# Guitar Amp Controls **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-amp-controls/176670 "2003-05-21T23:09:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-amp-controls/176670/21 "2003-05-25T01:57:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eleusis \* > Since nobody mentioned it, for squealing leads, if your guitar has more than one pickup, switch to the one closest to the bridge (more harmonics there). Yup. A pickup that intercepts signal(s) from the greatest string length will contain the most amount of harmonic content. Good point, **Eleusis**! ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-amp-controls/176670/22 "2003-05-25T05:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DougC \* > \*\*- - - In the schematic I found, the Princeton Chorus Stereo is shown as a solid-state amp. I am informed both by guitar players IRL and tube geeks online that if you want that overdrive sound, you need a tube amp that you can actually overdrive. Electronically speaking, how do you overdrive a transistor, anyway? > … > The stereo tube amp I am bulding isn’t together yet, so I don’t know myself. > ~ \*\* You don’t have to have a tube amp to get a overdriven sound. Almost all solid-state amps have this ability, some just have more overdrive available than others. If you want something really heavy sounding, especially for artificial harmonics like the OP wants, you’ll probably have to buy a distortion pedal geared toward the metal crowd. However, I have played the tiny Fender Frontman amps and they have tons of gain. Nobody answered to what presence is. It’s basically a treble knob that controls sounds even higher than treble. On my amp, I can’t tell the difference between presence settings unless the sound is heavily distorted. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-amp-controls/176670/23 "2003-05-25T05:30:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*Yup. A pickup that intercepts signal(s) from the greatest string length will contain the most amount of harmonic content. Good point, **Eleusis**! \*\* Also, most electric guitars have a higher output pickup in the bridge position. This makes the amp overdrive easier which makes it way easier to play artificial harmonics. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-amp-controls/176670/24 "2003-05-25T11:31:50Z")
To make all the strings squeal more (in leads), switch to the bridge pickup and choke up on the pick. Let the flesh of your thumb hit the string just after the pick does (almost simultaneously). Also pay attention to where along the length of the string you are doing the picking. Eventually you’ll be able to judge an octave’s length from where you’re picking to where you’re fretting. You will also start to use the pickups, end of the neck, etc as landmarks in this technique. Presence is an “active” treble control. You can actually add treble. Most tone controls on amps and guitars are passive. You’re not actually boosting tone by turning the knob up; you’re ceasing to decrease the tone. Reverb? I think most guitarists would tell you that a guitar tone with no reverb sounds dry, unnatural, whatever. Unless you’re going for White Rabbit or some psychedelic freakout music, you only need to turn it up a hair. It fattens the sound considerably but shouldn’t prevent you from getting the squeal. I think the gain and limiter are supposed to work together to give you distortion at lower sound pressure levels (volumes). To achieve what you want, you will have to play with the levels of the gain, limiter, and volume. I found that the best tones for me were consistent with having the master volume all the way up. Controlling the volume solely by decreasing master volume has a muffling effect on your tone. You lose a lot of high end that way. I say set the master volume on 11 and play with the other two to get what you want. Even though this is a small amp, please see any documentation you got with it about safe exposure limits to high sound pressure levels. Or check with OSHA; the info is doubtless available over the internet. Chorus? Never use it? Beg to differ. You will want all the sound shapes available to you. There are times when a distortion won’t be what you want (eg, slow ballad) but the dry (without effects added) sound of the guitar won’t cut it. It also makes learning guitar more fun when you can change up the sound and see what works for a given exercise, riff, or song. My effects at one time or another included Big Muff Pi Queen Triggered Wah Cry Baby Wah Kork compressor Korg flanger Boss Octave box Boss Distortion Eurotech Phaser Fender Digital Delay The (effects) Daisy Chain rules! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitar-amp-controls/176670.md?page=1)