High end

[Kingofpain678]

I'll post a clip soon. Right now the young'n is sleeping, I just picked up a new guitar that I want to get all set up first, and I need to get my amp situation figured out and by that I mean I need figure out which part of the 30 ft. POS instrument cable I'm using as speaker cable is f*cked up.



Ya don't s'pose using an instrument cable as speaker cable could be contributing to the problem, eh?

 

[Sonixx]

I need to get my amp situation figured out and by that I mean I need figure out which part of the 30 ft. POS instrument cable I'm using as speaker cable is f*cked up.

Ya don't s'pose using an instrument cable as speaker cable could be contributing to the problem, eh?

Never use an instrument cable to connect the speaker and especially a 30ft one.

Get yourself a 16ga (minimum) speaker cable.

 

[Kingofpain678]

Never use an instrument cable to connect the speaker and especially a 30ft one.

Get yourself a 16ga (minimum) speaker cable.

I ordered one from MF a few days ago, I'm just waiting for it to arrive.

 

[Farview]

I don't know if that is your tone issue, but not using a speaker cable is a big problem, especially with a tube amp.

 

[MCI2424]

For the most part, there really isn't much up there if you have what most people would consider a 'good' tone.

According to some total idiots who rate digital converters, there is some magical tone that resides in the bigigahertz range that only tape recorders can record. Digital rigs stop at 22kHz and cannot reproduce the "depth", "imaging" and "tone". That is why analog recording is best, it appears.

 

[Farview]

According to some total idiots who rate digital converters, there is some magical tone that resides in the bigigahertz range that only tape recorders can record. Digital rigs stop at 22kHz and cannot reproduce the "depth", "imaging" and "tone". That is why analog recording is best, it appears.

But since we are talking about a distorted guitar tone, you aren't going to find anything much above 15k, let alone above 20k. Anyway, if you are recording at 96k sample rate, the rig stops at 48k...which is higher than most tape decks can go.

Tape sounds better because it sounds like tape, not because it is technically better at capturing and reproducing signals in a clean, linear way. It sounds better because of how it changes the signal.

 

[mcmetal]

Idk if its for sure 100% of the amp. Remember that I'm using a crappy sears guitar and a bottom of the line cab.

OTOH, the only amp I've ever been happy with was a crate gx900H head and a blue voodoo 4x12...

I have the crate gx900h head.I think it sounds great at a low volume but it doesn't cut the mustard at high volumes.Crates tend to get tinny and harsh at louder volumes.The Blue voodoos i always thought sounded good though.

I ended up running a Digitech gnx2 through it and was happy with my sound.That's my set up for live and jamming situations.You may want to consider getting a modeling pedal before dishing out cash for a new head.Some pedals like overdrive pedals in front of a tube amp can sound sweet.

For recording i use my H&K cream and crunch machines.All tube.

 

[cky751]

upper mids. no magic number here, it all depends on the equipment being used and the needs of the individual.

 

[Kingofpain678]

I have the crate gx900h head.I think it sounds great at a low volume but it doesn't cut the mustard at high volumes.Crates tend to get tinny and harsh at louder volumes.The Blue voodoos i always thought sounded good though.

I ended up running a Digitech gnx2 through it and was happy with my sound.That's my set up for live and jamming situations.You may want to consider getting a modeling pedal before dishing out cash for a new head.Some pedals like overdrive pedals in front of a tube amp can sound sweet.

For recording i use my H&K cream and crunch machines.All tube.

I could run a TS9 in front of the amp, drop the amps gain a bunch and use more of the overdrive from the TS9 for the tone...
First I wanna try this new guitar I got with EMG's in it, I wanna see how the amp reacts to these. My only fear is that EMG + TS9 + amp may be a little too much.

But I won't know how my amp reacts to this new guitar until my speaker cable is delivered

 

[miroslav]

...until my speaker cable is delivered

Any old lamp electric zip cord will do the trick...just solder on the TS sleeve connectors.
You can even buy it loose at any Home Depot...and they even sell heavier gauge speaker wire...so just roll your own instead of waiting for deliveries.

 

[Farview]

I could run a TS9 in front of the amp, drop the amps gain a bunch and use more of the overdrive from the TS9 for the tone...

You could try, but the TS9 tends to make things brighter. (which is how it tightens up the low end)

First I wanna try this new guitar I got with EMG's in it, I wanna see how the amp reacts to these. My only fear is that EMG + TS9 + amp may be a little too much.

If the EMG's are 81's or 85's, they are going to be bright. The TS9 is going to be bright. Your complaint about the head is too much high end.

I'm not sure it will be brilliant. But it doesn't hurt to try.

 

[ocnor]

You could try, but the TS9 tends to make things brighter. (which is how it tightens up the low end)

It's not so much that it makes it brighter as it acts as a high pass filter rolling off frequencies below about 750hz.

 

[Farview]

The net effect is the same, it tilts the frequency response in favor of the highs. Couple that with an EMG81 and you should be able to peel paint.

 

[Kingofpain678]

Well my speaker cable arrived (oddly in only two days). I have my cab hooked up using the proper cable, I've got my new guitar plugged into my amp... This is what came out: http://www.mediafire.com/?2fmku1b3rc3bjkl
It still sounds like a big steaming pile of sh*t. No matter what I do it always sounds like I have bad phase issues. The reason i mentioned using a tube screamer in front of the amp is I've seen a couple threads accross the interwebs claiming that the TS9 completely changes the character of the amp, for instance:
http://bbs.espguitars.com/showpost.php?p=1077492&postcount=1

http://bbs.espguitars.com/showpost.php?p=1074642&postcount=1

Listen to the clips in the two post links above. The tone is a little more metal/gainier than I prefer but wouldn't a little less gain make it just that much better? Anyways, the guy who made those clips says he ran his guitar into a TS-9 and that into a stock windsor head

 

[Kingofpain678]

oh ya, and that clip is with a hi and low pass filter on it.

... I wish I would have written the settings down for reference.

 

[getuhgrip]

I only listened to the first clip. Your rig sounds fine to me, except the eq or filtering on the very last take.

Your playing isn't half bad either. Couple little flubs here and there like you were trying to hurry, but over all...well timed.

 

[Farview]

There is really nothing wrong with that sound. What are you doing to make it stereo? When I hit my mono button, the image shifts. That is probably your phasey sound problem.

Are those speakers new? They might need to be broken in before the low end starts to even out.

 

[Kingofpain678]

There is really nothing wrong with that sound. What are you doing to make it stereo? When I hit my mono button, the image shifts. That is probably your phasey sound problem.

Are those speakers new? They might need to be broken in before the low end starts to even out.

Ya it doesn't sound bad, but you should hear it without any eq or anything.

And I didn't do anything to the stereo image, I just opened up reaper, armed the track and hit record. The only kind of processing done at all was high and low pass filters.

 

[Kingofpain678]

actually now that I go back and listen to it, I can tell the my tone is definitely improving.



But still, it sounds like there are some phase issues going on or something... Maybe it's just me?

 

[Farview]

And I didn't do anything to the stereo image, I just opened up reaper, armed the track and hit record. The only kind of processing done at all was high and low pass filters.

Don't do anything to it. We can't diagnose the problem without hearing what you actually have, without any processing at all.


Where do you have the mic placed? If you have it placed at the center of the speaker, it will give you more highs. You will get less highs as you move it out toward the edge. If you place the mic between the two speakers, it will sound like phasey crap.

Do you have it really close or do you have it a foot or so away? That will make a big difference too.