Whats pedals can be used for a metal lead tone?

[Miklagaard]

so im really sick of my lead tone cause its the same as my rhythm, im going to be getting a 6505 or 6505+ soon, just havnt decided if i need the eq for both channels cause its costing an extra $100-150 for it and im not sure if its nessesary.

anyways so im thinking of maybe running some pedals in the fx loop for a lead tone, i noticed phil demmel from machine head runs a delay and a chorus in the fx loop of his 6505/5150 and his lead tone is heavenly. not sure how he gets that tone though im getting its a very sutble delay/chorus mix cause i dont really notice it that much.

so anyone got any info or opinions on what i should do, btw im using emg 81's atm but i think i might switch to seymours maybe like 59s or jb or sh-4 or something


oh and i play metal similar to machine head btw thats why i brought up phil, i play drop C, drop B and b standard

 

[rectifryer]

1. Buy a whole bunch of pedals.
2. Returns the one you dont want.
3. ?????
4. you know where I am going with this.

 

[Miklagaard]

thats kinda exactly what i dont wanna do, i'd rather have a heading to go with then buy those pedals and return if i dont like, i really dont wanna have to buy 15 different pedals

 

[fitterhappier]

So wait....do you already have a 6505, or are you going to be getting a 6505? What amp do you have currently?

The suggestions here all depend on what kind of tone you're going for. You should stick with the EMG's if you want that clinical clarity and the searing lead tones. I personally love SD passives, but they're going to give you a more organic tone, and the JB especially will give you a pretty loose bottom end, which if not careful, can turn to mud with the wrong EQ settings.

Tell us what your gear is right now, and we can start from there.

Also - EQ is vital to sculpting any tone. I have the MXR 10-band in the loop of my ENGL, and I can make it sound DRASTICALLY different just by moving the bands around.

 

[rjnix_0329]

I just did a quick Google search and it looks like Phil Demmel uses a Boss DD-5 as his primary delay. I have a DD-3 and I am totally happy with it for a single effect. If you really want to be able to tweak your tones and blend delays, choruses, reverbs, etc, you might want to look into a multi-effects processor like a TC Electronics G Major.

But to get Phil Demmel's delay sound, Boss DD-5 in the loop of a Peavey 5150 looks like the way to go.

 

[Miklagaard]

currently im running a marshall mg100hdfx but im getting a 6505 next week so im trying to figure what to do for my lead tone before hand.

when running a chorus and delay in fx loop, im guessing for the delay i make it a really quick delay so its pretty subtle but will still ad the feel to the sound, but what about the chorus how would i set that up?

 

[mike0]

A boost pedal is the first thing that comes to my mind for improving any kind of tone (well, except clean, depending on what you want), especially lead. In my experience it helps give better note definition as well as tightening up your sound. When i used to have a 5150 i thought it sounded good, but once i bought a boost pedal i couldn't play without it, the amp by itself just sounded like poop from then on.

Many here will tell you that the maxon od808 is the best boost you can get, and it very well may be, but i personally havent used it so i cant give any input on it. I decided to go the cheaper route and got a bbe greean screamer and i didn't think twice about keeping it because it sounded THAT good. There are many other options like the ts808, ts9, od9, bad monkey, etc. But i'd leave which is the best to others since my knowledge is very limited on all of them

 

[groph]

currently im running a marshall mg100hdfx but im getting a 6505 next week so im trying to figure what to do for my lead tone before hand.

when running a chorus and delay in fx loop, im guessing for the delay i make it a really quick delay so its pretty subtle but will still ad the feel to the sound, but what about the chorus how would i set that up?

Well just wait until you get the 6505. You should be able to get a pretty sweet lead tone out of that amp right out of the box. They were designed with Eddie Van Halen so leads were definitely considered.

Aside from the amp, I'm sure a bit of delay would thicken the tone up a bit and that's probably all you'd need. Switching to your neck pickup usually helps too, they're usually bassier and a bit smoother than the bridge so maybe a pickup swap would help too. But for now, wait until you get the 6505 because the 6505 will smoke your MG100 in every regard.

EDIT: And yes, get a tubescreamer type pedal and boost your amp with it. The Maxon OD-808 is a common favorite, as is the Ibanez TS-9. They all do fundamentally the same thing. In case you don't know, set the gain on the pedal to zero and crank the level up all the way. You'll notice a bit of a change in the amp's feel - it's a bit more elastic but the tone is generally tighter and more focused sounding. Since you're putting a bigger signal into the amp, you should probably turn the pre gain down on the amp too, or else you'll just have a mess of distortion.

 

[vanhendrix]

I'm pretty certain that any plans you put into motion before getting your first tube amp will be absolutely struck asunder by the tone you'll be getting. Get the amp first, take a new assessment of what you think your tone is lacking, and then proceed in that direction.

 

[ozzman619]

yeah im not going to buy anything before i get the amp i just wanted to get some ideas on what i can do, ill actually spend a couple days with the amp before i actually buy anything else for it but ive talked to a few people and most people seem to say that throwing some stuff in the fx loops like delays, chorus, eq, compressor and using the fx loop as a lead channel is normally the way to go.

as for the boost, i currently have a mxr zakk wylde overdrive (first generation) so ill be boosting it with that, eventually ill grab a ts9 or maxon 808 though

 

[Sephael]

a noise suppressor might end up being on the top of your list of things to get.