Need to boost my sound over rhythm guitar for solos

[Churchie]

Hi

I am in a blues/rock band 3 piece and generally happy with my sound/tonal variations until I have to play the occasional run/solo.

I play A RETROVIBE VANTAGE through an Ashdown ABM 300 running ABM 210 and 115 with Vox Stomplab IIB but can't seem to get a big enough boost to make my sound distinct enough over the lead guitar.

IS it an effects thing or a technique thing?

All advice gratefully received.

[Lozz196]

If you want to suddenly have an audible presence for solos then I wouldn`t so much look at boosting overall volume, but more boost the mids. Anything frequency from 1kHz to 2.5kHz should have a good bite in it and enable your lines to be heard more clearly. From 400Hz to 1kHz will thicken the sound up a fair bit so again you`ll be heard but it`s unlikely to be with so much clarity.

[elephantgrey]

Boost your mids (and maybe try and convince your rhythm guitarist to scoop his). This should help you stick out in the mix.
That, or lots of OD/fuzz pedals, and a bigger amp/cab than both your guitarist.

[ratman]

What about a dedicated boost pedal? It's up to you how you set it, subtle or big boost, depending on your needs. I use one to just when I want 'more' of whatever sound (clean or driven) I'm using at the time.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Deleted as I mis-read the OP.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Cosmo Valdemar

[Truckstop]

I used a Mr. Zinky Master Blaster for a while for this reason.

Has a tone knob so you can get a little more sparkle to your tone and boosts up to 6db. Worked a treat.

Alternatively, a fuzz with a clean blend will help to maintain the overall grittiness of your bands sound while keeping the bass line distinct.

There's many ways to skin a cat.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Churchie' timestamp='1457632207' post='3000465']
but can't seem to get a big enough boost to make my sound distinct enough over the lead guitar.
[/quote]

I think there might be several "issues" here.

In any band, especially a trio, the bass shouldn't be going up and down in level with the solos or guitar parts. Neither should you be filling out the sound when the chords stop. In a trio the spaces are as important as the notes. No problems are fixed by adding a pedal. That's just trying to paper over the cracks.

If you feel your sound is indistinct at one part of the number it is probably indistinct in the rest of the number, and maybe all the numbers. So I think you don't just need to work on solos but your whole sound. I'd start by loosing the pedal. You don't need it. As Lozz says, put everything back to 12 o'clock on the amp and push some mids and low mids. Experiment with small step changes to your EQ. Do you use the low note thing that Ashdown amps have? Turn it off. Be brave and you'll improve the dynamics of the band 1000%.

I play in many trios and the guitarist can stop (to retune, talk to the audience or just scratch his arse) and leave me and the drums playing. We don't change anything when that happens. If you and the drummer are playing your parts properly the number doesn't droop or loose anything when the guitar stops or changes what he plays.

I don't know your gear, but the other thing to focus on when you decide you need better definition and clarity in your sound is to think about upgrading your gear. You may have out grown what you are currently using.