Beta Lead "Control Secrets"

[John Matrix]

So, I've has this thing for a while and I love the mondo overdrive sounds it gets. But to be honest I'm having trouble getting a good, loud clean sound out of it. Pretty much any clean it pretty quiet, and has a bit of static/gain noise going on in the background. The reverb seems to work best with the channel volume pretty low, which makes it kind of hard to get a good clean, reverby sound without cranking the master. I have managed to get some cool "guitar in a cavern" sounds by cranking the drive and reverb while keeping the volume all the way down. But I read a lot of reviews praising it's pristine clean reverb sounds and I'm wondering where they are hiding.

Can any of the veterans out there clue me in? Is there something wrong with my amp or do I just have no idea what I'm doing here?

[grimniggzy]

Gotta be using that BOTH input if you're not. I've only messed with mine a little as I mainly play bass and use a Concert Bass for that (even though the beta lead actually sounds great with a bass). My brother has used my Beta Lead more than I have.

[John Matrix]

Yeah the two channels at once deal is where it's at. Any other ideas folks?

[grimniggzy]

Also if you haven't checked out what they have to say on the museum page heres the link
http://sunn.ampage.org/site/museum/betalead/

[xsolarusx]

I had a pain of a time getting the sound I was looking for out of it. The reverb is insane, but to actually tune into something you can use in a song, it was getting difficult. I wound up selling it as a result.

I don't recall having quite the same issue with the clean sound, but I don't recall it being perfectly in tune with what I was wanting. My Model T has that going on(master has to be cranked for a clean similar to my Solarus), but I don't mind since I love the grit.

At the very least, crazy reverb is in your hands.

[John Matrix]

I've been putting in more hours with this one and am starting to figure it out more. Making one channel super wet and weird, the other channel clean, and blending the two is giving me great results.

[John Matrix]

huge breakthrough

Guitar Into Channel A INPUT
Cable running from Channel A accessory OUT to Channel B INPUT.

Double the gain. A freaking avalanche of synth sounding fuzz and weird feedback. At high levels it's like a ring modulator or something. Plugging a dummy plug into the Channel A accessory IN changes it somewhat, but it's hard to tell how. Plugging the guitar into the BOTH input lets you blend the sound of the regular Channel B and the signal from Channel A. Oh yeah, and reverb upon reverb. Insanity!

I discovered this trick by reading the owners manual (what a concept).

The next experiment was the Accessory OUT to the INPUT on my concert lead. This was interesting but did not actually sound "good."

[doomedfuzz]

huge breakthrough

Guitar Into Channel A INPUT
Cable running from Channel A accessory OUT to Channel B INPUT.

Double the gain. A freaking avalanche of synth sounding fuzz and weird feedback. At high levels it's like a ring modulator or something. Plugging a dummy plug into the Channel A accessory IN changes it somewhat, but it's hard to tell how. Plugging the guitar into the BOTH input lets you blend the sound of the regular Channel B and the signal from Channel A. Oh yeah, and reverb upon reverb. Insanity!

I discovered this trick by reading the owners manual (what a concept).

The next experiment was the Accessory OUT to the INPUT on my concert lead. This was interesting but did not actually sound "good."

This sounds interesting, going to go up to the jam room and grab another cable so I can try this out!!