Plini — £1,000 · Pro-Level Rig

• High-output Ibanez humbuckers into a Peavey 6505 high-gain channel: the output level of the pickup directly affects how the amp's gain structure reacts. A pickup with DC resistance above 15kΩ can push the amp into uncomfortably saturated territory — try the neck pickup before the bridge for comparison
• The fast, thin neck profile rewards alternate picking and legato equally — decide which to favour and dial the gain to suit
• A noise gate is essential at high gain — set the threshold just above the noise floor, not so tight that it kills sustain on held notes
• Down-picking builds tension and aggression; up-picking alternating adds clarity to fast lines. Develop both and know when to switch
• Set delay time to follow the tempo of the song — tape the quarter-note BPM or use a tap tempo pedal so the repeats are musical, not random
• Spring reverb sounds different from hall or plate — spring has a metallic, wobbly quality that is the classic guitar amp reverb sound

• ✗Running the Peavey 6505's gain channel at maximum — above 8 on most high-gain channels, palm mutes lose note separation and become an indistinct wall. The target is the minimum gain for the target saturation, not maximum
• ✗Setting amp gain to maximum — superstrats with high-output humbuckers already drive the amp aggressively. Gain at 8-9 into a high-gain channel gives muddy intermodulation, not more power.
• ✗Not using a noise gate — self-noise at metal gain levels is continuous between notes. A gate is not stylistic; it is required for professional-sounding silence between riffs.
• ✗Maximum gain on the amp channel — this is the most common mistake in high-gain playing. The clarity and note separation that makes fast playing readable degrades at maximum gain.
• ✗Not setting delay to song tempo — a delay that doesn't match the song tempo creates a rhythmic clash that builds and becomes increasingly obvious. Tap the tempo every time.
• ✗Setting up only the lead tone and leaving the clean tone as an afterthought — audiences hear the dynamic contrast, and a poor clean tone undermines the entire performance.
• ✗Using too much reverb on clean passages — prog clean tone should be open and detailed. Long reverb tails wash out the note clarity that makes complex chord voicings readable.

Custom Strandberg and Ibanez guitars through an Axe-Fx — Plini's progressive fusion blends silky legato runs, complex time signatures and a joyful melodic sensibility that cuts across metal and jazz.