Smooth Soaring Solo's ( Need Advice )

[jerryfuze]

Can someone with Pedal knowlede please help me.. All I am looking for is the smoothest solo Sound I can find.. Not scratchy and dirty but.... Steve Vai Like , Santana Like.. I am not loking for their exact tone, just something that can help me get super smooth yet, soaring type solo's..

 

I have two guitars :

Gibson LP Traditional Standard ( 57 HB's )

 

PRS SE Custom Semi Hollow... PRS HB's

 

G Dec 3 Thirty Amp( nice, but don't expect smooth soaring highs and lows.. )

 

Zoom G2 1NU

 

 

I am looking at buying the Blackstar HT5 combo Tube Amp that has an effects loop hook up option. I am willing to buy a few pedals . ( I will be going to the guitar store to hook up my Zoom Pedal up to the Blackstar and see if I can get the sound I want ). This is for practice and playing in the house, so I can't get the large Tube Amps that have to be driven loud.

 

Can anyone recommend a simple Pedal set up that may get me to that thick fat Neck sound but smooth as possible for SOLO'S ? But Sustaining soaring Solos . Even if you don't know if it will sound right on this particular amp, can someone give me tips on Pedals that get me closer to that sound ?

 

I am reading Boss DS-1 , EQ Pedal , may work ?

 

I appreciate any help

 

Thanks

 

Jerry

[Angellus]

Can someone with Pedal knowlede please help me.. All I am looking for is the smoothest solo Sound I can find.. Not scratchy and dirty but.... Steve Vai Like , Santana Like.. I am not loking for their exact tone, just something that can help me get super smooth yet, soaring type solo's..

 

I have two guitars :

Gibson LP Traditional Standard ( 57 HB's )

 

PRS SE Custom Semi Hollow... PRS HB's

 

G Dec 3 Thirty Amp( nice, but don't expect smooth soaring highs and lows.. )

 

Zoom G2 1NU

 

 

I am looking at buying the Blackstar HT5 combo Tube Amp that has an effects loop hook up option. I am willing to buy a few pedals . ( I will be going to the guitar store to hook up my Zoom Pedal up to the Blackstar and see if I can get the sound I want ). This is for practice and playing in the house, so I can't get the large Tube Amps that have to be driven loud.

 

Can anyone recommend a simple Pedal set up that may get me to that thick fat Neck sound but smooth as possible for SOLO'S ? But Sustaining soaring Solos . Even if you don't know if it will sound right on this particular amp, can someone give me tips on Pedals that get me closer to that sound ?

 

I am reading Boss DS-1 , EQ Pedal , may work ?

 

I appreciate any help

 

Thanks

 

Jerry

 

Great amp (Blackstar) you'll definately get the crisp sound you need.

 

I would say however that its not always about the pedals as most would say these just boost or enhance your signal

 

Simple answer? take your guitar down to your local guitar shop and plug into a similar amp then try all the distortion pedals in the shop. I personally use an Expandora 2(distortion & Overdrive), MXR Super comp( Compressor), T-Rex Replica (Delay) and my modded les paul Traditional in the neck position to get my version of the tone your looking for going into a clean channel of my Marshall TSL100

 

extended answer: take out the '57 neck pickup on the Traditional and replace it with the Seymour Duncan '59 (SH59) replace the Caps with either sprague orange drops or replica bumblebees, leave the 300k volume pot in the neck pickup but change the bridge volume pot to a 500K to get some bite and attack when you come out of silky smooth lead. (my personal opinion)

 

most of the pro's have the money and free time to try everything they can on the market to nail that sound in there head and it all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day so above would be my personal preference.

 

for more information type into google the artists live rig and look up their artist custom guitar specs to try to find that special mojo they have for their tone........but then ask the question do you want to be a clone or go down to the local guitar shop try everything out and find the tone in your head?

 

hope this helps

[antwhi2001]

I've wasted loads of money on pedals in earlier years trying to get that sort of tone out of cheap guitars and solid state amps. If it's early period Santana you want to emulate, you need a guitar with P90s, not humbuckers, a tube amp, and a cable. Plus talent. No pedals. Paul Kossoff "live" sound? No pedals. Early Clapton? No pedals apart from occasional wah. Same for Mick Ronson. Most classic rock guitar from the late 60s / early 70s is just a guitar and a hot tube amp on a high gain setting.

 

If your amp doesn't have reverb, that would help on solos. An EQ is just a fancy tone control. Have a look on the Boss website and listen to the sound samples there - it's an opportunity to learn what each of the various FX do, you can hear a range of settings for each.

 

I've gone from a pedal board with 7 FX down to a Boss ME70 single combo unit, but a lot of the time I'm on bypass and all you're hearing is amp + guitar.

[jerryfuze]

Great amp (Blackstar) you'll definately get the crisp sound you need.

 

I would say however that its not always about the pedals as most would say these just boost or enhance your signal

 

Simple answer? take your guitar down to your local guitar shop and plug into a similar amp then try all the distortion pedals in the shop. I personally use an Expandora 2(distortion & Overdrive), MXR Super comp( Compressor), T-Rex Replica (Delay) and my modded les paul Traditional in the neck position to get my version of the tone your looking for going into a clean channel of my Marshall TSL100

 

extended answer: take out the '57 neck pickup on the Traditional and replace it with the Seymour Duncan '59 (SH59) replace the Caps with either sprague orange drops or replica bumblebees, leave the 300k volume pot in the neck pickup but change the bridge volume pot to a 500K to get some bite and attack when you come out of silky smooth lead. (my personal opinion)

 

most of the pro's have the money and free time to try everything they can on the market to nail that sound in there head and it all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day so above would be my personal preference.

 

for more information type into google the artists live rig and look up their artist custom guitar specs to try to find that special mojo they have for their tone........but then ask the question do you want to be a clone or go down to the local guitar shop try everything out and find the tone in your head?

 

hope this helps

Thanks for the detailed info ! My Guitar is at the guitar store being tweeked , so I think you are right and I need to just go thru the pedals to see if and what I like from my own guitar. At least I have a place to start now. I really was not sure what pedals to start with, so thanks for all the detailed information , including the Pick up change.

Thanks again !

[Kineman Karma]

I've wasted loads of money on pedals in earlier years trying to get that sort of tone out of cheap guitars and solid state amps. If it's early period Santana you want to emulate, you need a guitar with P90s, not humbuckers, a tube amp, and a cable. Plus talent. No pedals. Paul Kossoff "live" sound? No pedals. Early Clapton? No pedals apart from occasional wah. Same for Mick Ronson. Most classic rock guitar from the late 60s / early 70s is just a guitar and a hot tube amp on a high gain setting.

 

If your amp doesn't have reverb, that would help on solos. An EQ is just a fancy tone control. Have a look on the Boss website and listen to the sound samples there - it's an opportunity to learn what each of the various FX do, you can hear a range of settings for each.

 

I've gone from a pedal board with 7 FX down to a Boss ME70 single combo unit, but a lot of the time I'm on bypass and all you're hearing is amp + guitar.

 

I agree strongly...

 

I am finding that I am going back to the truest form of tone with just Guitar, Cable and Amp... The secret is a very good Valve Amp with the right pickup combo on your axe.

 

I am also learning in the past few days that running my 09 Fender Deluxe Strat through 5 of my Different Fender amps give me 5 different tones all together, especially going from 212 to 112 to 410 etc etc...

 

I have found that the deluxe Strat just sings with the 112 Fender Blues Deluxe... All of my Gibsons Absolutely love my 212 Fender Pro Tube Twin Amp more than the others..

 

Good Luck with your tone quest!! :)

[jerryfuze]

I've wasted loads of money on pedals in earlier years trying to get that sort of tone out of cheap guitars and solid state amps. If it's early period Santana you want to emulate, you need a guitar with P90s, not humbuckers, a tube amp, and a cable. Plus talent. No pedals. Paul Kossoff "live" sound? No pedals. Early Clapton? No pedals apart from occasional wah. Same for Mick Ronson. Most classic rock guitar from the late 60s / early 70s is just a guitar and a hot tube amp on a high gain setting.

 

If your amp doesn't have reverb, that would help on solos. An EQ is just a fancy tone control. Have a look on the Boss website and listen to the sound samples there - it's an opportunity to learn what each of the various FX do, you can hear a range of settings for each.

 

I've gone from a pedal board with 7 FX down to a Boss ME70 single combo unit, but a lot of the time I'm on bypass and all you're hearing is amp + guitar.

 

I was on the Boss website and will check the rest of the pedals out, but the DS-1 seems to get great reviews .

Thanks for the info.

[dalep]

Skreddy Top Fuel will get you there.

[Kineman Karma]

I was on the Boss website and will check the rest of the pedals out, but the DS-1 seems to get great reviews .

Thanks for the info.

 

For that beautiful guitar you have... I recomend you buy a Fender Blues Junior and an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal which is the only pedal I will not remove from my pedal board.

 

Run your valve amp on overdrive and just compliment it with a TUBE SCREAMER...then you will hear that tone you are craving for..

[jerryfuze]

For that beautiful guitar you have... I recomend you buy a Fender Blues Junior and an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal which is the only pedal I will not remove from my pedal board.

 

Run your valve amp on overdrive and just compliment it with a TUBE SCREAMER...then you will hear that tone you are craving for..

 

I will check that out as well ! Thanks for the tip !

[T Bone]

I will check that out as well ! Thanks for the tip !

Another vote for a Tube Screamer. I've got a TS 808 and a TS 9 on both of my pedal boards, great sounds.

[LarryUK]

As I've said before. MXR micro amp. Look up the vids on You Tube.

You could add a compressor and a bit of delay and chorus to fill the sound.

[CajunBlues]

You are going to laugh at this one But I use this pedal

 

http://www.digitech.com/en-US/products/bad-monkey

 

with a Fender Deluxe Reverb...

 

At 1/4 turn of the gain with my les paul deluxe I get close to that Santana Sound.... Now if I could play like him or was able to imitate his signature style, then I would really sound like him...

 

I know its cliche... but its true... part of a sweet tone is produced by the player.. not the equipment...

 

And lastly I totally agree on NOT spending a lot of money on expensive pedals... Definitely not more than $100 .... Your not going to do any better than an Ibanez Tube Screamer...

[antwhi2001]

Behringer also make good low-cost pedals : http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/

 

The sound quality is very good, but they use plastic housings and cheaper components than Boss etc. I've owned a few and they are fine for home use...after a years' heavy gigging they'd probably fall apart. The advantage is that at UK prices, you can buy 3 Behringer for the cost of one Boss.

[btoth76]

Hello Jerryfuze! From my equipment listed below I use an Ibanez TS-10 (or TS9DX sometimes) connected to an Ibanez MS-10 Metal Charger (excellent for increasing gain and sustain) and split the signal to two separate tube combos via an Ibanez TC-10 Twin-Cam stereo chorus (adds spacious feeling) and adding some reverb. Playing any Gibson (P-90 or humbucker equipped) through this setup will give the sound You've described. Cheers... Bence

[btoth76]

If You have already purchased a DS-1 and an EQ, I recommend connecting a booster/compressor or a Tubescreamer (or a Boss Blues Driver) in front of the Distortion pedal You have. Put a chorus and a delay at the end of the chain, and that should be fine.

[Versatile]

I have achieved the Santana tone in a variety of ways....

 

Firstly brain and fingers working with high gain

 

Many hybrid modelling amps have it as a pre set

 

Time spent with various pedals is well worth it

 

An ultra high gain pedal as for Heavy Metal can often be tweaked to sweeten up the tone

 

Remember to play along with a rhythm box set for 'Fast Latin' <_<

 

V

 

[antwhi2001]

Each to his own, but I don't get it. Maybe you're after different sounds to what I envisage...3 expensive pedals plus a combination of 2 tube amps, to replicate tone someone else got with an amp, a guitar and a cable? Multiple distortion effects, when you presumably have adjustable Gain on the amp(s) as well? I suppose I've become a minimalist, I just wouldn't go there.

[charlie brown]

It's interesting...in the '60's, we played our amps "full out,"

volume wise. The volume itself, as most know, doesn't increase

much, past 6...but the tube distortion gets really nice! Pedals,

as limited, as they were, back then...were used for coloring, or

a specific effect (Rotary, Wah-Wah, Fuzz). Once the smaller venues,

and partrons, started complaining and/or not hiring really loud bands,

players started using Overdrive pedals, to try to achieve that Fender

or Mashall full volume tone, and creamy overdrive, at more manageable

volumes. The pedal industry, picking up on that, went Wild! I have

many overdrive pedals, myself. NONE of which, sound as good (to me)

as my Fender or Mashall amps run at full volume, still. So, I have

several amps, now...at various wattage, for appropriate venue sizes.

I still use my pedals (sparingly), for specific effects, but NOT to

get "my tone."

 

I remember the fisrt time I got my Marshall Major full stack, and

cranked it up, full. It was "Crossroads" tone, to the bone..and I

just about pee'd my pants. Just by varying the volume (and tone)

control on my guitar, I could get a wide variety of usuable sounds,

from just that simple (if large/loud) setup. So, since then, I've

always felt, if you can't get your tone, from just the gutiar and

amp, alone. You're not doing something, right. Doesn't mean you

can't use pedals, for specific effects, but relying on them, isn't

something "I" care to do, anyway.

 

Cheers,

CB

[CajunBlues]

It's interesting...in the '60's, we played our amps "full out,"

volume wise. The volume itself, as most know, doesn't increase

much, past 6...but the tube distortion gets really nice!

 

This is true if you are not using a deluxe reverb, or twin reverb... I use a deluxe reverb and its hard to get a dirty sound out of this amp... hence the pedal.. no big deal... I dont mind using a pedal..

[charlie brown]

This is true if you are not using a deluxe reverb, or twin reverb... I use a deluxe reverb and its hard to get a dirty sound out of this amp... hence the pedal.. no big deal... I dont mind using a pedal..

 

Well, I probably should have defined "my" soaring solo tone, as creamy, and not crunchy.

My Bad! I still use a Twin Reverb, as I did then. I find the overdrive is great, when

played full out. Not "Crunchy," but...we used a Fuzz box back then(in my case, a Vox

Tone Bender), for that. If we played out doors, back then, I often pre-amped the Twin,

into the Marshall. Crazy (loud), for sure, but effective! Mostly, now...I use a Blues

Junior, for bars, a Hot Rod Deluxe, for larger clubs, and the Twin Reverb, for large halls,

or outside. Once I find a nice "used but not abussed" 50-100 watt Marshall head, for a

decent price, I'll use that, and my 1960A Slant cab, for outside, and/or larger halls.

And, I too, am not "opposed" to using pedals, sparingly, when/if needed.

 

CB

[CajunBlues]

thanks CB....

 

Not to get too much off topic :)

 

But one sound that I truly adore and I cannot imitate.. Is George Thorogood's crunch... From what I understand, he uses 1 or 2 twin reverbs with a couple of dumbles...

 

And I believe he uses a semi-hollow guitar with P90's...

[T Bone]

Well, I probably should have defined "my" soaring solo tone, as creamy, and not crunchy.

My Bad! I still use a Twin Reverb, as I did then. I find the overdrive is great, when

played full out. Not "Crunchy," but...we used a Fuzz box back then(in my case, a Vox

Tone Bender), for that. If we played out doors, back then, I often pre-amped the Twin,

into the Marshall. Crazy (loud), for sure, but effective! Mostly, now...I use a Blues

Junior, for bars, a Hot Rod Deluxe, for larger clubs, and the Twin Reverb, for large halls,

or outside. Once I find a nice "used but not abussed" 50-100 watt Marshall head, for a

decent price, I'll use that, and my 1960A Slant cab, for outside, and/or larger halls.

And, I too, am not "opposed" to using pedals, sparingly, when/if needed.

 

CB

I got my "crunch" back in the day from a 1967 Firebird III (3 P90 p'ups) and a pair of Marshall heads (one 50w and one 100w) through two 4/12 cabs. Only pedal I ever used in that day and age was a Phase 45 from MXR. These days, my ever building amp/guitar and pedal collection gives a lot of options. But I use the pedals mainly for special effects (Wah, delay, vibe) or to color the sound (the Tube Screamers enhance the dynamics of the amps when used in certain ways). I've got distortion units (Rat and MXR Classic Distortion) but don't use those so much. More apt to use fuzz from a Fuzz Face or an Octavio. But for crunch, my favorite is still to turn it to 10 (or 12!).

[Oopssorryy]

I have an overdrive (Don't laugh, but it's a Fab) pedal that adds quite a bit of thickness to my tone, makes it sound like I playing threw a tube amp set on 11, but at all volumes. If you already have the DS-1 then I would say your set on distortion unless you want to play metal, and defiantly get a bit of reverb on those solos. Or you can set your amp up to get your solos, and then turn down your volume/switch to bridge position to clean it up during the rest of the song.

[jerryfuze]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the information. A lot of experience on these Boards ! If you get a chance, I just wrote a new topic regarding Luthier advise. Maybe you can help me with this problem... It's always One thing or another.. In any case, Thanks again for all the advice !

[EdMan57]

For getting a good tone for "smooth soaring solo's" I use a good compressor [Carl Martin Comp/Limiter] and a good delay [boss DD-20/Guyatone MDm5] in my amp's effects loop [set anywhere from 350 to 640 ms].The compressor allows for the use of less preamp/pedal distortion and the delay lets the notes run together and give a sort of doubling effect to the solo lines being played.Neal Schon uses such to great effect.

 

 

 

Ed