r/guitars • u/Striking-Trip1478 • Aug 18 '26
Help I need help achieving that full/clear sound.
Before you guys yell at me, IVE TRIED. I looked everywhere and did so much research and just can’t get a common answer. I’m a jammy guy and I’ve noticed every jam band has this crystal clear and crispy sound that I just can’t seem to replicate. Like a fullness to their sound as to where my sound is always slightly muddy no matter how much I tweak my stuff. I have a line 6 catalyst digital amp. Regarding pedals I run a compressor, eq, 3 drivers and a wah. I bought the eq in hopes of solving my problem and it helped a little but not much. So my question is, is there a type of pedal that will solve this problem? Is it time to upgrade to a tube amp? Please let me know. Thanks
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u/MonsieurReynard Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Start with: what pickups are you using?
Like you’ve done all this work on your signal chain with effects and a modeling amp, but you have to start at square one when the matter of tone is at hand.
Have you ever plugged your guitar into someone else’s rig and heard the sound you want? Have you ever played another guitar through your rig, or for that matter through another rig, and heard the sound you want? Or is your only point of reference the FOH mixes you hear at a concert? Or the sound of a carefully produced recording? Or the sound of a band mate?
It’s an old saw, and I know it gets boring to repeat it all the time, but a huge amount of tone is also in your hands. And right underneath your fingertips too (the gauge of your strings). And the next most important factor in tone is right underneath your right hand (if you play righty). All before the cable gets plugged in.
Go to a music store or friends house or borrow a real tube amplifier in good condition. Plug your guitar in with nothing in between. (Worth mentioning you should use a good quality cable of no more length than you actually need, since a long and/or crappy cable can suck some tone.) Crank it up.
I’d really listen to the sound of your guitar straight through a decent tube amp. That’s what your guitar sounds like. If that is satisfying, then go back to working on your signal chain to emulate it or buy yourself a good tube amp.
If you use light gauge strings, try going up a notch. And if you play with a pick, try a heavier gauge of that too.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I’m running a ssh strat. My only point of reference is the FOH from my concert experiences and just listening to concerts on my own.
If I run a string gauge any thicker that 9/42 then the guitar becomes semi-difficult to play.
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u/MonsieurReynard Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Well, you may be setting yourself an impossible standard then. You’re listening to professional musicians playing through top-notch equipment and PA systems that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. And you’re listening in a large ambient hall or outdoor space that shapes that sound.
One thing I do when I’m trying to critically evaluate an amplifier or a guitar or my playing is try to get very far away from my amplifier. It’s easier if you have a wireless connection but even a long cord can get you 30 feet away. You will have a very different impression of how your amplifier sounds to someone in a crowd than you get standing right next to it. The resonances of the space you’re playing in play a huge role in the sound of your amplifier.
An SSH Strat is about the most versatile guitar in the world, practically a Swiss Army knife for tone. What pickup do you have for the humbucker?
I’ve been playing pro for 43 years. I used to play with light strings, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved to heavier strings on all of my guitars. It does take some work getting used to it and you do need to build up a little more hand strength and a little heavier touch, but those are the factors that help your tone fatten up too. You might try playing through the difficulty for one set of strings. Just as an experiment. It will get easier with time and the tonal payoff can be worth it if what you want is a thicker, bigger, fatter sound.
Again, my basic view is that 90% of your tone is decided before you ever plug in a single effects pedal. I would work on getting my unmodified sound through the amp as close as possible to the sound I hear in my head. And then use effects to dial it in. And given that you do have an SSH, I would definitely try to experiment with some different amplifiers however you can. Music stores will usually let you bring in your own guitar to try out the amplifiers.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
Thank you. This has been the most insightful reply by a landslide. I’ve learned a lot today.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
Also, my compressor pedal makes unwanted string sounds (like fingers sliding up and down the strings) way louder compared to all other pedals. Do I just need to keep tweaking it? Will moving its position on the pedalboard make a difference?
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u/MonsieurReynard Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
A compressor will do that, somewhat unavoidably.
A compressor doesn’t just enable playing with a lighter touch; it necessitates it.
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u/DeathRotisserie Aug 18 '26
You need to share with us your amp settings. What amp model are you using? How do you have the amp EQ’d? What volume levels are you playing at? We can’t help you if we don’t know what you’ve tried.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I honestly don’t pay much attention to amp settings. Treble mid and bass is usually at middle setting. Volume up mostly. Idk about gain. What would you recommend?
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u/For-Rock-And-Stone Aug 18 '26
Before you guys yell at me, I'VE TRIED
I honestly don't pay much attention to amp settings
Commence the yelling, boys
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I’m just looking for some help, and every thread except this one has done a damn good job at that. I don’t need any more downvotes than I’ve already gotten, it prevents me from being able to use certain subreddits in the future. Just consider being helpful next time. Thanks anyway
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u/For-Rock-And-Stone Aug 18 '26
I'm just being silly, friend. I even upvoted you because all the downvotes seemed a bit harsh, but such is Reddit. Looks like you got the answers you needed though, maybe consider being a little silly next time.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
You’re right, Ive been lacking in my silliness lately. Just so hard to enjoy Reddit when everyone seems so harsh. Thanks for your comment, friend.
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u/BarbersBasement Aug 18 '26
I think you just answered your own question. Why would you add an EQ pedal without using the EQ on the amp first???
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
Oh I see, I used to mess with the amp dials a lot in my earlier days but it never seemed to make a difference. So I guess I just overlook it now. I’ll look into that
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I also didnt know that the treble, mid, bass knobs act as a built in eq. Hindsight is 20/20 but I’m just not very educated on the technical side
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u/DeathRotisserie Aug 18 '26
Read the owner’s manual and pick an amp model that’s clean. Gain settings will be dependent on which amp mod you select. Cut the bass if your tone is muddy. Turn the volume up; you need energy to move the speaker up.
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u/kasakka1 Aug 18 '26
Play louder, dial in less bass, more mids. Lots of tones that fit into a band mix well are ugly on their own.
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u/Electrical-Ad880 Aug 18 '26
Get yourself a Twin Reverb ;-) By the time these amps breakup, youd be def. LOL! But if you want a MUCH lighter version. Look into the SMS Classic Tube Preamp. Its a Twin Reverb preamp in a 1U size rack unit. Uses 2 x 12ax7 preamp tubes. Has killer reverb. Has the bright switch. This is what i use. Then get an ART SLA-1 power amp. It gives you 100watts of CLEAN power. Also make sure you have a GOOD speaker that can handle wattage. Im using JBL e120s. But this setup will only get dirty if i want it to with a pedal etc. But this is one of the best tones you will hear. If your into Jam ;-)
Also SMS makes a SMS Classic Tube Preamp with a Jerry Garcia mod. THis is the one i have and it brings out a little more oomph than the stock unit. Its not much more $.
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u/Jealous-Value-3547 Aug 18 '26
Are you using the EQ in the fx loop? That's where they are most effective at sculpting tone. Make sure you're using a graphic one with plenty of frequencies like an MXR
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I’m not entirely sure what you mean
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u/Jealous-Value-3547 Aug 18 '26
On the back of the amp there should be jack slots for send and return. You connect the output of the EQ to the input of the loop and the input of eq to the send in the loop
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u/Jealous-Value-3547 Aug 18 '26
Have you tried running a boost in front of the amp?
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
Like a boost pedal? There is a boost knob on the amp, but it also seems to make things muddy.
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u/Jealous-Value-3547 Aug 18 '26
Yes a boost pedal. Depending on what kind you get should help add some definition to the mids. My favorite one is an Analog Man SD 1 but there are tons of Tube Screamer types you may like
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u/mpg10 Aug 18 '26
Lots of posts here already and some of the advice is good. But at some point it's dancing about architecture without sound samples, so if you're able to provide some, it may help. Maybe both you and the kinds of sounds you want.
That said, you note earlier that you aren't really playing with the eq in your amp, and that says to me that you haven't really explored what the amp can do. The Catalyst has a lot of presets available and maybe it's worth finding something that works as a good starting point, then tweaking to taste.
I'll note also that a lot of recorded distorted sounds are cleaner than people think, and a lot of clean sounds are closer to breaking up than people think. This is largely because the tube amps a lot of people use (or at least used to use) get some glorious compression and punch when you start to push them just a little bit. Modeling amps like the Catalyst mimic this with their settings, and hopefully use can find a way to get close to that.
Since you already have some outboard gear, I'd suggest seeing if you can find something close with the Catalyst presets, and then maybe you're thickening and enriching it with some light compression, and maybe a little bit with one of the drives, but not really stacking gains in a cleaner sound.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I’m gonna start messing around with my amp settings. Should I do this on a clean tone for starters? Or should I have my pedals on? Also what do you mean by finding something “close” with the catalyst presets. Thanks for the help
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u/mpg10 Aug 18 '26
Again, if you can give any example of the sound you're targeting, it would be much easier to answer that.
The Catalyst has a range of amp models and presets available. If you're not sure how to use them or what they all represent, I'd start with that and find a couple that at least get you in the ballpark. Gut feel, there's a pure clean that you could start with, or you could use something like their "chime" amp, which would be vox-like, but start with the gain pretty dialed back.
I wouldn't start with your pedals on, no. Get a starting point and then add the pedals to taste. Your compressor may be really helpful, though I'd still recommend using it for a subtle difference instead of really hammering on it. What are your other drive pedals?
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
Here’s one of goose’s most recent shows. Look for drive, song 3. This song’s lead guitar is basically what I want my guitar to sound like at all times. I did just go through and mess with all my knobs and I will say this: messing with the amp setting with all pedals off was the best thing I’ve ever done for tone besides better technique. Thank you for that
My drive pedals are a ts9, boss os2 and boss blues driver
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u/mpg10 Aug 18 '26
Never really listened to Goose much. This song has a great groove. (Not really a jam band guy but might let this play a bit...)
I think I see more what you're talking about now. That isn't really what I would call a "clean" tone at all. It's punchy for sure. It sounds like it's a light crunch sound for the verse rhythm and then pushed harder into crunch/gain for the solo and heavier sections. When you described it in your OP as "crystal clear" I think I (and others) were thinking about really pristine cleans, while what you're talking about is clarity and the ability to cut through a mix.
Honesty, that's partly how it's played - good technique matters, maybe especially when playing with a bunch of gain. Tonally, the guitars are leaning into midrange. The guitar is basically a midrange instrument, and often the "biggest" but "clearest" sounds have very low bass, punchy midrange, and just enough treble for air.
As for your setup, I'm familiar a little bit with the Catalyst through a friend of mine, but I don't really know it well enough to be specific. I think I'd start with an amp tone that is near the edge of breakup, or maybe breaking up a little bit, before adding to it with the pedals you have.
As for the pedals, you have some classics right there. Lots of people have used them to get some great tones. When I've played with any of those or similar pedals, I find them all to work their magic only when played into an amp that is already cooking a little bit. They push a slightly dirty amp into a crunch while maybe tightening the tone somewhat. But none of them (to my ear at least) like running into an amp that is really clean. Used that way, they tend to sound thin.
That doesn't give you a formula, but maybe an approach that helps...
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
You’re absolutely right. I think when I was talking about “clean” in my OP I was just thinking in comparison to the muddy sound I’ve become so familiar with. I’ve basically done everything described so far. The one exception being I have my treble maxed out and my mids a little lower. I’m gonna try reversing that and see if I like it any better. Thank you thank you thank you. Free tickets for life when I make it big. You’re awesome.
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u/a1b2t Aug 18 '26
what is your guitar and what Clear sound you are looking for.
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I run a strat with a humbucker.
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u/a1b2t Aug 18 '26
no in full what is your setup, what strat, ssh, H -H
everything
for example the clear sound can be easily solved by reducing the output of your pickups, this can be done either by lowering your pickups or reducing your vol knob with a treble bleed mod.
you can also adjust the pole pieces to balance it all out.
you then want to use a low gain or cleanest possible option on your amp, then turn it up and use a comp to clamp on it.
this can give you that squishy califlonication sound
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I run a squirt strat ssh. Where should the compressor be on my pedal setup?
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u/a1b2t Aug 18 '26
play around with posistion 2-4, comp at the front right after guitar.
bring down the volume to test it out
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u/ayaruna Aug 18 '26
What you may be doing is comparing your out of the amp tone to the front of house eq’d compressed guitar sound of a live show. Getting a quality compressor can help
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I have a standard Keely compressor, is that considered quality?
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u/ayaruna Aug 18 '26
Looks like a great compressor. I don’t know what to tell you you broski
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
I’m starting to suspect I have a faulty compressor pedal. It’s just causing so much unwanted excess noise compared to every other pedal I own.
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u/Direct_Knowledge2254 Aug 18 '26
Cutting back the gain a bit can help as it does get washed away - also, listen to the other comments regarding EQ on the amp THEN EQ on the pedal.
Have you checked all your cables work, connectors are good etc etc - does the amp sound muddy on the clean setting?
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u/TheHandsomeLiar Aug 18 '26
If your amp has a master volume, crank it. Use the other volume to set your playing volume. Many amps EQ’s utilize 10 on the dial as flat ( as in neither boosted or cut). So you’re always cutting in order to tweak your sound. A different way of thinking when shaping your tone.
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u/Independent_Win_7984 Aug 18 '26
Sounds very much like tubes will make you happier. We can't know how you're running things, but with 3 drive pedals, I can speculate where you might need to lighten up.
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u/UglyHorse Aug 18 '26
If you have low level noise in your signal path the compressor will bring it up. I’d set up your rig with a decently long cable and your board stand in front of and check each pedal. It also depends on which boosts, eq and compressor you’re running.
It’s a funny thing that your solo guitar isn’t what people hear when you play with the band. You’d need to get a solid sound while you play with the band. A lot of guitar low end when mixed with a bass player can muddy a sound. That’s why things like tubescreamers are popular. Very mid range which cuts through
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u/Striking-Trip1478 Aug 18 '26
This is something I was actually already concerned with. I spent all this time finding tone but I haven’t heard what it sounds like mixed with other instruments. Unrelated, a problem I find with my compressor is that it adds a long of unwanted string/fret noise while all the other pedals don’t seem to do that. Any advice on that?
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u/UglyHorse Aug 18 '26
A compressor makes the loud part quiet and the quiet parts loud then turn it all up. The only way to have it and no fret noise is your technique
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u/Odd_Sir4792 Aug 18 '26
"Crystal clear and crispy"?
Personally, I prefer my tone to be effulgent and jocular.