Here's some quick tips for better tone.

1. Roll back the distortion!! ?That's right too much distortion is bad. What happens when you add too much gain the note actually gets thinner sounding?with less?fulness. So your guitar will not stand out in the mix or sound as big in a live setting. Try this experiment- On a two channel amp set one side clean and the other distorted?then set the volume levels the same and switch between them. There will be a huge difference between the thickness of the notes clean versus dirty. Cut the gain back and if you need more "sing" to your solo's just use a overdrive pedal to boost those solo's up while maintaning your normal gain settings. Experiment here untill you are satisfied. Remember if your overdrive is "Buzzy" it's TOO much.

2. Don't cut all the mids out. Yep the modern "Scooped" mid sound in Mesa Boogie Recto amps have this charachter. Put some mids back in and your tone and your amp will love your for it. Marshalls are great for their strong midrange that's why they record so well and are great live amps, they simply cut through the mix. BIG TIP: Midrange is what makes your tone sound "Big" not more low end with lot's of highs. Mid range works as a "Thickener" of your tone therefore this makes it sound "Big". So more mids without the boxy sound is what you are looking for.

3. Set the tone of your amp while the band is playing or while beginning to record.?Record some test tones with the band playing along. If you get your tone set by yourself then?add the band that's where you get into trouble because you need to see how it fits in the big picture with the band or in the recorded track!

4. Biggest tip of all: PRACTICE GREAT TECHNIQUE. Yep that's where the tone is it's in YOUR HANDS. Practice on fretting properly so your notes are in tune and get your timing correct. Practice getting smooth bends and vibrato. Pro players aren't always the most "athletic" players but they play "SMOOTH" and that leads to great tones too. So technique helps with great tone just ask Carlos Santana he could play thru anything and it would sound great!!

5. Last tip and real simple: Guitar players buy a tube amp and throw the others away! Everything else made is a waste of time!

Guitar Guru