The New Tone Thread

Hey Greg. I think if I had to choose between those two, I'd probably choose your settings. But I still think they're a little harsh. I ran out of time last night, so I could only do one set of tweaks/recording.

Here's what I'll do: First I'll start with your settings and turn down the Presence and Resonance to 0 and do a test. I like the idea of a 0 Presence, but I'm a little unsure about a 0 Resonance. But I'll do it and we'll see (or hear).

Based on how I like that, I'll try some EQ mods. I'm thinking I'll want to boost Resonance, but maybe only as high as 3-4. I'll play with combinations of Treble and Presence to get a better balance of brightness without harshness. I'll do a test clip.

Something tells me I have a good mic position, so for now at least I'm going to try to leave it where it is.

Lastly, I'll do a test with adjusting the preamp/vol/guitarVol like you and PDP want to hear.

We'll see how it sounds. Probably won't get to it until well into the weekend.
 
You've been a big help guys. I think I might have what I'm looking for. There are three clips here. And honestly, I love them all. They're fairly similar, but there are still noticable differences.



The first clip has Greg's last recommendation. It sounds very nice. Here is what it is:
Guitar - Les Paul Traditional (57 Classic pickup). Bridge pickup.
The mic - SM57, straight on, on grill, quarter inch outside dustcap.
Amp - Marshall DSL40C

Crunch Channel
Guitar Volume - 10
Guitar Tone - 10
Amp Gain - 4
Amp Volume - 7
Treble - 5
Mid - 5
Bass - 7
Presence - 0
Resonance - 0

But what if I wanted a little more beef in the sound? I tweaked a bit and mostly made things worse. So I went back to Greg's settings as a starting point and made some real minor stuff. The only differences are in the guitar volume, the treble and presence. And they're only like one tick differences. It's a bit beefier, but a bit cloudier too.

Guitar - same
The mic - same
Amp - same

Crunch Channel
Guitar Volume - 9
Guitar Tone - 10
Amp Gain - 4
Amp Volume - 7
Treble - 4
Mid - 5
Bass - 7
Presence - 2
Resonance - 0

Then Greg and PDP suggested playing around with the preamp/power-tube balance. I backed down the preamp. And when I did, there was a noticeable drop in the low end. So bumped up the bass and resonance a tick or so.

Guitar - same
The mic - same
Amp - same

Crunch Channel
Guitar Volume - 10
Guitar Tone - 10
Amp Gain - 2.5
Amp Volume - 9
Treble - 4
Mid - 5
Bass - 8
Presence - 2
Resonance - 3

I like all of these. Right now, my favorite is the one in the middle. But that's probably because they're my tweaks and my ego says to like them best. I'll probably have a change of mind tomorrow. Which one do you like the best?

And sorry for playing the same thing over and over. Just try to keep the variables to the guitar/amp.
 
I like the last one the most until the very end. I like the second one at the end. The tone of these is definitely getting closer to the Marshall Demo you posted. They should sound really good in a mix.
 
Yes those are all huge improvements. Well done. The first two are definitely best to me. I like the chopped chords of the first clip, but the ringing chords of the second one. The cranked volume/low gain method doesn't quite work for that amp. It got pretty scratchy to me. I think if you found a happy medium between the first two you'd be in business. Maybe use settings #2 with the guitar at full power.
 
Thanks for the multiple listens and advice.

I think I'm going to take the settings in that middle clip, boost the guitar volume to 10, and track a tune. I think that will get a bit of that cloudiness out of it. And it'll give it just a bit more distortion, which wouldn't hurt either.
 
Cool tones TripleM.....and again conrats on the new amp.....No toans for me this week, work's sucking the life outta me guys, but I get a week off in a couple more weeks....counting the fuckin' days, can't wait....This 6 day a week shit's rough, but the pay's good, so, I really can't bitch, might even be able to swing a new toy or two in another week or two, just have to wait & see....

Off to enjoy what's left of my 1 day weekend, it's been great though, had a really, really good day....

See you guys in a few days...
 
Been trying to find out all I can about the JVM410.....seems to me, that amp would have about everything I'd ever want, basically 12 different sounds, footswitchable/programmable, so I think I'm gonna bite the bullet & try to find a used one....Looking on Guitar Center's online used gear, I've found quite a few, but, I'm still a little leary of used gear to be honest.....Sure, it'd be nice to plunk down $2400 for a new head, but for me, that's a lot of jack, so, a used one will most likely be the way to go.....All this overtime I've been working is gonna come in handy in the next couple weeks, as I'm getting my shit together little by little....I know I've been saying this forever guys, but I'm shooting to have the new head the week I'm off, which starts the 29th of this month, so, in short, if nothing else happens (fingers crossed), I should have a Marshall JVM410 sometime during the week of the 4th.....

Everything's paid up as of right now, lawyer, all bills, basically the only thing I'm gonna have to spend any $$$ on is just what I need to survive, gas, smokes, food, etc., & that ain't gonna make that much of a difference really, as I've pretty much got the $$$ in hand for the amp (used anyway)....

So, the weekend's over, & I gotta head to work, 12 shifts in 14 days, & I'll get a very, very welcomed break that I'm gonna enjoy to say the least....

No toans again this week, but, you guys keep the thread alive, I'll pop in when I can, but things are getting back to normal for me, & I should have all my ducks in a row before too much longer....
 
Been trying to find out all I can about the JVM410.....seems to me, that amp would have about everything I'd ever want, basically 12 different sounds, footswitchable/programmable, so I think I'm gonna bite the bullet & try to find a used one....Looking on Guitar Center's online used gear, I've found quite a few, but, I'm still a little leary of used gear to be honest......

GC used has a 30 day return policy, no questions asked..

You know I have a JVM410, if you got questions, I got the answers. :)
 
GC used has a 30 day return policy, no questions asked..
Understood man, already ahead of you on that, to be honest, I'm still a little leary of buying a used amp from anyone, but, that's a chance you take to save $$$.....A new JVM410 head is like $2400....a used one is about half that, a little less....Only thing is if something does happen to it, I'd be on my own with the repairs (no warranty), but again, it would save me a lot of $$$.....Still pondering/thinking, the JVM is "the" amp though, but, one of the new DSL's would get me there too, sorta.....The JVM would be a lot more versatile of course....If I can swing it by vacation, the JVM is what I'm gonna go with....

You know I have a JVM410, if you got questions, I got the answers. :)
Ok.....in your opinion, what speaker pairs up best with the JVM dude, you know the little ISO cab ain't gonna handle the 100w head....I could probably get by with not cranking it up, maybe 2-3 on the master with the T-75 or V30, but the Greenback would definitely die on me on it's own....LOL...and, you know I'd have to crank it, right????:D

I'm gonna try to swing a cab too, but will have to wait & see what kind of deal I find on a head first.....


BTW, those fuckers I work for are killin' me, I've gotta work straight through, no days off until the 28th, but that's ok, the $$$ will come in handy for the new gear....:)
 
Ok, can't make up my mind on the JVM/DSL thing, so I'm gonna give it a couple/few days....LOL....Of course, the JVM would make me go fuckin' insane, but I'm sure the DSL would too....Still don't think I'll ever be playing live again, but you never know, but, I think either one would do fine, & like Greg mentioned, I could go the cheap route with the DSL & 4x12, plus still have some $$$ left over.....

Gonna crash out, been up all fuckin' night, if any of you guys can sway me one way or the other, feel free...LOL....

Check back in tomorrow before work....
 
Hey, money is good! :D

Yeah it's always a risk buying a used amp over the internet, but really Guitar Center's used policy makes it about as safe as it can be. You have 30 days to blow it up. If there's something wrong with it, you'll know. You'll get a full refund. The JVM line has been around since 2007, and it's had a very good track record so far. There are only a couple things to look out for. The very first batch of JVMs in 2007 were iffy due to a redundant fuse holder shorting out, but they fixed that at the factory within the first month of production. So unless you get a JVM built literally within the first few weeks of production, you will be good to go. Those fuse holders don't even exist after that very first run with very early 2007 serial numbers.

The other thing, and this isn't a deal-breaker or anything, is that the later models have sturdier pots. The pots are PCB mounted, but the board is mounted to the chassis. It's very sturdy. The earlier version have PCB mounted pots as well, but the pots just poke through the chassis instead of being mounted directly to it so the pots are kind of wiggly and feel a little flimsy. Mine has the chassis mounted board and the pots are sturdy and smooth. My buddy has a later 2007 and his pots wiggle around a little. I also don't know if his has the fuse holders or not, but he's had no problems.

So all in all, it's a reliable amp. Mine is a 2010 and I've had not one single issue with mine. Not anything.

It's hard to say what speaker will go best with the JVM because it's capable of a huge variety of sounds. Like pretty much all modern Marshalls, I think it's generally designed to be paired with the standard G12T-75. The power section is very tight though, very tight, so it's not an amp that needs to be "cranked". Louder is absolutely better, but it's not like an old Marshall that relies on pure brute loudness. The JVM is probably one of the better 100w amps out there that will actually do decent bedroom volumes with just the volume knob and no other amp trickery. So it is quite good for quiet practice, or full on loud recording and gigs. When I'm dinking around at home quietly, it's with the JVM. My Plexi, 800, and JMP 2204 are almost completely useless at volumes that don't knock walls down. The JVM seemingly gets most of it's sound from the preamp section. The power section does influence the sound, but it has to be very loud to get there and the payoff isn't quite the life-changing experience that a 2203/2204 gives when it goes into massive meltdown as the volume goes up. I suspect the new DSL line is the same way. I've modded mine to have adjustable negative feedback reduction which lets the power section break down sooner. The resonance and presence controls sort of do the same thing, but the mod really gets it done.

Anyway, you already have all the speakers that will work great with the JVM.....you just need more of them. Like I said, the JVM doesn't have to be cranked, but you don't get an amp like that to play at low volume. You wanna move some air. The JVM could make short work of destroying your Greenback in a 1x12. That's my personal favorite speaker, but you know, it's only 25 watts by itself. What makes them sound great is also what kills them. You're gonna want a 4x12 if you want to use Greenbacks. I worry about my Greenbacks a little every time I flick on the Plexi. But hot damn I think they sound good. The Vintage 30 sounds really great with the JVM's higher gain settings, and it would probably survive in your iso cab unless you go crazy with volume. Your G12T-75 will also do well on it's own with some volume restraint, although I think the Greenback and V30 sound better. Just stay away from Celestion's H/K-100. Those 100w speakers might seem like a good idea, but they are ass. And don't forget WGS. They make nice affordable Celestion knockoffs.
 
<snip> The power section does influence the sound, but it has to be very loud to get there and the payoff isn't quite the life-changing experience that a 2203/2204 gives when it goes into massive meltdown as the volume goes up. I suspect the new DSL line is the same way.

I've only had a few weeks of experience with the DSL40C, but I'd agree with that. I can change the nature of the distorted sound to a greater degree with the gain knob than the volume knob. I can't compare that with other Marshall models however - no experience.
 
Thanks guys,
Still can't make up my mind whether to go with the JVM or the DSL....LOL.....

I've found a used JVM for $1000, & there are cabs everywhere for like $300 (T-75's), so, I'm looking at around $1300-1400....But, I could go the DSL route & save $3-400.....Of course, the JVM would be more versatile, but it's also more expensive, and as usual, the $$$ thing has kinda got me by the balls here....All my bills are paid up for now, but, I'm probably gonna buy a house in the next couple months, so of course, I need to watch how much I spend....I'm starting completely over, the only thing(s) I have from my previous life (LOL) are my music gear & clothes....LOL....It really sucks, but, I gotta do what I gotta do....

That said, I'll most likely go with a DSL & 4x12, that would free up a little more $$$ for a mic or two, & some of those pedals I've been talking about all these months....And of course, later on, after I get a little more settled into my "new life" LOL, I could get the JVM & start my Marshall collection, just like the Gerg....

I will say that the new girlfriend is very supportive of my music thing, & instead of bitchin' about how loud/annoying the amp/music is, she actually likes it loud...

Gonna go check out some reviews for the DSL's, be back in a little while, don't have to leave for work today until about 1:15, so I've got a couple hours to fuck off....
 
Ok guys, last post before I head off to work.....gonna pull the trigger on a used Marshall 1960A cab, & a new DSL100H probably in the morning, have to put some funds in the bank.......:D

Actually, the new girlfriend has gave me her credit card....LOL.....But, of course I'll be paying for it....maybe....LOL....

The cab is used, with T-75's, but I'm just gonna go ahead & get a new amp, with warranty, that'll make me feel a little better if it decides to take a shit on me....Plus, I'm gonna get the head on payments, which will help me $$$-wise, I'll actually have some $$$ to spend during my vacation, so, it's all good.....



So, the new amp & cab should be here by the end of next week, I've gotta throw on some clothes & head off to work....
 
Miner, I would not lose this girlfriend...does she have a sister?
Nevermind, I love my wife...but wow! She slapped down her plastic for your music?
 
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