Signature 284 User Guide | Front Panel Controls |
Getting the Tone You Want
The sonic signatures of many different guitar sounds are based on power amp behavior as much as preamp gain and tone settings.
For modern high gain tones, use Gain Boost (pull out the Gain knob) to get lots of preamp distortion, but keep the power amps clean by setting the knob no higher than 4 or so. This will deliver a smooth, tight distortion with lots of definition.
For vintage blues tones, keep the Gain in Normal mode (pushed in), but crank it up to 7 or so to push the power amps harder. You’ll notice that the amount of “sag” (power amp compression) increases as you turn the Volume controls beyond 5. When set up this way, the Signature 284 is most responsive to nuances of touch and style — the tone is totally authentic, the voice is yours alone.
For tones that emphasize the Class “A” characteristics of the power amps, keep the Gain in Normal mode (pushed in) and set it below 5. Dial in some power amp distortion by setting the Volume controls above 5. Pushing the power amps this way creates a throaty quality — you’ll also notice that the tone controls are very responsive when the amp is used this way.
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