Big chords and heavy distortion, ala Helmet

[Jax]

I'm trying to figure out what it takes to get full, complex chords out of my amp when the gain is reasonably high. It seems difficult to strike a balance between the clarity of each note in a big chord, and distortion that has some balls. The more gain I add, the less clear the expression inherent in the chord becomes.

I sort of suspect my rig is holding back the sound I'm after. It is somewhat known to have good tone, but at the expense of overall clarity. Randall RM4 with RT2/50, and the hi-gain modules are recto, ultra, and to a lesser extent, the top boost.

How do guys like Page Hamilton (Helmet, specifically "In the Meantime") achieve such clarity?

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by Jax

I'm trying to figure out what it takes to get full, complex chords out of my amp when the gain is reasonably high. It seems difficult to strike a balance between the clarity of each note in a big chord, and distortion that has some balls. The more gain I add, the less clear the expression inherent in the chord becomes.

I sort of suspect my rig is holding back the sound I'm after. It is somewhat known to have good tone, but at the expense of overall clarity. Randall RM4 with RT2/50, and the hi-gain modules are recto, ultra, and to a lesser extent, the top boost.

How do guys like Page Hamilton (Helmet, specifically "In the Meantime") achieve such clarity?

That was the sound I was shooting for for years.
I love it.

Page uses Kolbe preamps.

I've moved on a bit since then and tried to find my own tones- but the rule of thumb is less distortion than you think you need- it really is the writing that gets that sound.
Slower tempos, dropped D tuning and 7/8 timing will get you there.
Marshall with Mesa blended together be a nice combination.

[BLUElightCory]

Helmet have also been long known to use VHT amps (notably the Pitbull Ultra Lead), which retain AMAZING clarity at high gain levels. If you have a VHT dealer near you, check out the Pitbull Ultra Lead and you'll hear what I mean. If you're a good player you should be really happy with how well the VHT handles chords.

[emdub123]

I think the guitar makes a difference too, right? I can't remember, but I thought those guys were LP/SG kind of guys, in which case shred guitars or single-coils might not get you there either.

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by emdub123

I think the guitar makes a difference too, right? I can't remember, but I thought those guys were LP/SG kind of guys, in which case shred guitars or single-coils might not get you there either.

Actually for most of his career Page played a pink ESP with a humbucker in the bridge and a floyd rose.

For a while he played a green PRS (that eventually was bought by Daniel from Silverchair).
He now has an ESP sig series guitar.

Like I said, I'm a fan.

[BLUElightCory]

Originally Posted by emdub123

I think the guitar makes a difference too, right? I can't remember, but I thought those guys were LP/SG kind of guys, in which case shred guitars or single-coils might not get you there either.

As far as I know, Helmet have long played ESP guitars (though I'm sure not exclusively). I can remember being a young guitarist and lusting after an ESP Horizon like Page Hamilton played. If memory serves me correctly, he used DiMarzio pickups as well.

I think they've also used PRS guitars in the past as well.