Rob Arnold

The Peavey 6505+. How I get my tone... I get a lot of questions about the Peavey 6505 amps… Which channels and settings I use, and really about how I get my tone. People are often wondering whether they should be using the rhythm or the lead channel for their heavy riffing… and I have to say that I totally understand the confusion! Here's one way to look at it… Let's say a band has two guitar players and one is the "rhythm" player, and the other is the "lead" player. It isn't crazy to assume that one might unknowingly look at these channels and think to assign them to their respective roles… This guy is the rhythm player and he only plays rhythm type stuff so he should play on the rhythm channel. And this guy plays solos and lead type stuff, so he should rip on the lead channel. There's nothing wrong with that way of thinking, but if you're primarily playing heavy music, the heaviest stuff comes from the lead channel.

I use the lead channel for all of my heavy riffing, soloing, melodies, wah stuff, etc. I use the rhythm channel for any clean or crunch type tones. I think of the rhythm channel as my "clean" channel. And when I need something in between, I'll apply the crunch. So here's how I set it up...

LEAD section: PRE- 8 LOW- 6 MID- 8 HIGH- 7 POST- 2.5

LEAD RESONANCE- 8 LEAD PRESENCE- 8

The PRE, controls the amount of distortion for this channel, and is set relatively high. The LOW is set around 6, and adds a nice amount of bass for the Mesa 4x12's I use. You may need more or less bass depending on what type of cabinet you're using, but I caution using too much bass. Let the bass player do his job in the low end department, and let the guitars cut and scream in the mid range. Works for Slayer! That being said we've got a nice boost in the MID's with them around 8, and the HIGH's are up there too around 7. The high's bring clarity and presence to the tone, and help it cut through the mix. But too many high's tend to show off the imperfections in your playing, and definitely increase your chances for unwanted feedback. So adjust them with care. And finally the POST, which you can think of as that channels volume control, works best around 2.5 for me. That's kind of the sweet spot I've found that works well both on stage and in the rehearsal space, as well as in the studio. I think of the RESONANCE as a subtle depth or fullness that you can add to your tone, and I like the way it sounds up around 8. The same goes for the PRESENCE… I like to be present, so I keep it around 8 as well.

This is Rob's signature guitar.

Used in the nu metal era of Chimaira for play the 7-strings guitars. 2001 - 2002 years. Can be seen in 2:03

Used during the very early years of Chimaira. See at 2:58.

His unique stage tuner, next to his amp heads.

Rob Arnold endorsed and used this amp for a brief period of time during the 'Pass Out of Existence' era. See at 3:32.

He briefly used this amp, but quickly switched to the Peavey 5150 II. See at 4:31.

He paired this pedal with the Yamaha DG130H and used it to program and switch presets. See 3:55.

These are the strings he uses according to this GuitarGeek diagram.

The PRE, controls the amount of distortion for this channel, and is set relatively high. The LOW is set around 6, and adds a nice amount of bass for the Mesa 4x12's I use.

It's worth it, you need it, get it. No matter what your amp of choice is, every guitar player playing heavy music needs some type of noise reduction in their rig. Its worth the one hundred and fifty bucks to eliminate feedback from your life. I keep my ISP at about 11 o'clock, and keep it back at my rig. I set it and forget it. It's always last in my line before the amp. (tuner is always first)

Used as a backup for his main amp head.

He uses this pedal on this video, starting at 1:16.

An older version of the Whammy was most likely used on the original recording of "Lumps" in 2001.

Another foot control pedal he used according to this GuitarGeek diagram.

Used by the musician according to this GuitarGeek diagram.

Rob Arnold has been a long-time user of the DiMarzio ClipLock Strap on all of his guitars. In a video on his YouTube channel titled "The BEST Guitar Strap! How To Install A DiMarzio ClipLock Guitar Strap," he discusses the benefits of this strap and demonstrates its installation.