Need better distortion!

[Krenfro213]

Ok guys here's my current (lame) rig setup:

Digitech RP50 Processor-->Dunlop 535Q Wah-->Mesa Stiletto Trident-->Peavey Valveking Cab.


I play progressive death metal and HATE the sound of my distortion. I don't really have the money to sell my trident and buy like a EVH III or a 6505+. I need a really good distortion pedal and have no clue what the best ones are right now. The way it works right now is I leave my trident on the clean channel and use the amp simulation distortion from the RP50. The trident's distortion is terrible by itself (unless you're playing classic rock). HELP!?

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I think you should try out different cabinets. Just sayin'.

 

[Krenfro213]

I think you should try out different cabinets. Just sayin'.

I completely agree. But, would a better distortion pedal not make a dramatic difference?

 

[Andii]

I too owned that amp and didn't like it for metal whatsoever. I know exactly what you're hearing.

You need to ditch the distortion pedal and use the gain from your amp with a boost/preamp filter.

Use an OD pedal as a preamp filter to get the best tone from the amp.
Guitar>OD>amp>cab

Preamp filtering is where you use the circuitry in an OD to change what is hitting the front of your amp and it tightens the sound. You can also boost the level knob to saturate the amp a little more and the drive to saturate it further. You would want to keep the tone knob near the center.

That is your best bet until you can get another amp.

I suggest taking these actions:
1. Get an OD(TS7,TS9,TS808,OD808 or any tubescreamer circuit with the pass filter still in place. That means avoid modified pieces.)
2. Get a 5150(II or 6505 etc.)
3. Get a Mesa 4x12 (modern one with V30's)

Then you will have the heaviest clearest rig you can imagine.

Guitar>OD>5150>Mesa 4x12

 

[snowblind56]

Ok guys here's my current (lame) rig setup:

Digitech RP50 Processor-->Dunlop 535Q Wah-->Mesa Stiletto Trident-->Peavey Valveking Cab.


I play progressive death metal and HATE the sound of my distortion. I don't really have the money to sell my trident and buy like a EVH III or a 6505+. I need a really good distortion pedal and have no clue what the best ones are right now. The way it works right now is I leave my trident on the clean channel and use the amp simulation distortion from the RP50. The trident's distortion is terrible by itself (unless you're playing classic rock). HELP!?

Aren't Stiletto Tridents way more expensive than a 5150/6505? You should be able to sell it and afford to buy a 5150/6505 and a mesa cab on the used market.

 

[joelozzy]

I too owned that amp and didn't like it for metal whatsoever. I know exactly what you're hearing.

You need to ditch the distortion pedal and use the gain from your amp with a boost/preamp filter.

Use an OD pedal as a preamp filter to get the best tone from the amp.
Guitar>OD>amp>cab

Preamp filtering is where you use the circuitry in an OD to change what is hitting the front of your amp and it tightens the sound. You can also boost the level knob to saturate the amp a little more and the drive to saturate it further. You would want to keep the tone knob near the center.

That is your best bet until you can get another amp.

I suggest taking these actions:
1. Get an OD(TS7,TS9,TS808,OD808 or any tubescreamer circuit with the pass filter still in place. That means avoid modified pieces.)
2. Get a 5150(II or 6505 etc.)
3. Get a Mesa 4x12 (modern one with V30's)

Then you will have the heaviest clearest rig you can imagine.

Guitar>OD>5150>Mesa 4x12

This man speaks truth.

My OD808 done wonders for my Valveking. Couldn't play without it.
Cheapest way to improve tone by far.

Also I went from the VK to what's posted above.

Huge difference.


Joel

 

[Andii]

Aren't Stiletto Tridents way more expensive than a 5150/6505? You should be able to sell it and afford to buy a 5150/6505 and a mesa cab on the used market.

Yeah that's how I recommend going about completing that list I gave him.

The money from selling your rig should get close to replacing it with the new stuff.

Get the OD first to get acceptable tone while you're trying to sell your trident. Your trident should at the least go for 900 or 1,000.

Find a 5150 for around 500-600.

Once you have that, sell your valveking cab and you should have enough to get the Mesa cab at that point.

You'll want to find one fast after you have sold it so check the craigslist in your city and neighbouring cities. Also call every guitar center within a hundred miles. They usually can sell you used stuff for really cheap when you ask for them to knock some off the price. They can do that because they pay almost nothing to people who trade in gear.

Make sure you're getting one with the original V30 speakers or you're getting ripped off. Bring a flash light and a drill with you and remove a side handle(the back has too many screws and is often sealed) and make sure the right speakers are in there(learn what they look like from pictures because you won't be able to read them from the side).

 

[Krenfro213]

Awesome thanks a ton!


How much of a difference is there between a 5150 and a 6505?

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I'm told there should be none, but there is a slight difference between the 5150/6505 and the 5150II/6505+.

 

[Toshiro]

There's zero difference between a 5150 and 6505. Same amp, just the name went with EVH when he left Peavey.

There's a pretty big difference between the 5150/6505 and 5150II/6505+. The II/+ model is tighter, but not as huge sounding, and has a better clean channel. Some like one, some like the other, I prefer the II/+.

 

[Krenfro213]

I see. Thanks again!!!

 

[munky27]

if you're just looking for a distortion pedal then i recomend the following

1. Boss Metal Zone
2. Electro Harmonix Metal Muff

I have both and they're great. I also run an Ibanez TS-808 Tubescreamer as a booster which gives it a little extra high end definition that is totally incredible. I also run my Digitech RP250 completely bypassed except for a noise gate setting with a threshold all the way up to 99. It works great and it should keep you from buying a noise gate (which you will need if you run high gain distortion through an overdrive or just by itself). It will make ur recordings sound so much better and you're live sound tight, punchy, give it clarity, and overall just freaking make everything great.
I run this through the clean channel on a marshall MG50dfx and it sounds fantastic, and that's a dinky solid state amp. I can't imagine how great it would sound through a mesa.

 

[signalgrey]

I would actually HIGHLY recommend the
Blackstar HT Dual pedal its is so far the BEST distortion/overdrive pedal i have used. I use it at every bandpractice and i use it at shows when they only provide me with a single channel amp.

check it out. drive and reacts like a tube amp too.

do NOT go Metal Zone....do NOT

 

[Aurochs34]

YES to everything Andii said.

I would actually HIGHLY recommend the
Blackstar HT Dual pedal its is so far the BEST distortion/overdrive pedal i have used. I use it at every bandpractice and i use it at shows when they only provide me with a single channel amp.

check it out. drive and reacts like a tube amp too.

do NOT go Metal Zone....do NOT

And YES again...especially to that last part...

Never played it through a Stiletto, but especially if it's temporary-ish, no worries; the Cmatmods Sigma Drive is the nuts, my friend.

...nuts are good in this case.

 

[sevenstringj]

The way it works right now is I leave my trident on the clean channel and use the amp simulation distortion from the RP50. The trident's distortion is terrible by itself (unless you're playing classic rock). HELP!?

I don't think you should be using an amp simulation into an amp. Try turning off everything in the RP50 except the EQ (if that's possible). See how much gain you can get just from that. If it's not enough to push your amp's cleans into chug, then try using it to shape your amp's distortion. You probably need to cut some bass to get a tighter sound.

If that don't work, I got a Maxon ROD881 I'm selling for $160 (they're $270 new). It's a proper overdrive, not a cheap simulation, and it's got more than enough gain to punish your cleans into djent. All rave reviews. PM me if interested.

The way I see it, you should get an OD/dist pedal FIRST, as most folks recommend it even with a 5150. And you might be pleasantly surprised using it in front of your Mesa. Other OD/distortion pedals I've tried and recommend for melting an amp's clean channel are the Fulltone GT-500, Arteffect Zenith, and Blackstar HT-Dual. (I currently use a Maxon TOD9. It's sweet, but you'd need an EQ in front to clean up the low end. The others I mentioned, and the ROD881 I'm selling, can stand alone.)

 

[Miss D Corona]

How about a blackstar HT DistX? I watched a few videos of them on youtube and those things rock! Its my next purchase after I get my pickups sorted

 

[b7string]

If your using your amp's clean channel and then the RP50 for your distortions, I would say that is where your problem originates. IMO, I would ditch the unit, or only use it for effects and eq, and try using the amps distortion. Or... If you aren't satisfied with what your pulling out of your amp, a good OD pedal as recommended by many other posts here, could do wonders for your sound.

As your in a progressive death metal band, I would check out this pedal:

Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem

Its not cheap, but try one out, its a tube pedal too, and judging from the descriptions, it may give you the nice distortion that you're after.

 

[eaeolian]

Ok guys here's my current (lame) rig setup:

Digitech RP50 Processor-->Dunlop 535Q Wah-->Mesa Stiletto Trident-->Peavey Valveking Cab.


I play progressive death metal and HATE the sound of my distortion. I don't really have the money to sell my trident and buy like a EVH III or a 6505+. I need a really good distortion pedal and have no clue what the best ones are right now. The way it works right now is I leave my trident on the clean channel and use the amp simulation distortion from the RP50. The trident's distortion is terrible by itself (unless you're playing classic rock). HELP!?

Series I or Series II Trident?

You're not going to get the "super gain" you're looking for, regardless - but "terrible by itself" is a bit much. A 5150/6505 is definitely a better bet for the sort of tone you're looking for. However, if you can't go that route, use something other than the gawdawful RP50. I still think you'll get better results slamming the front end of the Trident (if it's a Series II - if it's a Series I just sell it), but using better distortion will help. Try a MI Audio Tubezone.