Dialing in lead guitar tone

[Aaron Smith]

So, I'm quite confident in my ability to dial in a good metal rhythm tone (less confident in my ability to mic it up like Andy ), but when it comes to lead tones, I feel as though I'm not quite as sure what I'm doing. I'll admit that I haven't spent a huge amount of time testing different settings, but are there any general amp setting philosophies that tend to work out well for leads? Do I want the pickup switch in the bridge? As far as I'm concerned, the Doomsday Machine lead tone is ideal. I know that Michael Amott uses his wah technique to further sweeten all that he plays, but the overall tone is just so smooth and rich sounding. The lead tones I've recorded tend to be "good enough", but still a bit more brittle and less fulfilling that I would like.
Any help?

Also, the amps currently in my arsenal are a Krank Revolution, Peavey 5150 blockletter (which tends to be the lead amp of choice), and a Marshall JCM2000 (which I very rarely use).

 

[Tachy]

Umm, I don't know if my lead tones are good, but I tend to set the eq with more mid than my crunch settings, it aslo depend how much gain you use.
And the most important is your fingher..

 

[-J-]

not that mine are all that, but I tend to definitely set the amp differently for leads - usually whatever sounds best through the amp by itself first, or how I typically like to play leads when just sitting down with me and the amp. i wouldn't use an amp someone tells you may be the best, since leads are so...personal. I'd use whichever one draws out your best playing, then dial it in, and slap a mic in front of it.

definitely the bridge p/up, especially if that's the best one on the axe. i only use the other positions if it's a mellow solo, which ain't too often.

i'm usually pleased when using my morley wah because when the pedal hits the high notes, it really cuts through the mix. but i wouldn't overdo it like michael and put it on like every solo; or every part of one solo.

I don't think I've ever been pleased with direct-recording leads. I'll direct record my rhythms sometimes, but not my leads.

 

[nwright]

I also raise the mids but I tend to cut the treble just a little for a smoother sound. I think you can get away with a little more treble or presence on rhythms, but for leads too much can really thin the tone, especially if the leads are in higher registers. I don't think it hurts either that Michael Amott's technique is super fluid, either. I wouldn't say he is a really technical lead player, but his fingerings and technique is just about my favorite when it comes to fluid and smooth lead playing in metal.

 

[Flat Fifth Fury]

Well lead sound is just as personal as rhythm. Some players want a bright/clear tone with lots of mids and presence using the bridge pickup - like Dime, Paul Gilbert and DiMartini - while others want a round and dark sound with the neck pickup - Petrucci, Malmsteen and Romeo. It's very much "if it sounds good it is good" thing. All the amps you listed should give you excellent lead tones and should be set the way that the player and song demands.

Personally I like an articulate lead sound that is very fast - no sag. I have it set rather percussively with my bridge pickup it's very clear in the lower and middle registers so that my fast palm muted single note runs chunk and my open notes are full of harmonics. But for the upper register I often switch to the neck pickup to round the sound more.

So you could say that my lead "settings" are something like: Bass 7, Mid 6, Treble 8, Presence 7 with enough gain to be compressed and percussive without losing pick dynamics or clairity. My gain setting on, say a Recto would be about 5 with the ever present TS-9 in front set to Volume 5, Gain 1, Tone 4.5

Rock!

 

[Sacha]

i tweak a lead tone quite different from rhythm...more mids, less treble, and often a boost or OD pedal set low for some more compression and further tone shaping.

 

[Jaymz]

Good question, Ive recently recorded som,e lead with a Recto, with some more mids and a EMG 85 in the neck (bassy pup) but when I go to the lower strings its fuzzes with a total loss of articulation. I guess Ill try some more presence to compensate...I have the bass att about 11'0 clock as it stands now. :Smokin: I love playing with the neck for that malmsteen tone, usually the bridge sounds a bit too shill for my tastes.

 

[cobhc]

I'm pretty sure Mike Amott uses the neck pickup for his thicker, slower stuff, but then the bridge for that all out shred. As everyone has said here, crank those mids up a bit, a little more gain than your rhythm tone, cut the treble some, and maybe high pass at 200hz when mixing to get the low end out of there. As far as the Amott wah thing, it's old school Schenker stuff from back in the day, but it's basically accenting the bends and vibrato with the wah. He also sometimes leaves the wah in certain positions just to shape his lead tone some without actually moving back and forth on it. Hope this is any sort of help lol.

 

[Aaron Smith]

Thanks for the replies dudes. I don't actually have any leads to record very soon, but it's something I've been wondering about a lot...and these replies are definitely insightful!

 

[~BURNY~]

Recently, I started using the neck pickup with the tone from my Overdrive cranked all the way up.
I think it sound cool cause it keeps the roundness of the pickup but it adds a lot of bite at the same time and harmonics pop out just as easily as if I was using the bridge pickup. The downside is that it's a bit noisier. Plus it's a no no on stage.

 

[Noumenon]

I tend to use the neck pickup the most. Oh, and some more mids/gain on the amp.

 

[Gnash]

Regardless of the neck/bridge, I always put in more mids. I usually watch out for "chunky" notes on a lead. A muted line on the top string, that will sound "boomy" can blow your monitors, if you have the rest of the lead cranked. So I take that low out too.

 

[kev]

Talking of pickups, in Maiden say, have you ever noticed how Dave Murray's solos cut better live than everyone elses- primarily due to using the neck pickup i think.

 

[Jaymz]

I always put in more mids. I usually watch out for "chunky" notes on a lead. A muted line on the top string, that will sound "boomy" can blow your monitors, if you have the rest of the lead cranked. So I take that low out too.

Yeah! How do you sort that??! Ive cut my bass down on the amp