How To (And Now NOT To) Use Distortion Pedals TONE SECRETS #3

BUY THE CARL MARTIN PLEXITONE HERE: amzn.to/2rMJ3f6
BUY THE ATOMIC OVERDRIVE HERE: amzn.to/2s5Seqg
This video is #2 in my 'Tone Secrets" series, in part 2, I show you how I to dial in 2 distortion pedals , the Plexitone and the XTS Atomic. I also detail what I see as each pedal's weaker settings.
Watch PT1 OVERDRIVES here: • How To- And How NOT To...
Check out "Clean To Scream" by Pete Thorn: itunes.apple.c...
Check out "To Live And Die In Nashville" by Pete Thorn: itunes.apple.c...
Check out "The Groomed Noodler", new single by Pete Thorn here:
itunes.apple.c...
Check out Pete Thorn's "Guitar Nerd" CD here:
www.cdbaby.com/...
itunes.apple.c...

[@andyracksthecams]

This is so much better than watching TV!

[@bobayersquebec]

that one of the reason why i dont have tv !

[@Alienkiwi730]

KZbin has been the primary replacement of TV since 2010

[@lonewanderer2894]

Does it really matter which screen you're staring at? TV, Phone, Computer. All the same.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Lone Wanderer Yes, being able to not be hit with commercials constantly is invaluable.

[@aidanmoore9652]

Still get those fucking ads tho 😒

[@EytschPi42]

GREAT video series.... I love it when I can still learn stuff about pedals and feel like I had NO idea, even though I make pedal demos every day.... well... there are great pedal channels and then there is PETE THORN....

[@PeteThorn]

Hey thanks man! Was fun meeting you at NAMM!

[@jodyfree953]

Sei nicht vorlaut !

[@elisanchez7965]

Jody Free Totally

[@Samhaim1234]

Henning Pauly

[@skidrowe68]

hard to beat AC/DC when trying to dial in a dist/overdrive sound, the guys set the standard. Nice job as always Pete!

[@jakollee]

Ha, gotta say, at 6:18 when you accidentally had amp channel 2 and the XTS distortion pedal on at the same time, it sounded pretty awesome to me!

[@themarcoharder]

Your videos are always educational and very practical. I live and gig in the Philippines and I only bring my own amp when logistics allow so I'm always at the mercy of whatever amp the club I'm playing at has on stock. These tweaking/dialing in videos are greatly helpful!

[@HewittH]

Fuzz next, fuzz next!

[@TheStrataminor]

Oh yeah bro..Fuzz!!

[@kainhall]

i feel like this "thread" might know of a dude named ty segall if not.... he got a band called fuzz..... best described as OG black sabbath he also made some stuff under simply... "ty segall".... pretty "far out" but holy fuck i love it the album "melted"...... saw em live in missoula MT in 2012 or 13.... memory is "hazy" first time something really "turned me on" sense i was ~13 or so... was like playing playing led zep 2 and zz top eliminator for the first time.....after sneaking into my mothers vinyl collection "ya mean their are other types of music? its not just shit pop/rap on the FM radio in the car..... played threw paper speakers?" found nirvana and the meat puppets from my dads CD collection the meat puppets fucking rule..... what else can i say?

[@cpamiseso]

he did, June 2019, how to get glassy clean using germanium fuzz and rolling back your volume knobs on your guitar.

[@JamesRussoMillas]

I think this video is a very good indication that while pedals have DEFINITELY come a long way, there is just something about a real amp opened up. It just has a compression and some frequencies that the pedals don't.

[@TVguy9999]

Makes perfect sense to use a (distortion) point a reference to dial in a pedal. Saves a ton of time and energy! THANKS for sharing your wisdom.

[@learnerlearns]

Thank you Pete! Even for those of us with money and time, we seldom find all the boutique pedals we want to try under one roof, let alone finding a good amp with nobody around to annoy us and no noisy guitar-store-riffers. So this series is exceedingly helpful. Quality pedals in a studio environment with your great playing and experienced commentary brings out details we might otherwise miss. THANK YOU!

[@Nghilifa]

At 6:20 when you had the red distortion pedal on channel 2 by accident, that was the BEST sound!

[@kimdemegillo9631]

like a stacked Marshall Roaring! full-bodied, open, moves air around. that's the sound ive been longing

[@sontinos528]

Hi Pete, you made me buy the 5150 pedal and I want to thank you forever.

[@PeteThorn]

Cool! Good to know u are happy!

[@markannichiarico640]

I tried that pedal and wanted to like it but something about it just sounded so thin, I went with the Friedman BE-OD pedal it might not have as much gain but it is an awesome pedal and can have you playing metal through a clean channel on your amp.

[@everythingtakin]

I'm happy to have an original plexitone. It really transforms your amp into a Marshall. Petes awesome video skills are just the icings on top

[@sunsgettingreallow8318]

I heard it’s really hissy and has shrilly highs, have you found that to be true?

[@gregpeterson7221]

Pete, your Tone Secrets are fantastic! You've really helped me learn how to think about effects. Thank you so much!

[@BobbyLaneProductions]

great tone is in the ears of the beholder.. and not everyone has a "core sound" they can refer to for dialing in their pedals.. so that's in my opinion why your KZbin video reviews are so helpful Pete.. you're an awesome player with tons of experience and a great set of ears.. thanks bro'! my TGP siggy: "the tone chase is never quite over.. but it does sound like you're closing in"

[@northof50now]

Thanks Pete. The big things I learned in the past few months, and confirmed by your last two vids, is that it's all about getting a good base tone first-- and volume is key. For the past couple of years, I have been trying to use my amp at volume 2 and purchasing pedals in hopes they will sound good. As soon as I began to crank the amp to 4-5, the base tone sounded better and all the pedals sound completely different. Even the controls became much more responsive on the pedals.

[@babetteleblanc7620]

northof50now I'm getting an attenuator just so I can turn my Deluxe above 2. Even on 3 it blasts me out of the room. Can't wait to see how having the tubes cooking a bit more will help with better tone and better pedal tone.

[@northof50now]

Best of luck with that Babette. I've had that recommended to me several times...I think even by Pete in 1 post. The cost was prohibitive to me. For "bedroom" playing, I couldn't justify the price. I finally just turned up the amp and turned "off" the family yelling for me to turn it down. It was certainly a cheapest option :-)

[@babetteleblanc7620]

Thank you. Not expensive at all, I bought a thing called a Power Soak online from Carl's Custom Guitars. $39.99

[@northof50now]

Awesome! Never heard of it. Those I was researching were in the $900 range.

[@babetteleblanc7620]

I haven't received it yet, probably tomorrow. I'll let you know if it's awesome...for $40 I think it will be, lol! Yes, I've seen those pricy ones too. I'm sure they're fantastic to too rich for my blood. Carlscustomguitars.com if you want to check it out.

[@rattucho6440]

Dude your signature PT -100 amp is insane! Love it

[@ChristianIce]

The Plexi pedal is much more organic and dynamic, and I guess it's designed to pull the brightness out of a flat amp. I prefer the Plexi (without the high boost) to the other one (with).

[@Faffabucco]

E bravo christian...

[@glitcherz1058]

chai ragione

[@picksalot1]

Thanks Pete. You've got a great ear and talent for communicating what works and why. I always learn a lot from videos, and enjoy your stellar playing.

[@PeteThorn]

Thank u!

[@mrlionel1965]

I always kept the volume lower here at home. Thinking now that I need to go back and tweak my gear. I definitely like what I'm hearing here. Pete, your videos are just killer. Thanks so much for posting this for us.

[@Mossy5150]

Your channel 2 with the pedal actually sounded really good, super crunchy 1986-esque lead sound.

[@daveanderson5136]

Love your video's - they are top notch quality with excellent content. I am an amateur musician and I really appreciate your professional insight. The video's with you and Tim P. are some of my favorite. This video made me laugh because I watched your OD #2 video first and you mentioned a gear page thread about the back-handed compliment you received at the Gear Page where you make pedals sound very good and you make the drive pedals sound the same. The smile came when you made your Atomic and Plexitone in this example sound very close to the PT-100 channel #2. They did sound AWESOME and they did sound the SAME. This made my morning with a smile when I heard this second video. We mere mortals are digging your sound - keep up the good work. I love the little nuances that you show in tuning various knobs (gain or treble) and these are helping me to achieve better sounds.

[@elvillegas1211]

The Plexi Tone with the bright switch off is much closer of your amp's second channel than the XTS Atomic. I totally agree with the usefulness of having dirt pedals to achieve a reference sound we have on a distorded amp. My base sound is a Marshall plexi 50W clone with volume about 8, and to recreate this kind of sound on a clean amp, I found that the Zvex Distortron is the best pedal for that Marshall-style sound, more versatile than the Box of Rock because of the subs settings and high gain option. Awesome pedal. Thanks for the great demos Pete, keep on rockin' !

[@250frederic]

Let's Get It Up?! Wow, that's a relatively obscure AC/DC song... quite unexpected, love it!

[@pepperbelly68]

I have been playing guitar over 20 years but i still learn something from Pete's video's !

[@MKRISING75]

Freaking awesome bet you shut that troll up now! You the man keep on keeping on brother never had a problem or negative thing to say about any video you done!Rock on bro!🎸

[@PeteThorn]

Thanks mark!

[@bobbyvaldez7823]

Thanks Pete - definitely supports the proposition that different pedals sound "better/worse" with different amp setting. Might I suggest you do the same type of demo showing how different speakers also support that proposition. Thanks again.

[@YeOldeMachine]

I just discovered this series, and this channel. Really amazing stuff. I love the way you explain things. I can tell you are an absolute master of your craft, by how simply, thoroughly, and easily you are able to explain things. I just wish you were a metal player. Lol

[@thisdyingsoul76]

This is a great series. Especially liked this one showing how to dial in the sound of a pedal to match the sound of an amp. Great trick for when you're playing someplace where that amp might be too powerful and unable to turn up to its sweet spot without deafening the audience.

[@dennisp3314]

For me - it was the XTS Atomic by a Mile ! I don't usually ever play with that sound, but in this Video, it sounded so very good (yes, with the bright switch on) while the Plexitone was quite dull (for me)

[@SgtThump]

I have a PT100SE rig myself and theres just something about the clean channel that makes it work extremely well with OD and distortion pedals. That alone adds so much versatility to this already versatile amp!

[@PeteThorn]

Yessir! The clean channel is super versatile!

[@eanroad]

Thank you Pete! Finally i clearly understand the application and use of both od and distortion pedals. For many years i had no idea what i was trying to accomplish when tweaking my settings on my pedals and i just winged it. No more! I greatly appreciate you taking the time to provide us this information.

[@loutielli]

I like these TS videos! Keep em coming Pete. Thanks!

[@cliffgold3840]

Great new series Pete...! Be nice to see how some of your favorite dirt pedals react with different amps. In the past I've been really happy with my pedal format and choice 'till I plug into a different amp and struggle to get a tone I'm happy with...sure you've been there. Cheers..!

[@kevinogorman7561]

Honestly, I was trying to figure out why my JHS Distortion wasn't doing it for me. But then you mentioned not running into even a slightly broken up amp and to pair it clean instead. Big help for understanding distortions.

[@1dblazer]

Thanks, Pete, I appreciate your efforts to show how things WORK, too many effect reviews just cycle through the settings and have the viewer listen. I can do that at home. You sort of give us a recipe for success in selecting what to pair with what else.

[@guitmeister]

The setting on the plexi pedal is what I use on my TS9 into my JCM 800 - nice blend. stellar voicing

[@drzontar]

I really like the Plexitone into the clean channel. It's got a nice amount of compression that would be great for leads. The Atomic might be more dynamic for rhythm work. But the Plexitone is my kinda sound.

[@spacey_face]

I would love to see your take on high gain amps like 5150s and VH4s - maybe some tips on attenuation and how you manage volume for the studio? Love your videos!

[@PeteThorn]

Sure, Lots of videos coming soon

[@jimcamp2423]

Loved this video, some pedals sound better on a dirty amp, others a clean amp. And it matters what type of music you're playing. Rock & Metal are 2 different distortion levels, whether it's a layer of distortion over a clean amp or layers of distortion on dirty amp. It's really taken me too long to figure that out in this world.

[@4dmind]

I have never really been able to get a tone I like from an overdrive or a distortion pedal. That being said, what I do is the "colored boost" move, and I use everything from a Love overdrive to a Tube Screamer (TS-808) or even a Super-D, but I always dial back the gain to just barely above minimum on the pedal. Combine that with a good tube amp at high volume, gain on the amp to taste, and it works for me. I was playing Mesa Dual Rects but that lacked versatility, and lately I've been pretty consistent with JCM-800's and occasionally a Vox AC-30. I have a lead tone I developed with that one specifically. Plexi's work sometimes too, but I prefer the more smooth harmonics on the JCM-800. Great video as always, Pete! You make me want to experiment more.

[@snailtone]

Thanks, Pete, for taking the time to produce these two richly informative videos on OD/Distortion!

[@jasonkerr931]

Pete, I'm a huge fan of your tone! I have the Thornbucker in my two personal builds, with Seymour Duncan Triple shot rings and I can get so many tones from that one pickup. My question? Your PT-100 Tone is excellent, and I was wondering if you could recommend a smaller amp that might get someone in your territory of tone in the 15 to 25 watt range. I'm on a limited stage volume wise, but I'm itching for that channel two tone you are playing. As always, huge fan here! Thanks

[@Glicksman1]

Great stuff, Pete and all very useful. Just a suggestion - Adding a compressor just before your distortion pedal on a clean channel will create a very close if not functionally exact sound as the naturally compressing high gain amp channel. So, if you don't have a high gain channel or amp, try this.

[@jodyfree953]

Great demonstration. Thnx Pete. you & Andy Timmons are the greatest tone guys around.

[@sonicbluefiveseven]

That Plexi box is pretty accurate! Whilst not radically different from your 'reference' amp distortion, it has a really distinctive sizzle (that you mentioned), which is highly reminiscent of Malcolm Young's intro to, say, If You Want Blood You've Got It, off the Highway To Hell album... the muting the left hand automatically does when switching from chord to chord whilst the right hand is just chugging the riff, highlights that distinctive percussive sizzle; I'm impressed with that pedal! To be honest, I've never even seen one to demo, maybe its a rarity; I'm in Australia, but there's no shortage of pedal heads down here, so i'll keep my eyes peeled!

[@chipsterb4946]

Very neat, practical demonstration of how to mess around constructively with pedals.

[@kfliegner]

FWIW, I definitely encourage you to make more such videos. Very insightful and helpful. Thanks.

[@brivington2011]

Thanks Pete, I very much appreciate both Part 1 & 2 of these videos. In depth tone secrets from musicians of your caliber are few and as such are so beneficial to the community of non professionals such as myself. Thank you very much!

[@musicmann1967]

Thanks Pete! These two videos were very informative. You unknowingly made an XTS Atomic commercial, because now I want one!! haha

[@kiillabytez]

I feel the same way. If your amp already has distortion built in, like a Boogie or Bogner, you don't need a distortion pedal and it's just overkill to use one and you run the risk of your tone becoming sonic mush. I prefer to only use a distortion pedal on something that doesn't have a built-in pre-amp like a Fender Twin Reverb or similar. I got really great results with a FTR and an EHX Big Muff PI.

[@darthreverb5264]

Damn it Pete!!! I just bought another pedal because of one of your videos. Will get the Atomic Overdrive delivered next week.

[@janvyrostko7113]

Nice video. Billy Gibbons said: if you like to have a good tone - Marshall amps and Fender amps don´t suck... I use a Carl Martin OD and Marshall and I love the sound. Simple things sometimes work best.

[@telecasteroil]

That was great PT , those of us that use single channel amps with no master volume can learn from this ! thanks again!

[@KipCount]

Great tips here. Never thought about when trying a new gain pedal to try both a darkened amp setting and a bright one, and dialing up the pedal the opposite to see which sound better! Will be doing this going forward for sure.

[@ShiningEyeBrigade]

Great series, so many good points and tips. The low single notes on the AC/DC riff reveal a lot of the nuance differences.

[@Melvin7727]

Your positive attitude toward your videos is very inspiring to me. Love hearing you talk shop about this stuff!

[@jimmymarchisotto8152]

Awesome 2-part video! Please keep these tone orientated nuggets of wisdom coming our way! Thank you Pete (if I may be so bold to call you Pete!)👍🏻

[@gerardcosloy6946]

Odd comment, but as a Canadian, I love how you pronounce it versaTILE, not versatuhl like a lot of Americans do. Great channel, great video. Your voice reminds me of Alan Cross who does a show called the Ongoing History Of New Music here in Canada.

[@chrisolson9547]

Hey Pete These videos are great. Really intelligently done and at a level of detail that's valuable to us intermediate level players that have been playing for years and still enjoy learning new things.

[@compulsor5853]

Killer pair of vids; demonstrating yet again that you're the consummate pro's pro Pete.

[@coutyd]

Totally agree with different pedals for different amps, I found that it also works well when using different guitars on the same rig. When I would use several guitars in a live setting, I would have several OD pedals dialed to the different guitars’ response. Anyway great stuff. Been a long time follower of your work.

[@arisl2370]

That black suhr looks killer Pete !

[@thomasdemartino6109]

Thanks for this Pete, as I feel that I now have a better handle on how to properly program the mixes of distortions built into my Fender Mustang. Fender doesn’t provide this level of insight in their manuals. It totally makes sense to “add” the overdrive, given an already “driven” amp. My “duh” moment of the day. Regards, Tom D.

[@gregallen1]

Great video! Really help me understand the relationship of pedal effects and amps. Newbie here

[@Harrysound]

I followed the overdrive video and gave it a try. Such great advice.

[@haraldfivelsdal1111]

I bought the Atomic Overdrive after viewing your ealier video. It is perfect for my blackface deluxe reverb and sounds great with both humbuckers and single coils. My favorite is my SG with P90's to get that early Santana tone.

[@markannichiarico640]

You know I never experimented with my Maxon O/D pedal I set all the control knobs to 12o'clock like most guitarist do, I did find the video most helpful especially capturing the SRV tone who would have thought the gain gets turned down while the volume output gets boosted, great video Pete thank you for posting. P. S. would like to see you demo different delay pedals say the Boss DD-3 and the Carbon Copy since they seem to be the go to pedals.

[@duaneanderson9492]

the amp that you used for the demo channel 2 made me wanna buy the amp . great sound! another very entertaining demo thanks.

[@ernesthooper2686]

Amp sounds a little fuller on channel 2 but damn close, you have one hell of a ear Pete, the pedals would work in any live setting or studio for that matter, kick ass as always.

[@Yarns]

Great vid Pete, should help lots of newbies with there pedal setup, as usually first pedals are distortion/overdrive. Look forward to more vids like this - always informative! Cheers

[@samhainlimon]

Pete thanks so much for your videos! It's funny how you described your technique of AB ing a great tone and then trying to get that from a pedal. I totally agree and when I find a pedal that can do that I'm so happy. Then of course I run a modeled sound so I take my sound to a venue with a house PA and the crap shoot starts all over again. I use the RK5 as my reference tone because that thing sounds good through most set ups with minimal tweaking. I bought the RK5 after watching your video and it was the best. I'm trying to copy the sounds as you described using an AB and a zoom g5n. It's really close. We will see when I play live again. Thanks again for what you do Pete! Your passion is great! 🙏

[@simplestargazer]

Thanks a ton for these vids the last couple of weeks Pete. They have really been helping me dial in my tone.

[@rickspyder1]

very good ...been playing 50 years and I learned something new here ...cool

[@PeteThorn]

Awesome! thanks Rick

[@tbonz8059]

Hi Pete - you are one of my favorite players I’ve discovered on KZbin. Whoever said you make all drive pedals sound the same needs to stick with their old Line 6 first generation INSANE settings of solid state 80’s fingernails on a chalkboard sound out of their B.C Rich Ironbird (actually a really cool guitar, nothing but love for B.C.). Keep it up, I love your style both as a human being and an exceptionally talented & tasty player! You have some of the best tones I’ve heard . . . particularly out of those Suhr amps . . . man I need to get me one of those . . . keep on rockin’ amigo and stay safe!! 🤟🏾🎸💕

[@bobprince1539]

Spot on, Pete! I've got a Port City Pearl 50w head. Wonderful cleans and a great pedal platform. My Atomic Overdrive definitely sounds better with the bright switch on. It's still good without it, but I get more punch/percussion on the attack when it's engaged. It's especially noticeable (to my ear) with the neck pickup. Increases the definition. Love it! Great video, Pete! Keep 'em comin'!

[@NancyenMauriceKoonings]

Try the Van Weelden Royal Overdrive, one OD/Distortion that solves this bright / dark amp perfectly. Fits any amp.

[@garygamble1963]

Mr Thorn does it again. Awesome video as always!

[@G5Hohn]

I can't believe how close they are-- the pedal and the PT ch2. I hear in the amp a little hint of the "clean" sparkle of the guitar sort of floating above slightly the drive. It adds definition without being that obnoxious "clean and dirty at the same time" thing that some ODs do at low volume (like in your TS9 vid).

[@RobsSZA]

The best overdrive reviewer and guitarist, I admire you a lot man... ¡Keep rocking!

[@rcoveyduc]

Let's get it up!

[@michaeldschutte]

That's what she said

[@ironprophet9866]

MONEY!! Great video, Pete! You have no idea how much this has helped me with floor pedals.

[@macdaddyblues1]

Plexi Tone is soooo good in front of an old princeton!!! Pete nailed it

[@duaneanderson6393]

informative while being entertaining. your presentation is very appealing, keep it up.

[@andrewanderson3746]

As a fellow guitar nerd, I love these kinds of videos. And you do them well!

[@jasonpitre1249]

Hey Pete, this may be a personal thing, but I wanted to thank you for playing a clean guitar in your videos. I kind of bothers me to see folks playing fingerprint-laden guitars on YT. You are a professional! Love your videos and the great guitar tones.

[@PeteThorn]

Some of mine are really dirty! ha! The lacquer ones...

[@jasonpitre1249]

I guess they are clean when it matters! Lol. Thanks for the reply. I wasn't expecting it. I am a little bit star struck right now. Keep up the great videos.

[@pparise1]

Great videos. I would love to see a video on your approach to time-based effects when using a plexi style amp. I always bounce around on various strategies when faced with that challenge.

[@masque1313]

great video! great to hear the fabulous AC/DC riff as well.

[@danielroberts9579]

Very cool to hear your approach with dialing pedal tone. Thanks!

[@chusssMusic]

Great guitar tones. Is the sound of guitars in this video captured by the same mic capturing the speech voice?

[@bobayersquebec]

I like that guy, really natural and his videos are so great

[@23dvs]

Thank you....1st time I've seen one of your videos. Very informative...never thought to test out distortion/overdrive in that way 👍👍👍👍👍

[@nenadbojkovic]

I've had the exact same experience couple of weeks ago, running Bogner La Grange and Friedman BE-OD in front of a Cameron CCV's clean channel. Even though I could match the tones of both pedals and the amp, (using CCV's crunch as a "compare to" sound) I liked Bogner with the bright switch ON better then OFF and vice versa. They just feel/sound a bit better/worse for my taste, depending on the amp setting.

[@CrazedFandango]

Another great demo! Annoyingly, I liked the sound from the amp best and I'm a pedals guy. I was impressed with the Atomic OD though; any drive pedal with 3 band EQ allows much more tweaking.

[@PeteThorn]

ha! Yes, the amp distortion ALWAYS takes the cake but these pedals do get close, they do a great job.

[@stephen9944]

ya gotta just dive in and fuck around and have fun! Great vids Pete!

[@jameswilson3554]

I really enjoy these videos I didn't realize changing pedals around in front of each other made such a difference some of them I just wanted to throw out the window..I've always used a straight Marshall live. But I practice through a 50s Gibson clean amp having a rough time finding the right pedal .I dig the 2nd channel tone on your amp it's got that bright with full bottom sound. The pedals you use was kind close..any who ..2thumbs up thank you.

[@waynesilver9094]

Pete, these videos are great.

[@dmillaz]

Thanks for the tips! Ive always been confused when it comes to pedal order and effects loops and what pedal goes in front of which ever other pedal and all that jazz.

[@johnroberts838]

Thank you for making theses Pedal videos, really enjoying them!

[@wakjob961]

Nice work on the Plexitone "mini", but I have to admit... the original big black box version is the cats meow for me. I regret letting that one go. I've yet to find a suitable replacement... and I've bought and/or tried DOZENS! Also, I pre-ordered Misha's 'Precision Drive' do mostly to your demo.

[@lucasfowler8030]

Pete, have you ever tried running a very compressed sounding distortion(like a DS-1) into the front of a fairly crunchy amp? I found I can get something cool by running the level on the pedal lower than the volume of the guitar pickups and with a good bit of distortion dialed in. It gets a really cool EJ singing lead type sound with the tone rolled off and some delay added. Since the signal is already distorted and compressed from the amp, it just smooths things out and gives me a really squishy fat lead sound without losing any volume. Your mileage may vary!