The New Tone Thread

Oh yeah, happy birthday Bob!!! Funny story dude..


I'll give the ISO cab thing a shot for the break-in Greg....gotta call AMS about my order...be back in a little while...
 
Nice guitar dude...I really don't care for P90 p'ups myself though....I mean, they're cool, in between a single coil & humbucker, can get some pretty cool tones, but I'm either a humbucker or single coil guy myself...lol...


Ok, here's a few clips of the Chupacabra pretty much cranked up...I was sitting right in front of the amp/cab, so I turned the master back just a hair so it wouldn't feedback so bad....Awesome amp guys, I fuckin' love it, & can't wait to get my new speakers for the 4x12, should be righteous....

I did adjust the gain on a couple of 'em in plexi mode, when I centered the bright switch, it cut the gain way back, so I turned it up with gain 2....So many possibilities with this fucker, I still can't believe how good this thing sounds in person....I couldn't use the condensor with this much volume, it clips the fuck out of it, it can't handle the high SPL like the '57 (when close-mic'ing, the mic actually clips with the master on about 2-3), so all these clips are with a single mic....And like the last clips, I added some 'verb in the daw (same 'verb, same everything really....lol)....

I used the neck p'up on some of these in spots, so if it sounds muddy, that's why....I'd never really bonded with the neck p'up in my Lester until today, it's got a really sweet sound with the Chupacabra when it's cranked up....Lovin' the Chupa!!!


Signal chain:

LP > Chupacabra > Greenback > '57

80's mode

resonance: 2-3
presence: 8-9
bass: 7
mid: 7
treble: 4
master: 9
gain 2: 2
gain 1: 6
era: 80's
bright 2: L
bright 1: C
focus: off

Modern mode

resonance: 2-3
presence: 8-9
bass: 7
mid: 7
treble: 4
master: 9
gain 2: 2
gain 1: 6
era: modern
bright 2: L
bright 1: C
focus: off

Plexi mode

resonance: 2-3
presence: 8-9
bass: 7
mid: 7
treble: 4
master: 9
gain 2: 2
gain 1: 6
era: plexi
bright 2: C
bright 1: C
focus: off

Plexi mode bumped gain

resonance: 2-3
presence: 8-9
bass: 7
mid: 7
treble: 4
master: 9
gain 2: 8
gain 1: 6
era: plexi
bright 2: C
bright 1: C
focus: off

Plexi mode hot-rodded gain

resonance: 2-3
presence: 8-9
bass: 7
mid: 7
treble: 4
master: 9
gain 2: 2
gain 1: 6
era: plexi
bright 2: L
bright 1: C
focus: off

Lemme know what you guys think about the Chupa with the master pretty much cranked, I will say the sweet spot on the volume for this amp is around 7 1/2 - 8, it really starts to open up around there....And, the more you crank it, the more it distorts, compresses & "sings"....Fuckin' awesome amp, I'm so glad I got this thing, it's got "that" sound I'd been after for so long....

Got another date tonight, gonna go vaginia exploring in a few hours...:laughings:.

See you guys after while....
 
Good luck with the spelunking! :D

Hmm, good clips. For me, I really like the three "Plexi" mode clips the best. The 80s and modern don't do much for me. They sound good, it's just not my style. I see why you like em though, they reek of Aqua Net. :D I like 80s mode better than modern mode. Modern was my least favorite.

The three Plexi mode clips sound best to me. They sound more....uh....organic I guess. The "bumped gain" and "hot rodded gain" clips sound particularly nice. They still have some bottom beef but the highs have that melting tube sound. Nice.

One thing for sure to me though, with the volume up the modes don't sound that different. The tones are much more similar than your lower volume clips.
 
Yeah dude, the amp is a killer....I fuckin' love it...there's still a pretty big volume difference between all the modes, & I do love the 80's mode in particular....

Gotta run, the vagina's waiting on me.....lol
 
So I wasn't able to tap my tubes with a pencil this weekend since we used the practice room's head and not mine.

Is there any way to visually tell if a tube could be kaputt?
 
Schwarzenyaeger said:
So I wasn't able to tap my tubes with a pencil this weekend since we used the practice room's head and not mine.

Is there any way to visually tell if a tube could be kaputt?
Click to expand...

There are a few obvious things to look for. All you can really look for are cracks, milky residue, black crud, or if the tube flickers or glows super bright like a light bulb. All of that would be bad. Tubes glow at different brightness and colors. If one is dimmer or a little brighter than the others, that doesn't necessarily mean something's wrong.
 
Greg_L said:
Good luck with the spelunking! :D
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SCORE!!!!! This woman is really cool, we've got a lot in common, but the real test will be when I drag some of my gear up to her pad to see if she can handle my loud-as-fuck music hobby....:laughings:.

Greg_L said:
Hmm, good clips. For me, I really like the three "Plexi" mode clips the best. The 80s and modern don't do much for me. They sound good, it's just not my style. I see why you like em though, they reek of Aqua Net. :D I like 80s mode better than modern mode. Modern was my least favorite.
Click to expand...

The 80's mode is my favorite dude, really, it doesn't sound that much different than modern, it's just a little louder than the modern mode...Might be a hair more gain than the 80's mode though....

Greg_L said:
The three Plexi mode clips sound best to me. They sound more....uh....organic I guess. The "bumped gain" and "hot rodded gain" clips sound particularly nice. They still have some bottom beef but the highs have that melting tube sound. Nice.
Click to expand...

The "melting tube sound" comment really made me smile dude, that's the sound I've been after forever it seems, love this amp....

Greg_L said:
One thing for sure to me though, with the volume up the modes don't sound that different. The tones are much more similar than your lower volume clips.
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Not a lot of difference when it's cranked, but lots when using the amp at low-moderate volumes....I think that's how the amp was meant to be used myself, with the master up enough to open it up, but still not at ear-splitting volumes....

Something I've learned just this weekend about the amp is using it in plexi mode, flip the bright 2 to the left, & it adds gain & can actually get the cranked plexi sound (sorta) without having to rattle the windows...I'm still learning this amp, & the more I use it, the more I like it....
 
minerman said:
I think that's how the amp was meant to be used myself, with the master up enough to open it up, but still not at ear-splitting volumes....
..
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I don't know, maybe, but these cranked up clips sound significantly better to me than the lower volume clips.
 
Yeah dude, they do sound pretty fuckin' good, especially compared to the shitty Randall ISO clips...:facepalm:.

There's a pretty big difference in the volume/loudness/noise from about 6 on the master to 10 (actually 11....the knobs actually go to 11...lol), so what I was saying is I can get some pretty good recordings, without having to completely dime the master....To my ears, while having it dimed does sound good, it loses some of the clarity/articulation with the master volume past about 8, & really, it doesn't get any louder past 8 on the dial, it just compresses/distorts more....

So, while I really like what the condensor mic does combined with the '57, it can't handle the SPL at all....even with the pre-amp on my interface turned completely down, it still clips with the amp on about 3 or so (probably a little less...)...any condensor mics you can recommend that would be worth a shit to use in it's place for my loud-as-fuck recordings???? I've already got the i5 & e609 on "the list", whaddya think??? Or do all condensor mics have pretty low SPL's????
 
Nah forget condensers unless you wanna break the bank or use them far away out in the room. Stick with dynamics if you're gonna record loud. You're not even gonna miss that condenser when recording loud.

But....if you insist on something like that, try a kick drum mic or an RE20.
 
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That's about what I thought, but again, I do really like what that cheap-ass condensor does for my low-volume recorded toans....it adds fullness to the sound....but, using a dynamic with a cranked mic would probably do about the same thing...

Don't think I'd be too good at the room mic thing, the room(s) I'll be recording in are pretty shitty to begin with, so I'll leave that up to the daw's reverb...I'd probably end up with serious phase issues, so I'll just stick to what I'm decent at for now....

And, I don't wanna break the bank on anything man, I know you kinda get what you pay for with this shit, but I'm not dropping a big chunk on a mic....

I had a pretty good weekend, only thing that didn't sit right with me is I'll have to call my bank again to process the order at AMS, which I guess could be a good thing, it's the fraud-protection thing, but, it'll delay my speaker delivery a day or two....no biggie, just as long as I get 'em....

Oh yeah, got my volume pots for my strat yesterday, & some thinner/smaller solder, so I may tear into that in a few minutes....It's really about too late to record anything with the 4x12, so I may try to do some "quiet" music stuff.....hahaha

I'm guessing that once I get my other Greenback, & pair of '65's (eventually, just getting one right now...maybe Santa will bring me one to complete my "set"....:p), I should be set for speakers...While I'd love to have a couple vintage speakers, I'm really, really wary of buying a used, 30-40 year old speaker, that would cost me quite a bit to begin with....Guess I'll just stick to the current or re-issues dude...
 
You don't need to add fullness when recording loud. There's plenty of fullness to spare. And proximity effect is very real and very powerful.

Another thing some 4x12 guys do is remove the handles and mic the back of the speaker or the inside of the cab through and handle holes. Crazy, yes, but whatever. It's worth a try if you're worried about fullness.
 
Greg_L said:
You don't need to add fullness when recording loud. There's plenty of fullness to spare. And proximity effect is very real and very powerful.
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Right dude, I think I'm pretty good at the close-mic thing, & I'm pretty confident about it....I've learned about where to put the mic to get about what I want (finally....lol....it's taken a while, & lots of trial/error, & lots of help from you guys here)....I'm probably over-thinking everything again, especially about the 2-mic thing...While it would be really cool to blend 2 mics for my tracks, in reality, I'd probably be just fine with the '57 on 2 takes, panned out for my rhythms....

Greg_L said:
Another thing some 4x12 guys do is remove the handles and mic the back of the speaker or the inside of the cab through and handle holes. Crazy, yes, but whatever. It's worth a try if you're worried about fullness.
Click to expand...

Never heard of that, but you did let me in on the "back of the speaker" trick with the home-made ISO cab last year...I put the condensor behind the speaker, flipped the phase, & BLAMMO!!!! instant fat low-end....but, that was with the 1w amp, & the ISO cab....what I'm using now is a completely different animal....which I love, I just can't use it all the time like I wanna...:D.
 
You can stick a dynamic back there and get the same thing. All that condenser did for you was make up for a lack of volume. Condensers are more sensitive and usually have a wider frequency range. That's great for conversation volumes. You don't need it when you get air moving. I think that if you want to break away from simple cardioid dynamics, go with a ribbon mic. Many of them can handle loud noises. They're very fragile though. And expensive.

As for the two mic thing, just use two dynamics. I use two all the time now and I think it sounds awesome. One placed bright, one placed dark, blend till your butthole bleeds!
 
Cool man....I really don't wanna spend a big chunk on a mic or two honestly....I think another '57, an i5, & an e609 would probably have me set, mic-wise for my guitar tracks....

I'm pretty fuckin' excited about the new speakers too dude, if I could've swung it this week, I'd just got a Greenback & 2 - '65's, but while I do have the $$$, it would have put me in a bind if something was to have happened (like the busted tire I had last week....that I got replaced for $18....road hazard/warranty....if not for that, I'd had to pay another $150 for another tire...), & my luck is always in....bad.....lol
 
Yeah dude, there's a lot of shit I'd like to have, but I've came a long way in just about 6-8 months....2 "big" amps, a 4x12, plus I've got more shit on the way....GAS is a serious, serious disease....hahahaha!!!!

I think I'm gonna try to find a cheap, un-loaded cab or two...I saw a Crate on the local Craigslist for like $100...dunno what difference the actual cab would make really, what are your thoughts on this???
 
I'm not sure. I've heard plenty junk speakers in junk cabs, and good speakers in good cabs. I've never heard good speakers in a junk cab though, so I'm not sure what role the actual cab itself plays when comparing 4x12s. I'm sure it makes a difference. Wood quality, construction, internal space, etc. But I don't know how much a mic on a speaker would care.
 
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