Shred Guitar Sound

I've been playing guitar for about 6 years. I've always just played with a distortion pedal. I get good sound for distortion stuff...but i want to start playing more stuff high on the neck. I get kind of a weak sound, and not much response when playing fast stuff. I'm looking for that shred guitar sound...im sure you've all heard it. i really really like Paul Gilbert's sound. it's amazing. anyways..how can i get that sound? what am i doing wrong?

my setup:
Fender Squier Strat
Crate G212XL combo
boss metal zone mt-2 distortion pedal

plz plz help..its much appreciated..thanks

I find the best shred lead sound comes by having gain up 3/4 to full (depending on your gear) and everything else between 12 and 2 o'clock (tweaked to suit your set up). This basic setup works especially well for me on an Ibanez Jem and a Marshall amp. Some of the guys here may complain about overuse of the neck pickups, but the fact is a lot of shredders use them especialy with sweep picking. You will get a much thicker sound from the neck but the bridge is best for legatto and tapping. Hope that helps

I don't shred, but I sometimes use a shred-style tone for more intense rock leads. I simply select the Hi-Gain Amp Model on my RP80, put on the most subtle chorus setting, and crank up the compression. It produces a tone quite similar to that of Chris de Garmo, if you like that kind of sound. In your case, you will probably get your shred tone mainly from the settings on your amp, but I personally think heavy, piercing lead sounds are best with some effects.

Investing in a multi-effects processor much like the RP80 that juijitsu mentioned would probably be very beneficial to you. I have one as a little practice tool and they're great for just about everything... they even have an expression pedal... But to get a "shred sound" (everyones idea on a shred sound may be different...) I dial in a Mesa Rectifier model... gives you a good biting clear highs and distorted lows type sound. I crank up the compression... and add a touch of quick delay to make it sound like it's sustaining a layering a little be more.... It gives a nice full tone that allows you to play up and down the neck. I usually play with my vintage Strat in the Neck/Middle position for leads... with my middle tone knob turned all the way to one.... and my neck tone knob turned all the way to 10... this allows me to get the fullest sound possible... with a real thick sound but you can still hear the high notes over everything... It's almost like two guitars playing at once... one bassy and one trebely.

i agree with what aschleman said.

just relying on distortion alone wont get you too far. A slight delay with a little reverb gives a great embiance. Also with what Superhuman said... your settings are very important. I'd reccomend sitting down, putting all the knobs at 12 and play around from there. with my guitar (SG) Ive found I'll get a real round and full sound with some nice punch if I have my Highs on 8, Mids on 4.5, and Lows on 7. I'll usually always play on the neck pup, or at least on both, but usually with the neck prevailing. and try rolling down the tone knobs like aschleman said. I never roll mine all the way to one, but usually like at 6 sounds best to me.

as for modulation effects... I really like using detuning. my Digitech GNX3 has a great detuning effect, and I just like how it sounds.

play around and see what you can do with what you have, but I throw in another vote for getting some effects.

have you tried using the distortion from your amp instead from the pedal?

yeah, the natural distortion does sound better for that stuff. what pedal would be good to go with the natural distortion to make it sound better?

Originally Posted by: Mattennoyeah, the natural distortion does sound better for that stuff. what pedal would be good to go with the natural distortion to make it sound better?

Personally, I'd go for either a compression pedal or a chorus pedal. Or both. Or, better yet, a multiple effects unit - Digitech and Behringer make some nice ones for relatively low prices (so do Zoom, but I'd steer clear of those!).

whats wrong with zoom? just curious.

eh, zoom just doesnt have great quality. you get what you pay for. and they're the lowest prices on the market for a reason.

if you want good quality distortion, try out some Boss.

I personally recommend the Big Muff Pi. I use that for most shreadesque stuff. It does a good job of evening stuff out and the sustainer on it is great.