The blue channel tone from way back

[JOEY B.]

I have been wanting that early ZZ-Top tone from my Electra-Dyne. Tonight, I found it. SED EL-34's and some odd settings hit the nail on the head. 45 watts and hold onto your shorts. :lol: I even got out the goldtop, to make double **** sure. Forget about getting this tone with any pedal, it's all about power tube distortion.

 

[J.J]

Nice. Yep the trick is to get those power tubes cooking. Gibons didn't get his tone by running his Marshalls at 1 :lol: Pedals shmedals. How do you cope with the volume ?

 

[JOEY B.]

How do you cope with the volume ?

What Volume? :lol: :lol: :lol: Actually, in 45 watt mode with EL-34's, the volume does not really get much louder past the 12:00 position on the Master. Setting the Volume(gain) at around 12:00 does not feed as much preamp signal to the Master. Also, dialing back on the presence and tone knobs helps shave off a few decibels. I'm not going to say that it wasn't loud, but it's not as bad as you would think, in a large room. With the gain up and the Master down, the blue channel sounds dark and a little lifeless. to my ears. One other thing that I did not mention, REVERB OFF.

 

[Birdy]

Yeah...it's amazing how much EQing the ED properly makes a difference.
That's not to say it's hard, just that there are soooooooooo many tones
available with simple tweeks.
One day I'll twitch a dial a bit and go "****...that sounds awesome !" then
I live for hours on that setting, nudge the dials a bit after a few days then
just repeat over and over. Such a great amp design.

I'm also really likin' the =C= EL34s in mine.



.

 

[smogfalls]

Interesting stuff. So you guys who are running SED EL34's, did you buy specific "mesa-branded" ones? Or just use normal Winged C's? I have matched quad lying around as spares for my Jubilee and would love to give them a go in the ED, but reading that you should only use the Mesa "approved" tubes really puts me off.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Xan

 

[Birdy]

Interesting stuff. So you guys who are running SED EL34's, did you buy specific "mesa-branded" ones? Or just use normal Winged C's? I have matched quad lying around as spares for my Jubilee and would love to give them a go in the ED, but reading that you should only use the Mesa "approved" tubes really puts me off.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Xan

Hey Xan. I get all my tubes from these guys.
Just tell them what amp they are for..e-mail or phone...and they'll send
you you need. I bought a "matched quad" for my ED.

http://thetubestore.com/el341.html

*edited to ad...snoop around on their site, they have great reviews...IMO.


.

 

[JOEY B.]

.
Just tell them what amp they are for..e-mail or phone...and they'll send
you you need. I bought a "matched quad" for my ED.

http://thetubestore.com/el341.html

STR-442 MESA in mine. They were called "Svetlana" back when MESA sold them. The company changed its name to SED a few years ago. Sadly, MESA no longer offers them in their selection of EL-34's. What number is on the sticker at the base of your matched quad?

 

[smogfalls]

Thanks dudes, yeah the Winged C's I have were from thetubestore. Great guys to deal with and good prices on Worldwide shipping too. The number on mine is 25. Does this mean anything in relation to my ED?
Thanks again,
Xan

 

[primal]

I was experimenting last night with something similar, only I used the clean channel.

Volume set to 4:00
Master set to 3:00

Everything else to taste.

Beautiful power tube distortion with a touch of breakup from the preamp section

 

[smogfalls]

I was experimenting last night with something similar, only I used the clean channel.

Volume set to 4:00
Master set to 3:00

Everything else to taste.

Beautiful power tube distortion with a touch of breakup from the preamp section

sounds great... but how do you get the master that high without breaking all the glass in your house? I couldn't even get it past 10 o'clock on a big stage!... (granted it was in 90 watt mode)

Xan

 

[JOEY B.]

I couldn't even get it past 10 o'clock on a big stage!... (granted it was in 90 watt mode)

I think that 12:00 on the Master in 45 watt mode is about the clipping point for the Class-A section. Beyond that, it does not get much louder, but the tone changes a good bit. Flip that switch and hang on for dear life. 90 watt setting is beyond painful at these levels. If you have a cabinet larger than a 1x12, you can try putting a blanket across all but one of the speakers to cut down on stage volume. You also might need to roll off on the guitar tone control to tame the highs.

 

[primal]

I was experimenting last night with something similar, only I used the clean channel.

Volume set to 4:00
Master set to 3:00

Everything else to taste.

Beautiful power tube distortion with a touch of breakup from the preamp section

sounds great... but how do you get the master that high without breaking all the glass in your house? I couldn't even get it past 10 o'clock on a big stage!... (granted it was in 90 watt mode)

Xan

I have a hotplate

 

[danyeo1]

Holy Crap that must be LOUD. :lol: I get by with lower volumes though.

 

[JOEY B.]

Sending the power tubes and speakers into a near-meltdown state is the key to the Rev. Willie G tone. There is NO alternative - pedal, attenuator, or otherwise.