Edge Mode Eludes

[ctc]

I cannot seem to figure out how to get a good sound out of the Edge mode of channel 2. It's hard to explain, but in addition to the underlying tone, a second equally loud "sour" tone spoils both single note soloing and chording sounds. This is more pronounced when my guitars push-pull volume knob is set to select the single coil of my split-coil Dimarzio Super Distortion pickup, but this also occurs when both coils are selected. If I set the gain and tone controls to 10:00 and below the sour tone is minimized but the underlying tone is weak and thin. Any suggestions?

 

[Tucker44]

I thought edge mode was thin too at first but when I raised the bass to almost 12 it really filled in. To me edge mode shines best in band situations. It cuts thru really well. I run my gain at 12 too. I have discovered that by lowering the wattage when I play alone sounds pretty good. Good luck

 

[satch4u3]

I find that when I switch from Crunch to Edge, all I need to do is dial in more bass to get a very usable tone.

 

[svbassist]

Maybe this will help, this is what i've found on my amp-Using Recto-2x12:

As far as channel 2 goes you have Edge(supposed to be like a Vox) Crunch(Marshall) and Mark 1 setting. I could never get the Edge or the Mark 1 to sound that good. But last night I was going to sit down and see what I could do to make it useable. I took all of the channel EQ out all the way down to 0, I was only using my Gain, Volume, and Presence Control, I took the sliders out and was only using the preset sign wave control, at this point my controls were as follows:

Gain=1:30, Volume=12’oclock, Presents=2:00, Trebel=0, Mid=0, Bass=0, Preset Eq=2:30, Master Volume=10:30

My channel 2 now sounds exactly like a vox! Not a totally cranked vox but one that is being pushed very nicely. So I was wondering what my crunch channel sounds like in this setting since I use that one the most, so when I flipped the switch down, there was nothing, barely a hint of me playing…I thought to myself this is weird, so when I went to adjust the tone controls on the channel itself that is when the volume kicked back in and the channel was working.

So what did I find out? That the reason that my Crunch channel sounds so good and my Edge and Mark 1 sounds so bad is that the signal path used for those 2 doesn’t require you to use the Tone controls on the channel for these two voices. If you add EQ to the channel it makes them sound overly mushy and overall bad. Maybe this is a design flaw or maybe it is genius. Either way it’s pretty cool to know how to EQ the channel now so I can actually use those settings.

 

[Vogelsong]

Maybe this will help, this is what i've found on my amp-Using Recto-2x12:

As far as channel 2 goes you have Edge(supposed to be like a Vox) Crunch(Marshall) and Mark 1 setting. I could never get the Edge or the Mark 1 to sound that good. But last night I was going to sit down and see what I could do to make it useable. I took all of the channel EQ out all the way down to 0, I was only using my Gain, Volume, and Presence Control, I took the sliders out and was only using the preset sign wave control, at this point my controls were as follows:

Gain=1:30, Volume=12’oclock, Presents=2:00, Trebel=0, Mid=0, Bass=0, Preset Eq=2:30, Master Volume=10:30

My channel 2 now sounds exactly like a vox! Not a totally cranked vox but one that is being pushed very nicely. So I was wondering what my crunch channel sounds like in this setting since I use that one the most, so when I flipped the switch down, there was nothing, barely a hint of me playing…I thought to myself this is weird, so when I went to adjust the tone controls on the channel itself that is when the volume kicked back in and the channel was working.

So what did I find out? That the reason that my Crunch channel sounds so good and my Edge and Mark 1 sounds so bad is that the signal path used for those 2 doesn’t require you to use the Tone controls on the channel for these two voices. If you add EQ to the channel it makes them sound overly mushy and overall bad. Maybe this is a design flaw or maybe it is genius. Either way it’s pretty cool to know how to EQ the channel now so I can actually use those settings.

And probably the reason I gravitated toward crunch myself. Im gonna have to try this, did you try it on Mark 1 also?

 

[gag halfrunt]

I cannot seem to figure out how to get a good sound out of the Edge mode of channel 2. It's hard to explain, but in addition to the underlying tone, a second equally loud "sour" tone spoils both single note soloing and chording sounds. This is more pronounced when my guitars push-pull volume knob is set to select the single coil of my split-coil Dimarzio Super Distortion pickup, but this also occurs when both coils are selected. If I set the gain and tone controls to 10:00 and below the sour tone is minimized but the underlying tone is weak and thin. Any suggestions?

What you're describing could be cone cry from your speaker(s). What kind are you using? Vintage 30s are known for cone cry, but it can happen to other speakers as well.

 

[ctc]

My cabinet is a rectifier, so the speakers are v30's. But what is cone cry? It happens at volumes so low that I could carry on a normal conversation while playing.

 

[gag halfrunt]

My cabinet is a rectifier, so the speakers are v30's. But what is cone cry? It happens at volumes so low that I could carry on a normal conversation while playing.

Cone cry is caused when you hear the speaker cone resonating at its natural frequency, regardless of the notes you play.

Without getting too much into the physics, every thing has a resonant frequency that it vibrates at. Remember the fad of a woman singing a certain note and breaking a wine glass? She was trying to get the glass to vibrate internally at its natural resonant frequency, just by the application of the sound waves from her voice (in this case, mechanical energy).

Given the proper mechanical or electrical stimulus, the vibrations will be audible, assuming the item isn't destroyed in the process (i.e. something brittle like the wine glass). Speaker cones are no exception. Speaker manufacturers use a combination of a tight spider, along with spreading that damping goo along the edge of the cone to control the speaker's natural tendency to resonate. Any time you send a signal to any speaker, it is resonating at its natural frequency. However, because of the damping, you usually don't hear it. With some guitar speakers, you tend to notice it more on the higher notes (and on the unwound strings) for two reasons: 1) because they are pushing the voice coil harder than a note played lower; and 2) you are playing far enough above the speaker's resonant frequency to actually hear it. Naturally, the louder you play, the more the speaker will want to naturally resonate.

The reason Vintage 30s are so popular is precisely because the spider is loose, and there is minimal damping on the cone's edge. This looseness allows the cone to be more flexible, and to distort easier. That's a big plus in rock and roll. It's also the reason the cones can resonate out of control, and the result is what we call "cone cry."

You sometimes hear cone cry referred to as 'ghost notes', and it's more often encountered at higher volumes. But it can occur at lower volumes as well. If you can, play the amp through a different cabinet (with non V30 speakers) and see if you still have the problem.

 

[eudaimonia02912]

Gain=1:30, Volume=12’oclock, Presents=2:00, Trebel=0, Mid=0, Bass=0, Preset Eq=2:30, Master Volume=10:30

I was just coming in here to post something like this.

I sometimes dime the gain and master, put the presence to noon, and zero out the treble, mids, and bass. Add a boost, and you've got a neat Brown-sound kind of thing.

 

[ctc]

Thanks for the input. Now I've found some great edge mode sounds. The trick has been to turn the treble down to 10:30, mid to 9:00, and bass to 1:00. This sounds great with my single coil but also works for double coil. Alternatively the treble at 12:00, mid at 9:00, and bass at 1:30. Wow!

 

[ixoye777]

Edge is one of my favorite modes. I don't like it with higher output pups or the GEQ on though. It is awesome for chording with vintage wound pups and the bass on the preamp up to at least noonish.

 

[MesaManBoogie]

Buy a strat or a gibson with P90's

this mode really shines with single coil pups.

hope this helps.