Amp clean channel + distortion pedals vs. multiple different amps

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Well, if you want surf tones that sound legit you are already looking for something with that wet spring reverb unless you're using a pedal. That kinda puts you in Fender territory. That will also cover a lot of solid rock tones with the right pedals, obviously any funk sounds for disco, and has the headroom to deal with some pretty floor rattling guitar synth pedals for techno.

That said there's a reason you don't see many people playing metal ala Rammstein on a Twin with pedals. And the high gain amps that have both spectacular cleans and punishing dry brutal high gain tones are pretty few and far between. Those that have a reverb that would cover surf tones are to my knowledge only really the Fender Pro-Sonic and Super-Sonic amps.

You get a great Fender clean channel paired with a very well respected high gain channel that gets compared to Mesa's high gain amps by quite a few people, and that Fender reverb.

 

[cobrahead1030]

For my liking, if you want to go down that rabbit hole, it’s best to have a decent collection of all the classics.

Tubescreamer, Klon, Rat, Bluesbreaker, fuzz, ODR, Bluesdriver, etc. or whatever modern iteration of those you like, there are tons of great ones now. Choose 2-3 that play well together on a board, switch them up on occasion if you feel the need.

 

[PDC]

Do you occasionally/often use distortion pedal + clean channel in the amp, without adding any extra distortion from the amp itself? If you do, what pedals do you use for that and what type of music do you play/write?

I'm asking because I'm wondering how well one might be able to replace the idea of having multiple amps with having an amp with a clean channel + X amount of distortion pedals.

I get what you are asking. There is a world of difference between overdrive and distortion pedals, like Tube Screamers and the BOSS SD/OD variety and what the industry refers to as 'AIB' or 'Amp In a Box' pedals. Where Tube Screamers and SD/OD pedals will add varying degrees of gain / sustain / low end cut to already gained out amps, 'AIB' pedals will do what you are asking about - they will deliver a full, cranked up, overdriven amp sound into an otherwise clean amp.

I've got a bone stock 1973 50 watt NMV Marshall that has an incredible clean sound and I have had great results with the Wampler Pinnacle, the Suhr Eclipse, and the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe, all of which are 'AIB' style pedals as opposed to simple overdrive or distortion pedals. I have never tried - but heard great reviews of - the Bogner Red and Blue pedals, which also offer more 'AIB' style results than a simple OD or distortion pedal into an already gained out amp.

If you had 2 - 3 'AIB' style stomps on your board - each with varying degrees of gain, compression and scoop, you would achieve what you are asking as far as using stomps into a clean amp to achieve noticeably different amp sounds from an otherwise clean amp.

I hope that helps.

 

[rstites]

I will say that contrary to a statement above, getting good cleans is actually really difficult. Getting a clean tone is easy, but getting one that sounds good and not thin and bland on its own is tough. If I'm just in the studio, I get an amp that sounds great clean - classic Fenders or similar - and use them for clean sections. (I've had the best luck with an old TOL100 for this, fwiw, and as a 4-channel amp, it's distortion is actually pretty damn good.)

Those amps with pedals do produce some really nice distortion tones, but I've never liked them as much as a well designed amp with some crunch that I could push with an overdrive pedal, or less frequently a good high gain amp with no pedals. In the studio, I'll use different amps for each tone, if necessary. Live, the best sounds I've ever gotten were an old Marshall JMP 2203 with a boost out front, and then boost-off and rolled off for pretty nice semi-clean tones. I don't know that I ever recorded with it, though.

 

[Smash]

When I was gigging, I found that a moderately distorted amp worked the best for me.

If I wanted more gain, I boost the front end with an OD or a boost, or both

If I wanted it clean, I just roll down the volume knob, and the "clean" sound I got from that generally sat in a mix much better than an actual clean tone.

Yeah. Even well designed high gain amps can get a "clean" from a volume roll. I hate the sound of actual clean amps. It sounds like a crap version of an acoustic.

The volume roll on a really great voiced high gain beast gives you the illusion of a clean because of the disparity of gain.

I wanted to run a clean amp as a pedal platform when i started too. It was what i read you should do. It sounds so bad to me. But if it sounds good to you, it will save you a ton of money trying to find the best high gainer

 

[BlueParfait]

Yeah. Even well designed high gain amps can get a "clean" from a volume roll. I hate the sound of actual clean amps. It sounds like a crap version of an acoustic.

The volume roll on a really great voiced high gain beast gives you the illusion of a clean because of the disparity of gain.

I wanted to run a clean amp as a pedal platform when i started too. It was what i read you should do. It sounds so bad to me. But if it sounds good to you, it will save you a ton of money trying to find the best high gainer

The only clean amps I liked were vintage-style Marshalls and Fender Twins lol

 

[RaceU4her]

i use my Ampeg V50H which is just a NMV EL34 amp with reverb for pedals, its got the best pure clean tone of any amp i have, i could use my Ibanez Smashbox and Caline Englishman as kind of a recto/marshall thing no problem, those pedals sound great. Distortion pedals are an easy and inexpensive way to get some different flavors of tones without getting another amp

 

[Maguchi]

Anytime I have a choice between another amp or another pedal, I'll go with another amp.

 

[PDC]

I will say that contrary to a statement above, getting good cleans is actually really difficult.

This is a good point - as far as getting a clean tone that allows those AIB pedals to really shine. I lucked out with my 73 Marshall - it has surprisingly full, warm, cleans I have ever heard from a Marshall - almost Fenderish for lack of a better term? But it maintains the core marshall midrange that provides the necessary fullness and 'bark' to the gain that AIB pedals provide.

By comparison, I have tried AIB pedals in front of the clean channel of a channel switching amp in my stable and to be honest, it just sounds like ass. The clean channel isn't 'bad' on its own by any means - but it sounds and feels like the clean channel of a multi-channel amp is voiced in a way that takes all of the 'meat' out of the sound that a pedal like the Pinnacle or the Eclipse really needs to do its thing.

 

[JDs Couch]

Do you occasionally/often use distortion pedal + clean channel in the amp, without adding any extra distortion from the amp itself? If you do, what pedals do you use for that and what type of music do you play/write?

I'm asking because I'm wondering how well one might be able to replace the idea of having multiple amps with having an amp with a clean channel + X amount of distortion pedals.

Just get a Kemper.

 

[Smash]

For me, i dont care for getting a range of tones. I want a badass high gain tone and a rolled back "clean"

If you are trying to get the sound perfect for covers, i get it, and yeah, i would just get a modeller at that point.

I have played modellers and just find the right sound and stick there. On multi channel amps, i find best channel and stick there. That is why i am a single channel guy.

 

[Kraku]

I try to stay away from modellers.

 

[Sick Michael]

Im using Pedals into a Two Notes Le Clean preamp (all tube) and its pretty good. This preamp gives you good Fender like cleans, there a second channel which gives a very mild crunch but really likes pedals. AND it has a separate EQ which is absolutely key (and it has a parametric mid knob which is really nice).

And Ive used loads of Amps over the years, this setup is cool because you can just connect it into any poweramp and it will sound good.

 

[glpg80]

Single channel, volume roll.

If it has so much gain you can’t volume roll, then I prefer another set of gain and master volume knobs on the gain channel to switch to so that the clean is warmer and lets you fine tune the level with the volume knob on your guitar.

Dead clean channels are useful for starting a song or in the middle of songs like right after a solo when you need clean faster than your hand can volume roll. Otherwise I don’t like them.

 

[Smash]

Single channel, volume roll.

If it has so much gain you can’t volume roll, then I prefer another set of gain and master volume knobs on the gain channel to switch to so that the clean is warmer and lets you fine tune the level with the volume knob on your guitar.

Dead clean channels are useful for starting a song or in the middle of songs like right after a solo when you need clean faster than your hand can volume roll. Otherwise I don’t like them.

I use a volume pedal with a minimum set at however clean i want it. So full on is nasty, all the way back is perfect clean for that song.

 

[7704A]

I use a volume pedal with a minimum set at however clean i want it. So full on is nasty, all the way back is perfect clean for that song.

I'm thinking about installing an end-stop resistor on my guitar's volume pot, behind a push-push switch, for similar results that I can toggle off/on.

 

[Smash]

I'm thinking about installing an end-stop resistor on my guitar's volume pot, behind a push-push switch, for similar results that I can toggle off/on.

I like it. I thought of doing the same, but with gating I decided to simplify the setup.. plus, i leave my boost on for cleans. I actually took my volume pot off and only have a killswitch with a resistor to emulate the load of the pot on full

 

[7704A]

Just found out about this neat gadget, though it unfortunately only comes in strat-style knobs: https://www.thatklickknob.com/
It's a knob with an on-the-fly settable detent.

 

[7704A]

Also just found a knob that looks like it might have the sort of tactile feedback necessary to tell you when you're at the sweet-spot, without a detent: https://jescarmusic.com/products/sever-pot-knob-bk-dome_i_knurled-spiral

I've been thinking about (and experimenting, to an extent) with adding more tactile feedback to knobs, but there doesn't seem to be much market demand for it.

 

[Smash]

Also just found a knob that looks like it might the sort of tactile feedback necessary to tell you when you're at the sweet-spot, without a detent: https://jescarmusic.com/products/sever-pot-knob-bk-dome_i_knurled-spiral
View attachment 420379

I've been thinking about (and experimenting, to an extent) with adding more tactile feedback to knobs, but there doesn't seem to much market demand for it.

Me and you are very similar in that we find a problem, no matter how small and look for a solution