- Pickup Selection: Use either a bridge or neck pickup. These provide a more distinct sound for single notes and leads compared to the middle position.
- Guitar Volume: Set your guitar's volume to maximum.
- Tone Control: The goal here is to cut unwanted low end and tame the highs to bring out the clarity and sustain of your playing. A higher treble setting also enables harmonics to ring more clearly. Experiment to find the sweet spot that brings your tone alive.
Amplifier:
Tone Control
- Bass: Reduce the bass to eliminate unnecessary low frequencies that can muddy your sound.
- Mid: Boost the mids around 700Hz-1kHz to enhance the clarity of the mids and improve the sustain.
- Treble: Increase the treble to add definition and presence. Adjust to taste, balancing enough bite without excessive shrillness.
Amplifier Gain:
- Start Low: Begin with the gain at a low setting. High gain can introduce unwanted noise.
- Gradually Increase: Increase the gain while playing until the desired level of distortion and sustain is achieved.
Master Volume:
- Experiment and match the Master volume with the gain level. This allows for the right amount of amplification and saturation.
Other:
- Overdrive/Distortion Pedal: You may use a distortion or overdrive pedal to add further gain, distortion and/or tone shaping to your sound.
- Reverb: This adds ambience and depth to the sound. Experiment with low to medium levels to avoid overwhelming the lead tone.
Remember that the settings are a personal preference and depend on your guitar, amplifier, and desired tone. Adjust them to find the setup that best compliments your own shredding style and song.