The New Tone Thread

[Greg_L]

Here's the very first clip with it. Grabbed the Lez Paul, flipped the amp on, jumped the channels, put everything on 5 across the board, and stuck an Audix i5 on a Greenback. Didn't even look where the mic was. Somewhere about halfway across the cone. I just stuck it. This is true first-impression, and I'm impressed.

Plexi

Then the wife came in and said "no more". Needless to say, this thing is really loud. And not just loud like "man that thing is loud", it's a percussive, chunky, chest-thumping, ground shaking kind of loud. And as everyone knows, it starts clean and gets dirtier as you twist the dials. The thing is though, it's stupid loud immediately. Like before you even get to "1" it's damn near blowing your head off. I love it. What a beast. And it has more than enough natural "gain" for me. This is NOT by any means a bedroom/apartment amp. I can't wait for the wife to go back to work.

 

[minerman]

Nice clip man, you know,even though I just spent a bunch of $$$ on a LP, I've always wanted a plexi, I'm sure you know that....There's no way I could use one here, ever, so you know what I think the next purchase is gonna be....the JMP-1....a 1w plexi....from what I've read, that's what it is, an acutal low volume plexi....hmmmmm.....Might even find one at a good price, since it'll pretty much be used....I might wait & see what Marshall comes out with in the spring, but I think if it's not anything that interests me, I'm gonna try to get another 1w amp, the JMP-1....

Clip sounds good man, very articulate & you can hear all the notes in the chord, but with breakup...nice dude, really nice....

I think I'm gonna grab a shower, & mount the new boom stand in the ISO cab, run the other mic cable, & get it ready for the 2-mic thing...haven't gotten around to doing that yet......

Again, clip sounds great man, happy for ya....wish we lived close to one another....we'd have a fuckin' blast....literally with all those loud ass amps...

 

[Greg_L]

Nice clip man, you know,even though I just spent a bunch of $$$ on a LP, I've always wanted a plexi, I'm sure you know that....There's no way I could use one here, ever, so you know what I think the next purchase is gonna be....the JMP-1....a 1w plexi....from what I've read, that's what it is, an acutal low volume plexi....hmmmmm.....Might even find one at a good price, since it'll pretty much be used....I might wait & see what Marshall comes out with in the spring, but I think if it's not anything that interests me, I'm gonna try to get another 1w amp, the JMP-1....

Clip sounds good man, very articulate & you can hear all the notes in the chord, but with breakup...nice dude, really nice....

I think I'm gonna grab a shower, & mount the new boom stand in the ISO cab, run the other mic cable, & get it ready for the 2-mic thing...haven't gotten around to doing that yet......

Again, clip sounds great man, happy for ya....wish we lived close to one another....we'd have a fuckin' blast....literally with all those loud ass amps...

Thanks bud. Yeah I'm totally happy with that clip just as it is with no thought or effort put into it. Lol. I just turned the amp on and let er rip. Love it. It was insanely loud though. The Super Lead on "5" seemed much louder than either of my two master vol amps on "5". This thing aint no joke. It's going in the shop tomorrow afternoon for a check up. I got it through GC used so I have 30 days to return it. Hopefully I won't have to. If it passes it's inspection and/or only needs minimal tuning up, I'll keep it and install a PPIMV mod. I want to use it live, and in it's current state it's just way, way too loud. The PPIMV will fix that and preserve the tone.

I remember playing the JMP-1 and liking it okay. I thought it sounded a little muddled though. Might have been the cab....I don't remember what it was, but it certainly wasn't anything spectacular. Maybe like a Crate or Line 6 POS. Lol. From what I understand the JMP-1 is the sound of a permanently jumpered Super Lead. That aint a bad thing, but it is limiting. But hey, it's a one-watt amp. I do really like the JCM-1. That's a great amp! I think one of those would be more your speed. They really do sound like their big-brother counterpart!

Let me know when you're ready for that speaker swap.

 

[minerman]

Eh, the 1w JMP was just a thought dude, I've been after a plexi-ish tone for a long time now, I might be better off getting a pedal to push the Tweaker, or the clean channel on the DSL....Honestly, I'm happier gear-wise right now than I've ever been, but you know the tone chase never ends....Still researching some pedals, might just go that route for a while, as I probably won't be able to swing anything "big" after the LP buy for a while....I'm still debating on the JOYO pedals, but I'm still looking at some others too....I'm really not interested in any delays, chorus, or anything like that, as I'd probably use the fx in the daw for something like that, I'd have total control, plus, I don't gig so....I would like to have a good Univibe pedal though....Back to the od/plexi thing, from what I've read, the JOYO pedals are a pretty close clone to the originals, but they're cheaply made...Might not be a problem for me though, as I pretty much baby my gear, & it never leaves the room I play in, I've had my stuff out of here one time in 5 years.....
I'm wanting the Bogner Red pedal really bad too man, or the Blue, both are great from the clips/reviews I've heard/read....

Gimme another week or so on the speaker swap dude, I'll need to know how much you want for the T-75, & figure up the shipping costs/total before I do anything.....No hurry, but lemme know what you want for the T-75, & we'll take it from there....

 

[Lt. Bob]

man ..... that plexi sounds like ...... ummm .... well, like a plexi!

That's awesome sounding ..... got the 'bonk' I always talk about in spades.

 

[Greg_L]

man ..... that plexi sounds like ...... ummm .... well, like a plexi!

That's awesome sounding ..... got the 'bonk' I always talk about in spades.

Haha cool. Thanks Boob. The wife's taking the kids to the dentist today, so I'll be blasting it a little before I take it into the shop.

 

[Greg_L]

Oh man, been goofing a little before taking it in to the shop....this Plexi KILLS with both 4x12s hooked up. Good sweet Lord almighty have mercy. So loud. So very very loud. I'm glad my house is made of brick.

 

[PDP]

Oh man, been goofing a little before taking it in to the shop....this Plexi KILLS with both 4x12s hooked up. Good sweet Lord almighty have mercy. So loud. So very very loud. I'm glad my house is made of brick.

Lol 100watt plexi ? Its at full power by about 4 or 5, after that its just distortion crunch.

My plexi 50 watt cut many other brand 100 watt amps, they are beastly amps with incredible punch and sustain.

LONG LIVE Plexis Best amp ever made.

 

[Greg_L]

Lol 100watt plexi ? Its at full power by about 4 or 5, after that its just distortion crunch.

My plexi 50 watt cut many other brand 100 watt amps, they are beastly amps with incredible punch and sustain.

LONG LIVE Plexis Best amp ever made.

I can't say they're the best amps ever made, but they sure do kick ass at doing what they do.

Mine seems to be full-on kill you loud somewhere around 2 on the channel volumes. I can't overstate how loud this thing is. Lol. It's truly insane. And the headroom...fuggeddaboutit. Pick light, do some light mutes, and it just plonks right along pretty cleanly. Then hit a big chord and BLAM! So awesome! I just dropped it off at the shop for it's checkout and if it's good to go he's gonna install a PPIMV.

 

[rayc]

Great clip Greg.
The thing I really enjoyed about seeing bands in the 70's & 80's was that chest thump thing from the bass, drums and loud amp. Feeling the music as well as hearing it.
In the end that's the reason for a real amp for me.
I hope you didn't drive the weiner dogs to distraction too badly.
Good idea to get it shop tested.
Wise man.

 

[Greg_L]

Great clip Greg.
The thing I really enjoyed about seeing bands in the 70's & 80's was that chest thump thing from the bass, drums and loud amp. Feeling the music as well as hearing it.
In the end that's the reason for a real amp for me.
I hope you didn't drive the weiner dogs to distraction too badly.
Good idea to get it shop tested.
Wise man.

Thanks Ray! My precious little wieners seem to be pretty cool with loud amps. Be it my amps, or sometimes I'll have some people over to record some tracks in my big entry way, the dogs don't care. The drums are what they truly hate. They hate the shit out of my drums. Anything percussive drives them mad. Drums, thunder, doors slamming, door knocks, etc. I can tell when UPS or FedEx gets here before they even knock. The dogs hear the big truck pull up and go crazy.

Like I posted earlier, I'm getting a PPIMV installed so I can use it at band practices/live. I don't play anywhere big enough to let that thing breathe wide open, and it will easily beat down some drums in a practice situation before it gets to the saturation I like, so after much research the PPIMV seems to be the best option for me. It can be bypassed if I ever want to go full-tilt. The guy doing the work (Steamboat Amps, here in Houston) builds amps from scratch every day and previously worked on my 2204. He seemed to be pretty excited to mess with it so I think it's good hands. He had a real 68 Plexi in his shop last week. I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe you might wanna do it to your Super Bass.

 

[minerman]

Had another listen to your clip Greg....man, I'm jealous as hell over here....to me, that amp sounds fuckin' great....I know it's loud as fuck though, 'cause if you say it's loud, then it's LOUD.....I hope it's a keeper when your tech guy tells you what's up with it, it'd be a bummer if something major was wrong with it dude, again, it sounds great...

It's been a pretty good year for me gear-wise, & it ain't done yet...Me & the Gerg are working out a deal on a G12T-75 so I'll have 3 different speakers for my ISO cab, we're trading my 16 ohm V30 for his 8 ohm V30 (so I can run the Greenback & V30 at the same time with either amp), & I'm gonna order a JOYO Hot Plexi pedal one day next week...slowly but surely, my little rig's coming right along guys.....

 

[Greg_L]

Had another listen to your clip Greg....man, I'm jealous as hell over here....to me, that amp sounds fuckin' great....I know it's loud as fuck though, 'cause if you say it's loud, then it's LOUD.....I hope it's a keeper when your tech guy tells you what's up with it, it'd be a bummer if something major was wrong with it dude, again, it sounds great...

Thanks dude. I think it's gonna be fine, and even if it needs a few tweaks here and there, I got it cheap enough to be worth it. I know it has Winged-C EL34 power tubes, but I didn't recognize the pre tubes. I need to figure out what they are. One of them might have been the stock Marshall tube, but the others appear to have been changed. I'm curious to know if they're some vintage things. I did notice two of the filter caps bulged a little on their tops. I pointed it out to the tech and he says it's nothing. It's just the plastic coating. The caps themselves are fine. The amp is quiet when it's not killing eardrums and all the pots are smooth and quiet and work in their full range. When I get it back we'll work on some "brown sound". Lol. I have no idea how to get there. The JVM gets pretty close if I ever want to go there, which really is never, but it'll be a fun exercise to try. I was listening to some old Free and Zep live stuff. Great Plexi tones there.

It's been a pretty good year for me gear-wise, & it ain't done yet...Me & the Gerg are working out a deal on a G12T-75 so I'll have 3 different speakers for my ISO cab, we're trading my 16 ohm V30 for his 8 ohm V30 (so I can run the Greenback & V30 at the same time with either amp), & I'm gonna order a JOYO Hot Plexi pedal one day next week...slowly but surely, my little rig's coming right along guys.....

Yeah we'll get it done. I think I'm gonna x-pattern two V30s with two G12T-75s in my B cab. That way I'll have V30s, Greenbacks, G12T-65s, and G12T-75s in the two big cabs. That's 4 good miking options and big live sounds. I'll figure out something for the 2x12 later.

 

[minerman]

Cool man, again no hurry, as I'm gonna wait on the bonus check next week....That'll give me 3 different options, & I might go ahead & order the WGS ET65 too... Definitely gonna order the JOYO pedal though, & really, for $45, even if it sucks, it's not that much to worry about....

 

[Greg_L]

Went on a pub crawl of sorts today, but instead of pubs, it was music stores. 5 in all. Saw some cool stuff. This was not one of them...


Haha just kidding you EVH lovers. I look drunk in that pic. That's my "not impressed" face. But really, I can't do nuthin with a guitar like that. My buddy and lead guitarist in one of my bands ripped that bitch up for like an hour though while I talked good ol days with a Houston punk rock legend that works at the shop. Haven't seen him around in a few years.

But at another stop, I did see these bad boys tucked away in a corner....




That's two real-deal Super Leads; one's a 50w, one's a 100w. Both mid-70s I think. Big bucks. The best thing about them was that I was not interested in the least! My GAS is cured for now! This was the same store and same hidden corner where I found my JMP 2204. I think someone there is not really wanting to sell these amps. Sneaky!

Well, I can't say I wasn't interested. They were interesting. I just didn't want to buy either of them. Thank God.

Look at that cab. 1800 bucks for a fucking cab. Craziness!

Played a ton of LPs today. A few SGs. One Gretsch. A couple drum kits and I broke one of the fake crash cymbals on an e-kit. Don't tell no one. Nothing else though. The two guitars that really stood out to me were LP Customs. One was a new Silverburst Custom. Some people hate the Silverburst, but I think it's awesome. This guitar was solid as a rock and played like buttah. Led Zep riffs flew off that thing like I was Jimmy Page, but better looking. $2300. Pretty damn steep, but not bad for a brand new LP Custom. The other Custom was a wine red 1984 model. Also $2300. Had a little wear and tear, but to me it was really smooth. It needed a fret job, which I actually liked about it because I hate big ol jumbo frets. But my buddy didn't like it so much. My lead shredder buddy got along with a few Standards and Traditionals....a few Strats, and a few Super Strat shred wanker pointy jobbies. He played a lot of stuff and drew a crowd every time. I should have charged a cover to watch him play. He's like a human jukebox filled with 80s riffs and leads. He can't remember the songs we write, but he knows every note and bend of every Randy Rhoads solo ever written. Lol. He's awesome though. A great guy. We didn't mess with many amps. We pretty much only hunted down the best Marshalls everywhere we went and played through those. We both really like the new DSLs. We did play a Blackstar HT Club 50 through a full stack today. "Not impressed" face again. It wasn't bad, but it was pretty dull and generic. The DSL right next to it raped the Blackstar's anus into submission. Then we had pizza and went home. A good day.

 

[minerman]

Cool man, you know one of the EVH guitars was on "the list" before I decided on the LP, right??? The way I see it, I've already got a Strat, with a humbucker, all I'd need to do really is have a Floyd Rose put on it, & that'd be one of those EVH guitars, pretty much....I'm really glad I got the LP though...

The prices on the amps & cabs in the pics scare me dude...seriously, that's out-fuckin'-rageous IMO, but I know a lot of people pay that much for shit like that....Not that I wouldn't want any of 'em, I just can't fork out that kind of cash for an amp or cab....Wow...

Finally got the work week over, & I only worked 3 days this week, but I'm killed...Guess it's everything else that's going on besides work that's getting to me I dunno...

Your guitar-slingin' buddy sounds like me & him would get along really good....I used to have pretty good chops, but lost most of my "mojo" when I stopped playing for about 7 years...While I've been back at it for about 5 years now, it ain't the same dude, I can't do the licks/runs I hear in my head, my fingers won't do what I want like that anymore...I know I need to practice more, but really, don't have the time like I did when I was younger, & my priorities are waaaay different now.....We do like to eat here ya know...LOL...

Gonna grab a shower, eat a bite, & fire up the amp, been waitin' all fuckin' day to play the new guitar....Might post some clips....

One thing I've learned about the LP, is the volume & tone knobs can change the tone a lot more than my other guitars, very responsive to the vol/tone knobs man, love it!!!! Like I've said, I wish I'd just gotten a LP a long time ago, while I'll always love the 80's hair metal, & the guitars that go with it, I'd just about bet the LP is gonna become my main guitar.....I just love how it sounds, plays, feels, everything about it, to me is "right"....Glad I didn't get something that wouldn't have made me happy like the LP does....Just love the new guitar!!!! I think I'm gonna start making "duck faces" like Jimmy Page does while I'm playing...LOL....

Cool pics dude, I'm gonna have to strap on my leather jacket (which looks almost identical to yours btw), my new guitar, & have the old lady shoot some pics to show you guys just how fucking ugly I really am....

 

[Greg_L]

Cool man, you know one of the EVH guitars was on "the list" before I decided on the LP, right??? The way I see it, I've already got a Strat, with a humbucker, all I'd need to do really is have a Floyd Rose put on it, & that'd be one of those EVH guitars, pretty much....I'm really glad I got the LP though...

I don't get the super strats and pointy shred machines. I think I'm just simply not a good enough player to utilize the ergonomic features of those guitars maybe? I just don't find them that easy to play. They feel small and kind of weak to me. The super thin flat necks and massive frets. Light bodies. They're like toys. When I hold one, I don't feel like I have a musical instrument in my hands. It feels like a toy. My actual Strat doesn't really feel that way. It feels like a guitar. But Ibanez, Jacksons, and Charvels and stuff...I just don't get along with them. Really, for me, if it's about playing ease, the SG and Flying V are about as easy as it gets. I mean, there's no heel whatsoever on an SG. Every fret is simple to get to. I wonder why more shred guys don't use those. There's got to be something about Super Strats that I just don't understand...besides just looking kind of dated and hair-cheesy.

The prices on the amps & cabs in the pics scare me dude...seriously, that's out-fuckin'-rageous IMO, but I know a lot of people pay that much for shit like that....Not that I wouldn't want any of 'em, I just can't fork out that kind of cash for an amp or cab....Wow...

This shop notorious for their high prices, but they are negotiable. But that one that says "consignment" - that's the price. No haggling on consignments. The prices on those items are insane, but look around the net, that's what those vintage Marshall items are going for. In the 90s you couldn't give away a Marshall anything. Somewhere along the way into the early 2000s people realized how bad ass those old Marshalls actually were and prices started skyrocketing. Now here we are. That original 68 Plexi I mentioned earlier at my tech's shop? The guy paid 5 grand for it. 5 thousand motherfucking dollars for a 50 year old guitar amp. These things are entering investment territory. Who's gonna play them? They're gonna become like original 57 Les Pauls just sitting under someone's bed waiting to be re-sold for massive profit. Who's gonna drag an $1800 dollar vintage cab out to bar and club gigs? No one in their right mind. I wouldn't anyway. That's a fucking museum piece now, only to be played in a climate-controlled-smoke-free home or maybe taken to a studio for some recording. And maybe my ears just aren't refined enough, but does a $1800 vintage 70s 1960a cab really sound better than my $275 90s 1960a with my choice of speakers in it? I don't know. Maybe it does. But I bet it doesn't sound $1525 better.

Your guitar-slingin' buddy sounds like me & him would get along really good....I used to have pretty good chops, but lost most of my "mojo" when I stopped playing for about 7 years...While I've been back at it for about 5 years now, it ain't the same dude, I can't do the licks/runs I hear in my head, my fingers won't do what I want like that anymore...I know I need to practice more, but really, don't have the time like I did when I was younger, & my priorities are waaaay different now.....We do like to eat here ya know...LOL...

Yeah this guy is a guitar freak. Rip roaring leads are his thing. He's a child of the 80s. All he does is sit around and play guitar. It's pretty amazing to watch him go. I can't even begin to comprehend how he knows where to go when he's putting together a lead. He's not a big theory guy. He doesn't sit there and think "well this song is in A so I should use a lydian phrygian whatever scale". He's not like that. I can only assume that he knows so many famous leads from his guitar heroes that he just picks little pieces from them and puts it all together. When we're writing and recording, he might do 20 leads for the same song, all different, but all of them work. It's mind boggling. He hears things that he likes or dislikes in his own leads that I can't pick up on. I'm just like whatever man. Just pick the one you want on the song.

One thing I've learned about the LP, is the volume & tone knobs can change the tone a lot more than my other guitars, very responsive to the vol/tone knobs man, love it!!!! Like I've said, I wish I'd just gotten a LP a long time ago, while I'll always love the 80's hair metal, & the guitars that go with it, I'd just about bet the LP is gonna become my main guitar.....I just love how it sounds, plays, feels, everything about it, to me is "right"....Glad I didn't get something that wouldn't have made me happy like the LP does....Just love the new guitar!!!! I think I'm gonna start making "duck faces" like Jimmy Page does while I'm playing...LOL....

Yeah, from what I've heard from you, I think a LP suits your sound and style very well. You play a lot of riffy stuff. No super fast, not super technical, not super basic, but just good ol rock and roll riffs. Big beefy riffs. An LP is perfect for that. The Les Paul is the king of big beefy rock and roll riffs.

Cool pics dude, I'm gonna have to strap on my leather jacket (which looks almost identical to yours btw), my new guitar, & have the old lady shoot some pics to show you guys just how fucking ugly I really am....

Yes please.

 

[jonny deep]

The super thin flat necks and massive frets. Light bodies. They're like toys.

I wonder if it's to help men run around on stage in tight leather trousers, jumping up and down off monitors, night after night. Then again, I'm sure I used to watch Slash and co. do the same with Les Pauls and double-necked guitars!

 

[Greg_L]

I wonder if it's to help men run around on stage in tight leather trousers, jumping up and down off monitors, night after night. Then again, I'm sure I used to watch Slash and co. do the same with Les Pauls and double-necked guitars!

Lol. I can understand people not liking Les Pauls. They sound great but they're not very friendly to play. Even someone like Slash who is known only for playing a Les Paul...he has to hoist that bitch up on his leg to play his leads. Ace Frehley has big hands but he'd still grind the heel and neck joint down on his LPs. He was rich though. He could afford to turn his LPs into smoke machines and rocket launchers.

But those Strat bodied things....I guess the thin necks and mega-frets are good for ripping leads. That seems to be why most people like them. Like Yngwie. Pretty much no one shreds like that guy, and he uses scalloped necks. Jumbo frets aren't enough for him. He has his necks carved out between the frets. Wanker!

 

[Lt. Bob]

well .... the scalloped frets allow you to do string bends in a different way .... by simply pressing harder or softer on the strings.

I like the 24 fret access thing a lot but lately I'm finding it's not that much harder to play my 'paul as my Stinnett.
Yes, I actually do miss the extra couple of frets but as far as playing up high on the 'paul goes .... you just have to grip the guitar differently so you can reach around all that mass ... it's not that hard I find ....... I've never really liked pauls but I like them more now than I used to.

I used to play on an early Ibanez Artist which was simply a 'paul with the upper horn cutaway just like the bottom. Sounded great too ........ just another of the dozens of guitars I wish I had back.