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Lesson 4 of 8

Funk board

The goal: a clean, snappy, percussive sound where every scratch and chord stab pops, with filter sweeps for movement.

Tweak it

  • Filter not opening? Raise its Sensitivity, or dig in harder. Humbuckers push it more than single coils, so lower Sensitivity with hot pickups.
  • Filter stuck wide open? Lower Sensitivity, or ease off the compressor so your picking dynamics reach the filter.
  • Compressor squashing everything? Lower Sustain, or use a slower Attack so the pick click comes through.
  • Thin or harsh? Single coils in the middle or neck-and-middle position are a classic funk choice. Lower Treble if it bites too much.
  • Any breakup on the amp? Lower the amp Gain and raise Master. Funk rhythm sounds best when it stays clean at full strum.

Signal chain

Guitar to amp, left to right. Settings are starting points to get you close: trust your ears.

  1. 1. Tuner

    Tuner

    First, as always.

  2. 2. Compressor

    Dyna Comp or Keeley-style compressor

    Sustain
    11:00
    Attack
    12:00

    The core of funk rhythm: evens out your strumming, adds snap to the attack, and gives the filter a steady signal to react to. Attack only if it has one; set Level to match bypass.

  3. 3. Envelope filter

    Envelope filter or auto-wah, Mu-Tron or AW-3-style

    Sensitivity
    12:00
    Range
    1:00

    A wah that opens with your picking strength: soft picking stays dark, hard picking quacks. Range is Peak on some pedals; Mode up-sweep.

  4. 4. Wah

    Wah

    For sweeps you control with your foot; rock it in time with your strumming, often on 16ths. You'll usually use either the wah or the envelope filter, not both.

  5. 5. Phaser

    Slow phaser or subtle chorus

    Rate
    9:00
    Depth
    10:00

    Light shimmer on clean chords. Keep it in the background. Same settings for either.

  6. 6. Amp

    Clean amp

    Gain
    9:00
    Bass
    11:00
    Mid
    12:00
    Treble
    1:00

    Low gain, plenty of headroom. Funk wants clarity, not dirt.

Checkpoint

Move on when you can do all of these.

  • Set the compressor so on and off are equally loud and the pick attack still comes through
  • Make the envelope filter stay dark on soft strums and quack on hard ones
  • Keep the amp clean at full strum with the whole chain on
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