The New Tone Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Telegram Sam
  • Start date Start date
Greg_L said:
Fuck it, I'm going solid state.
Click to expand...

lol ...... no you're not!
:laughings:

I have had a few S.S. amps that were decent actually although they were far enough in the past that I don't know how I'd react to them nowadays ...... I'm a better player with changing tastes in what I want outta an amp.
For me versatility is a prime requirement BUT, I can get that out of my pedalboard.
So while I like my Mark V, lately the git gigs w/bands I've been doing have found me using my Mesa Blue Angel which is a single channel amp ..... doesn't even have a master volume.
I also use my Ampeg Reverbrocket some.
The main thing that skeers me about my Marshall is that I do think it's unreliable and I don't want to be playing some important gig and suddenly I gots no amp.
I always have something else in the truck but it's a PIA right in the middle of a gig.
Doesn't make you look like the professional guy I always try to fool people into thinking I am!
 
Lol. I despise solid state amps. All of them. A few years ago I was in a band with a guy that used pointy metal shred guitars and wanky 80's super-strats into a Jazz Chorus with some digital rack thing out front, and then he switched to a SS Randall halfstack. Neither sounded good at all. The other guitarist used an SG or LP into a modded JCM 800 - no pedals. Naturally the difference was night and day. Fuck, it was even further than that. It was like heaven and hell. It was like having sex with the hottest chick you can imagine vs licking the bunghole of an obese crack whore that hasn't bathed in 2 weeks. The Randal halfstack guy would literally crank his shit to keep up with the JCM 800 and at that point he was a mushy mess of fizz. It was pitifully hilarious. The SS guy sounded thin, and weak, and he couldn't cut through no matter what he did, and he routinely got angry about not being heard. The Marshall guy's sound was big and natural and effortless. We'd play gigs and people would naturally gravitate to his side of the stage because frankly it just simply sounded better. Lol. Tubes man. Tube amps are all that matters.
 
A note of difference (you know I gotta, El Tee). Original series Vox Valvetronix. They do use a 12ax7 tube for the emulations - all the "models" reswitch the circuitry to and thru it - but the power end is all SS. No, it's not a Marshall or a tube Vox or anything else and it would not be my first choice for recording but I was surprised at how good they can sound. Great for gigging as I've said many times before. Of course they stopped fuckin' making them... :mad:
 
Here's some vol knob crap. Just fucking around with the LP. Same amp setting, rolling guitar vol. 2 > 5 > 7 > 10. It starts out pretty quiet.



Les Paul Burstbucker 3 bridge p/u > JCM900 > 1960a Greenback > SM57 on-axis couple inches off-center, one inch back.

Pres - 4
Bass - 7
Mid - 3
Treb - 5
Gain - 7
Vol - 6
 
Lt. Bob said:
It's a 1992 30th Anniversary 6101 combo in the blue tolex with the 200 watt EV speaker. They only did that speaker and the blue tolex one year.
It sounds pretty good but it's unreliable.

I don't worry 'bout my stuff getting stolen at gigs because if it did that would mean they killed me since I'm usually at any gig my stuff is at!
:D
Click to expand...

Agreed... someone stole my first Fredric Effects Demon Fuzz...I was pissed...so I bought rack cases and pedal cases in ugly bright pink..lol everyone always says yuck! plus all my gear is marked in secret areas. And I don't let my stuff out of my sight!
 
In the early '90s, our bass player was a self-employed electrician. As we played a gig and nearly got in a fight with some of the attendees, someone (one of them?), ripped off *all* his tools from his truck out back.

I've had pedals walk off. I think. Maybe I gave them away.
 
antichef said:
In the early '90s, our bass player was a self-employed electrician. As we played a gig and nearly got in a fight with some of the attendees, someone (one of them?), ripped off *all* his tools from his truck out back.

I've had pedals walk off. I think. Maybe I gave them away.
Click to expand...

Man, good ol days. Houston in the early 90's was a good time. The Axiom, Emos, Numbers, Royal Jelly, Laveaus, The Vatican, Rudyards, Fitz, Pik-n-Pak. Gooood times.
 
antichef said:
In the early '90s, our bass player was a self-employed electrician. As we played a gig and nearly got in a fight with some of the attendees, someone (one of them?), ripped off *all* his tools from his truck out back.

I've had pedals walk off. I think. Maybe I gave them away.
Click to expand...

I hear ya.... I took electronics in school....at a gig, at The Alrosa Villa here in Columbus Ohio, (where DimeBag Darrel was killed) and while we played someone stole my soldering equipment and other tools!
 
Do any of you guys use attenuators with your amps to get the power tubes working at reasonable volumes?

I'm asking because I recently purchased a Marshall Class 5 combo and a Marshall JCM2000/DSL100 head and 4x12 cab. It's been really cool comparing the two (even though it's mostly apples to oranges), but the coolest thing I've heard recently from either of them is when I put the speaker output of the Class 5 into the 4x12 and then dimed the amp. Holy moly. Up until I did that I was actually thinking that I might sell or trade the Class 5, because it's a one trick pony, but man...that cranked tone through the big cab...just wow. It's not a modern high gain sound, but for rock and blues...hell yeah.

Now I'm wondering if I could possibly achieve the same thing with the DSL100 using an attenuator, and I have a buddy who is willing to give me a great deal on a THD hot plate. I'm thinking of lots of possible issues with that scenario though, so just wondering what you guys think? I've never cranked the DSL100, so maybe I should just man up and start there...lol.

The Class 5 is sweet though...and it's really loud, especially through the 4x12...loud enough to hold its own in practice two nights ago with my drummer. No clean sounds, but I honestly think I might just learn to live without clean. This is rock and roll, after all :guitar: And...even if it won't serve for live action, I think it will make some really tasty recordings.

Anyhoo...I'd love to hear any thoughts on attenuators.

Best,
 
I say try it. My experience with DSL's is that it's a more modern amp with a lot of emphasis on the pre-amp stage. Cranking it to ten isn't necessary like an old non master volume amp. But try it and see.
 
Attenuators suck a little life out but not much with the good ones. Remember that an important part of distortion comes from maxed-out speakers. You lose that when you take power away. I have a re-issue 50-watt Plexi and a THD 16 ohm Hot Plate. I can get decent tones at lower (not quiet lol) volumes with the plate but there is definitely something missing when I use the plate. I have Greenbacks in an Egnater Tour 4x12 cab but to record (or even just play) that combination without attenuation I have to put the cab in another room. Brutal loud.
 
Yup. If you're using an attenuator to get a cranked 100w amp down to bedroom levels, you're not gonna be happy. Neither will the amp. They're great for shaving a few db to get to like small club gig levels, but that's about it before the tone killing starts to happen.
 
nasticanasta said:
I hear ya.... I took electronics in school....at a gig, at The Alrosa Villa here in Columbus Ohio, (where DimeBag Darrel was killed) and while we played someone stole my soldering equipment and other tools!
Click to expand...
Better than getting shot, I suppose


WRT attenuation - I have luck attenuating small amps, like 5-15 watts, which sorta defeats the purpose, I guess, but I've never been happy (only scared) with the bigger ones. Maybe I don't have the right attenuator - they're not all created equal.
 
I used an attenuator with my Marshall Superbass MkII. It didn't help as a) the amp doesn't get THAT tone any any volume and b) my amp tech informed me that Older marshalls don't like attenuators - they may not do damage he said but they may.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top