Tweed Setting on LSC

[gregrjones]

My LSC is the one prior to their release of the multi-watt 10 w setting (it only has 50 and 100w settings).

I'm into more of the blues types of sounds and have read that a lot of that tone is in power tube saturation.

But my LSC is soooo loud that I can't get the master volume up past 9:00-10:00.

Originally, I was NOT using the tweed function because I thought that I heard an improvement without it, but I've since come to think that what I really heard was simply a volume difference because of the wattage drop.

I think I've confirmed this by comparing the tweed to the non-tweed setting by adjusting the master volume to compare each tone at the relatively the same DB level. Doing that trick, I'm not hearing a tonal difference.

Sooooo I'm now running the amp in tweed mode because at least I'm supposed to be pushing the power tubes more. But at 9:00 - 10:00 (I can get closer to 10:00 for louder bedroom practice purposes) that probably explains why I really don't hear a tone difference.

I read somewhere that when the amp is set to 50 watts, the tweed function is dropping the amp's wattage to 35. Is this true? The manual only states that the voltage is dropping.

Does anyone else hear a difference in tone with the tweed function beyond the volume difference?

 

[loudguitars]

Greg, I have the same amp. I would see if a set of 6V6s will help? They are OK to use in the LSC with certain settings. Search Charles Reeder posts. He uses a combo of 6V6s and those yellowjacket things to be able to push the power tubes. He has all the data you need.

I use 6L6s, but on stage I face my 1-12 cabinet backwards and baffle it with rack sides etc. I can get my master up to about 12 oclock. It sounds great at any setting over 10 oclock in my opinion. You might try isolating your cabinet. I am going to try the 6V6 thing soon. I will post results. Greg

 

[djw]

I definitely hear a difference between the Tweed and full power settings. I actually started out using the Tweed setting exclusively when I first got the amp, but discovered at the first show I used it with -- a large venue in which I needed a lot of stage volume -- I had almost no headroom on my clean channel. It was much way too mushy for my tastes, and I've used the full power setting ever since.

The main difference I hear between them is that breakup occurs much earlier on Tweed, and the style of the saturation is different than it would be if you were using full power and got to push the tubes to a similar level of breakup: it's not as punchy and loses a bit of the pop you get with fully-fired up 6L6s. But these settings are reductive in different ways, using different methods altogether, so that would make sense.

As I understand it, the Tweed setting reduces the voltage that drives the amp itself, so the sag is due to having less juice to work with; other methods, like a Hotplate or another power brake type device, work on the other end and absorb some of the output, which is being driven hard at full power. The 50 watt setting knocks out 2 of the tubes, which reduces the capacity of the power section itself.

And in the end, the audible results of these tweaks will also be affected by how you play and what gain/eq settings you use. These can be pretty subtle, especially if you're looking for a volume reduction -- I didn't really notice the difference until I was in a huge room and HAD to turn WAY up. At lower levels the difference will be less pronounced.

Also, keep in mind that the audible difference between 35 watts and 50 watts, or even 100, is negligible and manifests itself most clearly in terms of clean headroom. If you want to drive the power section hard, Tweed is a good way to go -- but you'll probably lose a little bit of the "spank".

Loudguitars is right about the 6V6 + YellowJackets concept. I use this config, at full power, and the quality of the breakup is different because of the tubes' breakup signatures in the amp. This was Charles' suggestion (he's out of town by the way, so he'll be out of touch for a while), and I can attest that it's pretty darned sweet.

Search around on "6V6" and "LSC" and you'll find a lot of helpful detail about this.

 

[fishyfishfish]

I use the "Tweed" Setting almost all the time with the 50 watt/ 4ohm setting and I notice a little drop in volume, but not much. I agree that some 6V6's or Yellow jackets would give a little less volume at the expense of clean head room, but I have just learned to live with this beast "As Is".