Your next amp

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Hi Dean,
force feed it some Love Squeeze !
But keep it clean ...
Lol,
susiwong

LOL I shall do for sure, Maybe even an excuse to get a 'character' compressor somewhere down the line or rather any excuse

Emulated cab hun?

Glad you enjoyed mate it as i have had it a while now. Yes indeed on that one all the guitar parts are using just the emulated speaker output, I would probably use some good mic'd cab IRs but i did it to demonstrate that it is perfectly useable plus the difference of the 1x12" and 4x12" settings as the difference is certainly thier (do not know how complex or even how simple the circuit is), It would be good probably along with using the FX Loop send to mix/blend with the IR cab options Also wanted to show how the Infinite Shape Feature at either extremes changes the character quite alot (then you have everything inbetween). I susspose having the ISF control flat/at noon is the 'Blackstar' sound/voicing

Now where's the rest of the CD? I like it a lot , though in your eyes it might be as close to a Chris Isaak ballad as you'll ever get...

Glad you liked that also plus I do have a sort of melodic and restrained side, I don't use it often as it feels less natural However that is/was to demonstrate the amp which my own regular approach might (or WON'T) be as suitable. The rest of the CD? Stranger things have happened

Cheers

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I think it is a good idea David, Gives best of both worlds for me and 'feels' right Have any particular things in mind? As im sure one of us could offer suggestions

All the best

Dean

[davidka]

Any good amp I'll like. Whatever I'll have money for.

But that's a little far away right now. When I'll assemble my new studio with monitors in it, from now on, I'm going to consider this option however.
My opinion is that during a practice session, the only things which need to be in front of you are the amplifier and your pedals. Having real knobs alone turns the tweaking process into a dream, not mentioning that I won't feel the constant need of searching for better emulations.

However, the funny thing that I'm afraid of is, that by the time I'll have money for hardware gear, software won't have any drawbacks compared to them:)

[Hink]

*cough* Frenzel *cough* *cough* ahhh ahhh ahhh two-watt

[davidka]

Now that's a cool stuff! My current setup is consisting of a Le456, Hybrit, and a Simulanalog Fender. This Frenzel thingie would certainly cover everything what I'd possibly want with the M and F sound

$200? Wish I had a real job, that's a pretty reasonable price, even with intl shipping...

[Monib]

Monib - go for the HT-5H its 5-watts, Has a full tone stack plus the ISF control. I love mine and its alot more versatile than the HT-1(R) if you want my opinion but yeah still the one watter is pretty sick

Anyway i have been trying the quarter-life crisis aka 7ender HotRod Deluxe 1x12" with pedals for the first time. It loves my Whampler Pinnacle II, Klone Centaur and on a clean setting fairs not bad with some of the outright high-gain distortion pedals. It does not work with any of my Ibanez/Maxon TS/OD 808s/9s nor Digitech CM-2 (a TS 808/9 in one box basically). I likes also my MXR/Dunlop hendrix system Octave Fuzz with highest gain settings for vile sludge and my modded Boss DS-1 that is also another vile amp mangler...Plenty more boxes to go. Not really surprised with the results so far

Nice one, All the best

Dean

I actually found a 5H to play, and that thing got loud. It was the twin stack, but only 1 cab plugged in. I don't think it was still apartment friendly. Maybe when I move into a house I'll get it. Besides the reverb heads aren't available to try out here yet.

You think the Pod would ruin the tone of the amp, if I used the FX loops?

[Hink]

Monib - go for the HT-5H its 5-watts, Has a full tone stack plus the ISF control. I love mine and its alot more versatile than the HT-1(R) if you want my opinion but yeah still the one watter is pretty sick

Anyway i have been trying the quarter-life crisis aka 7ender HotRod Deluxe 1x12" with pedals for the first time. It loves my Whampler Pinnacle II, Klone Centaur and on a clean setting fairs not bad with some of the outright high-gain distortion pedals. It does not work with any of my Ibanez/Maxon TS/OD 808s/9s nor Digitech CM-2 (a TS 808/9 in one box basically). I likes also my MXR/Dunlop hendrix system Octave Fuzz with highest gain settings for vile sludge and my modded Boss DS-1 that is also another vile amp mangler...Plenty more boxes to go. Not really surprised with the results so far

Nice one, All the best

Dean

I actually found a 5H to play, and that thing got loud. It was the twin stack, but only 1 cab plugged in. I don't think it was still apartment friendly. Maybe when I move into a house I'll get it. Besides the reverb heads aren't available to try out here yet.

You think the Pod would ruin the tone of the amp, if I used the FX loops?

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

or the Eminence speakers both Dean and Trimph were talking about, I have the two waat Frenzel and as I said I still use the Weber Mini Mass with it. When looking at tube amps remember 100 watts is not twice as loud as 50 watts (in fact the is little perceived difference in volume) a 50 watt amp is twice as loud as a 5 watt amp.

A good attenuator is your friend, the Webers use a speaker motor instead of resistors which will help preserve tube life and gives a more natural feel. Unfortunately they are custom made in the U.S. just like the Frenzels but there are other attenuators the work well too

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Monib not at all, Using the Line 6 POD in the FX Loop for your FX should sound/work just fine plus the POD has onboard EQ options so you could also when not having any effects engaged still change the amps sound with the POD's EQ setup to taste or tastes giving you even more sound options. Although it will only affect the power-amp i sometimes use an EQ in my amp's FX Loop (it has to be a series FX Loop as a parallel one is useless for EQ of course) to give them different characteristics. So it would not negate the POD and still no reason you couldn't use infront of the amp either...etc.

I think some people will always say that using anything in the FX Loop will make an amp sound 'worse' but meh to them, Do what you like and if the results work for you then go with them

@Frentzel - I would no doubt pick one up if i lived the other side of the atlantic but i do not so with the added cost it would add up to more than i would want to pay Still up for some clips John if you would mate as i would like to hear your's man, The way you use it and in good quality (I would trust your demo sounds) As and when my friend

[Hink]

...I keep starting too many new things, however now that my POD xt live is out of my studio (in my living room hooked up to a Bose Acoustic Wave ) my ABY switch is hooked up for input switching or using both inputs at once with the Frenzel. I often find these little things that companies advertise as 'cool' are really just more fluff than anything else but in this case both inputs together is a very different tone.

BTW when I wrote the cough/sneeze post my wife asked what I posted (it looked funny to her from her chair but she couldn't read it) so I read it to her but did a fake sneeze when I said "two watt".

She was shocked and asked why I would say that to someone and then I realized what she heard and I said "two watt, two watt, not ____"

[susiwong]

I think some people will always say that using anything in the FX Loop will make an amp sound 'worse' but meh to them,

This certainly isn't true for well designed and matched gear, but even some very expensive legends have useless loops (Dumbles are notorious for that, hence the Dumbleator).
Another common issue with loops is correct level/impedance matching, compare this thread for a detailed example :
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 39#4522239
Ymmv,
susiwong

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I could take it anyway dude and see the funny side man. A New England to Olde England Transatlantic humour shared

Ala: Dean i am affraid that you and your Shitstar amp thing is nothing compared to my Twatt Frentzel Custom Build Amp dude

susiwong - Oh yes in such cases i did not take in to account/presumed the amp in question would be either a set level FX Loop or switchable from -10db to +5db. Thanks for bringing that one up as one or two of yours require the kleinulator yes?

Dean

[susiwong]

susiwong - Oh yes in such cases i did not take in to account/presumed the amp in question would be either a set level FX Loop or switchable from -10db to +5db. Thanks for bringing that one up as one or two of yours require the kleinulator yes?

Right, my Peavey does, but that should not matter to many others as it's not a real loop, just a custom made insert point between pre- and poweramp.
JCM 800s/900s for example neither work well with pedals nor with 19" gear in the loop, and even many expensive boutique designs are unusable without external buffering.
The good news however: most current affordable/mainstream amps I've seen lately featured quite usable loops.
Obsessing about half a dB here or there in a tube amp is questionable anyway imho.
So for the most part I certainly agree.
The real tonal differences can't be measured so easily as they are of dynamic nature.
Just my view, ymmcv,
susiwong

[Dean Aka Nekro]

susiwong - Oh yes in such cases i did not take in to account/presumed the amp in question would be either a set level FX Loop or switchable from -10db to +5db. Thanks for bringing that one up as one or two of yours require the kleinulator yes?

Right, my Peavey does, but that should not matter to many others as it's not a real loop, just a custom made insert point between pre- and poweramp.
JCM 800s/900s for example neither work well with pedals nor with 19" gear in the loop, and even many expensive boutique designs are unusable without external buffering.
The good news however: most current affordable/mainstream amps I've seen lately featured quite usable loops.
Obsessing about half a dB here or there in a tube amp is questionable anyway imho.
So for the most part I certainly agree.
The real tonal differences can't be measured so easily as they are of dynamic nature.
Just my view, ymmcv,
susiwong

Actually i agree with the last part and wish that any/all amps with an FX Loop ideally should have them fully bypassable as an option so that the user can choose to switch them in and out of the path if needed, preferably via footswitch. The way Bugera implement the FX Loop on thier amps is good/covers alot of what i would want/like but i don't know/doubt they are bypassed totally when switched out. Also if you use a patch cable to jump from send to return via the level control you get a variable boost or attenuation which is also a nice touch. Especially for the price

Dean

[susiwong]

Also if you use a patch cable to jump from send to return via the level control you get a variable boost or attenuation which is also a nice touch. Especially for the price

If that boost effect disappears when bypassing the loop it is a good indication that the loop's influence is completely eliminated then - my Steavens works that way, even remote switchable, via relays I believe.
Still, those FX loop buffers are no black magic by any means, but they are a cost factor, and thus were often avoided.
Fortunately that seems to have changed for the most part.

Let's not forget the other half of the issues, the converter quality of the 19" FX plugged into the loop.
Rocktron's Intellifex line had a great feature that allowed you to keep the direct signal analog all the way, only using the dubious converters of the day for the FX, including a built-in VCA based analog line mixer. Not 100% transparent either, a big step forward nevertheless.
Others, like the great Roland RSP-550 or my Korg 8000 delay, just like a few upmarket analog Behringer processors had true bypass via relays, easily identifiable by the clicking noise.

All that said, the best way is still using a wet-dry-wet setup, if you have roadies and decent stages, that is.

Ymmv,
susiwong

[Hink]

I could take it anyway dude and see the funny side man. A New England to Olde England Transatlantic humour shared

Ala: Dean i am affraid that you and your Shitstar amp thing is nothing compared to my Twatt Frentzel Custom Build Amp dude

susiwong - Oh yes in such cases i did not take in to account/presumed the amp in question would be either a set level FX Loop or switchable from -10db to +5db. Thanks for bringing that one up as one or two of yours require the kleinulator yes?

Dean

if I didn't have a 15 year old daughter around and was hanging out with the 'guys' the Frenzel might have a new name...

Imagine that conversation, "Hey Hink, how does your ____ sound?"