Overdrive Pedal Stackingįor overdrive pedal stacking I still start with the amplifier. This set and forget method is popular for blues players in particular and it’s how I’ve got through many gigs and jam nights over the years. I then use the guitar volume to control my overall volume and how much gain I have at any point. I will set my overdrive pedal up in a way where I can “set and forget it”. In some situations where I am using a Fender amplifier. This method allows you to control the gain of the pedal with your guitars volume control. Set the maximum solo volume and gain structure using your ears and also by using more gain then less. Getting the sweet overdrive tones out of pedals is what they were designed for so there’s nothing wrong with this approach. In these sort of situations, I would opt for more gain than less. While I am a gigging musician I can’t always be really loud. Playing at this volume isn’t always easy! You can achieve this by turning up the tone control. In this situation, you may require more treble in your sound.
If your amp is already dirty and you want a bump in volume then crank up the volume pot and keep the gain down. Setting an Overdrive up for Lead Guitar Tones Setting an overdrive pedal on a dirty channel amplifier
This exact thing can be accomplished by using a volume boost pedal as well for those wondering. Using your overdrive pedal like this will allow it to hit the front-end or “preamp” section of the amp and push it over the edge into natural breakup. If you are playing at gig volume on your clean or off-clean amp channels then this will work great.Ĭrank up the pedal volume but start with the gain down on the pedal. Having the amplifier up at gig volume will give you a vastly different experience to using it quietly. If you are using a Tube amplifier your best bet for great lead tones with an overdrive pedal is to make sure the amp is up loud. I need to make mention of the variables here because everyone will be playing at different volumes with different amplifiers. Once you have the foundation of the amplifier established as mentioned earlier setting a good lead tone is very similar. These are amazing lead pedals but not great as a rhythm sound. One example of a pedal I would never use for rhythm is a Klon Centaur pedal. Some pedals are designed for a lead boost and they don’t sound great as rhythm guitar sounds. Not all pedals are great for Rhythm Guitar Some pedals like a Tube Screamer may require adding more top end to match the amp sound. I usually aim for a sound that is similar to the amp tone I set up before I switched the pedal is on. Something great happens with a pedal when you keep the volume of it at the unity level of above.Īfter setting the volume and gain adjust the treble. Adjust the volume down if need be but don’t turn it down too far. Please Note:Īdding gain can make your overall volume louder too so be careful of this. Setting an Overdrive up for Rhythm Guitar Tones. If you are going for more of a rock rhythm sound add more gain. If you are going for an off-clean tone then adjust it accordingly. This is only a starting point but you’ll quickly realize if you want more or less depending on your taste. Once the pedal is at the same volume of the amplifier my suggestion is to turn the gain down to 9 O’Clock. You can, of course, turn the pedal up louder or softer but your best results come from having the amp up louder. setting up the pedal at unity will give you no surprises. Start adjusting the volume control until you are at the same volume of the amplifier with the pedal off.
Once the pedal is on, turn everything to midday which is dead centre/12 O’Clock. Once you have your amplifier at the correct volume for the room switch the overdrive pedal on. Setting a rhythm tone with an overdrive pedal is actually pretty easy.
How to Set up an Overdrive Pedal for Rhythm Tones If you don’t have a good clean tone, the pedals will not shine. Getting a great clean tone you love is half of the battle. Set all of the EQ how you like it irrespective if your pedal has EQ controls. Adjust the volume of the amplifier up until it’s loud enough for your gig (or at home). Turn all of your pedals off and try and find a clean tone that you love. One thing to remember is this is a guide based on my experience and will not reflect all pedals and amplifiers combinations. This guide will help you understand different ways you can use your pedals as well as how to get the best results. This guide will cover three main aspects of use. In this guide, I will share with you various ways to set up and use your overdrive pedals properly.