Don't Use Too Much Overdrive - How to Gain Stack

Most guitar players use a lot less gain than what you might think. When playing alone, lots of gain can sound great, but when used in a band context, it can start to sound a bit messy
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Duane 69 overdrive pedal
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Mike has been playing the guitar since he was 12 years old, and from that first moment his love affair with music and the instrument began. Fresh out of school at the age of 16 he attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and completed a year-long Diploma course.
After finishing the ACM his life as a full time musician began, playing in numerous bands and touring up and down the country playing iconic venues such asThe Shepherds Bush Empire, The Astoria, The Underworld and London’s Jazz Café. He’s also been fortunate enough to support industry legends Paul Weller, Blondie and Katie Melua.
Mike’s session work has led to his working on a variety of projects - from performing with stars such as Ricky Wilson and Diana Vickers, to appearing in many TV shows and adverts. Mike loves being on stage performing, but is equally at home recording in a studio - where he has worked with Alex Von Soos (All Saints, Seal, Atomic Kitten), Mike Horner (The Prodigy, Shakira, Bloc Party), and Mike Chapman (Blondie, Suzi Quatro).

[@lettucebionicle2798]

This was such a helpful video! Completely changed my tone so thank you.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

So glad to be able to help buddy!

[@justinvallange]

Gain level tip: Start low and go up. You'll hear when you reach what is just enough, but if you were going down from high gain, you'd stop earlier than you probably should.

[@megasauce6468]

You're absolutely right. I used to dial in a loud heavy metal tone and think "Yes! It sounds just like Jimmy Paige!"

[@chriswhite3168]

Really good vid mate. Couldn't agree more with you on this. It was a lesson I learned very quickly when playing in a band. Especially if you have two guitarists. I've always loved a straight forward rock n roll tone. Keep up the good work mate!

[@wesleychef]

Eddie Van Halen had all the knobs turned up all the way but good video

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Gain is great if it is not too overdone. I prefer sustain to distortion in my tone think of the tone from "Somebody get me a doctor" by Van Halen that tone is not super saturated but has excellent sustain and balls! here is just the guitar track for example kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZCYnoCNrZd5aMU

[@rowdyhoo]

Great point: "When playing alone, lots of gain can sound great, but when used in a band context, it can start to sound a bit messy." Take that to heart youn'uns!

[@ukguitarnoodle]

I took my OD pedal OFF my board. only amp gain available! for a Jam night I use my TS9 as a clean boost into a MILDLY overdriven amp.

[@austinfitch2430]

Zeppelin shirt with a Les Paul..Jimmy would be proud

[@definandstuff8926]

Austin Fitch And a '59-looking LP at that.

[@ronnieparfait]

Show us how to use the Polytune.

[@Shiznitt_]

Was mesmerized by that gorgeous tight flame top on the Les Paul the whole time

[@idamartinenygaard-pedersen6543]

Aaaah, I like your t-shirt! Jimmy Page is my Idol and biggest inspiration🤘🏼 Currently saving money for my own electric guitar so I can rock my favourite zepp song, heartbreaker! Love your channel!

[@WhiteStripe333]

How much more gain can this have? The answer is none. None more gain.

[@starguitar6432]

Great video and a great message. I believe a great overdriven tone is accomplished by multiple gain stages like you describe. Not only does this sound great, but it also changes how the guitar feels under your fingers.

[@jayseb]

Over the years - The more I listen to stems - the more I've noticed most great guitarists use low gain settings in general - Angus, Eric, Slash, Stevie, Jimmy's just to name a few...

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Absolutely, the more gain you use compresses your sound. Less gain shows your mistakes more, but sounds so much better, especially in a band mix

[@snooze0023]

Yeah but what if you have your gain at 11? Answer that one if you dare. No more to say really.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Then you're are a god! :)

[@stefancroes]

spinal tap ;)

[@PCMESS]

Snooze00 why do you need to go to 11? Why not just make 10 louder?

[@bishlap]

That shirt, That Guitar - all I needed to stay and watch.

[@jakestewartmusic]

Good point! I love to crank low-wattage non-master volume amps for my tone. I find that if the amp is on 10, I can get clean on the lowest range of my guitar's volume, crunch around the middle, and lead tone (with a bit of extra volume and treble) as I crank the control to 10. You can a nice spectrum from clean to dirty instead of incremental jumps in gain/volume. Obviously using the power amp distortion, you can get a lot of sensitivity to your picking dynamics so you have room to ease up or dig in! That does mean that it's very revealing, so it tends to make you a better player over time because there's no room to hide. I also find that the volume of the drummer determines the amount of distortion that I need - if the drummer is loud enough that I can play on 10, then I likely need that tone. If the drummer is quieter and I can only get the amp to halfway up, chances are I would have sounded out of place with any more gain than that.

[@whatwouldhousedo5136]

Good vid and I agree about using lower gain however I can't agree about Van Halen. His toe was very saturated- he had his amps biased extremely hot and used a dummy load into a separate power amp- essentially his 100-watt Marshall head was totally dimed and acted as a pre-amp.

[@OneThird1533]

Just getting into pedals and these types of videos help immensely

[@allentaylor3325]

Tune that B/G string dawg!

[@definandstuff8926]

I'm feeling your socks helped with those amazing tones.

[@ryank9910]

Great video.. Can you show how to make a Eric Clapton Cream tone with your les paul? Also his women tone made famous from his fool guitar

[@MrDMF567]

God, that Lester is gorgeous!

[@gkol69]

When I was in high school I was listening to Judas Priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden etc. and when I bought an Ibanez Classic Metal pedal and cranked it up at home I was amazed! Then I went to jam with some friends (drums, bass and another guitar player) and when the time came for me to solo all that amazing tone that had at home didn't just gone, my whole sound gone, like I stopped playing! I was not heard at all! I was in a shock, how was that possible? And when I turned my pedal off I had this nice round clean tone that cut like knife through the rest of the band! The second shock was that when I cranked the treble in my amp full and almost all the bass I was less defined, like I lowered my volume, but when I turned the mids up, whoa! You should have mention this, a little mid bump is better than more drive... Anyway, very nice and informative video, explained well and simple!

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Yes Mids are so important, i've discussed it quite a bit in previous videos and yes I should of said it again in this one :)

[@gkol69]

Sorry about the remark about the mids, I haven't seen your other videos...

[@ijamsum]

Go to 7-8 on mids brings out the highs in the higer midrange area and harsh treble only seems that way to you as the highs drop off quickly the further you are away from the speakers. Bass will not drop off, it should sound tight but firm and treble up some what so folks can hear it ! Treble do not travel far and die quickly remember that's why your sound can be lost ,its also very directional but not bass !

[@gib412]

Yes, where people think they need to run up the treble control; they actually need to increase the mid control instead.

[@stefanseidler4731]

That's what I always tell the bands I am working with live or in the studio. When you turned up the gain on the SD-1 it showed the one thing I can't stress enough. Too much gain messes with your attack in a way that you get totally lost in the mix. All the "chunck" that the cool kids talk of these days (and wish to have) comes from using less gain in the first place. And for god's sake, always use fresh strings ;) gain can't compensate for dull strings! Very nice vid anyway :)

[@darwinsaye]

What I do is, turn the preamp and gain controls on the amp and the volume and gain on pedals, to the point where you hear the tone *just start* to thicken up in the low mids. Then for more gain I just stack one of these medium gains into another, or maybe even stack three overdrives to get a squashy fuzz sound just like you're getting with your Fuzzface here. Another handy trick I just figured out is, if I want a cranked Tweed Deluxe type of drive, I boost the bass before the drive, and some treble after the drive. This flubs out the lows but keeps the highs clear like a Tweed. If I want a more Plexi kind of drive, I boost the lows *after* the drive to keep them clear and punchy.

[@dongpedroyi]

You are absolutely right when it comes to playing in a band vs. alone. What sounds cool on its own sounds like crap with a band and vice-versa. The guitar must fill the gaps in the frequency spectrum in order to stand out. When it comes to gain, nowadays I split the signal from the instrument to feed either two separate amps or two separate effect chains blended back into one channel, applying high gain setting over the low and low mid range whilst using a mild overdrive for the high mid and treble - sounds much more natural whilst keeping the sustain, feedback and attack that we all crave.

[@chumleyshaver7942]

Thank you, some excellent tips about pulling back on Gain in a band situation. Sounds great in the practice studio, but yeah I'll have to roll the Drive and Gain down from 10 on my Boogie at our next gig.

[@gib412]

Very true. I learned a long time ago that in a band situation, you usually don't need near as much gain as you think you do than when you're just sitting around jamming by yourself; especially with humbuckers. When playing with my band I usually have my amp set for a predominantly clean tone with a LP, but where the tubes are just starting to add a little compression to the tone, and it covers quite a bit of ground. It lets the natural "snarl" of the LP do it's "thang"

[@davidlambert6985]

Thanks Mike. I have been leaning that way and hearing you on this subject confirms. Thanks, and keep on rockin' brother!

[@martinthompson2425]

Great principle! It’s really important)and a little challenging…at least for me) to get that balance right between amp gain, pedal gain and just volume. But when it’s right, it’s like magic! You’re on top of the world! The temptation to turn up the gain is hard to resist. But experimentation is key to learning what sounds amazing vs something that sounds like mush. Thanks for the vid!

[@FretFriendGWaL]

How much weed do you smoke? You keep getting your 3's and 9's mixed up :P

[@leftymadrid]

Yes, normally younger FOLKS, and beginners tend to use way more, but as one gets more and more experience, you tend to want to hear all the notes in chords, especially when playing in a band lol, and when doing leads, like you said, you have to be on the money, and play really well because every single mistake can be noticed. It forces you to play better and better as time passes your riffs come together more professionally. Video was a great example. Nice guitar that Paul, which by the way received the monty's as I saw in other video :-)

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

damn son,you just tore my head off with awesomeness in the first 5 seconds

[@EdgarBeja]

Great video! I love to stack the Soul Food with the Ibanez TS mini for soloing :) Peace

[@petersage5157]

With the master on your pedals so high, you're still slamming the amp with a hot signal and getting massive preamp distortion. Even a clean boost would get you distortion in the same neighborhood (or on the same city block) as the Boss.

[@MrArchie800]

Yep, when I first started recording everything was turned up to eleven, which sounded great in your bedroom, but when recorded sounded thin, woolly and undefined. I soon started to turn everything back to the point that it didn’t really even sound ‘heavy’, but when layered up the sound was immense. In fact a few people asked how I got such a great heavy guitar sound. Same principle applies to other things in recording - less is more etc.

[@charlieboyd2453]

Does this apply live

[@diegopalominoss]

@@charlieboyd2453 yeah, volume is a powerful thing

[@timmer92211]

I agree with you. Been guilty of too much gain too. Here's what I'm trying these days-any given gig, set the gain on the amp at halfway up. Try to get any more needed from what's in front of the pre-amp, i.e. pedals. I've got a clean boost in front of my distortion pedals and a clean boost after. Sometimes you want to hit the pedal harder, sometimes you want the pedal to get a little help into the pre-amp. It's definitely helping! Thank you for this video!

[@08Godstrength]

Man did your SD1 producing annoying hiss?? When gain crank about 12oclock

[@Ndlanding]

Makes a lot of sense, mate! Me, when I gigged loads, I never used ANY distortion or fuzz pedals, just the Marshall. Now I like me old Tube Screamer, but not way up! And that's mainly because I switched from a Les Paul to a Tele. So thanks for the vid. Guitarists, listen to this man! (Or to both of him!)

[@martinjoror3288]

Tbh you and I share a similar kind of personality, playing style and tone. don't tell me your zodiac sign is Taurus as well. :-)

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

haha no, Leo :)

[@u2acrobata]

btw whats that strap your using??? .... it loks pretty cool ....

[@ryanhuston9646]

I was ironically just looking into doing this, helpful video. Thanks Mike!

[@niptodstan]

Guitar was out of tune

[@MS-hj3ox]

It's a Gibson, I knew it'd be out of tune before I heard him play :P

[@seamanjive]

TylerLarsonThe ShredGod and when you do get it in tune if will be out 20 seconds later

[@seamanjive]

Disciplined Forex Trader its the acute angles behind the nut to the posts. A better cut nut helps as does lubrication in the slots. And good stringing technique.

[@ax_el_alvarez]

I just fitted my LP Studio with a Black Tusq XL, helps a lot with tuning stability and bending. Nice cheap upgrade to perform on a LP :)

[@ItzhakWoolf]

Everybody pretends they can hear it.

[@tylerdurden5122]

I came for the zeppelin shirt, stayed for the hints and tips

[@pp-yc8qm]

Hey man, I just wanted to say thank you! I tried to learn a john mayer song and I always thought I just didn't mute the strings well enough. Turns out I was using way too much gain the entire time. Keep up the amazing work, best wishes from Germany :)

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Glad to help buddy!

[@Cobra21245]

I would say if you want to practice your string muting, then you probably would be better off using lots of distortion or gain. This is for practice purposes it doesn't matter how bad the tone sounds. If you've got loads of distortion going, it really will highlight any weaknesses in your string muting. Now I know people are going to pull my argument apart, by saying you need to practice clean, that is usually for technique purposes like practicing a fast lick beyond your capability, yes it's better to practice it clean, get it right and up to speed, then use distortion. But I personally think for string muting practicing with distortion is a good idea.

[@salmanriazsyed]

Hey this was very helpful. Thanks a lot man.

[@pergernerjrgensen4354]

I´m bored to DEATH....get a life!!!

[@MattGillam]

Hello from Dorking Mike, not so far. Been playing a few months now and your vids make me want to pick up my guitar. Which is annoying as I have to go to work now. Keep it up, you'll be huge.

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Aw my Nan is in Dorking :) thank you for the kind words.

[@grahamlloyd8479]

Great playing thanks. I've just started to tone things down and appreciate the lower gains. Cheers

[@nickbuckingham9291]

Do an "its a jeff beck thing" video

[@Holdeenio]

Great illustration of a hot topic Mike.

[@mikethehitmanpowell]

think ill try that cheers from texas brother

[@dread3888]

Yeah, I think Angus used a Plexi, which is fairly low gain compared to most modern amps and he even then didn't dial much gain in. This is a video the beginning guitarists dialing their first tones need.

[@parkerbilbro3651]

He used a JTM50 on the crunch channel, with gain set low.

[@dread3888]

Oh, shows what I know lol.

[@parkerbilbro3651]

No, you're right. A JTM50 is a form of plexi.

[@dread3888]

Parker Bilbro Oh okay.

[@matsandersson8857]

Angus has for some time often used a JTM 45 for solos in the studio. There is no crunch channel on a JTM 45. It has a treble boosted and a normal channel. You get the distortion by turning it up LOUD. A JTM 45 or the 50W and 100W non Master Volume Marshalls works like you had the Master Volume on 10 and set the volume with the Preamp/Gain control. Live nowdays he uses Plexi Reissues modded with a master volume. In the 70's he used Master Volume (2 input) Marshalls for a while.

[@SDPickups]

Definitely agree about early Van Halen, it was always his best tone. His tone now stinks, too much gain, crappy amp and guitars.

[@moreorlesslikeso]

It's exactly like you say and I've finally come to the very same conclusion not so very long ago. For quite some time I used to have the gain set to about 8 or 9 and I used the master volume to dial in the overall volume (usually around 5 for rehearsals with the band) on my little 15W Fender BJ III. Enough overdrive/distortion for Blues and generally loud enough - but: effectively sort of "mushy" and strangely "unorganic" to the touch, mostly due to the lack of dynamics... As of now I set the master volume on 10 (of 12) and the gain to (only) between 2 and 3 (of 12) and I'm stacking 2 overdrives, each with relatively low gain settings but instead enhanced volume, before the amp and the effect is just amazing! Tone is great and punchy and the sensitivity and the dynamics are back. I leave one overdrive (a Movall Firefly) on all the time and back off on the guitar's volume knob for clearer tones. The second overdrive (a first generation Danelectro Cool Cat) is needed only for additional bite but it surely can deliver when needed (reacts also very well to rolling back the guitar's volume). And yes: I'm aware that this is actually quite a budget setup (OK: I changed the BJ's stock speaker as well...) but I'm thoroughly impressed by the results and in my opinion the overall sound and the amount of immediate control I have on it now has so far been superior to other tubeamp/effects combinations I've had the opportunity to experience in context and which would have double or even thrice the figures on the bill... That said, I might add: obviously, with 15 Watts you cannot seriously make the mark when you need really clear sounds at really high volume (like say in country or funk), but especially within a Blues context you can make a hell of - finally good sounding - noise with this economic (and portable) setup.

[@megamania501]

LOL what you described is exactly how I was using my Orange OR15 until 3 days ago. I've had this rig for two years now and I always ran an overdrive pedal in front of it. I would stack that overdrive with the gain set at about 9 (so not too much preamp gain) and I would use the master for volume. I'd never turn it past 11 or 12 because I never needed it that loud, but it did sound "mushy" and "unorganic" just like you said.I was thinking about giving up on this OR15 and trying something else because I just couldn't get a good sound out of it, to my ears anyway. In a last attempt I had epiphany when I thought about the old amps that didn't have a master. Basically the power amp section was turned up all the way and the "gain" was the volume on those amps. So I cranked the master all the way up, turned the gain all the way down, then started playing as I creeped the gain up slowly.Wow!! I got tones out of this thing I never thought it was capable of!! The dynamics are amazing and the notes are much more full despite having less gain. Its like playing a whole different amp, one that I like the tone on. I do run an multi-effects Line 6 M13 in the effects loop for delay and reverb. To get cleans at higher volume, I put one EQ in front of the preamp and I drop all the settings. This way the preamp, although breaking up with some gain normally, is now getting a much weaker signal so the notes don't break up. However, it is quieter coming from the "send" of the effects loop of the amp back to the M13. This is where I put another EQ in, and I put all the settings higher to bring back the volume of the notes as it goes into the "return" power amp section of the amp. The result is a clean tone, but at a normal volume. I can switch from a crunchy tone to a clean tone and I won't have a drop in volume. There is a little break up if I hit the strings hard because the power tubes are really cooking, but if I play with a softer touch and to really clean it up, turn the volume knob on the guitar down, its nice and clean. This OR15 isn't going anywhere just yet :)

[@moreorlesslikeso]

Well, sometimes it can really pay to change some habits or to question seemingly established "truths", doesn't it? I'm glad to hear this thing obviously hasn't been just some trick played on my ears... Your idea to actually lower(!) the gain for some cleaner tones with an correspondingly set EQ put before the amp is quite interesting, too - I'd never thought of that...!

[@htfshadow2014]

Dude your guitar faces are best

[@fedgeno]

Fun to watch

[@ericvalverderosado2046]

Death Metalheads: ALL THE GAIN MADAFACKA!!!

[@dionr1168]

Eric Valverde METAL ZONE! NO MIDS! MORE GAIN! SLAYERRRRR! ALL THE GAAAAAIIIIIN!!!!

[@davedynamite77]

you are 100 % correct, I have to admit that the super overdrive I don't like..I have owned the legendary boss Overdrive OD-1...I used a Plexi with 2 OD-1 first one gain at 0, tone and level at 50% the 2nd I had the gain at 9 o'clock tone and level at 50%....the extra gain was used just for my leads......

[@5urg3x]

Tune that G string before ya do a video next time bud :D

[@TheHeavyJetsBand]

Great playing in the intro 😍

[@blueshredder7972]

Again he states blues/rock guys not metal or shredders. Van Halen invented the 5150 which has crazy amounts of gain!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

in all cases diming the gain will sound like ass and kill any and all overtones

[@joshrdealmusic]

Right, a 5150 can sound like metal on 3.5 or 4 on the gain dial.

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

I have a Marshall DSL40CR and I play Randy Rhoads type stuff. I actually keep the gain at 11 o clock on the green channel. This guy is right in saying that you really don't need that much gain...it's true. Less gain brings out articulation. I use an Ibanez Tube screamer and I turn both volume and drive all the way up and the tone at 12 o clock. Seems to work really well. I have the channel volume and Master volume both at around 2 o clock. That's probably the real secret to excellent breakup with distortion....pushing the volumes of each tube section.

[@jefferylord3068]

you seem like a cool dude

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Aww cheers Jeffery!

[@maxcowell4260]

Fake silly faces.

[@repetitivemotion]

I was at band practice last night. I am a new player. I just bought a Marshall DSL40CR. I was switching between classic gain and overdrive 2. I played the verse and chorus in classic gain and when I went to solo I switched to OD and my guitar went silent! I thought that my footswitch broke. I turned up to hear but I still could barely hear me. When the song was over and I played the OD channel my guitar was louder than anybody. Too loud. People were complaining how loud it was, yet on OD we couldn’t even hear it when everybody was playing. Weird, but this is exactly what you are talking about.

[@angusewing6184]

I have those socks

[@joshrdealmusic]

I guarantee that you don't even need a lot of gain to play modern metal. A 5150 or 6505 with the gain on 3, humbuckers, and a tubescreamer set with high level and low drive, will sound plenty heavy after double or quad tracking. You won't even have to scoop the mids. That's a Metallica gimmick.

[@d179654582248]

When you’re slightly out of tune it’s like nails on a chalkboard. Tune up, even when you’re in a rush. I love your videos otherwise!

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

Everyone can benefit from this, especially metal players because there's generally less space available in metal, sonically and rhythmically. It's all about working as a team when you play with others no matter the genre. Someone can be technically awesome playing solo, but sound absolutely horrible in a band.

[@IGarrettI]

I've heard angus uses clean channel, turned up to overdrive. Hey Mike, any tips on fluidity with fast runs? It's probably just endless repetition, isn't it

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Pretty much buddy!

[@travisklaassen9918]

yeah man, Angus cranks the shit out of his amps. In some of their recordings you can hear the sizzle of warm tube amps.

[@donrutter6765]

IGarrettI It doesnt matter what you hear, these guys ALL have custom modifications done to their amps, subtle changes in resistors, capacitors etc. makes a HUGE difference in tone. I can tweak a fender anp to sound like a Marshall with simple capacitor/resistor changes, so you never know what somebody REALLY has going in in their amp. Start reading how to modify amps and you will be amazed. Keep in mind, capacitors on the power source can store energy and kill you with the Amp unplugged. Rock on.

[@spiderfan1974]

IGarrettI According to the rig rundown I saw here on KZbin bass 3, mid 3, treble 3, gain 4 ish (between 3 and 4), master volume LOUD.

[@spiderfan1974]

IGarrettI He uses old Marshalls, mostly 50 watt plexis.

[@jammyfacefook]

Great Vid Mike!

[@nerothos]

Actually if you play in a Thrash Metal band you should definitely NOT ignore this. Especially when it comes to faster and technical stuff it is incredibly important to keep your tone as clean and punchy as possible, otherwise all the rhythms turn to mush and the entire band suffers.

[@DavidLarew]

I like my old sd1 too... thx! ps do you mix od's... I have an old Ibanez Metal Screamer that I mix with my sd1 and get some interesting gain fields...

[@joseph-ow1hf]

Spot on. As a former FoH sound engineer who hates loud stage volume in small venues, but loves the sound of cranked amps, I think the best money a player can spend is on a load box, like a Torpedo, or OX, etc. I have long thought that part of the tone of EVH and Angus was the power tube distortion. My Peavey Classic 30 sounds glorious if I crank the post (peavey's master) and get those little EL-84"s juiced. But man, it is loud. Can get sorta close at lower volume hitting front end w/ my ODR-1. (a cheap but fantastic pedal, used by lots of studio players) But not same as have amp dimed, which is the harmonically rich creamy goodness of classic rock.

[@dylanpaterson7612]

Couldn't agree more! All I use is a clean but just a touch of crackle but only with humbuckers, with single coils is pretty much clean. A boost to drive the valves a bit more, Boss Blues Driver for a bit more sizzle and a compressor if I want a thicker more sustained tone!

[@officialWWM]

You're the coolest player on the tube!

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

Awww you charmer :)

[@carranen]

totally agree !!!

[@mikelatimer8439]

Eddie plays with a shit ton of gain and always has. Im tired of this argument, too much gain bla bla, and then they mention Ed. If your going to use this argument dont use Eddie as your yard stik becasue he has a ton of gain, listen to unchained, theres so much gain the amp is crapping out when he chugs it. He has stated from day one he wanted all the gain he could ever get, its part of the way his guitar sounds, so the whole Eddie plays as clean as he can is pure BS. Actually research what Eddie has said about gain, not what people say about Eds use of gain, before you hold him up as the poster boy for 'proper gain staging'.

[@EnriqueNuesch]

SRV used this trick sometimes. High volume, low gain in his TS, just let the amp tubes and guitar volume knob do the rest.

[@zigzagbigbag]

Gain is a huge crutch for bad players. I remember relying on it so much for years. Once I put in my 10,000 hours I was able to walk away from high gain and start to really play with tones. Just a heads up... it's all in the pick hand.

[@goldcoins9311]

I put my gain on 3 and master on 10 and the amp volume low. I still get an overdriven sound. The guitar sounds clearer and less handling/string noise than you would when you turn everything up to 11.

[@ryanstitt4814]

Where do you get these exclusive pieces of gear? Can't find Cornford, Hamstead, or the Duane 69 for purchase online :p

[@RoachDoggJr2112]

Lol, I play Sleep-style Doom Metal. My distortion sounds like TV static and bees. I love it! The surprising thing is that the notes are usually really well defined when I'm playing them. Great vid.

[@williama-d6]

I am a beginner guitarist I just bought a black star Id core 10 amp why can I only hear the volume of the amp when I turn up the gain?

[@donrutter6765]

I learned something new about the brown sound yesterday. VH1 was gain from the preamp tubes and low volume on the power tubes which isnt the brown sound. VH2 album was the brown sound, less gain on the preamp tubes but more gain on the master volume pushing the power tubes harder. Also the variac pushing the amp with 90 volts instead of 110v wall current.

[@thoras1297]

Carcass - Heartwork and Hypocrisy - Abducted Record proves that much gain doesn´t sound bad at all :)

[@u2acrobata]

i've been watching your vids for a long long time ... but this week i bought my 1st Gibson Les Paul .... and so i'm back here to your 2017 ... to learn (again) with your so helpful tips ... so this was really really .... helpful ... i was strugling a bit to set things for the les paul ... me a strat guy ... i was almost felling like cheating on my Strat messing with the amp / pedals .... now i got it .... thanks .... you "saved" my weekend ... eheheh Thanks to make this esasier .... in a second everything started to make sense .... lol ;) Greetings from Portugal Rui

[@dr.jpdixon6299]

I learned by my own that a good overdrive tone is about setting the gain/distortion/fuzz pretty low and with the volume high. Otherwise the distortion sounds muffed and boring

[@toneshop]

So true. I wish more guitarists understood this concept. "Bedroom" tone does not transfer to live playing well at all.

[@PerroDelCielo]

nothing beats a good handwire valve amp cranked almost all the way up straight in to your guitar, and use your guitar volume!

[@aronhallam6449]

but some thrash guys are way too compressed on the solos too, thise boss od1 pedals sound awful to me

[@Noodlebowlconchile]

When you use boost and overdrive, can you use one configuration for rhythm (as you mentioned), and another for lead? How do you decide on order, gain structure, and bite wrt the band mix?

[@MikeBradleyofficial]

You can buddy, regarding the order its best to experiment, Off the top of my head I think if you put the boost first then overdrive, when you engage the boost it will just boost the volume, doing it the other way it will add more gain and less of a volume boost.

[@jackrussellbruce7565]

Nigel Lawrence if you want the boost to change the sound/gain of your guitar, put it BEFORE the overdrive. If you want your boost to change the volume of your guitar, put it AFTER the overdrive.

[@SweetSpotGuitar]

If you have your amp just on the edge of breaking up, you can use a boost (or Klone/Tube Screamer set up for clean boost) as an overdrive. Because your amp is close to maxing out its +/- signal swing, it won't get a whole lot louder when you boost it this way (in nerdspeak: the RMS level difference between a sine wave and a square wave with the same peak level is only 3dB, which is an audible difference, but not by much). So OD => Boost => Almost Dirty Amp is a very useful setup. YMMV!

[@Noodlebowlconchile]

Cheers! Useful feedback...

[@Redpepper917]

Van Halen albums 1 to 4, everything on 10. Volume controlled by the variac

[@LastDollie]

4:02 I think there's something going on with your camera or mic's auto gain control Or maybe it's switching sound streams?

[@5urg3x]

Kind of off topic but why do you not have a switch tip on the pup selector?

[@lucasdearaujocoelho8763]

Man please buy a toggleswitch knob, couldnt pay anny attention at all

[@XtraZero]

Your recording setup isn't good enough to pick up the difference