In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how to decide which channel-switching amp would best suit your needs. Part 2 is about making the best use of all of the options that modern, channel-switching amps offer.

Two Channels, No Waiting

Depending on the amp, you can do so much with just two channels! If you have discrete control, including master volume, you can set up two completely opposite sounds. For instance, channel one can be clean and bright with channel two being saturated, dark, and heavy. With a setting like this, a low-to-medium gain distortion pedal can create four sounds: clean, slightly dirty, saturated, and high gain.

Another way to use two channels is to set them both closer together sonically. Set channel one, which is usually the cleaner channel, higher in its gain spectrum and channel two, usually the dirty channel, on the lower end of its gain range. This way, you can turn down your guitar’s volume knob for cleaner sounds on channel one and still have dynamic expression. You can also get more slightly dirty options from channel two with your guitar’s volume knob. I’ve found this technique is very effective with my Mesa/Boogie Recto-Verb 25 Combo. Using the Pushed setting on channel one and the Vintage setting on channel two, I can get similar gain structures on both channels. Setting the EQ different on each channel opens up more options and adding an overdrive or boost pedal gives a lot of sonic and dynamic flexibility.

Channel Surfing

Many amps have three or even four channels, such as the Marshall JVM410H, which opens the floodgates for options. Usually the channels are arranged in order of least to most gain, which makes logical sense. However, with so many options and the use of overdrive/distortion pedals, having two clean channels set at different EQ curves or dedicating one channel to a radically EQ’d distortion sound is totally possible. For example, a four-channel amp could be set this way: channel one – skinny clean, channel two – fat clean, channel three – gritty, channel four – big distortion. You can also use extreme EQ or gain settings on your overdrive pedals to flavor the channels. Opening your mind to this thought process can yield lots of potential for experimentation and cool results.

Effects Loops

Most modern, channel-switching amps have an effects loop, which can greatly improve the overall sound of the amp when using effects as well as offer effects routing options. The most important aspect of an effects loop is its position in the amp’s signal flow, which is after the preamp section and before the power amp section. This is especially relevant if you’re using the preamp section of the amp to create distortion, as you would most likely be in a channel-switching scenario. Any effect placed in front of the preamp, at the amp’s input, will be directly subjected to the tone created in the preamp section. Any effect placed after the preamp section — in the effects loop — will have more influence on the overall sound of the amp.

Here’s a practical application: boost, compression, overdrive, and wah effects will drive the input stage of the amp and shape the gain accordingly while modulation, delay, and reverb in the effects loop will create a wash that can be blended into the overall sound. There are no rules of course, but typically a reverberated distortion sounds better than a distorted reverb, in a manner of speaking.

Some amps also have effects loops that can be assigned to specific channels or switched on and off on the fly. This gives you the option to have delay and boost pedals specifically set to engage on your lead channel only, or to have a crisp compression and flanger setting for your clean channel only, for example.

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Next:How To Get the Most From Your Delay Pedal – Part 2

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How To Get the Most From Your Channel-switching Amp — Part 2

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