Acoustic trio - need help building a lead tone (electric related)

[themetallikid]

So I do solo acoustic shows (no leads required), I have a duo group (on a real acoustic) and I'm fine with my tones on those projects for how I play.  However, I have a 3 piece (2 guitars, lead singer) where we are a 'broken down' version of the full band with a few deviations setlist wise to lean more towards the acoustic sound of things as some songs just dont carry the weight.   We do a variety of songs (girl singer), and to help make things easier with capo/keys and such, I've adopted the Poly/Acoustic sim approach for myself to blend with the other guitar players acoustic.  No worries here rhythm wise, it sounds great and the Helix makes it super easy for me to turn on the Poly Pitch to adjust where my capo would be.  

 

However, I am struggling with getting a good lead sound for this.   I could just boost the level a little add the usual delay, etc, however, i want to add a little bit of dirt/weight to the tone without losing the sort of acoustic vibe that we have created.  

 

I've tried a variety of OD blocks, and just cant seem to get a good balance between adding a little grittyness to the sound but then making the acoustic sim lose its character.   It's hard to describe what i'm really looking to do, I hope it makes sense.  

 

Initially I tried switching to a fenderish amp to create a good clean lead tone to put over the other acoustic, but I didnt like the overall sound that had.  I like having the acoustic sim still there, but need to find a way to boost it up a bit to give me more of a fluid lead type sound. 

 

Any ideas?  I have not dug into the legacy options yet, but just looking for suggestions or ideas??

[silverhead]

Try the Studio Tube Pre model in the Preamp -> Mic section. There’s also the Tube Drive model in Distorion -> Legacy. Those are the first ones that come to my mind.

[theElevators]

Try an EQ block.  My favorite method is on a 10-band EQ, boosting 2K frequency.  Depending on how loudly I want to cut through, I boost it 5-10 db.  Then add some delay at the end. 

[themetallikid]

On 12/4/2023 at 4:17 PM, silverhead said:

Try the Studio Tube Pre model in the Preamp -> Mic section. There’s also the Tube Drive model in Distorion -> Legacy. Those are the first ones that come to my mind.

Yeah the Studio Pre is one that I had in mind to try out when i sat down again with it, but the legacy side is one that i for sure have not explored with this goal in mind.   I will note the Tube Drive.   Thanks for the suggestion.  

 

 

On 12/4/2023 at 9:02 PM, theElevators said:

Try an EQ block.  My favorite method is on a 10-band EQ, boosting 2K frequency.  Depending on how loudly I want to cut through, I boost it 5-10 db.  Then add some delay at the end. 

The EQ'ing i'm not worried about, i can handle that if needed, its more the added playability of 'dirty' without it being too grindy and trying to keep it in the acoustic family tone-wise.   Although, adding a post OD EQ may help tame what i'm not liking so far on some of the models i've tried that get them into that fatter overdriven tone that i'm trying to avoid in a way.  

[Wolic01]

Have you tried experimenting with different types of overdrive pedals or amp models? Different overdrive pedals and amp models can produce varied results. Try experimenting with various models to find the one that best suits your tonal preferences.

[brue58ski]

I suppose you could try an amp. Or even just a preamp. I think it's be worth a shot and probably have a decent sound. I think the amps have a mix parameter. Use that as well.

[PerS]

Hi
If I understand you correctly you run acoustic sim on your Helix and use an electric guitar. I don’t but perhaps this can be useful anyway… 

 

Use the preamp section of the amps in some presets (acoustic preset with my Variax, acoustic Gibson and Dobro type of guitars). The preamps I use at this point are WhoWatt, Princess and Archetype Clean. Thay add some character to the tone, both for chords and soling, but I bet there is more pre’s that would work, like US Deluxe, Jazz Rivet etc, just try them. I will try the new amps and have some hope for Clarity, will see how that works. I have used the Kinky Boost and Studio Preamp in front for boost or added character.

 

My signal chain is quite traditional, I think. Compressor in the first block, e.g. Deluxe Comp, LA Studio and even an Ampeg opto, some eq’ing and a little reverb. That will probably look different for you as going electric with sim, poly capo and electric guitar.

 

But the preamps can be worth trying …
//Per 
 

[themetallikid]

On 12/5/2023 at 9:26 AM, PerS said:

Hi
If I understand you correctly you run acoustic sim on your Helix and use an electric guitar. I don’t but perhaps this can be useful anyway… 

 

Use the preamp section of the amps in some presets (acoustic preset with my Variax, acoustic Gibson and Dobro type of guitars). The preamps I use at this point are WhoWatt, Princess and Archetype Clean. Thay add some character to the tone, both for chords and soling, but I bet there is more pre’s that would work, like US Deluxe, Jazz Rivet etc, just try them. I will try the new amps and have some hope for Clarity, will see how that works. I have used the Kinky Boost and Studio Preamp in front for boost or added character.

 

My signal chain is quite traditional, I think. Compressor in the first block, e.g. Deluxe Comp, LA Studio and even an Ampeg opto, some eq’ing and a little reverb. That will probably look different for you as going electric with sim, poly capo and electric guitar.

 

But the preamps can be worth trying …
//Per 
 

Never thought about the preamps, but I like that thought line in my head, and seems to be more flexible....   my preset is pretty simple as well, so I should have plenty of dsp/room to do that.  

 

 

[PaulTBaker]

I thought you said you  were playing an acoustic guitar, not electric.  

 

I had the same situation, played duo gigs with acoustic guitar and female singer/guitar player.  I found that adding the Minatour OD with very little gain helped, sometimes I would also use the Temaah in combination:  this is an old (2020) preset I would use with acoustic... yes, it even has the kitchen sink! Haha

 

I believe I would try the Prize OD pedal now instead with very little gain.  I would add that to your current preset and see what happens.  Good luck!

[themetallikid]

On 12/5/2023 at 2:12 PM, PaulTBaker said:

I thought you said you  were playing an acoustic guitar, not electric.  

 

I had the same situation, played duo gigs with acoustic guitar and female singer/guitar player.  I found that adding the Minatour OD with very little gain helped, sometimes I would also use the Temaah in combination:  this is an old (2020) preset I would use with acoustic... yes, it even has the kitchen sink! Haha

 

I believe I would try the Prize OD pedal now instead with very little gain.  I would add that to your current preset and see what happens.  Good luck!

I am playing an electric guitar with the acoustic sim to help make leads a bit easier to play as we try to keep songs as similar to the full band versions as possible.  Which is where i'm struggling a bit to find a sound that retains that acoustic type sound, but gives me a bit more girth to work with gain wise.   

 

I think the first suggestions of the tube pre or legacy tube drive might be best options to try.  I have not tried the Prize Drive yet, but have tried the Minotaur/Teemah and such and there is something in those that I dont like in THIS application.