Guys, Help Me With My New ED!

[rabidinus]

I got to play my new ED with my three piece last night. The voicing of the amp is incredible! Using a Les Paul I was getting an early Billy Gibbons type tone.
So the basic sound of the amp is killer but I found it very dry. I am shooting for a Gary Moore "Bad For You Baby" album type high gain blues tone.

I ended up putting it on vintage hi with volume full up and master at 9:00, 45 watts, with a fulltone plimsoul to drive it and and OCD to boost. Now the tone was absolutely, awesomely, killer!, but I thought part of the rep of this amp was pedals are an option? Now I was able to play almost all night just riding my guitar volume control, even for slow blues stuff, but I was hoping to ditch the pedalboard for smaller venues - you know, the ones where if you take a step you'll fall off the stage
To be fair, our rehearsal space is garage deadened with sound absorbing stuff on the walls, would that make a difference?

Also, I put EL34's in my lonestar classic and loved it, you think that might be a good idea?

My drummer absolutely loved this amp, so I don't dare get rid of it Seriously, best sounding amp I've ever played, just thought there was more gain on tap,...or...
is...it...me...

 

[elvis]

I've had the same experience. Even on vintage HI with a OD808 in front it's nothing near what I get from my F50 for gain. BUT that's really the beauty of this amp. By having it really punchy without a lot of gain, I find I can cut through any mix, and you can really hear the tone of my guitar and my playing dynamics. This is the first amp I've ever had where I can really tell the difference when I plug in different guitars.

I am also getting used to lower gain, and it's helping my playing a lot. I just did a gig with another guitarist who played a really saturated tone, like I always have. I had to work a little harder to get sustain without all the gain, but I listen to the recording and my tone is WAY better than his. The super compressed gainy tone sounds flat, and it gets lost in the mix because it has no dynamics.

If you need the gain pedal, try putting it on top of your amp

Also, EL34s will probably be more to your liking, though the clean mode will suffer a bit.

 

[rabidinus]

Thanks for the reply elvis!

I just talked to a mesa rep and from what he could sort out (I know it must be difficult with all the player variables), he thinks I didn't have the power tubes cooking.
Basically, I need to turn it up! Man...I was already loud... I guess that comes with the territory with this style amp.

Yeah, I'll try some EL34's, you're probably right. I think the mix of a warm mesa preamp with EL34's is really cool in my lonestar.

Good idea on the pedal on top of amp, sly too! Fake out the guys who are coming up to the stage to check out the pedals you're using

 

[J.J]

The ED is definately not a super high gain amp, it has more in the way of dynamics to offer.

What speakers are you using ? I like to use a single V30 for getting dirty. 45 watt mode is not really enough to get a 4x12 rocking, even a 2x12 will not be streched unless you are using low power speakers like the Greenback.

As for volume, things don't really get much louder after 9:30 on the master in 45 watt mode, but you do get the power stage overdrive which will only help you.

As for GM, I find his high gain tones stiff and much prefer his tones from "still got the Blues" which the ED can get pretty close to by itself.

 

[rabidinus]

I have the 1 x 12 combo, so a C90 speaker?

I didn't touch my amp dials from last night and my master was a hair above 9:00...so close! It's dark in the garage and I could barely see the dials indicators. Next rehearsal I'll move it to 9:30 - 10:00 area and give a go. Hopefully it's not too much.

Hey I love GM playing blues, but really was only trying to reference the amount of gain I was talking about. You know, heavy ZZ, GM on blues fire, etc...

Thanks!

 

[BrentSSL]

Whats an ED ??

 

[screamingdaisy]

Whats an ED ??

Electra-Dyne

I ended up putting it on vintage hi with volume full up and master at 9:00, 45 watts, with a fulltone plimsoul to drive it and and OCD to boost. Now the tone was absolutely, awesomely, killer!, but I thought part of the rep of this amp was pedals are an option?

Pedals are an option, provided you're into mid gain amps. If you want high gain you'll either need pedals or a high gain amp.

Truthfully, if you want to use an amp like an ED you'll need to learn how to play an amp like the ED. By the sounds of it you're used to a way more compressed tone and will have to adjust to playing without the amp doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you. It's a rewarding experience, but you'll have to quit using the pedals as a crutch if you want to get the most out of it.

 

[rabidinus]

Thanks,
I don't really care if we call it mid gain or high gain blues rock or super-low-under-gain metal, I love this amps character.
In this world of a multi-assorted guitar styles I don't even know what mid gain or high gain means. That's why I just try to reference artists in the vein I mean.

I actually only started using pedals for gain recently, through the late 80's into the 90's I played straight into the amp (had a delay, a chorus, a compressor but just to get the "in" sounds of the day). The amp was a mesa mark amp though and I probably am just really used to that. Especially from Mesa.
To me the Lonestar Classic sounds better with pedals and by better I mean incredibly good. I like the way the ED takes pedals even more!
But I'm not trying to make it easier to play or anything, I'm just trying to bring out the sounds I hear in my head. (By the way I've avoided Mark amps in my effort to stay true to a blues-based style and not start sounding too fusion or hard rock, which I know I would fall into.) The ED give a killer BEANO tone too and I could never let that go!

But anyways, I just moved the EL34s I had in my Lonestar to the ED and there it is! MUCH more of what I want, and this is at something under 8:00, in my apartment.
I am finding out that I love warm mesa preamps powered by el34s!

The band rehearses again Thursday and we have an outdoor gig Saturday at 1:00 PM. I am really looking forward to turning this baby up!

 

[YellowJacket]

Truthfully, if you want to use an amp like an ED you'll need to learn how to play an amp like the ED. By the sounds of it you're used to a way more compressed tone and will have to adjust to playing without the amp doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you. It's a rewarding experience, but you'll have to quit using the pedals as a crutch if you want to get the most out of it.

I LOVE the lower gain levels on the Electra Dyne. Where my Dual punks out tone wise is where the Electra Dyne takes over. It is great how I can play from clean to crunch on vintage lo just by variating pick attack. The more I play it, the more tones I find that I love.

 

[J.J]

The ED give a killer BEANO tone too and I could never let that go!

Yes, it really does do the Beano tone. Besides me , I have not heard anyone else mention this. Getting old ? :lol:

Back on the speakers, a C90 is less agressive in the mids and stays clean to very high volume. Compared to a V30, the C90 often sounds like the gain has been turned down a little. I often use a single V30 with the band as it just seems to bark better for the music we do and by 9:00 on the master it has already lost that crystal clean tone. A different speaker or cab may be worth while for you.

 

[rabidinus]

Yeah , for all my going on about gain, I am always just stunned, absloutely stunned when I hear Clapton on that album. At rehearsal I heard the tone as I was
just screwing around on the guitar and talking to the guys before a song, and I just had a moment of incomprehension. Like, what?!, can it be this easy?
Didn't take advantage of it though, I was distracted by conversation about the next song I think. Next time!

So do you think a single V30 is safe in my 1x12? Its rated lower wattage.
Also, if I get one I'd like it to be a Mesa V30 unless you're experience dictates otherwise. Recommend any one besides Mesa to purchase from? I think they put my orders on the back of a mule, slap it and say "Go!" It takes so long to get an order from Mesa I sometimes forget what it was when I get a UPS notice...

 

[screamingdaisy]

I like the Mesa V30s. I've done a lot of comparing between them and a regular V30 and the Mesa's are tuned to handle low midrange a lot better.

As for the power handling, they're 60w each and will handle the ED in 45w mode. Or, you can run it in 90w mode so long as you're careful about not cranking the volume too extremes.

I have the combo version and really like the stock MC90 speaker, but I also really like how the amp sounds through a Recto cab (2x12 or 4x12) with V30s. I think it mates well with either speaker type.

 

[rabidinus]

Anything to switching out the speaker in my 1x12? I figure it's just unsolder, unscrew,remove,then add,screw in, solder. But simple thinking never works with cars and computers, so I just wannbe sure...

 

[elvis]

Just be gentle. You don't want to change the shape of the speaker frame by overtightening the screws, or tightening one side before the other.

 

[J.J]

Yeah , for all my going on about gain, I am always just stunned, absloutely stunned when I hear Clapton on that album. At rehearsal I heard the tone as I was
just screwing around on the guitar and talking to the guys before a song, and I just had a moment of incomprehension. Like, what?!, can it be this easy?
Didn't take advantage of it though, I was distracted by conversation about the next song I think. Next time!

So do you think a single V30 is safe in my 1x12? Its rated lower wattage.
Also, if I get one I'd like it to be a Mesa V30 unless you're experience dictates otherwise. Recommend any one besides Mesa to purchase from? I think they put my orders on the back of a mule, slap it and say "Go!" It takes so long to get an order from Mesa I sometimes forget what it was when I get a UPS notice...

I spent ages trying to get Beano tone from my 5:25 and thought it was pretty good until the first time I played an ED. From what I can gather the Beano amp is a Marshall JTM45 with KT66 tubes. The ED Vintage modes have that JTM vibe and the 6L6 tubes are a close match.

I'm confident that a single V30 is OK if you don't go crazy with 90 watt mode. I have tested it with in 90 watt and found that the tone goes down hill and power compression sets in before the limit is reached. I am keen to get a 2x12 Stiletto cab with V30s to see what happens at higher volume.

Do you have a local dealer ? Mine keeps the V30 in stock which makes the process of getting one fast and easy.

In Daisey's clips, the Mesa V30 clearly sounds better, I think virtually everyone agreed. It was surprising to hear the direct comparision.

 

[rabidinus]

Yeah I do have a dealer! Bought my LSS 4x10 from them! Ha ha, too much internet! :lol:
I'll give them a call tomorrow!

My initial plan was just to try out the el34s with the C90 next week while waiting for the V30, but what the heck. If they have one I'll buy it tommorow and slap it in!

Thanks!

 

[J.J]

I forgot to say before, to my ears, the V30 does the Beano tone better than the C90.

 

[screamingdaisy]

You guys are making me want to put 6L6s back in....

 

[J.J]

Go for it man ! Would be interesting to hear what you think after having the EL34's in for a while.

The 6L6's so far have not failed to entertain me, but if I do get board I'll be sure to give some El34 tubes a go.

 

[rabidinus]

Couldn't find anyone carrying Mesa speakers in town. So I'll order online from Mesa here in a bit and wait the usual 2-3 weeks! (What!)
And of course now I'm really looking forward to it!

Also I saw a post by screamingdaisy saying Timmons uses V30s in his cabs. Moment of enlightment there, it made instant sense. If the ED with a V30 works out,
I'll probably do the same with my LSC.