How many of you play in a metal style?

[Talent?!]

If any of you play in a metal style, which of these (see poll) do you do?

Just to start you off, I do all of them

[Ice age coming]

I like to scoop all my mids on my jackhammer and play some cheesy black metal riff with pinched harmonics :D

[BadHorsie]

i tune to any random number of tunings
not just down 8 tones either like open tunings and other whack ass stuff to give them a go. I scoop my mids with a graphic eq on an ampeg bass amp...so i guess that counts....but its not alway on the eq mode. And yah distortion pedals are a must...mine is a multi effects pedal for the time being but it gets the job done alright. As for the weird shaped guitars....i put no because i dont think that my tele's are weird...strats are weird and i dont use them. but i do sometimes use a randy rhoads style gold flying v.

[skyneverclaimed]

I think just about everyone on here uses distortion
And I use a dropped tuning

Butt... I have a kinda strat shaped guitar, and boost my mids.

[marshall-artist]

Sometimes use Drop-D but I don't consider that non-standard tuning since:
1) Everybody is using it these days
2) It's so damn close to standard (Spanish) tuning

I Scoop my mids but not to excess. Just enough to get some of the mud out.

I use a modified DS-1 as a booster to take it up a notch for soloing.

[Epiphone8]

my style is a bastard form of metal, funk, rock and blues

we (my band with me on guitar) play in drop d, always tune to Eflat, use lots of very heavy dist, lot sof effetcs, lots of clean stuff, lots of big mood changes. its not metal, but alt rock with metal leanings. but we do ballads aSWELL......

[MikeWGA]

Unfortunately my days of playing in a metal band are practically numbered unless I start up some side project. For those of you that heard our stuff, you know what I mean!

But when I did, I played through an Explorer with my mids scooped with a dropped tuning to either D or C#.

[metalligod666]

all you gotta do for a good metal sound is buy a good tube or solid state amp cut the mids and turn the gain all the way up, and there you go. it can get kinda noisy so a noise gate can help. but for those of you who can afford a good tube or solid state amp get a distortion pedal like the digitech metal master.

[NormanConquest]

I've got a heavy 70s setup. I rely on my amp (78 Marshall Master volume) for most of my sound, which is heavy on the mids to begin with. I only use a TS9 or a Rat for a boost.

I don't like relying on pedals for too much of my tone--there's always that chance they won't work when you really need them!

I play in Eb standard tuning and throw in some basic open tunings (with slide) for good measure.

I don't own any pointy guitars, but I would love to own a nice Iceman, Explorer, or an SLP Mockingbird some day.

[Lime]

mainly i use my epiphone dot tuned to drop c sharp and my 7 string warlock tuned to drop g sharp into my warp 7 and whn my rhythm guitarist isnt playing i use his rig as well a la offspring which is a laney harcore mx thingy halfstack.. and i dont use effects

[squire_1987]

I scoop mids and use a distortion pedal. but sometimes i use both at the same time.

[entrada]

I kinda fell off the face of planet metal but back in the day(1995-1996), I played a Jackson Fusion and a Ibanez RG570 through a 5150 half stack(no pedals). Mids are important to get those speeding black metal chords to cut through. Although I don't use bone crushing distortion anymore, I often throw triumphant metal sounding parts into my songs. Although they're never identified as such because of the tones I use now(fender style gritty tones).

[Rayguitargod]

I dont cut my mids. I play a jackson but not a pointy one. I dont use a distortion petal. I tune D-d.

[Crixified]

I think cutting the mids out cuts the balls out of your tone, so I don't do that. But alternate tunings for sure. I mean standard and dropped D have been done to death, alternate tunings are the way to go (easier if you have multiple guitars for live shows if you use a few different tunings). for hevy music its all about power tube distortion, something thats bottom heavy while not muddy and still has alot of cut and is still relatively clean so all the notes can shine through and you're not left with sludge.