shure and the Rangefinder.

Each has its charms. The EP cuts a little bit of the bottom out, as it is supposed to, and adds some harmonic distortion, as it's supposed to. Whether those are good things or not is up to the player. It's a very good pedal.

The Fat Boost Preserves or even adds a little bottom, depending on how you set it, and has a creamy tone, but it does change the sound of the guitar a little. The Bogner is very solid sounding, but it also adds compression (this can be adjusted but there is always a little bit there), which you may or may not want with your boosted signal. There is also some harmonic distortion designed in.

The Koko Boost is very sparkly and beautiful sounding (to me anyway), with what I hear as less transistor style distortion than the others. You can kick in a mid-boost that helps a solo cut through a mix, and you can dial in the frequency and how much of it you want. When you roll the guitar volume down, it just seems to add a nice richness and detail.

I've used many OD pedals as boosts (and have tried several Klons, another one to consider for this purpose, but for me that works a little less well. I did buy a Klon for my son that he loves for this purpose, because he plays a different style than mine.

It's really just a matter of trying everything you can get your hands on and seeing what works.

 

[Chester]

I've had a couple of EP Boosts, a Fulltone Fat Boost, and the new Bogner boost pedal. And of course in the old days I had traditional treble boosts like the Shure and the Rangefinder.

Each has its charms. The EP cuts a little bit of the bottom out, as it is supposed to, and adds some harmonic distortion, as it's supposed to. Whether those are good things or not is up to the player. It's a very good pedal.

I've used many OD pedals as boosts (and have tried several Klons, another one to consider for this purpose, but for me that works a little less well.

+1 on the EP

I am a recent convert to the FTT Red Jasper. Great transparent boost with gain knocked back. Adds a lovely harmonic layer on low gain, with some compression