Stompboxes for "singing" lead-sounds

[Rock_Rocket]

Hi there,

I've been using a Fender HotRod Deluxe (40w, 1*12", 2 1/2 channels ;-) - OD-Channel's got two "modes") for several months now. Take a guess what might have convinced me to buy it... Yep! It's got a very nice clean sound (it's a Fender...). The OD-channel is decent, too (great for slight dist.) but unfortunately it does not provide those "singing" lead-sounds I am looking for.
Can you recommend any stompboxes which might be suitable to help me to achieve a sound I like (warm, singing, lots of harmonics, no too soft, not harsh...) - difficult to explain, huh?
You surely know the solo of "Empty Rooms" by Gary Moore or "Pamela" and "Stop Loving You" by Toto (Lukather and Moore sound different, I know) - just to give you a hint. K... these guys are fantastic players, it's in the fingers... blah... I know. But - heck - it isn't all in the fingers, is it ;-)?

Thanks for your replies!

Rock_Rocket

[Rock_Rocket]

I forgot to mention (maybe it's important): I'm using an Ibanez Blazer-guitar (strat-style, SSH).

Regards!

Rock_Rocket

[szulc]

Lukather uses a MESA Boogie Mark 4 no stomp boxes for distortion. Gary Moore Uses 50w Marshalls when I saw him, he had a DOD (orange/yellow) stompbox to boost his signal to his marshall.

[EricV]

Julian
Other factors might be that Luke used a bunch of effects, especially on the record that "Pamela" and "Can´t Stop..." are on.
( Other amps he used: Custom Audio 3+ Preamp ( which he is using again these days, after splitting with Rivera ), Rivera Bonehead, modded Marshalls and Fenders ).

Maybe something like a Boss DS-1 might be an option... you could use it to boost the drive-sound of yer amp...
FOr nice lead-sounds, I´d rely mostly on the drive of the amp. Most distortion pedals ( especially if used to provide all the drive, i.e. to turn a clean sound into a higain lead sound ) might sound too thin or buzzy.

You saw my setup...

Eric

[Rock_Rocket]

Lotsa thanks so far,

Eric, what do you mean by boosting the drive-sound? Should I use the amp's dist.-sound and a stompbox (eg. Boss DS-1) at the same time? Turning cleansound into high-gain-sound was the thing I always tried to get working... is this a losing battle?
Are there any alternatives to using a stompbox (in case it does not provide the sound I was looking for) and buying another amp (my Fender's pretty new, ya know - and after all I really like). What about a POD, a single preamp...?

Thanks for ya replies!

Rock_Rocket

[wildstrat]

I use a Fendar Am. Series Strat into a Fender Hot Rod Deville (4x10). I have tried both the Boss DS-1 and SD-1 into the clean channel, but neither have given a fat, thick overdrive to the sound (for leads). But, recently I have tried both a ProCo Vintage RAT and Fulltone FullDrive 2, and really liked the sounds I was getting from them. Of those two pedals, the FullDrive 2 (in boost mode) was great for lead. I'm a believer that certain amps like certain pedals, and it may take you a little while to find a good match that works with your rig (and gets at the sound in your head).

Having said that, Eric is right that it is probably best to get an amp with good overdrive, and then use a boost for your leads. The problem is that the Fender Hot Rod series does the clean thing better than the overdrive thing (IMHO). Good Luck!

[Bizarro]

Wildstrat,

I have nearly the same setup as you! But my strat has Bill Lawrence 280/290's in it (noise cancelling, a bit hotter output).

I actually like the distortion channel better than the clean on the HRD4x10! Here's one reason why: Go play a '65 Super Reverb! I did yesterday and the clean sounds are absolutely breathtaking!

Anywho, back to the topic. For more singing lead tones, use the SD-1 (or whatever) on the Overdrive channel! You just want to boost the signal into the preamp to get a bit hotter sound.

You won't need much distortion on the pedal, but you'll want to adjust the tone and level very carefully until you hit the sweet spot.

This is what I do... when I have room onstage for that extra pedal.

[szulc]

I think that you could get what you want with an eq on one of these fenders, just scoop the mids.

[EricV]

Hey there...

Originally posted by Rock_Rocket
Lotsa thanks so far,

Eric, what do you mean by boosting the drive-sound? Should I use the amp's dist.-sound and a stompbox (eg. Boss DS-1) at the same time? Turning cleansound into high-gain-sound was the thing I always tried to get working... is this a losing battle?
Well, in my opinion, it usually does not sound as good if you try to turn an all-clean sound into a higain-sound. So yes, I´d recommend to use the amps distortion-sound and use some pedal to boost it a bit.
You´ve played through my Laney, and I guess you noticed that it has plenty of gain. Well, if I need even more, like if I need some really wacky sound or some extra-sustain or compression, I hook up my trusty Boss SD-1 Overdrive pedal to kick it into real higain... the drive-channel, that is !
Years ago, I used a Peavey classic combo, which had hardly any gain at all, and I tried to turn it into a higain-amp by putting some mega-distortion-pedal in front of it. I dunno whether it was the wrong combination or just not a good pedal, but it sounded thin, shrill, unpleasant. Ever since then, I either used amp that have enough gain ( or more than I actually need, like the Peavey 5150 ) or some booster like the SD 1 or a Tube Screamer to kick an already distorted sound into "higain"-mode...


Are there any alternatives to using a stompbox (in case it does not provide the sound I was looking for) and buying another amp (my Fender's pretty new, ya know - and after all I really like). What about a POD, a single preamp...?
Rock_Rocket
Well, that would pretty much omit the sound of your Fender amp, if you´d i.e. plug a preamp into the "return" of your amps loop. The sound would be generated by the preamp.
If you wouldn´t like your amps sound or if you just wanna use it as a poweramp, that would work, but if you like the sound of your amp, I´d recommend to use its dirty sound plus a booster for lead stuff. James suggestion to experiment with the EQ-section is a nice idea, too !
When I use the JMP1 ( you heard that one too ) live, I either hook it up to a poweramp or use the poweramp section of something like a Marshall amp or maybe even the Laney. Because I want to amplify the sound of the JMP1.
A preamp like that one ( or the POD ) really shouldn´t be used as "boosters" only... they can do more than that. It´s up to you...
Hope this helps
Eric

[szulc]

I was really suggesting using an eq in the effects loop to scoop the mids.

[EricV]

Sorry, got that wrong ! My fault :)
But I like that suggestion, too
Eric