A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

Ok. I´m looking to get a slightly overdriven rhythm sound out of my equipment (Agile AL3000 + Mustang I v1 amp). I´m not quite happy with the sounds I´ve been achieving so far.

I know @uwmcscott has/had one, also @mickey , and @Mossman has a somewhat similar fender SS amp, so maybe you can shed some light here (any more Mustang users here? Chime in!). Also @toomanycats can add his 0.02 cents, and everyone who wants to share his "recipe" for slight overdriven sound that I can achieve with what I have (I don´t have extra pedals or anything else, just the Mustang amp).

The sound I have in my mind is similar to the rhythm guitar on the song "Take it on the run" - video below, for those of you who might not possibly know the song -, that starts at 00:12. With that sound in mind you´ll get the idea.

Yes, I know that lots of elements have to be taken into account, not only the adjustments on the amp, but given my equipment, I´ll be happy to hear your suggestions.

I don´t know if it´s good or bad, but I always play with guitar volume pot at full position, same as tone pot, and most of times I use the bridge PU.

As I said, I´m not that happy with the sounds I´ve been getting over the years, and I´m not that experienced, so I could use your help. I´m planning on restarting to play again, so this will help.

I generally use the emulations of Twin Reverb amp, Deluxe Rever amp, Princeton Reverb amp and Super Sonic amp for that sound. Not sure if it can be achieved with a Marshall (I have the emulations of Marshall 1959SLP (Super Lead Plexi) and Marshall JCM 800)?

I know that gain and volume on the amp play an important role, as well as the volume pot on the guitar, but I´m sure I haven´t been able to get that good match between them. Using a compressor will help too? The Mustang I has an overdriven pedal in it.

There you have it, so, fire up! How do you get that kind of sound?

Video:

I just decided to search who wrote that song and what he was playing at the time. Everyone seems to think it's a Les Paul with Super Distortions into a Marshall with a cocked wah. I don't know if you can get all those tones from a Mustang I alone.

One thread that discusses it: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index ... d.1956103/

Lots of sustain, maybe a big muff type pedal in front.

It definitely starts with a Les Paul.

My Mustang experience is mostly with the I/II/mini which all have basically the same controls/presets stock. I did have a Mustang III for a while too and that one had a whole extra layer of adjustments but to be honest I never had the time to figure it out as I replaced it with a tube amp.

For all the screwing around you can do with FUSE, my go-to for Classic rock type tones was the stock "British 80's" preset on the orange channel. I believe most of the orange presets are supposed to be amp-only with minimal effects, but not 100% sure on that. I believe the British 80's preset is supposed to be based on a Marshall from that era so maybe a JCM800 or 2000? In any case, if I ever want to just plug in and get good rock tone without screwing around, that's what I use. You could easily add a couple of effects in FUSE too and see what happens.

The rhythm parts have that squeezed but not squashed sound. A Dynacomp would get you there. Sounds like the guitar volume is pretty close to pegged. The gain isn't. The solo is that classic cranked Marshall sound with quite a bit more gain than the rhythm parts.. Like someone said earlier, "It is a Les Paul."

IDK about the amp side of things. Maybe some pole piece and pup height slight adjustments might help to aid whatever else folks in the know might suggest? Happy Tidings toward the new year, Sabas!

REO 'Take it on the Run': the part you are referring to is Gary Richrath's primary rhythm track. It was a Marshall JMP through a 4x12 w/ Celestion 12G65's, slightly compressed & EQ'd with a high-pass filter (sharp roll-off on frequencies below 110 Hz) and a narrow 700khz 'scoop'. Probably through a Fairchild FET limiter. Guitar volume on '10.' My guess is he played it on his 59 Les Paul, which had PAFs that were weaker than today's pickups. It could have been Kevin Cronin's '52 Telecaster, which has more powerful pickups than today's Teles (not too far off from Gary's LP).

I saw Gary live in the 80's and he only used his volumes to do swells or shut his guitar off in between songs. Otherwise, he seemed full-up or nearly full up most of the time.

Start with a Marshall patch (a Plexi patch may be too middy). Roll the bass off, mids & presence on '5', treble on '7'. Bring the gain up to where it sounds full when you strum hard, then back it down a hair. Depending on how accurate and dynamic the patch is, I am going to guess this will be relatively lower than where you usually keep the gain level.

Play along to the music vs. alone at bedroom volumes (the latter creates the urge to overdo the bass & presence). Practice dynamic picking and playing - when you hit soft you just get a clear tone and when you hit strong, it will growl.

Be advised that the parts are double tracked in spots, which makes slightly overdriven guitars sound really powerful and is hard to replicate with one guitar.

Hope you find your tone!