Soloing over dirty, soloing over clean.

[Fabbio]

Hi guys!!!

Just to have a broad spectrum of opinions and preferences, what do you usually choose in terms of gain, delay, and settings in general for soloing guitars?

More specifically, over gnarly dirty heavy guitars are you prone to use less gain and distortion or you go the extra mile with distortion?

And otherwise, over clean strummy, arpeggiated rhythm, do you go cleaner or you add gain for the solo to stand out more?

 

[AudioPhile777]

because i'm not a great lead player... i go with a single track with as much gain as i can get away with, without making it sounds too cheap...

 

[Kazrog]

I always like to set up my delay in the computer as a plug-in, makes it easier to work with and that way I'm not locked into anything. I wrap a sock around the neck near the headstock to prevent any open strings from ringing (unless I want open strings, of course.)

I often use exactly the same amp settings as I do for rhythm, and just EQ it differently in the computer. I'm lazy that way, but with a 5150 you really don't need to have separate channels or settings for lead, it's got that smoothness to it.

 

[JBroll]

I tend to put a compressor or an overdrive in front of the amp while soloing just to have it smoother - I hate overcompressed rhythm but with lead it almost has to be that way for me. I don't do delay or reverb - drives me fucking bonkers - and I aim for more compressed but less fuzzy sounds. Neck pickup for faster runs (so more note and less noise comes through) and bridge pickup for snarl. I don't change much between clean and dirty, I don't do anything consciously but if something goes on that I just didn't notice before I'll post it.

Jeff

 

[Flat Fifth Fury]

For me it has to fit the song that the lead is under. The lead should be a supporting yet augmenting performance within the composition and the notes as well as the tones need to blend into a whole. So there is no rule for me. I've done clean solos over raging rhythms because it worked.

However I try to use as little distortion or compression as I can get away with. Sometime bone dry but often with some ambient delay so that it has some space between the notes.

 

[Fabbio]

Thanks for sharing your ways of doin' it.

I know that it depends a lot from song to song but to compare ways to do with someone else is very useful.

Anyway sometimes I feel that goin for too much gain and distortion makes nailing pinch harmonics on the high E from the 12th fret up very difficult.
Or it is just me?

Or it is just the PodXT? (Criminal and diamondplate simulations, EMG 707, real tubescreamer TS9 in front).

 

[JBroll]

I have trouble with pinch harmonics up there on any setting - of course, I haven't figured out why I'd want to do them up there, so I haven't practiced them around that area and that may be the problem - but more tension makes them ring out differently and you may want to try that out.

Jeff

 

[Fabbio]

Well, sometimes I like to have a punctuation with pinch harmonics that high.

Somehow i found that they happen most of the times picking over the neck pickup but only if I pick exactly there. When playing over a track it's never that precise.

But what the hell, Jaco pastorius used to pick harmonics on a bass, so...