studio 22+ trails and tribulations

[noizymothers]

Bought this about 7 years ago. I have always loved it but have been trying to improve in any way I can. The 1st thing I needed was a solo boost. I bought a marshall bluesbreaker II and also an MXR boost pedal, I thought both would solve this problem but all I got was feedback and no boost when mixed with mesa o/d. Seemed like there was no headroom left when boost given.

I then stopped using amp EQ as a solo boost and bought an EQ pedal and used that as a boost on top of the V shape EQ on the amp. This work ok when put through the fx loop, but NOT when run in chain that included chorus Fx. So I then took the chorus out of chain and put out front with wah, luckily not colouring the tone.

The solution is not really good enough, would like a bigger boost, anyone any suggestions?

The other thing I wanted to do was fatten up the bottom end. Ther open back on the boogie didnt give much in that department. I decided to buy a 2x12 marshall 1936 and runthe boogie through that. After one gig I knew it wasnt the answer just yet, the tone on o/d was poor compared to the mesa black widow. The speakers in the marshall cab were GT1275s and needed some tweaking, so decided to put one vinatge 30 in the cab and mic that speaker up at gigs. Again after the next gig wasnt happy so I think I will reconnect amp internal speaker and also use marshall cab, both running from the 4ohms outs. I will then mic up combo and cab speakers so that I get mix of mesa tone and marshall low end. Will this be the solution..I dont know? any one else have this experience or have any advice?

 

[RussB]

I ran an EVM12L in my 22+ for years...great speaker for a loud overdriven tone, IMHO.

I currently have a Weber "Blue Dog" alnico speaker in there now. My tastes have changed a bit in the 15 years that I've owned this amp, and find myself using the "clean" channel exclusively.

Solo Boost,

To me, the best and simplest boost is just turning up the volume knob on the guitar! It has worked well for me for the last 29 years!

 

[noizymothers]

cheers Russ, will have a look at that speaker option..cant say Im familar but open to all things new.

The boost option of using the axe volume is one I have tried, I switch frequently from clean to crunch and find it hard to get the balance right..and that put me off using it. What I should do is spend more time practicing using the volume control so that I get familiar with the good spot for clean and crunch. Probably wil be around 6 on guitar volume normally and then to 10 for lead.

The one thing that has suffered when I have used the axe volume in past is ability to add in harmonics etc during normal play in the rockier tunes, almost to clean...but will see how it goes

thanks again

 

[Cees van Bavel]

Fellows,

How does the Weber Alnico Blue Dog sound with the Studio 22+?

I do not like the reverb on this amp, any suggestions how to improve it and make it sound more fenderish? Maybe another reverbtank?

 

[MarkPurney]

I apologize - my original post was completely inaccurate. I went back over my notes from when I repaired/modified my amp.

The amp does *not* run too hot if properly modified. My circuit board was only discolored because resistor R131 overheated. This is a known problem for the earlier .22 amps, and R131 should be replaced with a 1k ohm, 2 watt resistor. The original 680 ohm (lower wattage) resistor will basically fry, given enough time.

Furthermore, I don't know if that problem existed on the .22 + (plus) amps - it may just be the earlier .22 and Studio Series.

 

[Pablomago]

I'm running a vintage Altec 417-8h in my .22+ at the moment using pedals for my o/d tones. The other mod I did was to replace V2 with an ancient 12AX7 of unknown origin. It smoothed out the distortion and made it a much more usable amp. It's my main grab and go amp. I mostly play a Gretsch 6120 through it.
It also sounds great with a ZETA 5 string violin.

 

[noizymothers]

Was reading in a number of places that JJ tubes work great in the 22, to the point where people noticed improved sound quality. I currently use mesa tubes which seem pretty good but cost over the odds. Would try these JJs out if they really are that good, any ideas? To my knowledge the older tubes were distinguishable but these days tubes are made in Russia or China and labelled with whatever and they are all more or less the same..true?

 

[dylan7620]

i put JJs in my nomad. i wanted to sell it before. but now its tone heaven.

 

[noizymothers]

well I went out and ordered 4 pre amp JJs for my mesa, hope to have the same results as everyone else. They are noted as being the best "new" values about and pretty cheap as well. Im changing all 4 tubes, Im sure this is what you should do for best results. Until now I have used mesa tubes, where are they made and what did people think of them? definitely better than sovteks, tried them once In the mesa and it became a marshall..not good. Read somewhere that JJs give great o/d sound but clean can be "not so clean" is that true? not that the 22 is known for being clean anyway.

 

[RussB]

Oops, I thought your were looking for power tubes (EL84's)

The JJ ECC803's can be microphonic. The ECC83S's are a stout tube.

 

[Timbre Wolf]

To my knowledge the older tubes were distinguishable but these days tubes are made in Russia or China and labelled with whatever and they are all more or less the same..true?

I have found that each tube type has its own unique sonic signature (or more accurately, its own response signature). I do find a similarity between Sovtek, Electro-Harmonix, and Chinese current-production preamp tubes: emphasis on treble frequencies, solid lows missing, not as clear and articulate as many NOS options, but each has its unique take on this (for example, EH have a more nasal upper-mid character). I wouldn't say they're all equal, but there does seem to be less of a range of character in these new-production options (that Mesa offers [well, not the EH tubes] as their labeled tubes).

You're more likely to notice a unique character at clean-to-medium gain settings, rather than high-gain. Of course, what you choose to favor all depends on your particular amp's circuitry, as well as your pickups, power amp, speakers, style, and taste.

I don't mean to be just a negative curmudgeon; I simply want to remind you all that there are some truly exciting tone options to be had when thinking outside the Mesa-labeled-to-JJ box. And vacuum tubes aren't the only way to get there: there are some verrrry cool speaker options to be had these days.

- T