Watch til the end for a how-not-to make your RUclips thumbnail. Also be sure to check out my new series “2 Minute Tuesdays” with quick guitar tips! ruclips.net/p/PLf7yzhijjSV_Xr-FCj1numHANiXrlzF5P
Fender amps, black or silver face, Greer Lightspeed pushed by a TS9 and if I really need to burn one, I'll push all of it with an EP Booster. You've got some great tone and playing going on and a new subscriber.
Great channel and really lovely playing, Michael. I employ a very similar approach to gain stacking. I use an Archer IKON into an MXR Timmy into a '65 Princeton Reverb reissue and Marshall Origin 20H, both set to the edge of breakup. It's glorious. Take care and keep up the great work.
i have a tumnus deluxe with just the tiniest bit of hair going into the boost of a prince of tone with the gain set at 3. i'm glad someone else likes a mid-heavy pedal going into something transparent!
Just subscribed ! I have a Lightspeed with a Tubedreamer 58 first, sounds nice but I've always wanted to try that Piedmont... May have to track one down
I have a similar setup with a tweed deluxe, a KOT, a rangemaster and an EQ pedal. My favorite setting is to crank the amp and not use the pedals. Maybe only use one of the drives as a boost when really needed for solos or heavier stuff. Jumpered channels on the amp, all controls at 10 (of 12). Everything from acoustic-like clean through country and blues to quite heavy bluesrock or early Sabbath tones can be found by using only the controls on the guitar. No pedals, same amp settings. An attenuator is used to set the overall volume. I believe a lot of guitarists (myself included) are using too much time and money on pedals and focus too little on what can be achieved with the tone/volume controls and the attack of the fingers.
Great video and playing. I always hear people sing the praises of high headroom clean ‘pedal platform amps’ but most of my favorite sounds seem to start with an amp that’s on the edge of breakup that has had most of the headroom dialed out.
Absolutely! I’m the same way...The only amp I’ve played that was higher headroom that I really liked was a Matchless Spitfire. I still set it close to break up but it was so good.
To be completely honest, it's all about what style of music you play as well. An amp on the edge of breakup will be better suited for certain styles than a high headroom clean amp would be, regardless if you're using it as a pedal platform or not. I'm a pedal guy myself who uses primarily a super reverb, however, that's also because I play mostly R&B, Blues, Jazz, and such. For a rock gig, country gig, or something similar? Forget it, give me a tweed style amp or any low headroom amp that can be brought to the edge of breakup easily. I also don't like how people immediately "insist" that you need a high headroom amp because that negates the style of music said guitarist might be playing. Ultimately, the amp and guitar are the most important piece of the equation as most drive pedals will take on certain characteristics of said amplifier.
Nice ideas. I tend to use a variety of drives in different combinations going into a cleanish plexi. My Ryra klone is generally always on and sounds great going into TS type of pedal for even more mids. Lovepedal COT50 into Klone sounds ultra transparent with lots of highs and lows. Klone into Petty John Iron also big and open. I usually have the gain in all my drives either very low or even off but using their output volumes to drive the next in line. You can never have enough gain stages as some work better with different guitars/ pickups. My most recent purchase was the Cornerstone Gladio double preamp. Each side of the pedal sounds awesome and when stacked the sound is so thick and chewy!
For me it's a J. Rockett Holdsworth OD but the left boost side, on the treble boost setting. That goes into an old SD-9. Add the other side of the Holdsworth for even more.
Keeley’s Red Dirt Germanium pedal has the thickest cutting-est pick attack/lead tone that I’ve ever experienced. Works well before amps and pedals on the dark side. Currently running it before a Ryra Klone.
I've been running a Rat into a Nobles into a Green Rhino into a Lightspeed into a RC Booster. Usually leaving the Lightspeed and the RC Booster on all the time.Everything is set pretty light and don't usually run it all at once.
I've been through so many drives... My ultimate setup is similar to yours. RC booster -> Direct drive (big box w internal trims) -> Timmy. This is going into a Dr Z Cure or Strymon iridium. Can't say enough good things about those three drives... Each unique and they all sound excellent on their own or stacked.
All great pedals! I have an RC booster last in my chain of drives/boost to give me a clean boost. I like the eq options on it. I played a direct drive and a Timmy both for years as well! Hoping to pick up an Iridium soon to give it a shot
@@MichaelWWestbrook now that I have an Iridium it has changed my whole approach. I don't use my amp much at all and have reconfigured my board in stereo. It sounds excellent, especially w a nice sound system. I mainly play at churches and it is just too convenient for that application. Highly recommended. I grabbed a few York IR packs and couldn't be happier. Good luck brother. Keep up the great content, I really enjoy it!
Exactly what I use in Helix - guitar into Minotaur into Teemah! into a cleanish amp. No individual block is adding that much gain, and I can use them in any combination.
Hi Michael, great video, I really enjoyed your playing and insights. A number of years ago I used to rock the stage 1 and 2 od setup, with the Emerson emdrive and paramount, but later I got into better drives, like the Xotic BB preamp and tweed fender tones, it has only been recently that I discovered that the Bluesbreaker and Klone setup is very nice, I often run an odr-mini after those, and even more recently that I got a Lightspeed and Southland and have fallen back into the stage 1 and stage 2 setup that I had back in the Emerson days. The Lightspeed is a game-changer and I feel like the Southland is perfect with it. I sometimes change up what comes after those 2 depending on what I want with the odr, Ceriatone Horsebreaker and Lovepedal Les Lius as the likely culprits, but I don't see the Greer pedals going anywhere soon. I always stack my pedals lowest gain to higher gain, mostly into a completely clean 67 Bassman, but I'm going to try out your suggestion of putting the higher gain pedals first. Take care!
Do you recommend the Southland nearest your guitar in the chain, or nearest the amp? I have both a Lightspeed and a Southland and am interested in how other players use them. Thanks.
@@JB19504 I've tried it both ways, if I put the Lightspeed closer to the guitar in the chain, I almost always leave my Lightspeed on as I find it adds more gain to the Southland, however if I have it closer to the amp, it is set as a volume boost for solos and so I don't have it on as often as when it's in front of the Southland. Lately I've been running a Nobels odr-mini in front of the Southland (but never on at the same time), followed by a Ceriatone Horsebreaker (always on low gain bluesbreaker followed by a higher gain Klone) and then the Lightspeed follows them all up, as an option to stack with either of the 3 of them as the need arises. I hope that makes sense? How do you use them?
@@RedLion88 I now find that I'm using a hybrid of the ideas mentioned above. The odr-mini is first because it doesn't need more gain, then comes the Southland which is a different flavour than the odr, but I never use the two on at the same time and finally the Lightspeed. It sounds great with either of the above drives, so I kick it on depending on what level of volume I need to add for solos and so forth. Hope that helps?
@@kosmicwizard Thanks. Makes sense. I feel like the Southland is too gainy and I’m using it mainly at a low drive setting. Lightspeed is too good to use as just a volume boost IMO.
Try using pedals in parallel into a 4 input style amp. You’ll need an ABY box or a Y cable. I absolutely love the WAY HUGE Overrated Special. The tone/mid Q features would be a great pedal alone.
My overdrive section is: zendrive, King of tone and a MXR Timmy. Depends on the song or guitar used a I stack the Timmy into Zen or one or both channels of the KOT.
👍 I stack a Centura Klon clone in front of a Mythos Hurculean. I have my higher gain / mid range punch stacked second. I'll have to try it the other way around too. 🤔
Trying to find the right OD for my 5e3? I have a JHS mod SoulFood (Klon Clone). Have you ever run a Blue Breaker style pedal, like the Morning Glory through your 5e3? What is your experience with running a Fuzz into the 5e3?
I used a Morning Glory for years but that was before I had my 5e3. I love a Klone into the 5e3. Fuzz is great too! I find that when you start stacking overdrives everything just ends up tweedy because amp start distorting and I’m usually happier just using a boost or single overdrive.
@@MichaelWWestbrook Your insights and my own experience is making me rethink what sounds I’m trying get from my 5e3. Play to the strengths, rather than trying to make it do more than it can. Also reevaluating what sounds I actually use? Cool tone you may want to try is having an octave up pedal (i have a Henretta Purple Octopus). Since the 5e3 gets Fuzzy when pushed, just adding the Octave up gives the impression of Vintage Fuzz tones. Going to thin down the Herd, and get a Reverb + Tremelo, either an old school stand alone (Carl’s Custom Amps), or a Strymon Flint? I love Leslie, UniVibe, Phaser modulation tones, but can’t get them integrated into a straight-into-the-front of my amp sound without volume changes when I switch in boost?
Love that Guitar Michael... My uncle builds them... haha he posted your review and I had to check it out. Being a musician myself. First time I heard one actually. Awesome review though keep up the great work. I don’t get much from this being a bassist but I love the tone.
I get that. I lean towards darker sounds especially on guitar focused stuff with minimal instrumentation. That being said, the concept still holds true - if you like brighter tones start with a brighter amp tone and build from there. EQ to taste.
Watch til the end for a how-not-to make your RUclips thumbnail. Also be sure to check out my new series “2 Minute Tuesdays” with quick guitar tips! ruclips.net/p/PLf7yzhijjSV_Xr-FCj1numHANiXrlzF5P
Love the tone of this on the intro! So cool! Clear and punchy!
Fender amps, black or silver face, Greer Lightspeed pushed by a TS9 and if I really need to burn one, I'll push all of it with an EP Booster. You've got some great tone and playing going on and a new subscriber.
Great channel and really lovely playing, Michael. I employ a very similar approach to gain stacking. I use an Archer IKON into an MXR Timmy into a '65 Princeton Reverb reissue and Marshall Origin 20H, both set to the edge of breakup. It's glorious. Take care and keep up the great work.
Nice! Sounds like a great set up. Thanks for the kind words!
i have a tumnus deluxe with just the tiniest bit of hair going into the boost of a prince of tone with the gain set at 3. i'm glad someone else likes a mid-heavy pedal going into something transparent!
Sounds like a great combo!
Glad to see I’m not the only one. Love my Tumnus Deluxe into a Timmy. Kick my KOT boost side on in the middle of them both and we are souring!
Good stuff brother! The Lightspeed is one of my favorites!
Love your content, man. I have a Lightspeed with a JHS Doublebarrel and it's an incredible combo.
PS that ending was hilarious!
Thanks! That is a great combo. I used a Morning Glory for years. Such a great pedal
Just subscribed !
I have a Lightspeed with a Tubedreamer 58 first, sounds nice but I've always wanted to try that Piedmont... May have to track one down
Great job, brother! Love it.
Great tone, great playing. Thank you for your information.
Thanks!
I like a sparkle drive (TS) into a plexi style “preamp” pedal set up fairly clean into a RC booster into a fender deluxe style amp.
Great info. I've been running an RC Booster into a J Rockett Archer. Now I'm going to try it the other way around! Thanks. Just subbed!
Thanks for watching!
I have a similar setup with a tweed deluxe, a KOT, a rangemaster and an EQ pedal. My favorite setting is to crank the amp and not use the pedals. Maybe only use one of the drives as a boost when really needed for solos or heavier stuff.
Jumpered channels on the amp, all controls at 10 (of 12). Everything from acoustic-like clean through country and blues to quite heavy bluesrock or early Sabbath tones can be found by using only the controls on the guitar. No pedals, same amp settings. An attenuator is used to set the overall volume.
I believe a lot of guitarists (myself included) are using too much time and money on pedals and focus too little on what can be achieved with the tone/volume controls and the attack of the fingers.
I have been guilty of that. Recording a lot has helped me understand my amps better and use drive pedals less.
Great points, man. Very similar to my approach as well. 🤙
Thanks!
This is what I needed
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Great video and playing. I always hear people sing the praises of high headroom clean ‘pedal platform amps’ but most of my favorite sounds seem to start with an amp that’s on the edge of breakup that has had most of the headroom dialed out.
Absolutely! I’m the same way...The only amp I’ve played that was higher headroom that I really liked was a Matchless Spitfire. I still set it close to break up but it was so good.
To be completely honest, it's all about what style of music you play as well. An amp on the edge of breakup will be better suited for certain styles than a high headroom clean amp would be, regardless if you're using it as a pedal platform or not. I'm a pedal guy myself who uses primarily a super reverb, however, that's also because I play mostly R&B, Blues, Jazz, and such. For a rock gig, country gig, or something similar? Forget it, give me a tweed style amp or any low headroom amp that can be brought to the edge of breakup easily. I also don't like how people immediately "insist" that you need a high headroom amp because that negates the style of music said guitarist might be playing. Ultimately, the amp and guitar are the most important piece of the equation as most drive pedals will take on certain characteristics of said amplifier.
Nice ideas. I tend to use a variety of drives in different combinations going into a cleanish plexi. My Ryra klone is generally always on and sounds great going into TS type of pedal for even more mids. Lovepedal COT50 into Klone sounds ultra transparent with lots of highs and lows. Klone into Petty John Iron also big and open. I usually have the gain in all my drives either very low or even off but using their output volumes to drive the next in line. You can never have enough gain stages as some work better with different guitars/ pickups. My most recent purchase was the Cornerstone Gladio double preamp. Each side of the pedal sounds awesome and when stacked the sound is so thick and chewy!
The Gladio is sick! It’s on my short list of stuff I want to check out.
Recently picked up a Tweed Deluxe and a Lightspeed. I'm almost there. Nice vid, good ending!
Nice!! Thanks for watching!
For me it's a J. Rockett Holdsworth OD but the left boost side, on the treble boost setting. That goes into an old SD-9. Add the other side of the Holdsworth for even more.
mine is Hudson broadcast into a EQD Westwood...with a fulltone Ranger pushing both ..through a vox ac30 and a fender blues deluxe reissue together
Sounds like a killer rig!
It does.
Keeley’s Red Dirt Germanium pedal has the thickest cutting-est pick attack/lead tone that I’ve ever experienced. Works well before amps and pedals on the dark side. Currently running it before a Ryra Klone.
Nice!
Love my Lightspeed
It’s a must have for me! Such a great pedal
I've been running a Rat into a Nobles into a Green Rhino into a Lightspeed into a RC Booster. Usually leaving the Lightspeed and the RC Booster on all the time.Everything is set pretty light and don't usually run it all at once.
I've been through so many drives... My ultimate setup is similar to yours. RC booster -> Direct drive (big box w internal trims) -> Timmy. This is going into a Dr Z Cure or Strymon iridium. Can't say enough good things about those three drives... Each unique and they all sound excellent on their own or stacked.
All great pedals! I have an RC booster last in my chain of drives/boost to give me a clean boost. I like the eq options on it. I played a direct drive and a Timmy both for years as well! Hoping to pick up an Iridium soon to give it a shot
@@MichaelWWestbrook now that I have an Iridium it has changed my whole approach. I don't use my amp much at all and have reconfigured my board in stereo. It sounds excellent, especially w a nice sound system. I mainly play at churches and it is just too convenient for that application. Highly recommended. I grabbed a few York IR packs and couldn't be happier. Good luck brother. Keep up the great content, I really enjoy it!
Thanks!
Exactly what I use in Helix - guitar into Minotaur into Teemah! into a cleanish amp. No individual block is adding that much gain, and I can use them in any combination.
Awesome!
great video, thank you!
Thanks!
Hi Michael, great video, I really enjoyed your playing and insights. A number of years ago I used to rock the stage 1 and 2 od setup, with the Emerson emdrive and paramount, but later I got into better drives, like the Xotic BB preamp and tweed fender tones, it has only been recently that I discovered that the Bluesbreaker and Klone setup is very nice, I often run an odr-mini after those, and even more recently that I got a Lightspeed and Southland and have fallen back into the stage 1 and stage 2 setup that I had back in the Emerson days. The Lightspeed is a game-changer and I feel like the Southland is perfect with it. I sometimes change up what comes after those 2 depending on what I want with the odr, Ceriatone Horsebreaker and Lovepedal Les Lius as the likely culprits, but I don't see the Greer pedals going anywhere soon.
I always stack my pedals lowest gain to higher gain, mostly into a completely clean 67 Bassman, but I'm going to try out your suggestion of putting the higher gain pedals first. Take care!
Do you recommend the Southland nearest your guitar in the chain, or nearest the amp? I have both a Lightspeed and a Southland and am interested in how other players use them. Thanks.
@@JB19504 I've tried it both ways, if I put the Lightspeed closer to the guitar in the chain, I almost always leave my Lightspeed on as I find it adds more gain to the Southland, however if I have it closer to the amp, it is set as a volume boost for solos and so I don't have it on as often as when it's in front of the Southland. Lately I've been running a Nobels odr-mini in front of the Southland (but never on at the same time), followed by a Ceriatone Horsebreaker (always on low gain bluesbreaker followed by a higher gain Klone) and then the Lightspeed follows them all up, as an option to stack with either of the 3 of them as the need arises. I hope that makes sense? How do you use them?
@@kosmicwizard I have the Southland, Lightspeed and ODR-mini. What's your latest favorite usage of these?
@@RedLion88 I now find that I'm using a hybrid of the ideas mentioned above. The odr-mini is first because it doesn't need more gain, then comes the Southland which is a different flavour than the odr, but I never use the two on at the same time and finally the Lightspeed. It sounds great with either of the above drives, so I kick it on depending on what level of volume I need to add for solos and so forth. Hope that helps?
@@kosmicwizard Thanks. Makes sense. I feel like the Southland is too gainy and I’m using it mainly at a low drive setting. Lightspeed is too good to use as just a volume boost IMO.
nice video michael!
Thanks Jesse! Long time no see, hope you are well!
Try using pedals in parallel into a 4 input style amp. You’ll need an ABY box or a Y cable.
I absolutely love the WAY HUGE Overrated Special. The tone/mid Q features would be a great pedal alone.
My overdrive section is: zendrive, King of tone and a MXR Timmy. Depends on the song or guitar used a I stack the Timmy into Zen or one or both channels of the KOT.
Can’t go wrong with any of those!
Boy... you got blues in your shoes!!! Nice riffs
😂 Thanks!
👍 I stack a Centura Klon clone in front of a Mythos Hurculean. I have my higher gain / mid range punch stacked second. I'll have to try it the other way around too. 🤔
Sick stuff
Trying to find the right OD for my 5e3? I have a JHS mod SoulFood (Klon Clone). Have you ever run a Blue Breaker style pedal, like the Morning Glory through your 5e3?
What is your experience with running a Fuzz into the 5e3?
I used a Morning Glory for years but that was before I had my 5e3. I love a Klone into the 5e3. Fuzz is great too! I find that when you start stacking overdrives everything just ends up tweedy because amp start distorting and I’m usually happier just using a boost or single overdrive.
@@MichaelWWestbrook Your insights and my own experience is making me rethink what sounds I’m trying get from my 5e3. Play to the strengths, rather than trying to make it do more than it can. Also reevaluating what sounds I actually use?
Cool tone you may want to try is having an octave up pedal (i have a Henretta Purple Octopus). Since the 5e3 gets Fuzzy when pushed, just adding the Octave up gives the impression of Vintage Fuzz tones.
Going to thin down the Herd, and get a Reverb + Tremelo, either an old school stand alone (Carl’s Custom Amps), or a Strymon Flint? I love Leslie, UniVibe, Phaser modulation tones, but can’t get them integrated into a straight-into-the-front of my amp sound without volume changes when I switch in boost?
Great video. This demo was all with the humbucker, correct?
Love that Guitar Michael... My uncle builds them... haha he posted your review and I had to check it out. Being a musician myself. First time I heard one actually. Awesome review though keep up the great work. I don’t get much from this being a bassist but I love the tone.
Awesome! I’ve been loving my time with it. Thanks for watching!
awesome!
Deff like the JHS Double Barrel V4 stack with a Fulltone OCD V2
You can’t beat any of that! Great stuff
Lightspeed yes. Klon....honk honk honk barf!
How about a fuzz w/low settings in the stack?
Absolutely! I love low gain fuzzes for stacking and/boosting
Muito claro.
Obrigado!
Jeff Mcerlain’s brother
Everything too dark for me
I get that. I lean towards darker sounds especially on guitar focused stuff with minimal instrumentation. That being said, the concept still holds true - if you like brighter tones start with a brighter amp tone and build from there. EQ to taste.
Snouse black box into tumnus