Just had my Night Train modded by Jule...

  • Thread starter Thread starter thebigcheese
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thebigcheese

thebigcheese

"Hi, I'm in Delaware."
...and I am extremely disappointed. The Jule mod is supposed to smooth out the sound and get rid of the fizziness, which it did, but it completely ruined the nice sparkle the amp had running clean. It's quite simply not there anymore and it's impossible to get back without putting the amp back to normal. I also had the effects loop done, which is the main thing I wanted, but it seems he screwed that up, too, and didn't bother testing it, so now I've got it back at my house and have to try to get him to respond so I can get it fixed. If you're considering that particular mod for your amp, don't waste your time (or your money).

Why can't they just make small amps that already have effects loops on them? It's not like a whole lot of extra engineering has to go into it. The Night Train is a super awesome amp except that I can't really use my delay or reverb pedals with it because it doesn't have a loop. Why would they make a sweet amp so useless?
 
It's mostly about meeting a price point, I would guess.

Cheese, while I agree that delays and reverbs are better suited in an FX loop, I've also used both on the front end of an non-FX-loop amp successfully for years.

Anyway, sorry about your fucked-up amp. Hopefully you can get it right again.
 
Nope, he basically said he had done his part and he wasn't going to give me a refund or even fix it. What an ass hole.

The effects work fine when I'm running clean, but I'd like to be able to use the delay with overdrive, so that's where I run into a problem. I don't know if there's another amp out there that sounds very similar to the nice, sparkly cleans of the Night Train, but with an effects loop, but if there is, I'd be very interested to know. I will probably be trying to buy one in the near future if I decide not to just replace it with another Night Train.
 
edit...was thinking of the Trans Atlantic
 
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I read the title of this thread and had noooooo idea what it was about...

But now it's clearer after a big of googling...

I run a Laney 30W tube combo, which "allegedly" sounds Vox AC30ish (I have no idea, I hardly play electric any more...) ... it has an effects loop...

Could be worth a look through their catalogue.

Cheers

:)
 
I wish we sold those here at GC... I thought the Egnater Tweaker might hold some promise, seeing as how it does have a Vox mode, but the high end just isn't as nice as the Night Train. Something about the way the NT sparkles just draws me in. That's what I really want to get out of another amp. Well, that and an effects loop. Multiple channels would be nice, but not strictly necessary. I'm going to check out some of the Mesa stuff, but it's all rather expensive...
 
the idea behind the small watt amps, is that you'll use it for recording.

since you're going for low watts/low volume, and don't need it for live work, you don't need effects, since you typically add them at the mix stage when recording, it usually sounds better that way.


and that way, they keep em cheap.
 
I may be wrong, and I usually am, but here is my 2¢ anyway. Loops are made for rack gear with a line level input, and FX pedals are made for instrument level, and they work best between your guitar and amplifier input. That's it. To whine you can't put a delay pedal in a loop because the amplifier has no loop to me means you are just looking for any excuse not to buy that amplifier. I do that myself, so I know just where you're coming from. But I come up with better excuses! :p
 
The guy's name is Jule. His web site is www.juleamps.com. I'd heard good things from other forums about his work, but now I know better, I guess.

I'm using my amp both for recording and for live. If I ever need more than 15 watts on the stage, it's likely to be miked, in which case I won't be cranking it anyway. There's really no point in having a more powerful amp. Even coffee shops have PA systems these days.

ranjam, I think you are partially correct. Most guitar effects do belong in front of the amp. Not delays and reverbs, though. If you've ever tried running a delay in front of an overdriven amp, you'll know that it really sounds like crap compared to putting it in the loop. Believe me, I'm still considering buying another Night Train, as I can't seem to find the sparkly, detailed cleans on any of the other amps I've tried so far, but I'd really like to be able to use delay and overdrive at the same time. These pedals are made to handle that kind of level, too.
 
ranjam said:
I may be wrong, and I usually am, but here is my 2¢ anyway. Loops are made for rack gear with a line level input, and FX pedals are made for instrument level, and they work best between your guitar and amplifier input. That's it. To whine you can't put a delay pedal in a loop because the amplifier has no loop to me means you are just looking for any excuse not to buy that amplifier. I do that myself, so I know just where you're coming from. But I come up with better excuses! :p
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You have never used a loop I take it. You can use pedals just fine in a loop.
 
ranjam said:
I may be wrong, and I usually am, but here is my 2¢ anyway. Loops are made for rack gear with a line level input, and FX pedals are made for instrument level, and they work best between your guitar and amplifier input. That's it. To whine you can't put a delay pedal in a loop because the amplifier has no loop to me means you are just looking for any excuse not to buy that amplifier. I do that myself, so I know just where you're coming from. But I come up with better excuses! :p
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This is totally wrong. Put a delay in front of your amp and the turn up the distortion. I'd be very surprised if it sounded like anything other than a soggy mess.
 
TelePaul said:
This is totally wrong. Put a delay in front of your amp and the turn up the distortion. I'd be very surprised if it sounded like anything other than a soggy mess.
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To you, maybe, but there's lots of ways to build a sound. Delaying the distortion sounds different than distorting the delay, true enough.
 
ggunn said:
To you, maybe, but there's lots of ways to build a sound. Delaying the distortion sounds different than distorting the delay, true enough.
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"Loops are made for rack gear with a line level input, and FX pedals are made for instrument level" = wrong
 
thebigcheese said:
I'd heard good things from other forums about his work, but now I know better, I guess.
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I've never even heard of this guy so I have no investment in what people around here think of him, but that's not really entirely fair, I'd think.

The mod did exactly what it was supposed to do, by your own admission. It just didn't work for you. For someone who either wasn't as into "sparkly" cleans or didn't play the clean channel very much at all, the mod probably would have been perfect.

Modding an amp is a lot like buying one in the first place - it's all about finding the right mod for you.
 
TelePaul said:
"Loops are made for rack gear with a line level input, and FX pedals are made for instrument level" = wrong
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Well, rack mounted gear does generally want to see line level, while stompboxes can use instrument level signals, and some of them will distort if you feed them a line. Otherwise there are no rules.
 
DrewPeterson7 said:
I've never even heard of this guy so I have no investment in what people around here think of him, but that's not really entirely fair, I'd think.

The mod did exactly what it was supposed to do, by your own admission. It just didn't work for you. For someone who either wasn't as into "sparkly" cleans or didn't play the clean channel very much at all, the mod probably would have been perfect.

Modding an amp is a lot like buying one in the first place - it's all about finding the right mod for you.
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It's fine if he doesn't want to undo the part that didn't work for me (though now that I've had some time with it, I don't mind it so much), but you are wrong in saying that he isn't at fault. The effects loop doesn't work at all. Well, technically it passes signal, but it's a distorted and lower-volume signal than the normal signal it ought to be passing. He wouldn't even fix that for me, and I think that I am at least owed that, considering I wasted almost $100 on it. I'm going to take it apart myself when I've got some time and try to figure out what he did wrong.
 
ggunn said:
Otherwise there are no rules.
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I just recently finished a strat remodel that took way longer than expected. The problem was an unacceptable hum that in nature was totally unnatural. Every time I would touch the strings it would break ground. Silly I know. However, I realized my mistake. I ordered a pre-wired pick guard to save money and time. I got it from StewMac which is a great company and have taught me a lot of very essential things. Here is where I got into trouble. The hum was because the pre-wired guard had the input wired with the white as ground and the black as hot. Something that simple (as it always seems to be) threw off the whole build. I say all of this only to point out that there are no rules. Jaco Pastorius broke "rules". Geddy Lee broke "rules". Some are still breaking "rules" and by doing that they are creating new rules. That is IMHO what we, as musicians, do. We try and figure out something no one else has, all the while. . . breaking "rules".
 
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