How many of you are actually rehearsing/gigging with the ED?

[Teleman191]

ED 1x12 combo.
I use no pedals (live) except for a tuner. May sometimes chuck in one of my HBE boxes in the studio.
Volume: 3.30
Bass: 12.00
Mid : 1.00
Treble: 10.00
Presence: 10.00

45watt mode, gain trim on clean, reverb defeat on HI.

I love my ED. it is so versatile even n these settings which are getting up there in terms of gain.
I also tend to change bass depending on the room sound and positioning on the stage. In the studio, i choose large rooms with 2 mics (dynamic and ribbon) along with a room mic. Cranked UP loud man!!!

The ED is such a great amp that needs to be gigged as much as possible!!!!

 

[DWAKO]

I have been gigging/touring with the ED as my main amp for about a year and a half or so. Yes the amp is a very simple setup, but when you play music that is not necessarily the ED's forte it takes a lot of work/time to figure out how to find that tone buried within. It was frustrating at first to the point I nearly sold it on multiple occasions, but thankfully I have hung on to it and I'm finally figuring out how to effectively use it for my needs.

First let me state that I play in a band that could be compared to Thrice (Vheissu era) and Emery. At times we get as aggressive as August Burns Red or Memphis May Fire. Obviously the Electra Dyne is made more for vintage rock tones so it may not be the obvious choice, but the amp's clarity, simplicity and articulate nature are what drew me to it. I play a mixture of rhythm and lead, but I tend to do more leads than our other guitar player who uses a Marshall JVM 410H. I'm not crazy about the JVM personally... It's pretty thin sounding in comparison to the ED, but the two blend nicely. The EQing process took a while because I trusted my eyes over my ears for a long time, it was hard to get over the fact the EQ looked weird and focus on the sound. I found it harsh and I always thought it came from the treble and presence so I always dialed them back but was never happy with the results. Over time I realized the ED is a very "middy" head, I finally drastically turned the mids down to the 8-9 range and the harshness began to vanish, even with V30s. Decreasing the mids created a similar effect of moving the middle fader down on the Mark V or similar configurations, but I still didn't lose the cut in the mix, thankfully. I keep the presence at noon, bass around 11-12, mids 8-9, treble 1-2, volume 2-3. Using logic I never touched the 45 watt option, but after putting Valve Art KT66's in the power section I found that I liked pushing the power section (the opposite of what I thought with EL34s and 6L6s), they make the tone sound more powerful to my ears and less fizz on the high end. It doesn't get buzzy at higher volumes and I find myself liking to push to power section where I used to hate to push the power section. While all this drastically helped me connect with this amp more the one thing that literally kept me from selling this amp was ironically... the EMG 85 pickup in the bridge position. I've never considered myself an active pickup guy, ive always used duncans (JB-59, custom custom, etc.) and Dimarzios (Drop Sonic, X2N, D Activator). I had an ESP EC-1000 with an 81 in the bridge for a while, but that was a few years. I was working on my tone and I decided to try the other guitarist in my band's Michael Kelly Patriot Supreme with an 85 in the bridge. I hate EMGs with amps like rectifiers due to fact the head is naturally scooped and doesn't need high output pickups. The modern tonality of the 85 balances out amazingly well with the ED's vintage voice. (with this pickup only. Yes, I tried blackouts, the 81 and even the EMG X-series, none of them sounded as good.)

My setup currently is:
Michael Kelly Vex Deluxe (w/ D Activators) or Patriot Black (EMGs) -> Line 6 M9 (I'm thinking about switching to an M13 and run the 4 cord method) -> Electra Dyne -> Road King 2x12 (C90/V30) and Rectifier cab 4X12 (G12H 70th Anniversary, Greenback, 2 V30s)

So with the 85 I'm pretty happy for now, I still want to play with preamplifier tubes, but my secret to success for thick high gain with the Dyne is boost to volume in the power section (KT66 tubes) while in 45 watts, keep the preamp gain on the conservative side and rely on high output pickups and a heavier right hand technique.

As far as mode switching, I pick lighter with chorus/reverb/subtle delay on the clean mode to avoid break up, vintage low for more conservative rhythm sections, vintage high for aggressive rhythm and a boost with reverb/delay for leads. I want to get a mini amp gizmo with an M13 to avoid any button dancing on stage.

After all is said and done, the ED had to grow on me, but I'm finally happy with it. I still want to try a RA-100 for kicks but as for now the ED is my favorite amp on the market and can honestly hold it's own against any amp IMO.

 

[JOEY B.]

The dynamics of the picking hand, and the quick volume knob rolloff are (sadly) becoming a lost art in the world of electric guitar playing.

 

[DWAKO]

The dynamics of the picking hand, and the quick volume knob rolloff are (sadly) becoming a lost art in the world of electric guitar playing.

Very true, it is sad. There have been times I decided to go without the footswitch on the Dyne, keep it on the Vintage high mode and roll the volume up and down; it performs beautifully! Plus it's less footswitching that I have to worry about, so I can focus on my playing.

 

[Birdy]

The big outdoor gig Saturday allowed me to get the ED into the sweet spot of this amp's tone. I had many positive comments from the band I was sitting in with plus several in the crowd. They had a guest singer/songwriter who has been around for many years who they invited to the stage to play a few. I was already done with my few pieces on the set list so this legend walks up to me before he goes on stage and says "Son, may I play through your rig? That is one of the fattest sounding strat/amp tones I may have ever heard." On his way off the stage he hugged me and told me that was the best he's ever heard himself on stage! Afterward several of us sat around while the roadies took the set apart and talked about guitars and amps and all those we wish we still had. We did that until the venue finally turned off the power to the stage area. I ALMOST sold him my ED but decided to let him get his own. After all - I don't want to have the same conversation in 20 years about my "Boogie that got away".

The sound crew gushed over the way this amp cuts through the mix. The band I was sitting in with has 2 guitar players: one plays a Fender Evil Twin, the other plays a HEAVILY modified Bassman. The crew thought with this little 1x12 they would have their work cut out for them. They were wrong...

Great post flyboy70 !

 

[dodger916]

I'm the only guitar player in our band, so I cover all bases (and then some). Our musical "home base " is probably 80's style dance music. These days I'm playing a Les Paul Special (with P90s) using a Boss ME 70 for effects. I've tried both the ED and Mark IV in rehearsals and gigs, and settled on the Mark IV. The ED was great, and better for certain tunes, but the Mark IV supplies a broader palette for our needs. The bass of the ED is something I truly miss.

 

[YellowJacket]

I play the ED exclusively- lead and rhythm- I play contemporary christian rock and worship in a variety of settings. I use all modes, gain trim set to clean, with all of the tools in my signature. I use humbuckers and singles- the ED smokes all. Just do it- you'll thank me later....

How does this amp work out in churches? I find that people there are always beaking at guitarists to TURN IT DOWN!

 

[Assumer]

I play the ED exclusively- lead and rhythm- I play contemporary christian rock and worship in a variety of settings. I use all modes, gain trim set to clean, with all of the tools in my signature. I use humbuckers and singles- the ED smokes all. Just do it- you'll thank me later....

How does this amp work out in churches? I find that people there are always beaking at guitarists to TURN IT DOWN!

I actually play bass at church. But at the volume I typically run my ED is actually a little lower then what our guitar player runs his classic 30 at church. I must say, it takes about 10-15 of playing before the ED (i guess) warms up. Then it sounds great at low to moderate volumes.

 

[MBJunkie]

Wow.....this is my first original post that has actually lasted for a while...it must have been a decent question and I am pleased!

I did move on from my ED combo several months ago for reasons stated in my previous posts.
Personally, I don't regret my ED departure at all, but would like to provide my opinion to a couple of recent posts.

DWAKO:
Sounds to me like you primarily "live in the blue and red channel modes" for what you play in your band, and even then had to tailor them to your needs for complete satisfaction.
My response: I am not at all surprised that one looking primarily for mid/high gain footswitchable sounds would be able to achieve an optimum setting to achieve these great sounds offered in these modes with good volume balances. I can completely relate to the excellent footswitchability of the "blue and red channel modes" offered by the ED when dialed in to personal satisfaction.....especially with an OCD pedal in front of the amp to provide the added sustain that I found useful for soloing with this amp. Devine sounds available indeed with these two modes....with minimal compromises....IMHO.
However, my primary needs required a great footswitchable clean sound while also offering the great mid/high gain offerings of the "blue and red" modes of the amp. Personally, I was not able to achieve that with the ED, but hey...that is just me.

JOEY B:
Personally, I haven't lost the art of using my guitar volume knob at all to "clean things up", but it just didn't work for me with the ED. Rolling down the guitar volume knob while playing in either the "blue or red mode" of the ED didn't result in excellent clean sounds that I require. However, it does work well for me with other amps that I own, and I do agree it has become a lost art.

In closing....I am glad the ED is working for most of you as a great gigging amp!