How am I supposed to make the lower and higher notes sound good at the same time?

[Lindsey]

Oh my poor ears. (and my neighbours ears perhaps)

My high notes are so sharp in the ears it feels like it's stabbing my eardrums. (Sharp in sound, not note) I've tried making it softer with the toneknob and by lowering the treble and mids. It works a little but it makes the lower notes sound "dull". I can't switch between a riff and highnote lick and make both sound okay.
It has to be an EQ/setting solution I'm missing because drowning it in reverb isn't a good option.

I'm using my bridgepick up with amp distortion and an overdrive pedal.
My settings at the moment are: treble 3/4, mids 2/3, bass 5/6, distortion 6/7, and overdrive Three quarters open. The toneknob on the overdrive is over halfway too.

 

[Ed Seith]

I'm guessing the amp distortion is for rhythm, and the overdrive pedal is kicked on for leads. If not, that's probably something you should try. If you do that, you can turn the tone down on the overdrive pedal to take some of the edge off the treble in the leads.

If that kind of setup means turning up the amp gain for the rhythm to sound better, then you can just turn the overdrive on the pedal down to compensate. Some people use an overdrive pedal only for tone shaping, some compression and a volume boost, and not very much actual gain.

 

[Rad Synner]

What's the amp and pickups you are using? Because yes EQ, gain, volume, etc.. are important settings but at the end of the day, every amps and piece of equipment for that matter have their own qualities and limitations in term of what sounds they can produce.

Yes part of the tone is also partly in the technique of the player but it's not everything. There's a reason there is a variety of gear out there at different price points, etc...

 

[Lindsey]

I'm guessing the amp distortion is for rhythm, and the overdrive pedal is kicked on for leads. If not, that's probably something you should try. If you do that, you can turn the tone down on the overdrive pedal to take some of the edge off the treble in the leads.

If that kind of setup means turning up the amp gain for the rhythm to sound better, then you can just turn the overdrive on the pedal down to compensate. Some people use an overdrive pedal only for tone shaping, some compression and a volume boost, and not very much actual gain.

Thanks, I'll try that tomorrow.

 

[Lindsey]

What's the amp and pickups you are using? Because yes EQ, gain, volume, etc.. are important settings but at the end of the day, every amps and piece of equipment for that matter have their own qualities and limitations in term of what sounds they can produce.

Yes part of the tone is also partly in the technique of the player but it's not everything. There's a reason there is a variety of gear out there at different price points, etc...

My amp is from The Animal, it's older. The pickup is from Roswell. I think it's this one

 

[Rad Synner]

My amp is from The Animal, it's older. The pickup is from Roswell. I think it's this one

Right! We talked about that amp!

Yeah, I think your pickup is fine. Though I wonder if maybe you could benefit from upgrading your amp because if I recall right, your amp is from a starter kit right?

 

[Chris Johnston]

It would be really useful to get a video or sound recording if what you mean, however the above answers are spot on!

I'm spitballing completely here, but it could be a result of your Overdrive tone being a bit on the Treble heavy side + the amp distortion. It might be that the treble might need to be dialed back on 1 of the 2.

Usually when you get that ear piercing harshness it's an issue on the high end

I'm in no means an expert with this though so take my advice with a pinch of salt

 

[Lindsey]

Right! We talked about that amp!

Yeah, I think your pickup is fine. Though I wonder if maybe you could benefit from upgrading your amp because if I recall right, your amp is from a starter kit right?

Yes, I should replace the amp someday but I haven't come across anything I like yet

 

[Lindsey]

It would be really useful to get a video or sound recording if what you mean, however the above answers are spot on!

I'm spitballing completely here, but it could be a result of your Overdrive tone being a bit on the Treble heavy side + the amp distortion. It might be that the treble might need to be dialed back on 1 of the 2.

Usually when you get that ear piercing harshness it's an issue on the high end

I'm in no means an expert with this though so take my advice with a pinch of salt

Thanks. Yes, if these options don't work I'll try to make a video.

 

[Rad Synner]

Yes, I should replace the amp someday but I haven't come across anything I like yet

That's fair! Have you also taken a look at FX boards as well? They've come a looong way and sound pretty good and give you a lot of variety

 

[Lindsey]

That's fair! Have you also taken a look at FX boards as well? They've come a looong way and sound pretty good and give you a lot of variety

I never really looked into it. I like to keep it simple with just one or two pedals

 

[Rad Synner]

I never really looked into it. I like to keep it simple with just one or two pedals

I'm mostly recommending them because of their amp simulations. You could find what you like there to set the tone and then use your minimalist setup

 

[Muz Malek]

Oh my poor ears. (and my neighbours ears perhaps)

My high notes are so sharp in the ears it feels like it's stabbing my eardrums. (Sharp in sound, not note) I've tried making it softer with the toneknob and by lowering the treble and mids. It works a little but it makes the lower notes sound "dull". I can't switch between a riff and highnote lick and make both sound okay.
It has to be an EQ/setting solution I'm missing because drowning it in reverb isn't a good option.

I'm using my bridgepick up with amp distortion and an overdrive pedal.
My settings at the moment are: treble 3/4, mids 2/3, bass 5/6, distortion 6/7, and overdrive Three quarters open. The toneknob on the overdrive is over halfway too.

This might be an odd answer, but you may also wanna try different picks or different ways to pick those notes or work a tad bit more on the right 'pick attack' strength, etc. A slight angle change and also a thickness change in the pick also contributes to the output tone.

 

[Lindsey]

This might be an odd answer, but you may also wanna try different picks or different ways to pick those notes or work a tad bit more on the right 'pick attack' strength, etc. A slight angle change and also a thickness change in the pick also contributes to the output tone.

I really do need new picks, I'll order some soon. Probably after December because the holiday package delivery craze has started already. The ones I have now sound a bit soft.

 

[Lindsey]

As @Ed Seith and @Chris Johnston said the main problem was in the overdrive. I once set it up based on SRV's settings, (overdrive with a pinch of distortion if I remember it well) I was satisfied with it, just left it there and adjusted it for metal . Ed basically sugggested to turn it around.
So I turned the tone down, used slightly less overdrive, and dailed the amp treble a bit back.
I only tried it shortly. It's not perfect but this will get me closer to the right sound.

Thanks all.