Originally Posted by: Whunewell sweet: it's Schlegel!
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I try not to miss any of your posts. :p
[QUOTE=Whune]
the reason i ask is cuz i just got a strat
and on clean it's got nice robust barre chords and stuff
but i add distortion and everything all starts sounding tin-y
not like small; but like cheap metal
What kind of Strat & Crate amp? What kind of distortion? Amp setting or box? What kind of tone are you aiming for?
In general, for fat, thick, mid-scooped, modern metal distortion you're going to need a humbucker (sometimes even a high-output one depending upon how much crunch you want) & a lot of pre-amp or gain-stage distortion.
If you dial in a clean tone on the amp, then click on a ton of pedal distortion, it's going to sound weak, thin & tinny.
For my lessons with a Strat & an overdrive tone I use one of the following.
Older lessons: Crate DX112 on the Flextone or 70s setting with the pre-gain on 80-100%.
Example: http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=419
More recent lessons: Reason Bambino combo with lots of pre-amp drive plus a Boss Super Overdrive pedal all knobs at about 12 o'clock.
Example: http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=973
And of course it helps to have a humbucker to get thicker, heavier overdrive tone. This vid is my Bambino & Boss pedal also, but using my fat strat project guitar. The humbucker is medium output, but with enough gain it's pretty thick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFUxA7HxGxA
Using the humbucker, but without the overdrive pedal & turning down the gain you still get a thick tone, but it doesn't have as much gainy distortion. And that's more of a classic rock tone, which often has less distortion than people think. I discuss that in the tutorial.
http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1251
Sometimes people use too much distortion. So you might try dialing it back a little. If your amp has a pre & post gain, then turn the pre-amp or pre-gain up all the way, then gradually turn up the post-gain or master volume.
With the amp & whatever pedal you use it's important to dial in the right equalization for what style you are playing. Modern metal (80s forward) typically has the bass high, mids low (or even on zero) & the treble high (hence, mid-scooped). Older rock typically has the mids higher in the mix in order to bark more. Some players turned the bass down because the high volume of a Marshall stack got to messy & interfered with the bass guitar. Some players turned down the treble because it was too bright & thin.
Also, it really helps to use volume! Sometimes it's just not going to sound powerful unless it's a bit loud. :) Be careful with your hearing & neighbors.
Finally, you must use the right technique. Sometimes people mute too much with their palm & it kills the tone. There is no substitute for good playing technique!
Hope that helps!
