Playing 'louder' for solos etc., how to???

Barney

Try setting your amp volume for your solos first then cut using volume control on the guitar for backing 

welshboyo

you mention you like the middle setting on the LP - take your bridge pickup volume up to 8.5/9 and reduce the neck volume to about 2 and you will find that when you flick to bridge pickup from that middle setting it should give you a decent hike in volume and cut at the flick of that switch - adjust gain/volume of amp to your preference for rhythm work using the middle position - this is how I used to use an LP with an old single channel JTM45 and it worked a treat.

The neck pickup then becomes your cleaner sound.

Try it, it works

smudge_lad

what are you using the LPB and Sparkle Drive for? In what order do you have them set up? This might help us understand more about your set up

Rocker

My preferred option is to plug the guitar straight into the amp.  If the best way of getting a volume lift for solos is to use a pedal, that pedal will be the only pedal in the circuit.  There is no FX loop on my amp. Most of my experiments were with the SparkleDrive so further work is needed using the LPB1.  I am looking for more of the same (rhythm sound) but louder for solos.  That may not be possible without adding a little distortion.  A little is OK but not a lot as there is limited headroom on my amp.

Thanks to everyone for your replies and help.

welshboyo

an edit to my advice is neck pickup down to 2 - works great on a clean amp

stickyfiddle

How clean/distorted is the amp sound before any pedals are added?

My standard approach would be:

Guitar >> Sparkle Drive >> LPB >> Amp.

Set the amp fairly clean, with just a little bit of crunch if you want. Use the Sparkle Drive to add dirt if you want more (but not much extra volume - just a tiny bit louder as dirt usually adds compression).

Then use the LPB as a boost only when you want the same but louder. That might add a little distortion depending on exactly how much dirt is already coming from the amp, and how much you turn up the booster.

Jalapeno

Following your straight into  the amp preference, turn the amp up louder than you're apparently used to, and then use the guitar controls.

Rocker

Jalapeno said:

Following your straight into  the amp preference, turn the amp up louder than you're apparently used to, and then use the guitar controls.

That is how I get by when playing the Strat or Tele.  The Les Paul presented a problem, one that @welshboyo has offered a solution to.  I will try it out later today and report back.  Thanks again for your suggestions.

Rocker

Well that was quick.  Firstly I did not like the sound as suggested by @welshboyo.  Thanks for the suggestion my friend but it does not work for me.  The LPB-1, when powered by a fresh PP3 battery, and a setting of just short of half way on the boost control, gives me 'the same as my rhythm sound but more'.

Another problem has reared its ugly head - a cyclical ticking sound from my guitar amps.  I swapped an old bass amp in place of my Stinger and my wife confirmed that it too was ticking even though my hearing is almost shot and I could not hear it.  But turning up the amp and there it was, loud and clear.  I have the feeling that it is pulses fed into the mains supply from an electric fencer nearby.  Hope to confirm this tomorrow or the next day.  The ticks are especially noticeable when the LPB-1 is engaged, I thought the problem was guitar leads but it looks like mains borne noise.  I will report back.  Sorry about garbled text, feeling confused and annoyed at the same time.

fastonebaz

It might just be easiest to employ a friend to turn your amp volume up for a solo and back down again after ;-)

ICBM

Rocker said:

Another problem has reared its ugly head - a cyclical ticking sound from my guitar amps.  I swapped an old bass amp in place of my Stinger and my wife confirmed that it too was ticking even though my hearing is almost shot and I could not hear it.  But turning up the amp and there it was, loud and clear.  I have the feeling that it is pulses fed into the mains supply from an electric fencer nearby.  Hope to confirm this tomorrow or the next day.  The ticks are especially noticeable when the LPB-1 is engaged, I thought the problem was guitar leads but it looks like mains borne noise.  I will report back.  Sorry about garbled text, feeling confused and annoyed at the same time.

It's probably your watch.

Or your pacemaker...





Actually an electric fence is a likely suspect, if the clicks are more widely spaced. It may not be mains-borne though, it could be getting in through the guitar pickups. If the fence zapper isn't properly suppressed (and I wouldn't expect it to be, really...) it will radiate an electromagnetic spike over a wide area.

p90fool

Rocker said:

Well that was quick.  Firstly I did not like the sound as suggested by @welshboyo.  Thanks for the suggestion my friend but it does not work for me.  The LPB-1, when powered by a fresh PP3 battery, and a setting of just short of half way on the boost control, gives me 'the same as my rhythm sound but more'.

Another problem has reared its ugly head - a cyclical ticking sound from my guitar amps.  I swapped an old bass amp in place of my Stinger and my wife confirmed that it too was ticking even though my hearing is almost shot and I could not hear it.  But turning up the amp and there it was, loud and clear.  I have the feeling that it is pulses fed into the mains supply from an electric fencer nearby.  Hope to confirm this tomorrow or the next day.  The ticks are especially noticeable when the LPB-1 is engaged, I thought the problem was guitar leads but it looks like mains borne noise.  I will report back.  Sorry about garbled text, feeling confused and annoyed at the same time.

You're playing with a lot more gain and volume than usual, are you wearing a watch?

(Not joking...)

roberty

I use a fuzz war clone for solos... cuts through everything in the known universe

Rocker

p90fool said:

Rocker said:

Well that was quick.  Firstly I did not like the sound as suggested by @welshboyo.  Thanks for the suggestion my friend but it does not work for me.  The LPB-1, when powered by a fresh PP3 battery, and a setting of just short of half way on the boost control, gives me 'the same as my rhythm sound but more'.

Another problem has reared its ugly head - a cyclical ticking sound from my guitar amps.  I swapped an old bass amp in place of my Stinger and my wife confirmed that it too was ticking even though my hearing is almost shot and I could not hear it.  But turning up the amp and there it was, loud and clear.  I have the feeling that it is pulses fed into the mains supply from an electric fencer nearby.  Hope to confirm this tomorrow or the next day.  The ticks are especially noticeable when the LPB-1 is engaged, I thought the problem was guitar leads but it looks like mains borne noise.  I will report back.  Sorry about garbled text, feeling confused and annoyed at the same time.

You're playing with a lot more gain and volume than usual, are you wearing a watch?

(Not joking...)

No watch.

Further progress to report, the ticking is not from the electric fence energiser.  It is not caused either by the two electronic rodent repellent devices that are plugged in (in the attic and in the boiler house).  I ended up with everything In the house unplugged or switched off and the amp still emits the ticking sound.  I tried the amp in different rooms, no change.

The amp is well over twenty years built, still has the original valves.  The preamp valve is a Fender branded GT 12AX7 and the power valve is a Harma 6L6 (which looks a bit black at the pins end).  I will get one of each from Karltone and see if new valves cures the problem.  I had a look under the hood yesterday and none of the components look burned or otherwise stressed.

Jalapeno

Get a mains suppressor plug too.  I use one of these - does help -> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tacima-Conditioner-Frequency-Interference-Filter/dp/B000PS5700

Careful about getting into Russ Andrews snake oil territory though .....

Grunfeld

p90fool said:

roberty said:

Or turn the boost below unity and click it off for solos

This, ie, set your amp loud and use your pedal as a level cut for rhythm playing.

This is it.

Boss GE-7 definitely does it; so do many, many others.

jeztone2

Just buy a Tubescreamer mini. Set everything at 12 O Clock. Engage when you want to solo- Job Done!!!

Roland

There are many ways of turning up for a solo, depending on music and playing styles. Perm one or more of guitar volume, guitar pickup, pedals, amp channels. I suspect that @Rocker’s problem is that his rhythm sound is already heavily compressed. So increasing the input volume results in more harmonic content, but little volume increase. In extreme more harmonic content actually turns into mush, and solos cut through less well than rhythm sounds. In this situation the options are:
1. Less compression on the rhythm.
2. Change channel, or some other amp setting.
3. EQ pedal with a midrange hump, and a bass cut

Rocker

Thinking about this, my main requirement is to make my Epi LP louder for solos.  Without changing the pickup selector.  I like the sound of the blended pickups (middle position on the selector switch) and my LPB pedal does work but as @Roland said, compression limits the perceived volume lift.  I cannot possibly justify a more powerful amp and louder solos are not absolutely necessary.  But a solo volume boost would be nice if there is a way...

PolarityMan

So the other way to achieve that is to make your rhythm tone quieter, so some people will use an EQ pedal setup to give a volume cut then with the pedal on this becomes their main rhythm sound and you turn the pedal off to get your volume boost. I don't like this approach either though because it compromises the main rhythm tone which is much more important than the lead tone.

People are always banging on about how multi-channel amps arent needed but this is an example where everything else is a compromise.