I'm In A Bad Place Again. I Could Sell It All...

[zappaslaughter]

I know what it is. It's that **** MICRO CUBE! That is one killer little 100 buck all inclusive amplifier. It has spoiled your ear! I been thinking of selling all my valve amps and just mic'n up my little microcube. the cube has ruined you!

heh. not really. :lol:

Naw, but really it is a killer little practice amp. I love mine.

 

[JF Omalycat]

It's amazing how much effect the integrity of your electrical power has on your tone.

As an electrician, I can't emphasize enough the validity of this statement. People will spend hundreds on cables to ensure the tone is transferred properly, but scoff at the idea of spending the money on a power conditioner - when that's just as important - if not more - than having quality cables.

I'm listening. What do you recommend?

I'm listening, too. Funny this thread came up, cause I was feeling this way with my ROV over the weekend. Most of the time, playing it's like musical sex. But every now and then, it's like "what did I ever hear in this thing????"
I've thought about a power conditioner before, but it seems like there's always something more fun to buy, you know?? Possibly I'm shooting myself in the foot????

Suggestions?

 

[MesaNoobie]

Change your strings

Man that's a classic in guitarists' life. Just leave it for a week. Next time you play, you're gonna have the best tone ever.

couldn't agree more.

 

[SixVeeSix]

My favorite home amp is a Frenzel Champ Plus. Depending on which output tube/rectifier tube combination it goes from 6 to 10 watts approx. I love the clean tone, the gain on the preamp is not that great but pedals work well. My Mesa amps are too loud for condo jamming.

Get my Maverick out and push it, that is another story. I can't imagine have any more power though, you would have to be deafening to get any output tube sweetness going.

Mostly I play a nylon string or a 12 string acoustic at home. What I think is good tone changes from minute to minute. Ignore your tone......and it will go away!!

 

[roodboy]

I'm 44 with 2 kids I know the general feeling about playing late. FWIW I've got an XTC w/d/w rig with 2 Bogner cubes and a Bogner 4x12 and some nights that doesn't do it for me either.
Anyway, I was experiencing the tone fluctuations with my amps and thought I was going nuts. I bought a Furman PR-Pro R Power Factor that measures voltage and regulates noise and noticed that occasionally my voltage was dipping. I think that corresponded to the tone impact although its hard to be objective on that now that I can see the voltage. You might want to get a power conditioner that measures voltage to see if yours is dipping and then figure out if anyting in particular is causing it. I think the culprit is my central air. This summer I plan on getting the Furman voltage regulator to go with the PF Pro to eliminate the fluctuation.
I think you libe relatively close to me, if you want to borrow the Furman let me know.

 

[JOEY B.]

Sometimes I think that my tone couldn't get any better, other times I struggle to get to where I want it to be. It's not the gear, voltage, strings, etc......., it's my own obsession. My mood, mental state has much to do with my tone (or lack thereof), at least in my ears. :lol:

 

[Bourque]

I'd agree with the above. Usually when I think my tone is bad I'm just not playing as well as I could be, hands just seem tense or I'm just not feeling it that day. That's the thing about Boogie's, they sound how you sound! That can be a good and bad thing I guess if your chops or your mental state is caught off guard! I have a power conditioner and have still had those same feelings. I think it's all in the hands. Some days you can handle your guitar like your car, other days it's a struggle. I've had to many "holy crap... that sounds... awesome..." moments with my amp so it's gotta be me haha.

 

[CudBucket]

Well, I've got a Furman that shows me voltage. I'm not sure what it does to cleanup noise but I think if it's the juice, it's something much more fundamental than that like the outlet not being grounded or the power being out of phase or something.

I played the Road King last night and changed settings in the progressive linkage and other things and made some progress. I'll keep it at and just try as many other amps as I can.

It's depressing really.

 

[DeFrag]

Sometimes I think that my tone couldn't get any better, other times I struggle to get to where I want it to be. It's not the gear, voltage, strings, etc......., it's my own obsession. My mood, mental state has much to do with my tone (or lack thereof), at least in my ears. :lol:

+2

 

[mikey383]

It's amazing how much effect the integrity of your electrical power has on your tone.

As an electrician, I can't emphasize enough the validity of this statement. People will spend hundreds on cables to ensure the tone is transferred properly, but scoff at the idea of spending the money on a power conditioner - when that's just as important - if not more - than having quality cables.

So what is a good model or unit to fit the need? Especially for high powered Mesa amps...

I'd recommend at least going with a Furman PL Plus. It's less than $200 and has a voltage meter on it. There are more expensive ones out there, but I've had good experiences with the PL Plus. The more money you spend, the better of a unit you'll end up getting though.

I'm not saying that every time you think your tone sucks, it will have to do with abnormal voltage, but that could be a lot of the problem. Everything is going to affect tone. Your mood, weather, strings, etc.

 

[CudBucket]

I'd recommend at least going with a Furman PL Plus.

I'm already using that one.

The more money you spend, the better of a unit you'll end up getting though.

Hmmm. I'm not sure I agree with that in general.

 

[mikey383]

Hmmm. I'm not sure I agree with that in general.

Not with just any conditioner in general, but with a Furman at least...up to a certain point. I should have made that a little clearer before posting.

 

[CudBucket]

Hmmm. I'm not sure I agree with that in general.

Not with just any conditioner in general, but with a Furman at least...up to a certain point. I should have made that a little clearer before posting.

I hear ya. I was just pullin' yer chain a bit.

Anyway, I spent some more time last night with the amp and the manual. Amazing how this changes your approach to dialing in the thing. I found that I like Bold better than Spongy and Modern better than Vintage. At least at lower volumes. Modern/Bold is tighter and punchier. Also adding presence helps tighten things up as well where adding mids makes things looser. The neck pup on my Petrucci is actually very warm and smooth sound but my bridge tone is still missing something for leads. It's good for riffing though.

Right now here are the settings I'm using for an all-around high-gain tone.

Channel 3 Modern, Bold, 4 6L6 (I was using Vintage, Spongy, 2 EL34)

Loop is bypassed for now so output knob is 0.

Master: 8:00-9:00 (Low volume)
Presence: 11:00-12:00 (Way high for me)

Bass: 11:00-12:00 (Also high for me. I'd usually keep this down to fight off the farts but I realize it doesn't work that way. I can actually max this and still not have it loosen up)

Mids: 10:00-11:00 (I was usually up around 1:00. Careful though, if you cut to much you loose punch and it gets scooped in a bad fizzy recto way)

Treble: 1:30-3:00 (The only knob I didn't change)

Gain: 1:30-2:00 (The only other knob I didn't change )

If I clone the settings on channel 4 it sounds less bright which is wierd because the Presence knob on Channel 4 has a much wider top end range than the presence control on channel 3. I need to experiment more tonight.

I've also finally started listening to the clean channels but I'm not done yet. I'll post more about them when I'm sure I know how they're working.

Dave

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Man do I know this feeling. Last time I plugged my Heartbreaker in, all I could hear was the hum of the fluorescents. Go figure, I'm an electrician too. It's like the mechanic's car that doesn't work because he's too busy trying to earn a living.


In the last 8 years, since I got married and had kids, I have gone through at least 20 amps and 12 guitars.

I knew it wasn't the gear that kept letting me down, it had to be me, but I kept searching anyway.

I've narrowed it down to:
66 Fender Pro Reverb
DC-3B combo
DC-10 combo
Heartbreaker head with Lonestar 2x12 cab and Hellatone 60L's
A few homebrew amps

PRS Custom 22 - Duncan Custom 5 in the bridge and Alnico II in the neck
PRS McCarty - stock


Now that I've decided on what I really like, I have decided to build a recording setup.

This means that I have to sell something. I have a US Strat Deluxe and a Warmoth guitar that I never use, so they are 1st. It could be worse, I could be Trainspotting.




Here is a cheap way to tell if your plug is wired right. It will not tell you about voltage drops, but it will give you polarity and whether or not you have a ground.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100062242&N=10000003+90401+501516

Another possibillity, if there is something in your power, is that there is a motorized device or fluorescent lighting on the circuit you are using.

I plan on isolating every plug in my music room with a dedicated circuit. I have 3 panels in my house, so it will not be hard to do. This way, I know without a doubt that it is me sucking, not my gear. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[CudBucket]

MT, I agree. Alot of the time, I'm just being critical of my own playing. I have some kind of OCD (not the pedal) that prevents me from playing at slow or moderate tempos. It's almost like, I feel that I have to fill the space with notes. That if what I'm playing is not hard to play, it can't be good. So when you first pick the guitar up cold, and don't warm up, nothing sounds good if you're missing notes and exposing the flaws in your technique.

That said, it still may be so, that I don't have the gear that's right for me.

We shall see.

Dave

 

[Monsta-Tone]

That said, it still may be so, that I don't have the gear that's right for me.

I know exactly what you mean. I always question that.


The Wide Fat Neck on my PRS's are the goods though. They just feel right to me. Comfortable and fast. I had a couple of Custom 24's, even a '91 with Bird'seye Maple top, but they had the Wide Thin Necks and I just could not bond with them.

I played Strats for a while, and somehow (don't tell the wife) ended up with 6 at one time. Great guitars, but they are more like a Chevy than a Caddilac.


The older I get, the more I listen to tone and choice of notes. I used to have a theory that if I crammed as many notes in as I could, then I was making great music. Now I don't even listen to Metal anymore and have started leaning more toward the Billy Gibbons & Santana schools of thought.


I think that recording is the path for me. We have 2 kids, and another on the way. I haven't played a paying gig in over 10 years and really don't plan on it soon. I also feel like I've grown very little as a musician and need to get my ideas down instead of playing other people's music.



All of these things pass when the right notes come out. That's why we do it.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Oops, posted twice.

 

[UDAMANN]

1st - What a great and interesting thread you've started Cud!

2nd - Wow I feel that I've gone thru the exact same gear stuff & playing stuff as mentioned here.

3rd (& maybe off topic) - I know that people argue that tone is in your hands, but the gear really does matter.

I wanted to hear if it was me or just a gear thing so I bought an Ibanez Andy Timmons AT300 guitar. I then bought the Ace & finally switched to the Lonestar Special. All that and some great custom drive pedals & wow what a tone. It just shows me that if I'm not the most gifted player from the start that I can still make good music and get great tone.

Finding what I needed or wanted to hear was a pain in the @$$ though & hard on my bank account.

Again great thread & good luck all!

Peace! Udamann

 

[JAZZGEAR]

I found the only Furman that really makes a significant difference in the tone are the following:

1. Voltage regulator
2. Power Factor Pro

Both condition and add additional important controls/filters that affect your tone.

The other conditioners help but are not as effective or as noticeable. So yes, I agree with the other poster that you'd typically have to spend more to get a more effective unit (at least the Furmans).

 

[Artmusic]

That said, it still may be so, that I don't have the gear that's right for me.

I know exactly what you mean. I always question that.


The Wide Fat Neck on my PRS's are the goods though. They just feel right to me. Comfortable and fast. I had a couple of Custom 24's, even a '91 with Bird'seye Maple top, but they had the Wide Thin Necks and I just could not bond with them.

I played Strats for a while, and somehow (don't tell the wife) ended up with 6 at one time. Great guitars, but they are more like a Chevy than a Caddilac.


The older I get, the more I listen to tone and choice of notes. I used to have a theory that if I crammed as many notes in as I could, then I was making great music. Now I don't even listen to Metal anymore and have started leaning more toward the Billy Gibbons & Santana schools of thought.


I think that recording is the path for me. We have 2 kids, and another on the way. I haven't played a paying gig in over 10 years and really don't plan on it soon. I also feel like I've grown very little as a musician and need to get my ideas down instead of playing other people's music.



All of these things pass when the right notes come out. That's why we do it.

It's funny how much this is all a circle. I have been recording in my studio for the last 10 years after playing out for the prior 25. Now I am back in a band because the isolation of playing everything myself gave me no one to bounce energy back and forth with. I don't plan on playing out every weekend anymore, (wife and daughter wouldn't like that too much), but getting out to gigs a few times a month and playing with the other members of the band every weekend has really opened up my creative side. I have always been of the Santana school of thought but then he has always been one of my biggest inspirations. Something about the way he articulates pure emotion from his notes and sound. That has always been my goal, it doesn't have to be fast, but it does have to say something. It has to communicate emotion to one's self and to the listeners. And we all know that when we connect, it's magic! I think, at least for me, that's why I keep playing....just some thoughts. Like everyone else here, I have been through many amps and guitars, and I have to say, as far as amps go, I have found my home with Mesa.
Art