Extreme - not enough gain

[ixoye777]

I believe this Mark is making me, step by step improve on my technique, because now i can hear everything that is happening, and before I didn't.

Excellent point and neat that you bring this up as I was thinking the exact same thing about my playing the other day. The V sings and to me at least really seems to pick up subtle changes in technique with my picking hand. Other amps I've owned were not nearly this sensitive. The V is also forcing me to be more precise and improve on my technique. Like you said now I can hear everything that is going on

 

[bradg]

Just go buy a $400K '59 LP and throw some EMG's in it. DONE!!

 

[Rkorn]

When you play a 6505 and the go to this.. it improves your playability, a can player with a lower volume cause now i can hear myself, great tone!

The other day I read somewhere the best amps are the ones with the less things in the circuit, then I saw some amps for sale that only had 2 knobs, treble and volume, and were really expensive.
How could this guys do this amp with some many things on the circuit and still sound so good! I'm really impressed, can't wait to go on studio again!!

 

[HeadlessAxeman]

Hey man..
Have you tried swapping out your current EMG pickups for another pair of EMG actives / SD Blackouts/Livewires and testing if its gotten the same crappy problem? If it sounds crappy with different active pups, I'm telling you...the wiring...get it re-done...

Use shielded wiring if possible + upgrade to a 18V setup..it will sound better.
Also...it could just be your output jack or its wiring that might be the cause...

Hope u can figure it out soon

 

[arvee72]

Over the past few years I have bought, played, and sold literally hundreds of different pieces of gear, from amps to pedals to guitars to cables in search of "good tone".

When I bought a Mark 5 combo last year I new I was in the ballpark, but something was still missing.. until I tried a Japanese ESP vs. my LTD(s).

There is a significant difference in tonal characteristics between my ESP Eclipse and an LTD EC-1000. The "specs" are virtually identical, except for the bone nut vs. the Earvana. They both use EMG active pickups.

From the ESP website FAQ:

"What is the difference between ESP and LTD models? For example, the ESP Truckster seems so similar to the LTD Truckster, but the price is significantly different!
ESP guitars are built in our main factory and custom-shop located in Japan. These are completely built and assembled by highly skilled craftsmen using the best parts & wood selection. LTD guitars are produced in our factories outside of Japan (currently Korea, Indonesia, and China), and are manufactured in larger quantities using an assembly-line production method."

I'm not going to tell someone which sounds "better" since it's subjective, but IMHO wood matters.

 

[jeppekristoffer]

HI!
After I fired my amp up yesterday at rehearsal I have to write something here maybe it´s obvious maybe not.
The amount of "percieved gain" will be highly dependable of what Wattage setting you are playing in. That is on 10 Watts your output-tubes will add lot more gain to your sound sooner than on the 90 watt setting and because you probably played the amp in the music-shop at a higher percieved volume level than home you had more "percieved gain" and breakup in the store.
Another thing that makes the amp breakup more is the Triode setting.
And because the Extreme setting is louder than the IV and IIC+ setting you will have two play the Extreme setting even louder to make it breakup more in the same way that the IV and IIC+ setting do.
For maximum "percieved gain"/breakup at home go for Triodes-10Watt setting-Variac!

Take care and happy Christmas from Sweden with insane amounts of snow.

 

[iceman]

There is a significant difference in tonal characteristics between my ESP Eclipse and an LTD EC-1000

+1

Most of the guitars I've played with active pups really did feel sterile on anything but high gain applications. However I really love the active pups in my two ESPs all around. They don't sound sterile at all, they really spank on clean (love the dynamics) and grind on low gain. Its either the wood, the construction differences or both, but there is a difference. I'm not just saying this because I don't want to think my gear sucks, I bought them actually expecting the cleans to blow, but they are just great.

 

[arvee72]

There is a significant difference in tonal characteristics between my ESP Eclipse and an LTD EC-1000

+1

Most of the guitars I've played with active pups really did feel sterile on anything but high gain applications. However I really love the active pups in my two ESPs all around. They don't sound sterile at all, they really spank on clean (love the dynamics) and grind on low gain. Its either the wood, the construction differences or both, but there is a difference. I'm not just saying this because I don't want to think my gear sucks, I bought them actually expecting the cleans to blow, but they are just great.

+1

It really bothers me that folks are out there spending their hard earned dough (like I did) replacing pups and bridges and necks etc and never really achieving those classic tones that they were "promised" by a brand name. Sure, they may use the same wood (or at least the same species), but without having a skilled builder select the wood and nut based on their resonant properties I feel you very likely can wind up with a "dead" sounding guitar. I watched a nut repair video (Dan Erlewine). He tapped a variety of nut materials against the strat body before selecting the most resonant sounding one. I could clearly hear the difference.

Personal Example:

In 2009 I bought a brand spanking new Fender Standard Strat. After realizing that I wasn't content with it's tone, and over the course of a year, I replaced almost every part on the **** thing.. Callaham saddles, Duncan pups, Graph tech nut, tuners... I just could not find that classic "strat tone". I then picked up a used ESP Vintage Plus Strat, bone stock, from a local pro. I demoed it without an amp in a dark parking lot in the middle of winter and already could tell it something special. When I took it home and plugged it in, I finally heard what I consider to be that "woody" "snappy" vintage strat tone... So, if it's not the wood and build quality, what's left to take the credit?

Of course, it could just be the way I happen to play and hear, so YMMV.

 

[ifailedshapes]

I'm not going to tell someone which sounds "better" since it's subjective, but IMHO wood matters.

Forgive my juvenile sense of humor, but I do believe that's what she said.