Attenuators and EDs

[werdna]

I play classic rock on voicings 2 and 3 of the ED. I love the clean tone but I can't seem to get a dirty tone like a Marshall. The ED has a very bassy tone. It sounds pretty dark too. With another guitar in the line up running an Orange tiny terror, my ED doesn't cut through the mix. The tone I am after is basically slightly rodded Marshall, like Slash's AFD tone for example.

I have the tone controls set to midday.

I never turn the master up beyond 1.5 or 2, and I always play it on 45 watts.

I am running the amp on 8 ohms into a Mesa two speaker box.

Would it help if I ran an attenuator, played on 90 watts, and cranked the power tubes?

And/or should I run an overdrive pedal out front, say a Boss OD3?

Also should I switch to 16 ohms for better tone?

I would love to get the most out of this beautifully built amp. Heavy rockers, could you please give me your tips for great tone on this amp.

 

[ksms]

I run mine at just over 9:00 on the master on 90 watts. It's loud, but it's golden. I like it a ton, but I bought it because my Marshall was too bright. It's the perfect dark marshall sound for me. Never had a problem cutting through the mix. Turn it up.

Also, try turning the bass down below noon. The ED is unlike a lot of Mesa amps, but Mesas tend to be bassy in general. People coming from the Marshall world, where you run the bass from noon to pegged have a tough time psychologically getting used to running it in the 9:00 to noon range, but that's often what you've got to do. Try turning down the bass, turning up the mid & treb and turning up the volume overall.

Last, I'd look at your cabinet. If it's a closed 2x12 with C90s I'd look into something else. Personally, I love my open back 1x12 combo with C90, but again, I like a darker tone, and the C90 is better with open back. If your 2x12 Mesa Cab isn't v30's, I suggest you look into something that is. Mesa cabinets also are voiced darker than Marshall cabs. See what happens if you plug your ED into a Marshall Cab.

I don't think 16 ohm will make that much difference in tone. That's more a feel thing, but I could barely tell on my Marshall and I doubt I'd be able to tell at all on the Mesa because of how overbuilt the transformers are.

I don't think a pedal out front will help. The ED pretty much always sounds like the ED, no matter what pedal I put in front.

 

[YellowJacket]

This is definitely a dark amp but it is also a very loud sounding amp!

To brighten it up:
1) Play with the treble. As you turn it up, it will tighten and brighten the tone of the amp. Go for a brighter but still a balanced tone. If it is not bright enough yet, don't worry.

2) Adjust the mids. As the mids go up, the low treble will increase and the amp will start to become more urgent and aggressive. Use this to increase the aggression, punch, and cut of rhythm tones.

3) If things are still too boomy, drop the bass.

4) Add the final shimmer by turning up the presence. This unclamps the power section and gives more highs with a more aggressive and modern sound.

Oh, a Tiny Terror should have NO chance against this behemoth. Just turn up. If you turn to 90watts and turn up, you can easily out muscle the Tiny Terror.

Oh, if you want the really BRIGHT marshall tone and dialing in an Electra Dyne can't do it for you, look into a Stiletto Deuce. Even though they have been discontinued, they can be had for a reasonable sum on the used market.

There is also the Royal Atlantic which is currently in production. It is built off of an EL34 platform and has two channels instead of one, as well as a built in mode assignable power attenuator. It also has volume and master controls for each mode.

 

[ksms]

You could put EL34s in your ED, which would give you a less deep bottom end.

Also, by running in 45 watt mode, you only have the Class A(ish) side of the Simul-Class power amp engaged. The 90 watt mode engages the 2 outside tubes, which are biased more like a class AB Marshall.

I doubt an attenuator would make a noticeable difference over the master vol. Generally, Mesas don't push the power section of the amp the same way a Marshall does when cranked. They rely a lot more on the preamp gain stages for their crunch.

 

[YellowJacket]

I doubt an attenuator would make a noticeable difference over the master vol. Generally, Mesas don't push the power section of the amp the same way a Marshall does when cranked. They rely a lot more on the preamp gain stages for their crunch.

Really? Apparently the Electra Dyne starts to get brighter once the power section starts to clip. I've heard that 45watt mode is great for this, but it means you get some dirt in the clean mode.

I've personally never had it up that loud to check! I happen to like the sound of the preamp so if I need more headroom, I use 90watts.

 

[werdna]

The people who answered my question are an impressive source of ED information. Thank you.

 

[JOEY B.]

I doubt an attenuator would make a noticeable difference over the master vol. Generally, Mesas don't push the power section of the amp the same way a Marshall does when cranked. They rely a lot more on the preamp gain stages for their crunch.

Really? Apparently the Electra Dyne starts to get brighter once the power section starts to clip. I've heard that 45watt mode is great for this, but it means you get some dirt in the clean mode.

I've personally never had it up that loud to check! I happen to like the sound of the preamp so if I need more headroom, I use 90watts.

I ran a Hot Plate with the ED and EL-34's for a while. It could get you close to the modded Marshall sound, but the clean channel suffered badly. I now own a Royal Atlantic.

 

[screamingdaisy]

The ED is the one Mesa that I've used that really pushes it's power section in a noticeable way. Once you get the master volume up into the 10:00 to 3:00 range the character of the amp really shifts.

But, as mentioned the clean channel becomes a crunch channel.

 

[JOEY B.]

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=50304