how do i fix this bad guitar tone?

[Punkity]

For the $450 you can get a heck of a tube preamp that will sound as good if not better and will have much more volume control. IMO at least. *shrugs*

I realize that opinions may differ, and the terms used to describe sound mean different things to different people (crunchy, grunge, creamy, ear-splitting), but there is no way in heaven or (in this case) hell you are going to get a Slayer tone with a tube preamp. That sound comes almost entirely from the power stage of a tube amp, not the preamp stage or a petal. Other styles of sound can surely benifit from a great tube petal, but not this one.

I could go on, but that would involve hijacking this thread. Just trust me on this. I will likely just go ahead and start another thread entitled "The Ultimate Distortion Does Not Come From A Petal (in most cases)" if asked.

[theinfamousfish]

Then, when he wants to upgrade, he can get a good power amp.

That is what I was talking about. So I think we agree on the sound, just disagree on how to get it. Different methods to the same end. My method was to work towards a killer system a stage at a time. I would be weary of a complete setup like the one you were talking about, because that would not allow for a lot of upgrade room. But that is me. I don't mean to hijack this thread either. Sorry if I am starting a fight!

fish

[drmorbius]

all of this advice has been really helpful. thanks everybody. i'd like to hear more about what you have to say about the ultimate distortion coming from an amp vs. a pedal.

as i said in the first post, i'm not a guitar player and this has all been very educational beyond just i think remedying the original issues i had. i'll suggest that the guitar player take his guitar into the shop to be examined and while there try to find a cheap distortion pedal he likes and can use with the clean channel on the peavey. that will kind of solve the problem partially and temporarily but inexpensively (who has money these days?) in the long term, maybe one day buy an amp and cabinet, so feel free to hijack the thread or start a new one. i'd like to hear what you have to say.

[Punkity]

feel free to hijack the thread or start a new one. i'd like to hear what you have to say.

I would, gladly, but work is busting my balls right now. Maybe tomorrow.

By the way, welcome to TapeOp. Stay a while, this place will rock your interworld.

[Mzkguy]

You may want to check out www.guitargeek.com. You can see the stage set ups of most of the heavy bands out there. Mind you...these are stage set ups...not recording set ups.

[Spark]

If the guitar player isnt a real gear head then a rack system might be too much for him to figure out.

IMO a quality combo amp like a mesa dc-3 or 5, 5150, or older Marshall might be a better investment. There are lots of tube combos or heads out there that dont cost an arm and a leg that would be an upgrade over the bandit.

I spent less than $450 on my JCM800 and 2X12.

[I'm Painting Again]

The problem with the tone is that when playing low, all his notes are lost in a muddy low jumble that won't go away, even when he turns the bass eq knob on the amp all the way down. When he plays high, there are all these atonal harmonics.
.

That sounds like a pretty cool guitar as-is..maybe not for the style they/you are doing..but out of context it just sounds cool to me..

[Everybody's X]

NOTHING you put in front of the bandit will make it sound good.

if he wants a real metal tone he's going to have to overdrive a tube amp.

if hes really broke and cant do anything else a POD into the line in on the bandit would be a HUGE step forward.

But in my opinion a cranked Marshall 50 watt is the sound of metal

[beebe]

Aren't Dimebag Darrell's (Pantera) Randall heads Solid State? You can get a metal sound without tubes. Probably just a somewhat less natural colder raw sound. Maybe try the Boss Metal Zone pedal. http://guitargeek.com/gearview/67/ It's relatively inexpensive.

The guitar might be pretty easy to fix, just open it up and solder the wires back where they broke off. It might be obvious it might not, just take it apart slowly, and look where the wires go. Most people I know use the bridge pickup most of the time (sounds like his may be a humbucker), so as long as that one is wired up, you should be ok and not have to worry about the 5 way switch at all. The humbucker will usually be all he wants to use for a metal sound... just eq to get the best sound out of that pickup.

[Everybody's X]

well yeah dimebag does use ss heads, but he also was born and raised in a recording studio and had his whole life to figure out how to make that head sound good. Also does anything scream "DIMEBAG!" more than using a randall head? I think if you remove him from the equation those amps sound like ass.

while it works really well for him it is his sound.

and a peavey bandit is a far-cry from a warhead


I can name 3000 other guitarists who bring the metal with glowing glass

again just my opinion



I guess I shouldnt stray from the question, Im generalizing about guitar tones, in this particular case, I think a dirtbox of some sort would help with the bandit

[Ronan]

He plays through a Peavey Bandit.

This is 80% of your problem right here. Borrow a real amp for recording.

[mingus2112]

As everyone else states, the Bandit isn't a very good amp. HOWEVER, i beg to differ on the fact that you'll nver get a usable sound out of it. It's really easy for "us" to say "get this tube amp" or "get that tube amp," but the fact of the matter is that not everyone starting out can afford that. There has to be a stepping stone. If he doesn't play, he can't afford the good amp.

My first decent sounding amp was a Fender Deluxe 112 Plus. It's very loud, very decent sound clean, distortion that's a 4 on a scale from 1 to 10, and SOLID STATE. I haven't used it in years (for reasons you'll see below), but a good bargain for the beginner.

I'd still suggest a pedal for metal, but the amp will get you the clean tone you need.

My disclaimer is that I really only use tube amps now. I have a '67 Bassman head, custom 2x10 combo. . .'76 Twin Reverb, '86 Twin, Blues Delux, Blues jr, and coming soon a custom built Marshall JTM-45. . .would I ever switch back to my Solid State Deluxe 112? Of course not. Without the "starter amp" I wouldn't have had anything though. That's what counts.

I restate. Fix the guitar. Look at some pedals. Only you and he can decide what you like. In time, as he hears other guitarists, he'll want a new amp.

Just my 2 cents
-James

[djslayerissick]

for pedals, i havent a distortion that i liked better than the cheapo-depot DOD Grunge pedal. clear, heavy, lots of lows and highs, but doesnt sound like scooped death metal tone.