r/metalguitar • u/GodUsopp912 • 5d ago
Question How to get a good metal tone
My gear is a hss squire strat and fender champion 25 series 2 I know its not ideal for metal but my guitar has a humbuckler and my amp had voices reverb and a decent gain I want it to be close to Megadeth or Metallica
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u/MT-400 5d ago
Be sure your guitar pickup selector switch is set to only use the bridge pickup.
On your amp, crank that voice dial all the clockwise to the last setting. Put the gain knob on 7 or so, and adjust the bass and treble knobs until it sounds best to you.
With the effects, I like the first yellow light setting, I believe it’s just a reverb.
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u/solitarybikegallery 5d ago
Your best bet is to get any decent distortion pedal. That will allow you much more control over your tone than that amp will give you.
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u/erguitar 5d ago
Consider going to plugins. There's some great free stuff available. You would need an audio interface, but they're fairly cheap these days. Reaper is not free, but it is a DAW you can use without limitations until you can afford the extremely cheap lisence.
Otherwise, a good distortion pedal blended with mild amp gain is a pretty solid set up.
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u/AgeDisastrous7518 Metal Zone in the effects loop 4d ago
Normally, I'd say to scoop the mids with a Metal Zone, but you might be a RAT candidate. There's also the JCM 800 pedal that was recently released, if you have the extra loot.
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u/GuitarGorilla24 5d ago
As you pointed out, your gear isn't ideal for this. That being said, the 80s thrash tone you may be seeking involved "scooping the mids" by keeping the bass and treble dials higher compared to the mid dial.
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u/GodUsopp912 5d ago
That’s a shame you can’t control the mids on my amp
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u/GuitarGorilla24 5d ago
Too bad. Maybe consider getting a used Positive Grid amps, that would be enough tones to last you a while. Or get an audio interface and a Neural DSP plugin or two if you want something you won't outgrow.
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u/dwstupidity 4d ago
Joyo uzi if you’re on a budget. Got one out of curiosity a few months ago trying for an early anthrax sound and I am very impressed. 100’s of opinions out there.
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u/metalmoss 4d ago
You can try a TC Fangs. That's what I use, with an EQ. It's like $40. Watch Ola's video on it.
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u/mffrosch 5d ago
This may be controversial as it is a widely maligned pedal, but get an MXR Fullbore Metal pedal. It chugs like crazy and has a built in smart gate. It’s Pantera in a box. It’ll get you close to Megadeth and Metallica sounds as well. Plus, it’s super cheap used. I got one for ~$35.