I don't really play guitar that much so this is probably a very stupid question.

 

For songs like In My Place and Charlie Brown, Jonny plays, what sounds like, a clean guitar. Are there effects he is using on his guitar in these songs? Because when I play my guitar on a clean setting it doesn't sound as awesome as Jonny's.

 

I'm sure there is a bit of reverb on it... eh?

it can be the type of amp you use as well that can effect the way it sounds

Yeah, for in my place he used to use some delay, but now he just uses a fair amount of reverb. And if you're referring to the glastonbury performance of Charlie Brown, I'm 99% sure he's using reverb and chorus. For the rock am ring Charlie Brown, I didn't hear the chorus but it's definitely there for Glasto.

and IMP, clean? never. you need a fair amount of distortion there.

 

but it's the amp & pedals i think, you haven't told us what exactly you are doing with what amp, what guitar with which pickup-position etc.

 

charlie brown, too, is distorted...

I'll record a few demos of Charlie brown & in my place with some reverb tomorrow. If you have a fender amp, use the drive channel with about 2.5 drive on it (use as little drive as you can), i find that's usually a good amount for Coldplays stuff. Distortion? I'm not too sure. I know Jonny doesn't have any distortion pedals in his line up. Using the drive on the amp alone is more than often enough.

 

If you think you can't hear the parts of the song with drive in it, listen to the beginning of the chorus for in my place (the "yeaaaaahhh" part) and the bridge in Charlie Brown ("All the boys, all the girls")

 

Again, I'll record a few short demonstrations tomorrow.

Distortion? I'm not too sure. I know Jonny doesn't have any distortion pedals in his line up. Using the drive on the amp alone is more than often enough.

 

what the?? let's not be too picky on "distortion" and the distinguishing between that and overdrive etc.

but tell me, what is a pro co rat if not a dist. pedal?

a doubt he ever uses the gain/crunch/whatever channel on his amp, because fender amp's dist. sounds like... crap ^^

he has a lot of pedals & stuff, it used to be many and there must be more meanwhile.

what the?? let's not be too picky on "distortion" and the distinguishing between that and overdrive etc.

but tell me, what is a pro co rat if not a dist. pedal?

a doubt he ever uses the gain/crunch/whatever channel on his amp, because fender amp's dist. sounds like... crap ^^

he has a lot of pedals & stuff, it used to be many and there must be more meanwhile.

 

There is a pretty significant difference between overdrive and distortion. The names pretty much speak for themselves. Overdrive more or less boosts a signal. Distortion does the same while making it dirtier sounding. Overdrive would be more of an AC DC sound while distortion is kind of like a Muse guitar sound. Jonny has a tube screamer which is more towards the overdrive side, but I don't think he uses it anymore. I know he used it during talk on the X&Y tour.

Jonny uses a ProCo RAT on In My Place, its wired to be the middle between distortion and overdrive. It gives a boost like OD does, and only muddies it up about half of what a fender pedal would. However I think on In My Place its more of a distortion since he has an Ibanez Tube Screamer for OD.

 

I find with my set up, I throw delay to about 215ms, my Rat to about 3 and gain at about 2.5 with my pickup selected at the low two on my Strat. Gives a rock solid sound to it. Its also the exact same for One I Love and Moses. I prefer delay to reverb and chorus anyhow.