How to get rid of muddy/murky guitar tone?

[Who]

I've had my SG Special for close to a year now, and no matter what I do, the tone is ALWAYS very murky. I'm running it through a 15 watt all tube Peavey practice amp (I'm looking at a new amp to buy). I'm open to everything from buying new pick-ups to buying a new guitar, I'm just tired of sounding like hell. Any help would be appreciated.

[mjo]

Hi Who
Welcome !
Does it clean up at all when you turn your pup volume down ?
I'd suggest taking it to a store, where you can try some different amps.
There are several things that could be the source of the problem and trying out some other amps may help nail it down.

I replaced the pups in my LP about a year after I got it because they were too 'muddy' with o-drive / dist. for my tastes.

Good luck.
Mike

[Dimebag]

You could load it with some phat new pickups, seymore duncans, or EMG's. DiMarzio's are alse very good so i have heard. An amp would probly change that too. Also, i have a marshall guvnor fuzz box which i sometimes use, which gives a really sharp, clear sound. You could invest in a nice fuzz box to sharpen it all up. You could get a new guitar, although SG's are pretty damn cool, and there are probably other ways to sort out your tonal probs. Is it an epiphone, or a gibbo? i dont think it would be worth spending all that money for new pickups on an epiphone. To get good ones, and have them installed properly would cost as much as the guitar itself

[Who]

I have a Jekyll and Hyde overdrive pedal, which for all intents and purposes is pretty nice. The guitar is a Gibson, although, I'm becoming more interested in some medium to high end Ibanez's. I'm leaning more towards getting a new guitar though.

[Schmaus]

I have the same guitar. and i have a similar amp (behringer AC112 ...hybrid one not all tube) i think its similiar anyways.

Well, I think its pretty good sounding on the bridge pickup....mudiness seems to happen on the other settings. Mabye you could just get new pickups. I think its a great guitar anways.\


Oh yeah...how could a FUZZ pedal make things CLEARER? ;)

[Dimebag]

a fuzz box is just another word for distortion pedal.

I hear that the only decent ibanez's are the ones over about £900, although this may not be true. Theyre like marmite aswell, so try some out, and lemme know hopw they feel. I know people that both cream theyre pants over theyre ibanez prestiges, and some people who wanna put them all into a big pile and set them alight.

[fortymile]

how could you expect to get a good one out of a 15 watt amp? there's your problem. it's certainly not your guitar.

[mattblack850]

how could you expect to get a good one out of a 15 watt amp? there's your problem. it's certainly not your guitar.
15 watt all tube? If it's Class A then you're looking at more like 85 Watts total output! Should be fine. Mudiness is usually caused by too much mid-range, just play with all the settings for a while, if this doesn't help think about replacing either p/ups, guitar or amp. Shouldn't be the amp though, I've always found Peavey to be good sounding gear. (I have a 180 watt Renown as a second amp)

[Amadhunter]

how could you expect to get a good one out of a 15 watt amp? there's your problem. it's certainly not your guitar.

Not true at all. There's a reason that low watt boutique amps are a rage, and the reason is tone. :) A lot of pros use small amps for studio, and stage work, miced up for stage of course. One of the best sounding amps I've ever heard is an old Marshall 18 watt.
I've got a Gibson Goldtone 15RV, and it's got tone for days! It's class A all tube, and screams!

[Sir Speedy]

yeah , i agree with that ..

Metal amp setting should be Bass 10 MID 2 Treb 7 or 8

GAIN(preamp) 10 Master Vol 2

Peaveys all ways sound pritty hot ,even the Back stage series .

Guitar Vol 10 tone 10 . Bridge Pick up , Switch down to the Floor .


Whats the exact Model of the amp, WHO???

[Len H]

The usual cause of muddy tone is the combination of too much gain (distortion) and excess bass. Try backing off your amp's bass setting and, if you have your mids scooped out, dial in a little bit of midrange into your tone. Cutting back on the bass won't make your sound weak or thin, on the contrary, it will give you the definition that you are looking for.

As for the opinion that a 15W amp can't have good tone, some of the best sounding tones available come from small wattage amps. As long as the speakers are good quality, there is nothing inherently wrong with a 15W all tube amp. If there are any doubts, plug your amp into a 4x12 cabinet and give it a whirl. Matt's reply that stated that a 15W class A tube amp puts out 85W is wrong, however. I know this is bordering on becoming a gear reply, but I do want to be able to set the record straight. A tube amp sounds louder because of certain electrical characteristics that include harmonic content of its distorted tone, more gradual transition from clean to distorted, transient response, and probably many others. My amp is an all tube little beasty that I built myself. I run it through a 2x12 cabinet with a pair of Celestions, and although it can be loud enough to wake the dead, it measures at 16W max output (measured it myself). Matt, please don't be offended by my reply, you are correct in stating that a tube amp sounds louder than a solid state, I just wanted to make sure nobody got the wrong idea.

Len

[curiousgeorge]

I didn't think Peavey made 15W tube amps. Hmmmmmm............................ :confused:

[mattblack850]

Matt, please don't be offended by my reply, you are correct in stating that a tube amp sounds louder than a solid state, I just wanted to make sure nobody got the wrong idea.

None taken Len. I was just trying to make the point that small Class A tube amps although rated at what seems like a small wattage are, in fact, a lot more powerful than their rating numbers may suggest. The 85 in question was just a slightly exagerated number just to demonstate this.:D
My '67 Selmer is only rated as a 50 watt, but will, in all reality throw out more than my 180 Watt Solid state Peavey!!