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Why using less gain can improve your tone

Writer's picture: Philip WellerPhilip Weller

Updated: Sep 24, 2024

Many players are guilty of being overzealous with the gain dial on their amp, here’s why that might be harming your tone

 

For many players, the gain dial on an amp or digital modeller can be something of a security blanket. Once pushed, the resulting tone is more satisfying as its ferocity makes everything you play sound better…or does it?


Cranking the gain can give your guitar tone more grit, but it isn’t the be all and end all. Here’s why. 

 

So, what does gain actually do?


First, it’s important to understand what happens beneath the hood of an amp when that dial is fiddled with.


Guitar amps work in two stages. A fairly weak signal from your guitar goes into the amp where it is processed and sent to the second stage. There, the signal is strengthened and the amp’s EQ shapes the already distorted tone. This is what you hear coming out of the speakers.


Gain, in its simplest essence, can be seen as the way to adjust the input volume to the first preamp stage, which is why cranking the gain can also make your amp louder.

That gain dial, then, determines how hard the preamp section of the amp is driven: The more gain, the more distortion.

 

Less gain, more tone


One of the greatest misconceptions is that the gain control holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heavy. That’s not entirely true.


Turning the gain dial will increase the level of distortion delivered, and while that can create a more powerful tone, sacrifices have to be made elsewhere.


With high levels of distortion pumping the preamp, there is less headroom for the tone of your instrument and the amp to shine as, by the time we get to the second stage of the amp’s wizardry, most of the space has already been taken. Too much distortion and the nicer characteristics of your tone gets swallowed up by a sea of mush.


Distortion is fun, but it should be seen as just one flavour in a larger, more fulfilling tonal soup. Dial in a guitar tone with the gain at around 2-3 and play some riffs. Then max the gain and play those same riffs. See how the tone’s personality is lost, while very little heaviness – if any – is gained.


See below for our experiment results.

 




Let the EQ do the dirty work


Most metal and rock guitarists want a rhythm tone that punches you in the guts. For that sound, mid-range frequencies are king.


To achieve that sound, you should emphasize the mid control, and find a sweet spot for the bass and treble to stop the tone getting too muddy or thin. Every amp, guitar and pickup set will react differently.


Rolling the gain back lets the three-band EQ enjoy a greater influence on the resulting tone. Again, gain isn’t the only ingredient you want to taste/hear; it might act as your meat, but without the spices, there’s nothing to get you salivating. It’s just stodge.

 

Toight like a tiger


Just as we explained how fret wraps mask the areas of your playing that need improving, overusing the gain can undo all the hard work that’s gone into tightening your playing. 

That extra level of grit might make you think your guitar sounds stankier, but it can be hard to keep the guitar under control even with a tight noise gate in play. Those little overtones and signal hisses can fill the gaps in your riffs and in a high-volume live setting that can make you sound messy.


Tightness, in any performance, is the most important thing. So, even if you work tirelessly on your palm muting and ensure all the nuances of your hand movements are accounted for, an overly gainy tone can lay all that practice to waste.


Look at Tosin Abasi: He typically uses very little gain, but his riffs still hit hard because he essentially uses himself as the gain dial. With all that headroom to play with, he can dig in to make riffs bark, or pull back to make his instrument gently weep. 


Let those solos scream


The more gain you have on a rhythm channel, the messier things get when it comes to your lead channel. If there is already excessive gain – and therefore minimal headroom left – there is no space for your lead channel to stretch out into. This can result in your solos sounding extremely loud, but not particularly pleasant.


Pulling back the gain on rhythm channels gives more precedence for impact when it comes to ripping a killer sweep picking solo. It will make your playing sound more dynamic, even if you’re hitting the strings just as hard.


When used right, gain can be an amp’s most powerful asset. Used greedily, and it can be its worst enemy.


For more tips and tricks to elevate your guitar playing, check out the Modern Metal Academy blog.

 

 

 

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