Rebel 30 metal tone

[cambennett]

I am sure this has been asked before but I can't seem to find a specific answer. I have a Rebel 30 that I absolutely adore. The warmth of this amp is remarkable and the tones I am able to get far surpass anything else I have played through for a amp this size and power. Only thing lacking is a really nice metal tone. Any suggestions on how to best achieve this?

CB

 

[Anolin]

OCD pedal or the likes?

 

[cambennett]

Sure!!

 

[dan desy]

I use a ToneBone Hot British in front, and although I'm not going for metal tones, I'm sure it could do it well.

 

[JeepGuy04]

I use an EQ pedal in the effect loop. It works rather nicely. I set my channel two with tight switch on and a lot of treble and bass with little midrange then on the eq pedal I set the 7-band eq in a Scooped "V" shape. It really gives it a monster tone. Better than what I've been able to get with what distortion pedals I own.

 

[cambennett]

I use an EQ pedal in the effect loop. It works rather nicely. I set my channel two with tight switch on and a lot of treble and bass with little midrange then on the eq pedal I set the 7-band eq in a Scooped "V" shape. It really gives it a monster tone. Better than what I've been able to get with what distortion pedals I own.

How does it sound without the EQ though?

 

[JeepGuy04]

I use an EQ pedal in the effect loop. It works rather nicely. I set my channel two with tight switch on and a lot of treble and bass with little midrange then on the eq pedal I set the 7-band eq in a Scooped "V" shape. It really gives it a monster tone. Better than what I've been able to get with what distortion pedals I own.

How does it sound without the EQ though?

It just sounds normal without the EQ. I just use the EQ pedal to do this no other effects other than maybe the onboard reverb. I have the gain maxed on channel 2 as well didn't mention that before.

 

[cambennett]

I use an EQ pedal in the effect loop. It works rather nicely. I set my channel two with tight switch on and a lot of treble and bass with little midrange then on the eq pedal I set the 7-band eq in a Scooped "V" shape. It really gives it a monster tone. Better than what I've been able to get with what distortion pedals I own.

What EQ pedal are you using?

 

[Ian Egnater]

Definitely give the EQ pedal in the loop a shot. That will help you get a more "metal" voiced sound. It obviously won't help if you don't have enough gain on tap for your sound though.

 

[JeepGuy04]

I use an EQ pedal in the effect loop. It works rather nicely. I set my channel two with tight switch on and a lot of treble and bass with little midrange then on the eq pedal I set the 7-band eq in a Scooped "V" shape. It really gives it a monster tone. Better than what I've been able to get with what distortion pedals I own.

What EQ pedal are you using?

I have a Boss GE-7 EQ pedal.

 

[warren]

An EQ in the loop can certainly help shape the voicing more to your liking but to get more gain you'll need an overdrive pedal to boost your guitar's signal going into the amp. An ibanez tube screamer, maxon od808, boss od1, etc. Any of those will work very well. I have the renegade head and I use an ibanez tube screamer. Three knobs, gain tone and level. Set the gain at zero, set the tone to anywhere between half and full depending on taste, and set the level at full. You'll immediately notice you have a lot more gain to play with. Plus the gain will be much tighter and palm muted riffs will sound much clearer. You'll want to dial the amp's gain to less than where you normally have it to tighten it up even further.

 

[ramblin390]

An EQ in the loop can certainly help shape the voicing more to your liking but to get more gain you'll need an overdrive pedal to boost your guitar's signal going into the amp. An ibanez tube screamer, maxon od808, boss od1, etc. Any of those will work very well. I have the renegade head and I use an ibanez tube screamer. Three knobs, gain tone and level. Set the gain at zero, set the tone to anywhere between half and full depending on taste, and set the level at full. You'll immediately notice you have a lot more gain to play with. Plus the gain will be much tighter and palm muted riffs will sound much clearer. You'll want to dial the amp's gain to less than where you normally have it to tighten it up even further.

an eq will give you the metal sound, not the added od above a ts or ocd boost

 

[warren]

An EQ in the loop can certainly help shape the voicing more to your liking but to get more gain you'll need an overdrive pedal to boost your guitar's signal going into the amp. An ibanez tube screamer, maxon od808, boss od1, etc. Any of those will work very well. I have the renegade head and I use an ibanez tube screamer. Three knobs, gain tone and level. Set the gain at zero, set the tone to anywhere between half and full depending on taste, and set the level at full. You'll immediately notice you have a lot more gain to play with. Plus the gain will be much tighter and palm muted riffs will sound much clearer. You'll want to dial the amp's gain to less than where you normally have it to tighten it up even further.

an eq will give you the metal sound, not the added od above a ts or ocd boost

I disagree. In my opinion the egnater has a beautiful voicing that fits metal just fine. I have an mxr 10 band eq that I use in the loop of my 6505+ because I hate the voicing on that amp. The egnater sounds perfect as is. The only thing I feel it needs for metal riffing is the tightness that an od adds. It's not just the added gain it's also the tightness. Some people don't seem to understand that.

Here's an example of a boosted rebel 20. This is very similiar to the sound I get with my boosted renegade head through my marshall 1960 BV cab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=N1AX4LSQJkA#t=331s

 

[srinivassa]

I don't use the loop on mine. It sounds like what warren is doing is an extreme scooped mid voicing, which metal players always do. It will make a huge difference in sound, and it will sound more metal.

I totally wouldn't do it if you gig though. When you are in a gig, whether through your amp or a PA, you need midrange in your sound. Midrange is a huge part of your guitar sound live. That's why you need something to boost your gain. OCD is a great pedal. My personal choise is EHX Metal Muff. I wouldn't use a Tube Screamer for metal though because it is TOO midrangey. It sounds more like a full bore EL34 tube OD solo. That's just me though.

Can you get good metal tones with the Egnater? That depends on how picky you are. I really like my "metal tone" with the MM as a booster and EL34 tubes. I keep a fair amount of midrange in it, but I pile on bass. Treble boost is on the pedal if you need the treble. It works for my Soundgarden covers and a sort of 'dirty metal' I do originals with. It's a little muddy though. More amp gain and volume does tighten it up a lot, but it's still muddy. Unfortunately, I don't get to play anywhere I can really crank it up loud.

 

[waynerd]

I just got my Rebel 30 today. I had a tweaker previously. With the Tweaker, I had to use a distortion pedal. With the Rebel, I think it can get there by itself at louder volumes. For tons of crunch, I use a Visual Sound TS808 clone. For a more modern metal sound with scooped mids, I know I will need an EQ.