not overshadowing it with a power section that’s running wide open and imparting its own often overpowering
character), and choose the playing volume/loudness that best suits your music and environment.
The Lead Drive, though a separate downstream control for the Lead Mode, is dependent on the setting of the
initial Input stage gain derived from the setting of the VOLUME 1 control. It is a combination of the settings on
these two controls that determines the amount and the character of the overdrive in the Lead Mode.
Set low, between 2.5 and 4.5, the sound will be brighter, less saturated, and therefore most dynamic, and not
yet into the “rich, full, saturated” region. This region can be advantageous for blues and classic rock sounds as
the saturation is not so intense that it masks the instrument’s character that much yet.
Since the TREBLE SHIFT enhances the high midrange and boosts that region in the Lead Mode, the sound
is quite dierent when it is engaged. For this lower region of gain, and when looking for classic rock or blues
sounds, you may want to leave the TREBLE control pushed in (SHIFT not engaged). The guitar’s personality
will come through more this way with the standard treble circuit, and you’ll find the character and harmonic
spectrum and its balance and dynamic properties more in keeping with traditional sounds.
The LEAD DRIVE’s middle range, from 4.5 to 6.5, is where you will likely find yourself for most rock styles
exemplified in the 80s and 90s. Here the sound begins to be more saturated and “creamy” with increased
sustain and a little less dynamic content or sensitivity.
Pulling the TREBLE SHIFT amplifies these traits and fills in the upper mids/low treble to produce a snarling
attack and soaring quality to single notes. From 5.5 to 6.5 (with the VOLUME 1 control optimized at roughly 7.0
to 7.75 depending on pickups and your attack) and with the TREBLE SHIFT and MASTER’s DEEP engaged, is
where the iconic IIC+ modern rock (up to metal) CRUNCH rhythm, and Lead sounds live. The heavier Crunch
Rhythm sounds are dramatically enhanced by the Graphic EQ’s classic “V” setting and this combination of control
settings and Graphic EQ shape/curve is critical to achieving the best when it comes to IIC+ CRUNCH sounds.
Single note Lead sounds can be enhanced by the Graphic EQ in whatever ways you’d like, but it is less essential
as the unaltered midrange lends itself to this application, keeping the notes in all registers balanced, focused,
and punching through a mix well. The exception here is if you are relying heavily on the Graphic EQ for your
Rhythm sound, at which point you may need it for your Lead sounds as well so that they won’t sound nasal or
boxy by comparison.
The highest region of the LEAD DRIVE, 6.5 to 10, is for maximum overdrive and sustain. While there may be
times you need this much gain, as you move higher and higher, the tradeos begin in terms of dynamic content,
tracking, low-end tightness and accuracy, tube stability (preamp), and feedback potential (from your instrument
and speakers). The closer to max (10) you get, the more compromised things will be in these areas. Likely the
most used region is between 7.0 and 8.0 for heavy rock and metal sounds, again with an optimized VOLUME 1
setting between the same range. Here, you should have thick saturation and plenty of sustain, yet still enough
tracking and dynamic content to do grinding walls of Crunch Rhythm and searing, soaring single note Lead work.
NOTE: A helpful tip for achieving the best sound and character balance of gain and Tone is this simple idea:
Use as much gain on both the VOLUME 1 and LEAD DRIVE controls as it takes to get the job done...and not
much more!
Contrary to popular belief in some circles, more gain is not always better. A balance of gain and Tone is always
most musical and best preserves the ingredients for excitement and “fire” in your playing. The more dynamic
content available, and the more nuance that can come through the gain in your sound, the more you have to
work with in terms of expression and conveying emotion. The most powerful music is always emotion-filled.
Plus, if you can get by with more reasonable settings, you’ll get the benefit of not dealing with as many of the
side eects of excessive gain, such as an excessive noise floor, tube rattles, microphonic tube issues, feedback,
and the potential for the aforementioned other character tradeos.
And lastly, by using only the necessary amount of gain, you open the door for the amplifier to become more a
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