Ryan wrote:Thanks Shannon! Just curious, with the high gain setting being too sizzley for you, does your amp have a bright switch and was it on? You tried the treble at noon or less? The low gain setting needs a higher treble knob position to sound as bright, the high gain setting has way more highs so it needs a lower setting... I had a really hard time balancing the treble content of the two modes since the high gain mode adds a lot of highs.
Ryan, first off, I think the pedal is voiced well. I can't imagine trying to get that part right with all the options and tweakability of the Elements, a tall order for sure!
I've been using it with my Carr Slant head, 40watt Deluxe Reverb style amp. Also use Humbuckers for the most part, higher output but always passive. No bright switch on my amp which is good, not a fan of treble honestly, especially the piercing sort.
At 9V, it really wasn't an issue of the pedal being overly bright or trebly and if so, the EQ fixed it right up. More of an issue of the overall "character" of the distortion, just had that tail-end sizzle. 18V was the opposite, very natural break up and huge sounding. I know it's cliche, but more "amp-like" to my ears, more dynamic response, that sort of thing.
I know this is totally subjective stuff here and amp/guitar is gonna make a big difference in sonic results. I've owned an OCD and Boiling Point awhile now and people rave on the 18V thing with those. However, I get more sizzle with high voltage in those instances and prefer the 9V option.
Hard for a builder to predict these interactions but having the option to change offers the needed solution, imo. I never struggle with which to use either, one always sounds FAR better to me right off the bat.