The classic problem: a scooped, gigantic bedroom tone that disappears the second the band kicks in. The reason is almost always the same — scooped mids. The midrange is exactly where a guitar lives in a mix.
Stop scooping the mids. A scooped tone (mids near zero) sounds huge solo because nothing competes. In a band, the bass owns the lows and cymbals own the highs — your guitar only has the mids. Put them back up around 5–7.
Carve a space, do not pile on bass. Too much low end fights the bass guitar and turns to mud. Roll guitar bass down so the bassist has room; you will sound bigger, not smaller.
Use presence for cut, not treble. If you need more bite, raise presence before treble — it adds cut without the fizzy harshness that ice-picks a mix.
Carve with a different range than the other guitar. Two guitars scooped the same way cancel each other. Have one lean slightly low-mid and the other high-mid so both are heard.
Check it at band volume, in mono. A tone only proves itself loud and against drums. Solo-in-the-bedroom EQ lies — always audition mids with the full band.
💡 Our own data backs this up: across hundreds of famous tones, metal averages the most-scooped mids — and those are studio tones layered many times. A single live guitar needs MORE mids, not fewer. See the tone data report.