8,720
edits
Changes
m
no edit summary
If you are driving your amp hard, it's power section might be clipping a bit, adding high-end distortion on top the tone. Also, your amp could have worn-out tubes.
Note: the full amps tend to have more bite than the pre-amp only models. If you are using full amp models, try using the pre-amp only ones (see [[Line 6 Pod HD Amp/Distortion Tone#"Full " vs. "Pre"|full vs pre]]).
Similarly, the full amp models DEP's can have pretty strong effects on the tone. Try messing with the Master Volume and Bias parameters to see if they help dial out harshness.
My favorite cabs are the Hiway, Treadplate, Greenbacks, Uber, and XXL 4x12's. Of these, the Treadplate is very bright, the Uber, Hiway, and Greenbacks are relatively balanced, and the XXL is very boomy. I like to use parametric EQ's to neutralize the extreme parts of the cabs, and/or dial in the mids.
For a "live" setup, I like to use "no cab" as my cab. Even if you do not use "Studio/Direct" output mode, selecting a cab will use "live-voiced cabs" (see [[Line 6 Pod HD Setup#Understanding Output Modes|"output modes" section]]). These tend to reduce the high end. Also, the "pre" versions of the amps tend to have more mids and less high end, although I wouldn't consider them "muffled" - you just have to EQ them a bit differently. Just because you are using a real guitar power amp doesn't mean you're guaranteed to prefer using the pre-amp only model more than the full model (see Line 6 Pod HD Amp/Distortion Tone#"Full " vs. "Pre"|full vs. pre]]).
Top of Page
You may want to sculpt the tone before your distortion stage. See [[Line 6 Pod HD Amp/Distortion Tone|Amp/Distortion Tone page]] for more. Sometimes you want to send the amp more of a mid-range than high end peak frequency range to get a smoother distortion. This is particularly the case for power amp distortion with the Park 75 and JCM-800 models. If you turn up the presence control too much, you may notice the distortion seems to go splat or get real nasty, even on a single note high up on the fretboard that should be smooth and sing. I usually turn presence to 0% on the Park 75, because this is so bad.
Also, note that the "pre" versions of the amps tend to be a little cleaner than the "full" version as far as their distortion character. While I prefer to use "full" amps and use EQ's and distortion sculpting to dial in my tone, it may yield better results for you to try out the "pre" amps. (see [[Line 6 Pod HD Amp/Distortion Tone#"Full " vs. "Pre"|full vs. pre]])
Or you can try turning down Master Volume or playing with the Bias DEP's on the full models. These can often reduce the dirtyness of an amp model's distortion and smooth it out.
== Tone is thin ==
I find the "pre" versions of the amps are a little "thinner" sounding than the "full" versions, and tend to use the "full" versions, even if I'm running my setup "live" (through an amp and guitar cab). They tend to have more bass and just sound a bit richer. (see [[Line 6 Pod HD Amp/Distortion Tone#"Full " vs. "Pre"|"full vs. pre" section]])
Cannot find image.