elvis
Well-known member
Cool! It's a great amp if you can stand running it loud. I've never owned a better-sounding or -feeling amp.
Electra Dyne Discussion
- Thread starter Hollis
- Start date
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I use my Electra Dyne 1x12 combo for everything: bedroom practice, rehearsals, recording, and of course live gigs. Like any high-powered tube amp, it sounds better crankin', but I think it sounds great at bedroom volume too. It won't do mouse fart volume very well (the master volume gets pretty touchy), but if you need that get a solid state amp with a headphone out.
This amp is one of the best channel switching amps ever. I am completely happy with my amp tone. Marshall crunch tones(but better, smoother, less raunchy), raging high gain with Vintage Hi and a Tubescreamer, high-powered Fender cleans that sound great and take dirt pedals like a boss.
Best do-it-all amp out there.
And I like it too
This amp is one of the best channel switching amps ever. I am completely happy with my amp tone. Marshall crunch tones(but better, smoother, less raunchy), raging high gain with Vintage Hi and a Tubescreamer, high-powered Fender cleans that sound great and take dirt pedals like a boss.
Best do-it-all amp out there.
And I like it too
danyeo1
Well-known member
elvis said:
Yes it kills at loud volumes but you can use it lower if you use a good OD pedal like a BB Preamp with the pedals level maxed out and the gain on the pedal set low. You won't get this much bottom end from many amps without the mush. If I was going to an ampfest and wanted something to stand up to the Cameron's, Diezel's and Friedman's of the world leave the Mark V and RA home. Bring an ED with an OD pedal.
jnoel64
Well-known member
I usually take a smaller amp to band practice simply for the convenience of carrying less weight. A few weeks ago, I decide to take my Dyne to practice instead. Once again, the amp reminded me why I purchased it in the first place. I would dearly love to see this amp come back to the Mesa line in a lunchbox format. As I age, lighter weight amps are becoming much more favorable to my back. But, still...the sheer perfection of the Dyne's tone is worth it.
djw
Well-known member
I just acquired a medium head and 27" 1x12 Royal Atlantic cab. I'm a long time Lone Star aficionado, and I'll always keep those (both LSC and LSS)... and I have a Mini Rec and a TA15, which are lots of fun too, and I'm keeping 'em... but I've wanted an Electra Dyne since they first came out, and finally treated myself to it a couple of weeks ago.
I'm really eager to get this amp into the wild, because after some at-home blasting, I am pretty sure I could theoretically get rid of ALL my other amps and be happy. That includes my JCM800 and my vintage 1965 Deluxe Reverb. This thing is better than sex.
Running with Mesa EL34s right now, and a cocktail of Tungsol/Ruby preamp tubes, and I am probably going to leave the C90 in the cab because everything just sounds so goddamned good.
I just kicked the dirt pedals off my board, and am going with just an EP Booster. It seems to give me just the right push for each channel. All this could change after I get this into rehearsal, but at the moment I think between the amp, the EP, and my volume knobs, I can get everything I need.
I think I'll be spending 90% of my time with Vintage Lo. I LOVE this voicing. I noted in another thread that it's so dynamic that I can play the funky rhythm part to Love Rollercoaster, Tele middle position, on Vintage Lo with the gain up at about 2:00, and it still sounds clear enough to get every bit of attack and harmonic content that a crisp clean tone would get. It's an amazing thing. I feel like I could do anything with this channel.
Very, very happy with this amp.
I'm really eager to get this amp into the wild, because after some at-home blasting, I am pretty sure I could theoretically get rid of ALL my other amps and be happy. That includes my JCM800 and my vintage 1965 Deluxe Reverb. This thing is better than sex.
Running with Mesa EL34s right now, and a cocktail of Tungsol/Ruby preamp tubes, and I am probably going to leave the C90 in the cab because everything just sounds so goddamned good.
I just kicked the dirt pedals off my board, and am going with just an EP Booster. It seems to give me just the right push for each channel. All this could change after I get this into rehearsal, but at the moment I think between the amp, the EP, and my volume knobs, I can get everything I need.
I think I'll be spending 90% of my time with Vintage Lo. I LOVE this voicing. I noted in another thread that it's so dynamic that I can play the funky rhythm part to Love Rollercoaster, Tele middle position, on Vintage Lo with the gain up at about 2:00, and it still sounds clear enough to get every bit of attack and harmonic content that a crisp clean tone would get. It's an amazing thing. I feel like I could do anything with this channel.
Very, very happy with this amp.
djw, I was happier with 6L6's. I know several people on this board prefer the EL34's, but for me it's 6L6's all the way. It might be worth a try. It softens the midrange just a tad and gives Vintage Lo and Hi this really awesome "sting" to the high end. Also, although I've never been much of a preamp tube roller, I have noticed that they do make a noticeable difference as well. Whatever tubes you use, enjoy one of the best amps ever!!
djw
Well-known member
Hollis said:
Thanks Hollis! I have now switched from 6L6s to EL34s and back a few times. I am currently running Ruby 6L6s, and it's true, there's a certain something about the oomph and thwack you get with the 6L6 thing... knowing me, I will likely continue to go back and forth. I want to try a set of Tungsol EL34s too, as I have had great luck with those in other amps.
Fun to try it all. One other update from my corner is that I tried the Fulltone 2B Boost and I am going to stick with it for a while. It's a very mean sounding clean boost, with maybe just a hair more crackle on the high end than the EP Booster. Having that buffer in the chain is really sweet too.
Daxman73
Well-known member
+1 on the above comment. I have a Keeley modded TS-9 and my Dyne turns into a monster! Not that the amp isn't already, but it puts in it metal territory. But I'll also say this, that TS-9 has ALWAYS sounded good with any of my Mesa's. Not sure what it is about it, but man it works beautifully with them.
djw
Well-known member
So maybe this belongs in the "boost" thread, but I wanted to ask, generally speaking:
Aside from booster/driver functions for more gain/tighter gain/etc., what are folks using for solos?
Does anyone use Vintage 1 for "rhythm" and Vintage 2 for "lead" and forego a boost pedal altogether?
Aside from booster/driver functions for more gain/tighter gain/etc., what are folks using for solos?
Does anyone use Vintage 1 for "rhythm" and Vintage 2 for "lead" and forego a boost pedal altogether?
jnoel64
Well-known member
I may be the oddball, but I rarely use the red mode at all. I use an Xotic BB with the gain at 9:00, volume and treble at noon, and the bass at 2:00. I find the bulk of the tone from the BB to be flat, but it does cut off just a touch of the bottom end. In the clean mode, I get a great blues crunch when I stomp on the pedal. In the blue mode, it takes me from a decent crunch (like early AC/DC) to full 80s hair tone. But, for a boost on leads, I use an Xotic EP Booster. That adds just enough boost to help my leads stand out. I find the red mode to be more compressed than I care for.
Daxman73
Well-known member
It would really depend on your application. I think in a blues, classic or southern rock application the method of using V1 for rhythm and V2 for leads work pretty good, especially in the 45 watt mode cranked up. In a modern rock or metal situation is where this may fall through for you. It's all about gain and how much you need. While the Dyne has plenty of gain, it's not enough for some players/applications. As far as a solo boost is concerned, an Eq pedal with a volume notch placed in the loop is a great way to "boost" volume for solos. If you're looking for adding any color, gain or compression/sustain as your boost, well there's a plethora of suggestions on this very informative site. I do really like the idea of having a clear clean/rhythm/lead set up with the Dyne, but it'd only work in certain situations for me.
djw
Well-known member
Daxman73 said:
Thanks, yeah, that's been my guess and my experience. I guess if I really, really want a "solo boost" I have to involve the loop, which I hate doing but maybe it's a necessary evil. Maybe I can avoid all the extra cable run by employing a remote-activated loop box or something. That doesn't really pass the KISS test, but it's a thought...
CycoVision13
Member
I've had my Electra Dyne since August and have sort of fallen out of love with it. Must be my speaker cabinet (4x12 with WGS speakers) but I was only able to dial in a tone I liked with the clean channel. Overdrive channels sounded way too brutal yet with no saturation. That clean channel is still a dream though.
djw
Well-known member
CycoVision13 said:
Sounds more like a tube swap might be in order...
CycoVision13
Member
djw said:
Yeah I figured so. It came with El34's when I bought it but Mesa put original 6l6's back in. Didn't make much difference actually, so it's most likely a preamp tube swap.
screamingdaisy
Well-known member
The ED's not really all that saturated relative to a high gain head like a Mark or Recto. The red channel tops out somewhere around JCM800 levels... And like a JCM800 it takes boosts really well, and kind of needs it if you want to take it into more modern high gain territory.
YellowJacket
Well-known member
djw said:
I like the 'feel' of the Electra Dyne so I do use Vintage Hi for leads and Vintage Lo for rhythm, depending on what I am doing. But I also have a boost pedal which I will use, depending on what my needs are. I should mention that all three of my guitars have contemporary output humbuckers in the bridge so the front end of my Electra Dyne is getting slammed pretty good just from the guitar.
CycoVision13 said:
What do you mean by 'brutal'? I like WGS speakers but you have to match the right amp with the right cab. A Traditional 4 x 12 Rectocab should match much better with the Electra Dyne. That being said, don't expect Recto or Mark V levels of gain saturation with this amp.
What guitar(s) are you using??
