Author Topic: Crankin' Amplifiers (Read 2433 times)

nicosci · « **on:** January 19, 2007, 07:48:27 PM »

We know we can get that powerful, sustained, fat and unsaturated tone from only a guitar and a cranked amp. Don't forget the pickin' attack too. However, we can't achieve that in bedroom volumes. I've tried it with my 30 watt or so Fender amp and I couldn't stand the sheer volume that's blasting out our house. I feel the neighbors would kill me. Do yall know some solutions? So I've read about that Hotplate thing. Is that possible on all kinds of amps? Does it have to be a tube amp? What is it exactly by the way? Who does that for us?

How else can we achive that genuine breakup tone without cheating with an Overdrive pedal?

Any other ideas about Cranked Amps would be great. Thanks

Chum · « **Reply #1 on:** January 19, 2007, 09:03:44 PM »

Hola Nico...

Does your Amp have a master volume? See, that's the problem with the older vintage amps, like Fender Blackface amps and older Marshalls, they do not have a master volume, as compared to the silverface amps... To get a nice overdriven tone, you have to crank up the volume of the thing, and a 30 watt amp can get real loud with the volume on 2 or 3.

I have a Fender Quad Reverb (silverface), which is a hundred watt animal, but i can crank it up because it has a master volume on it.... So, sometimes i do the Albert Collins setting, which is 0 Bass, 10 mid, 10 treble, and about 5 or 6 reverb, but on my master volume, 1 or slightly near 2...... glorious sounding, that setting, but with the master volume, i can set just right for bedroom playing

.....

I also have read that a Hotplate or an attenuator (tama ba yun?) may be the answer for non-master volume amps..... Any thoughts, guys? where are they available here in the Philippines?

Chum

ussfdoc · « **Reply #2 on:** January 19, 2007, 09:20:22 PM »

Hey try a Peavey Valveking 112. It's all tube, 50 watts and class A and B or in between. You can put it on class A and get some really really good sounds at bedroom volume. Turn it to class B and you can rock a stadium if you mike it into a sound system.

Very versatile amp.

Bart · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2007, 12:52:37 AM »

Quote from: nicosci on January 19, 2007, 07:48:27 PM

So I've read about that Hotplate thing. Is that possible on all kinds of amps?

A Hotplate is an attenuator. And yes, as long as the speaker/amp is of the same impedance (e.g. 8 ohm) as that of the attenuator, it is possible for all amps. All you have to buy or make is a couple of speaker cable adapter/harness that create a connection from the amp to the attenuator then the attenuator to the speaker.
Weber MASS and MiniMASS are also good attenuator choices. Actually a lot of people prefer it over the Hotplate because it's cheaper and sounds better. I just got my MiniMASS yesterday. Check them here:

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

A tube amp has to be on five or past five to really start to soak the tubes.

ganjie · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2007, 12:57:25 AM »

i'm having the same problem with my amps..

anyone in for an attenuator group buy???

mahavishnu · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2007, 01:05:08 AM »

wow look at this thing!

pallas · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2007, 01:28:35 AM »

Its either you crank it, put a pedal in front of it or you dont.
I dont like power soaks.

Targa_midbass · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2007, 01:47:00 AM »

a lotta people use attentuators. ganun ba talaga kalakas ang tube amps? kahit sobrang lakas tumugtog ng drummer nakakahiya pa rin ba isagad?

Phil · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2007, 06:06:19 AM »

ATTENUTORS ARE ONLY USED FOR TUBE AMPS.

....for solid state amps..what you have at .75 volume is what you get at volume 10.

titser_marco · « **Reply #9 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:16:36 AM »

I dunno, but my SF Bassman Ten sounds at its best when dimed - yes, including the master volume. I think I like speaker breakup from a tube amp and I just cant seem to get that type of rude type of OD when I crank one channel and leave the the master at say, 3.

greasykid · « **Reply #10 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:54:23 AM »

Nyahahaha! Swerte mo titser_marco! Yung SFTR ko kahit naka-10 ang volume sobrang linis pa rin! Kailangan talaga ng dirt pedal sa harap kung kailangan ng crunch or overdriven tone.

Di naman master volume model kaya hindi naman siguro ito yung ultra-linear master volume na ayaw na ayaw ng maraming gitarista.

nicosci · « **Reply #11 on:** January 20, 2007, 01:18:12 PM »

Yup, I have a master volume knob. I dont think we should tweak the gain knob on our amps. that would be cheating again.

I use only the master volume in the clean channel to crank it up. Treble 2, Mid Max, Bass Max, TS808 level is max, overdrive 0, tone at 12 o'clock, Turn DOWN the volume through the ZOOM 505 and get a nice big "concert on a bedroom" tone.

I came up with this last night.

mahavishnu · « **Reply #12 on:** January 20, 2007, 02:01:01 PM »

how about changing the tubes of drive channel? is that cheating as well? what if you change it with a high gain ECC83S/12ax7?

Phil · « **Reply #13 on:** January 20, 2007, 02:48:15 PM »

Quote from: mahavishnu on January 20, 2007, 02:01:01 PM

how about changing the tubes of drive channel? is that cheating as well? what if you change it with a high gain ECC83S/12ax7?

try it...I did it. It gave me a wee bit of gain.....changing are really really small changes in your sound.
But after a few months ...the tube crapped out on me.

mahavishnu · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2007, 04:11:43 PM »

im a bit tone deaf. so i guess wee bit for you would be zero improvement to me

Phil · « **Reply #15 on:** January 20, 2007, 05:14:31 PM »

Quote from: mahavishnu on January 20, 2007, 04:11:43 PM

im a bit tone deaf. so i guess wee bit for you would be zero improvement to me

....if you talk about the JJ ECC83OS...parang may sonic maximizer na kinabit sa effects loop mo all the time.....and if you want to warm up the amp....Mullards are the way to go.

...these tubes...makes a difference in tone...base on my experience....the high gain tube thing....doesn't do for me....waste of money.....if you want high gain...just boost the gain...simple.

buliwyf · « **Reply #16 on:** January 20, 2007, 11:09:45 PM »

saturating the power tubes will actually make the tone "softer" and more compressed. adding more gain will just add compression. this means mawawala ang "spank" sa tunog. this is especially true if your amp's got a low wattage "vintage-voiced" speaker.

mahavishnu · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2007, 07:37:08 PM »

Quote from: Phil on January 20, 2007, 05:14:31 PM

Quote from: mahavishnu on January 20, 2007, 04:11:43 PM
im a bit tone deaf. so i guess wee bit for you would be zero improvement to me
....if you talk about the JJ ECC83OS...parang may sonic maximizer na kinabit sa effects loop mo all the time.....and if you want to warm up the amp....Mullards are the way to go.

...these tubes...makes a difference in tone...base on my experience....the high gain tube thing....doesn't do for me....waste of money.....if you want high gain...just boost the gain...simple.

thnx for the advice! last time i came across mullards,, theyre 12AU7.. not 12AX7..didnt bother to try.

oasgomez-is-banned · « **Reply #18 on:** January 21, 2007, 08:25:45 PM »

get either a diezel herbert or one of those boutique copies of a Fender Champ... or do what I am into lately...

boutique overdrive pedals that are so subtle chained with a modded TS9 into a loud Marshall Super Lead na 1972. Surprisingly or maybe lucky lang ako, the low mater volume setting of this Marshall seems to already punch at manageable volume with these pedals.

I used to think that powertube saturation is superior but then I noticed that you could generate different degrees and characteristics for overdrive and distortion by varying and combining pickup output/volume, pedal, preamp, power amp and speaker cone distortion. Wala ako masabi na superior kasi they are all fun... take note fun at hindi ko sinabi kanya kanya.

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Author Topic: Crankin' Amplifiers (Read 2433 times)