Please help me. I cant solve this problem

[J M Fahey]

Dear BBK, it's not the same problem.
Yours is straight

how to get the distortion to sound right. Its all fuzzy and sounds like crap

Period.
You tell us nothing about your rig, setup, post an example of your sound, nothing.

Edit: as a side note, I feel somewhat pissed off at 6string not explaining what the problem *really* was, nor what he did to solve it.

[BBK]

Im pretty sure its the same problem that he had. As 6tring mentioned, the clean signal is crystal clear but when switched to a distorted setting, no matter which one, they all have a very weak signal as if something were sucking the tone right out of the pedal. Its hard to describe... its as if you were to play your guitar through something that wasnt meant to be played through. like a plain speaker that had no bass, treble, settings etc. playing though something like that would most likely sound flat and crackle and you certainly would not get the same results playing through a tube amp. anyway...

Here is my setup. Its fairly simple...
I am currently running my zoom g.2tt pedal through a fender deluxe amp. The cables I use are high quality copper shield cables so i don't think they have anything to do with this and yes they are properly connected and everything. I have two guitars, a fender strat and a custom warmoth. They both sound fine through the amp alone and I had them re-setup and everything a few months ago. Other than that, thats really all I play through. I have a boss metal zone and keeley mod boss ds-1 and they too sound fine when i play with them through my amp...

I have read the manual over and over and I'm tired of reading it . I've also tried the same setup in multiple locations with the same results.

Maybe its my electrical system, radio interference, ummm...
f$#% i just really want to get this thing to work

and yeah 6TRING PLEASE GIVE ME THE ANSWER!!! thanks buddy

[J M Fahey]

1) your guitar sounds fine straight into the amp. when set up clean.
2) it sounds fine through your Zoom pedalboard when set up clean.
3) it sounds fine when used with two different distortion pedals, through your amp.
One of them, the Metal Zone, is quite extreme, yet it still sounds good.
So far, you have NO problem, and your guitars , amp and pedals work properly.

4) your sound is crappy (your words) when using some distortion settings offered by your Zoom pedalboard.
You state:

its as if you were to play your guitar through something that wasnt meant to be played through. like a plain speaker that had no bass, treble, settings etc.

Well, it's exactly that.
You are probably setting your Zoom to the preset "Jimi hendrix at Woodstock through 3 100W Tube Marshalls full tilt into 6 4x12" Celestions" or "Metallica into 6 Dual Rectifiers and 12 4x12" " or some other real macho preset.
Well, buddy, wake up:
You are plugging into a small entry level 40W SS amp, open back, with the cheapest speaker Eminence could produce.
Fine within its limits, incredibly good for its price, but you are 260W or 560W short of what you pretend, not to mention you are comparing a light cheap 12" to 24 or 48 expensive Celestions.
No way.

Be realistic, play within what you have now *can* reproduce, use your heavy settings through headphones or recording straight into the board if you wish, but for live work, start saving for *at least* a closed back 2x12" with Celestion V30 , G12H, some of the heavier Eminence and such, although the real solution would be at least a good 4x12".
Sending "too much" to your fine but *very* small combo will only make it fart, sputter, flap, whatever.

And as far as 6tring goes, he didn't answer even *us*, so don't hold your breath.

[Steve Conner]

The recurring theme in this thread seems to be cheap digital multi-effects sounding like crap.

[DrGonz78]

Well I was once in Worker Bee Studios working on preliminary tracks for an album back in 2003. While in the studio whenever there was a bad performance that I made we realized right away that we had the "suck" button on!! Pretty funny to joke around and just say that my lack of ability was really just caused by a "suck" button on the main recording console. It made me feel better and lightened the load.

Anyway, I have read this entire thread and have absolutely no idea what it is really addressing in regards to overdrive, clipping, or saturation of guitar signals. I feel really bad as that I hoped to solve the problem(s) discussed and add something more constructive than this blabber.

Although it sounds to me like anyone who is monitoring their signal through headphones is not really looking to get the right tone. Also, this strikes me as a means to record line out... Line signal from a guitar, even with active pickups, still will benefit w/ the use of a DI box placed after all pedals or "suck" buttons. I record in the past w/ line out type setting into my computer. I have used TS-808's overdrives and various type of booster pedals without the use of a DI box. Those recordings turned out just fine but I was not trying to get a "Dimebag" distortion sound. I think anytime that you think something is "sucking" your tone out of your guitar then you need redefine what is "your tone."

[J M Fahey]

Agree and add: nothing can "suck" some tone which was NEVER there to begin with

[bigfinger]

A step backwards?

Dear BBK.
It's too easy play with digital pedalboard. Avoid presets! Start from "empty" memory location and try to add every single stage taking care to listen the effect that every single parameter produces.
If you play an amp simulator throught a real amplifier, you will never be able to listen the sound the developers intended to emulate.
A guitar amplifier and his speakers form a very unique and low-fi system. 80 to 4000 Hz is the standard frequency range, and the linearity is very poor. Cabinet Emulation is a matter of difference between various non-linear limited response. It's impossible recognize this difference through a further non linear system.
So, the best way to listen digital amp emulator is through a linear system (hi-fi) like a PA or your Audio Workstation.
If you plan to play your Zoom through your Fender Deluxe amp, try to use only pre-processing fx (overdrive, distortion, wha, comp) and time delay fx (chorus, flanger, delay and reverb). All other fx (amp and cabinet emulation) may produce a valid sound, but it will be a matter of trial and error.
Digital device have the charm of "total recall", a single push change totally your setup, but I think that yours Metal Zone and DS-1 are much more important to create the body of your sound. Start from the beginning, small steps, and build up the core of your sound. Add further fx only if you absolutely need them, otherwise avoid everything is unnecessary. Less manipulation leads to a sound more defined and punchy.
Working with the mid eq will leads to drastic differences in the sound, usually more than the difference between different stomp boxes.

Too many topics in too little space, but I hope that changing the approach to your problem will leads you to a solution. In Italy we say :"You can't squeeze blood from a turnip. (non si puņ cavare sangue da una rapa)".
Try to get the most from your devices, but don't forget they aren't magic.
Excuse for my English (hope to be clear).
ciao

[BBK]

I see what all of you are saying... Ill start with baby steps first and try to make the sound right. If not then I have no f#$%ing clue what is up with this piece of f@#$. piece