What is your favourite approach to getting options from your 1 or 2 channel amp?

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Orvillain

Orvillain

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Typically I use 3 and 4 channel amps. Because I need a clean, overdrive, crunch, and high-gain sound... pretty much in every song.

I have an Orange Rockerverb MK3 100-watt head that I love, but don't use it much with my band specifically because I find 2 channels a bit limiting. But I'm sure this is just a practicality thing; I would guess I need some boosts and attenuators on a pedal board to get all the variety I need.

What is your favourite approach for this?
 
I do everything with the guitar volume and pickup selector.
Most of my amps are single channel NMV.
I occasionally use a wa or Klon Icon. Rarely actually. I have not plugged in either in 8 months.
 
For single channel amps, volume pedal with a minimum volume control (like the Morley Little Alligator)
 
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I generally prefer 2-channel amps where one channel is set brighter with less gain.

I'll add a compressor to channel 1 for cleans, and a boost (something with mid punch + level boost) to the other channel for leads.
 
I'm almost always running a four channel amp so this doesn't happen often, but generally a boost and my volume knob for clean
 
pedals for sure. I use this setup into single channel jcm 800 or plexi style amps
 
Do you use a lot of effects or a effects loop normally with multi channel amps ???
Those can have a big effect on gain staging. You really need to take all that into consideration.

My preference is a very simple rig. Where I don't need to think much. A phase and wa pedal out front. I set the amp to where you get infinite sustain point of saturation ..... All the rest of the sounds come from the guitar volume.

If using a overdrive I set the amp for point of breakup - soft crunch region. I just find most overdrive, boost and distortion pedals sound and feel best with the amp set this way.

Even when using multi channel amps I tend to use the guitar volume a lot. When I learned how to play no one had a master volume amp. That happened years later. I still play that way.
 
I used to want to use 3-4 channel amps for everything.

Honestly, a good versatile single channel amp, using the guitar volume knob a bit more, and a simple boost pedal does the job for me, and makes life a lot easier. Maxon OD808 is my go to pedal.

You also need a combination of amp, guitar & pickups that clean up well when rolling off the volume. That's not a given on every rig.
 
When I had my VHT UL the second channel was all I used. Never the clean or red. Set the gain for a crunch tone w/o the boost. For clean would roll down the guitar volume. For higher gain add the amp boost. Then for higher gain more aggressive stuff used a overdrive pedal on top off the amp boost.
 
A lot of it depends on the amp. I wouldn't approach a Fender Twin the same way I would a Fryette Deliverance.

You can treat each of the channels of a multi channel amps like single channel amps. Do everything with only one channel for a few days is a good way to get to know the entire range of a amp.
 
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