amp overdrive question
- Thread starter tt0511
- Start date
Guys, I had a successful trip to G.C. today. On a $500 budget, which seems like a lot of dough, I got some great additions.
The problem:
The cure begins:
G.C. had the hot plate used for $229. I got it for $200 which I thought was a good price since it goes for $329.99 new. Only thing to work out is that the speaker wires going to my speaker on my amp have slide on clips rather than 1/4" jacks. They hooked me up with one 1/4" jack and said to use speaker wire and the jack to wire it up. Only thing is they gave me one 1/4" jack and it looks like I need two. Ive got a bad guitar cable and I think I'll wack off a 1/4" end and use it if there are no issues there.
I felt it was better to get the hot plate now rather than a clean boost which I can get in a couple of months. They only stocked the PT-1 pedal board and it's smaller than I was going to get but I like the size of it. Much easier to fit on my floor and to haul around. I think I can fit everything except the Digitech Whammy on board, which is no issue since I don't use it all the time.
While at Radio Shack today I saw they have mono and stereo 1/4" right angle jacks that are only $3.99 each as opposed to the George L's and others that are like $17 each at G.C. Any reason not to use those and make my own patch cables to length with a good guitar cable in the future?
Building this board is going to be fun!
The problem:
The cure begins:
G.C. had the hot plate used for $229. I got it for $200 which I thought was a good price since it goes for $329.99 new. Only thing to work out is that the speaker wires going to my speaker on my amp have slide on clips rather than 1/4" jacks. They hooked me up with one 1/4" jack and said to use speaker wire and the jack to wire it up. Only thing is they gave me one 1/4" jack and it looks like I need two. Ive got a bad guitar cable and I think I'll wack off a 1/4" end and use it if there are no issues there.
I felt it was better to get the hot plate now rather than a clean boost which I can get in a couple of months. They only stocked the PT-1 pedal board and it's smaller than I was going to get but I like the size of it. Much easier to fit on my floor and to haul around. I think I can fit everything except the Digitech Whammy on board, which is no issue since I don't use it all the time.
While at Radio Shack today I saw they have mono and stereo 1/4" right angle jacks that are only $3.99 each as opposed to the George L's and others that are like $17 each at G.C. Any reason not to use those and make my own patch cables to length with a good guitar cable in the future?
Building this board is going to be fun!
Superlizard
Hero Member
- Messages
- 2,514
Cool! :icon_thumright:
Remember, *always* use unshielded speaker cable for any cords 'tween your HotPlate and amp... GUITAR CABLE = BAD! ('cept for Line Out on HotPlate)
You need 2 speaker cables:
1 speaker cable (speaker out from amp to "Input From Amp" on HotPlate)
1 speaker cable ("Speaker Output" from HotPlate to actual speaker)
Remember, *always* use unshielded speaker cable for any cords 'tween your HotPlate and amp... GUITAR CABLE = BAD! ('cept for Line Out on HotPlate)
You need 2 speaker cables:
1 speaker cable (speaker out from amp to "Input From Amp" on HotPlate)
1 speaker cable ("Speaker Output" from HotPlate to actual speaker)
Wee! This is as far as I could go with what I have right now. Need to zip up the loose cables underneath and a few small things but this is about it. I forced myself to leave a pedal or two out. I don't need my whammy on there, and I don't really NEED two distortion boxes on there. I do really like the Mod Tone Clean Boost and maybe I can find a way to fit it on the board at some point. I have an idea of how to make it work. But I'm gonna need some really slim right angle cables to pull it off. I decided I need to focus on my playing and not more effects. I did need the overdrive pedal though and from the little I've played this OCD pedal, it is amazing!
My first pedal board: :icon_biggrin:
My first pedal board: :icon_biggrin:
Patrick from Davis
Hero Member
- Messages
- 2,197
If you would like to build your own Pedal Power type power assembly, Geofex once again comes through
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/Spyder/Spyder.htm
Patrick
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/Spyder/Spyder.htm
Patrick
mayfly said:
Actually, I bought 24-gauge solid 2-conductor speaker wire from radio shack after looking at my amp's wires going to the speakers. They are small and that surprised me. Like car audio speaker wire small. Is this not the correct wire to use?
OH. I just did a google search. I didn't even know they made 1/4" speaker cables. Looks just like a guitar cable but I looked and noticed all my guitar cables say "instrument cable" on them. I bet the speaker cable says, ...well, "speaker cable" on it!
So, I get one of those, wack it in half and solder one wacked wire end to my amp wires and the other wacked wire end to the speaker tabs and I'm good? Then use a female-female coupler to join the two 1/4" male jacks together when I don't need the hot plate right?
mayfly
Epic Member
- Messages
- 8,746
tt0511 said:
24 gauge is way too thin to work in this application. Don't use it.
What you're describing would work, but you need to be careful that you get the polarity right, that your splices have a good mechanical connection, the solder joints are not cold, and that you insulate them well. For the latter, use heat shrink. For the joints, you'll go a long way if you tin the wires first.
J&H is a great pedal for running into the clean channel or low-input section of a good amp.
Classic 30 isnt/never was intended to be, a high-gain metal amp. Isnt going to happen naturally-ie: via it's lead channel's tubes alone.
If that's the sound you are after-Hi-gain from a small amp,you should look hard at an old Laney AOR 3012. Great little combo that will get you into the hi-gain/heavy tones WITHOUT any pedal sillyness in front of it. And you can find em cheap on ebay every couple of weeks. Usually $200-ballpark,if not less.
BUT even that amp is going to be loud without an attenuator. Low watts doesnt always mean low volume,when we're talking about tube amps.
Which makes me wonder-why do folks insist on getting tube amps-especially hi-gain ones-when they only intend to:
a) shove an IC-chip based distortion box in front it
b) hope to play at "bedroom" levels :tard: ...sigh..
I can see the point of B, IF they plan to do some gigging/recording/etc sometimes,then come home and use the same amp.But...
Ideally,for the 90% bedroom players,you might as well just get one of the little SS Vox/Roland/Line6 amps or pods- get the tones you are seeking,at the volume levels you can make use of at home-and STILL have the option of recording with them, and/or running them through PA systems or power-amps.
That said though, I do use one trick with my 100 watt head when I want to play it at home (only amp I use now,anyway so..) at "bedroom" levels.
It's the only time I put any pedals other than a wah in front of my amp.
On my Laney, when you plug into the low-input, it by-passes the 1st pre-amp tube completely. Goes right past the 1st pre-gain stage. Makes for great Bassman-like clean tones,too..but-for low volume playing...
I run the gtr through an old Zoom 505 pedal,then to the amp.
Ive made some patches for it, that use just a little Overdrive,a good bit of gain, a touch of compression,then tweak it's eq a bit-and the patches very closely mimic the tone of the AOR when plugged in through the Hi input.
What i then do, is adjust the PEDAL's output level to what I want.
Hence, I can crank the pre-gain on the head,and even the Master I can run quiet high (thus getting the power tubes cooking too) but the overall volume coming from the speakers is determined by how high or low I set the pedal's output.
With this set up,I can play "bedroom" level,and still get the tones I usually use at higher volumes. And bada-bing! Best of both worlds. 100watt head for when gigs or recordings are going on-same head for when I play quiet enough that people can sleep in the same room and not know Im playing-and no attenuator needed. :headbang1:
But for those who deliberately seek to use stomp boxes for thier sound, I say leave the high-wattage/hi-gain amps to others-just get a good,clean amp that will faithfully amplify the tones u like from your boxes,and use that. Because all that gain and wattage-and cost-is just a complete waste to you,if the bulk of your tone is derived from a pedal. Once that IC chip enters the circuit, it taints the signal, and what you are hearing from then on is the pedal-NOT the amp. Yes, the amp may impart some sounds of it's own to an extent,and the tubes may react somewhat-but the bulk of the tone is STILL the pedal.
Classic 30 isnt/never was intended to be, a high-gain metal amp. Isnt going to happen naturally-ie: via it's lead channel's tubes alone.
If that's the sound you are after-Hi-gain from a small amp,you should look hard at an old Laney AOR 3012. Great little combo that will get you into the hi-gain/heavy tones WITHOUT any pedal sillyness in front of it. And you can find em cheap on ebay every couple of weeks. Usually $200-ballpark,if not less.
BUT even that amp is going to be loud without an attenuator. Low watts doesnt always mean low volume,when we're talking about tube amps.
Which makes me wonder-why do folks insist on getting tube amps-especially hi-gain ones-when they only intend to:
a) shove an IC-chip based distortion box in front it
b) hope to play at "bedroom" levels :tard: ...sigh..
I can see the point of B, IF they plan to do some gigging/recording/etc sometimes,then come home and use the same amp.But...
Ideally,for the 90% bedroom players,you might as well just get one of the little SS Vox/Roland/Line6 amps or pods- get the tones you are seeking,at the volume levels you can make use of at home-and STILL have the option of recording with them, and/or running them through PA systems or power-amps.
That said though, I do use one trick with my 100 watt head when I want to play it at home (only amp I use now,anyway so..) at "bedroom" levels.
It's the only time I put any pedals other than a wah in front of my amp.
On my Laney, when you plug into the low-input, it by-passes the 1st pre-amp tube completely. Goes right past the 1st pre-gain stage. Makes for great Bassman-like clean tones,too..but-for low volume playing...
I run the gtr through an old Zoom 505 pedal,then to the amp.
Ive made some patches for it, that use just a little Overdrive,a good bit of gain, a touch of compression,then tweak it's eq a bit-and the patches very closely mimic the tone of the AOR when plugged in through the Hi input.
What i then do, is adjust the PEDAL's output level to what I want.
Hence, I can crank the pre-gain on the head,and even the Master I can run quiet high (thus getting the power tubes cooking too) but the overall volume coming from the speakers is determined by how high or low I set the pedal's output.
With this set up,I can play "bedroom" level,and still get the tones I usually use at higher volumes. And bada-bing! Best of both worlds. 100watt head for when gigs or recordings are going on-same head for when I play quiet enough that people can sleep in the same room and not know Im playing-and no attenuator needed. :headbang1:
But for those who deliberately seek to use stomp boxes for thier sound, I say leave the high-wattage/hi-gain amps to others-just get a good,clean amp that will faithfully amplify the tones u like from your boxes,and use that. Because all that gain and wattage-and cost-is just a complete waste to you,if the bulk of your tone is derived from a pedal. Once that IC chip enters the circuit, it taints the signal, and what you are hearing from then on is the pedal-NOT the amp. Yes, the amp may impart some sounds of it's own to an extent,and the tubes may react somewhat-but the bulk of the tone is STILL the pedal.
notafatboy
Newbie
- Messages
- 7
so i had a classic 30 for the longest time. I ended up trading it because I got somethign with more headroom. I find the clean channel with lots of pedals works the best for me. I just was trying out a multitude of OD/DS pedals at my local GC. This is what I think about the ones I tried: Blackstar HIGAIN pedal-good amplike metal distortion, good value. Jeykll and hyde; very versatile i loved all three tones.Ie OD DS and both. Anything fulltone sounds good, I like the fulldrive and OCD most. I tried the Zvex distortron and it got a more oldschool tone. I also tried an old school Tube driver that had a tube in it but it didnt get the tone i was thinking it might. I ended up getting a BOss SD1. I use it alone and in front of etiher my Vox saturator(likely my fav ds tone) or my modded Boss Ds1. I think you have to try many pedals to make YOUR tones. there is a lot available.
