the Clean Mode’s character and sound in this way, using VOLUME 1 to find the perfect amount of headroom,
clarity, and brightness, all of which ultimately equate to dynamic accuracy. Above 5.5 on VOLUME 1, you will
begin to feel the tube saturation making the sound warmer, fuller, and darker and feel slower.
When you DO need to footswitch between a Clean and Lead Mode sound, you will need to experiment with your
guitar settings and pickup selections as well as your touch (for dynamic content) to determine the compromise
“sweet spot” on VOLUME 1.
This will be the spot where the Clean Mode is clean enough and has enough headroom and sparkle, yet the
Lead Mode sounds round and full and still has a tight, definitive attack characteristic. It can take some patience
to find a setting on VOLUME 1 that is perfectly balanced for both the Rhythm and Lead Modes. You may have
to lean a bit toward perfection in one or the other of the two sounds, but it should – with the right pickups and
selections on your guitar – be possible to get good performance from both Modes despite the fact you don’t
have separate VOLUME 1 (gain) controls for each Mode.
This “sweet spot” usually lies somewhere between 6.75 and 7.75 or even 8.0 if your instrument has more
“normal”/medium output pickups. Many players select dierent pickups – or combinations of pickups – for
each to maximize the accuracy and performance of each sound. For example, a Neck pickup or Neck and
Middle combination for the Clean Mode work – perhaps with the guitar’s Volume control even rolled back a
touch – and then a Bridge Humbucker for the Lead Mode overdrive sounds. Adopting something like this can
help minimize VOLUME 1 compromises and maximize finding a sweet spot setting that works well for both
Modes and sound styles.
Outside this “sweet spot” range on VOLUME 1, there are some good usable sounds, but with a good quality
instrument and capable pickups, you will likely only occasionally find the need to venture there unless heavy
rock and metal sounds are your calling. If that is the case, you may find VOLUME 1 set much higher, or even all
the way up, for the extremes in gain and then rolling your Instrument Volume control farther back to compensate
for the added gain present when going back to the Clean Mode.
If this very high range (8.0 and above) is your go-to range on VOLUME 1, also remember what we covered in the
Helpful Hints Section: when VOLUME 1 is set in its highest range, the tubes are more prone to any microphonic
issues, such as squealing and “runaway” harmonic peaks and even Reverb howling or other gain related issues,
including excess noise in the form of hiss and/or hum.
Also recall that as VOLUME 1 goes much above 6.0, the BASS control should come down (below 4.5 or lower)
for the most articulate attack and focused low end in the Lead Mode.
VOLUME 1 / PULL BRIGHT
The PULL BRIGHT feature on VOLUME 1, as described in its name, adds additional brightness in the highest
frequencies. The region it enhances is well above that of both the TREBLE and the PRESENCE controls and
is most eective for adding shimmer and sparkle to clean sounds for added dimension, spatial quality, and a
feeling of “air” in the mix. This brightness not only aects the top end where its energy is focused, but it also
adds dimension to the low end as well, adding the impression of air and breath.
This feature is active in both RHYTHM and LEAD Modes, though you will likely notice its most profound eects in
the RHYTHM Mode at lower to middle settings of the VOLUME 1 control. It is very active below 5.0 on VOLUME
1, so if you are looking for pristine, squeaky clean Rhythm sounds, feel free to use VOLUME 1 a bit below
halfway/5.0 and engage the PULL BRIGHT. Just keep in mind you may need to fill the sound in with the BASS
and perhaps even MIDDLE controls to compensate for the reduction of gain at these lower VOLUME 1 settings.
As the VOLUME 1 control is increased past halfway/5.0 the PULL BRIGHT is less and less eective, until at
Max/10.0, its eect is nullified and the BRIGHT feature is rendered inactive.
In the LEAD Mode, the VOLUME 1 PULL BRIGHT is a little less powerful, since most often you will likely be
using the VOLUME 1 set above 6.0, usually 7.0 or a little higher, for the best LEAD Mode performance. In this
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