Hey DOODLES
Ah - trying to chase the sound in your head - it is a bit of a rabbit hole
It will be interesting to hear your answer to NEIL's question about how you are recording
However here are my wild guesses based on what you have said so far...
There are many different "flavours" of what is generically referred to as "distortion", "overdrive", "fuzz", "high gain", "saturation" etc. etc.
My guess would be you are chasing a "high gain", "tube saturation" sound but the "Big Muff" is more of a "fuzz" type pedal - which may have more of a "bee in a tin can" type sound, whereas it sounds like you are wanting a more "warm" high gain sound
I would therefore suggest that you may be better off going for an "Amp Simulation" type solution
If you record on a computer based DAW I would strongly recommend checking out GUITAR RIG or AMPLITUBE
These products try to replicate the whole signal chain - eg the "stomp box", the amp, the speaker, the speaker cab, and even the mic used to record the amp in some cases
This will get you much closer to the sound you hear on commercial records that may have been recorded in a studio with boutique amps and microphones
...It could just be my playing... but how many ways can you strike a chord and let it ring?
I don't know how proficient or experienced you are at playing guitar but there are a few things you can do with your playing/set up to help the sound of distorted guitar depending on the effect you are going for:
High gain sounds you hear on records often have much less distortion on them than you think - too much distortion can actually "soften" the sound and reduce the power/punch
"Power Chords" (5ths) tend to sound better with high gain
eg G5 is played with the first finger on the 6th string at the 3rd fret and the third finger on the 5th string at the 5th fret. Just these 2 notes can be very powerful and cut through a mix - often better than fuller chords that can get muddy
"Vamping" - combining "Power Chords" with "Palm Muting" (where you rest your palm across the bridge saddles) and playing rhythmically can provide a nice layer
"Layering" - guitars are often layered and panned to create a "wall of sound"
In my experience the key to achieving this without creating a muddy mess is to do the following:
- Record some "single strike" power chords - use EQ to take out some of the low end and pan to one side
- Record some "rhythmic vamping" - use EQ to take out some of the high end and a little mid scoop to make room for the other guitar and pan to the other side as the power chord guitar
- Record some "arpeggio" chords (ie picking the individual notes of full chords) and take out some low end and mids so these occupy the upper mid and higher frequencies - pan to taste
- Record some "riffs" (little repeating melodies - especially between chords) and use EQ to take out the very low and high frequencies - pan to taste
You can keep going to build up the sound but try to keep in mind which frequencies you want each guitar part to dominate and carve away the other frequencies
This approach should help you get a powerful and punchy sound where each part can be heard and it does not become a "mush"
I hope this helps
When you let us know how you are recording we can add some more thoughts
