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Topic: tube issue also in twin reissue ??? |
Jim Whitaker
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2008 8:19 pm |
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I am having trouble getting enough bottom end in the reissue twin I bought. Any suggestions Tubes, Speaker, talent?
Thanks in advance
Jim Whitaker |
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Chris LeDrew
From:
Canada
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Posted 15 Dec 2008 9:32 pm
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It could be an electronic issue......my reissue Twin has a ton of low end. Are you talking C6 or E9? The C6 will probably break up the amp at more than medium volume. You won't get that clean bottom end you hear from a Session 400 or something.
I wonder would the store allow you to try another, to see if you might have a dud? My first one was a dud (blowing fuses, crapped-out speaker), but the replacement seems decent.
_________________
Jackson Steel Guitars
Web: www.chrisledrew.com |
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Jim Whitaker
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2008 9:47 pm
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| I am only talking about E9. Just no bottom end balls at all. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2008 9:52 pm
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Jim - how many hours do you have on it...and I mean relatively cranked up? It'll take at least 25-40 (or so) to get the speakers partly broken in...and playing at "home" volume it might take a couple months.
You also should check the bias settings - they come from the factory set very cold, which is great for headroom but terrible for warmth and bottom end.
New tube amps will NEVER sound "right" immediately. They take time to break-in. And the bias HAS to be adjusted to your tone and style. Many players avoid hem because they don't get the electronics end...but even SS amps need some speaker break-in.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Jim Whitaker
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2008 2:29 pm
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I bought this used so it should have enough hours on it. It can be dialed in with my tele but i have to use my pod to dial in enough lows for my Zum e9.
Help! |
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2008 3:53 pm
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My TRRI also sounded ok for guitar but not for steel with the stock Jensens. When I changed them out for a JBL D-130 I got the tight bass and sparkling highs I was missing for the steel. But then the Tele sounded thin.
I recently changed to a Weber Neo 15 and it seems to be a good compromise for both guitar and steel. Really great sounding for the Tele. Not as good as the JBL for steel but still very good. The bass response is a little less than the JBL, but I can dial it up on the amp. YMMV |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2008 5:34 pm
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Ah - Jim, you're trying to play both steel and guitar through the same amp, right?
If that's the case I understand your problem. And with a Twin, it's pretty much "you can't get there from here".
Set a Twin for enough bass for steel and mondo headroom and your guitar tone will be boomy on one end, have icepick highs on the other and sound totally sterile. You've already experienced the opposite.
High-output, high-impedance steel pickups don't work the same as guitar circuits, and you are feeding two different output levels and radically different harmonic content into one amp.
IMO it flat doesn't work.
When I play steel and guitar I have two choices; if I play my Fender steels, they are tuned to B6 (more or less in a 6-string range), the pickups are comparable in DC resistance and output to 6-string pickups, and all the effects are compatible. I can use one amp - usually either my '64 Vibroverb Custom or '69 Pro Reverb. I'm usually mic'd, so I set the amp volume at about 7, an A/B/C switch (I also use a Trussart Steele DeVille fairly often) and one of my two pedalboards (depending on my mood and the music). It works great.
But-
If I play my GFI Ultra, I use BOTH amps, one with a lower gain preamp tube, the #2 input, lower-output power tubes, and a colder bias on the steel side. Sometimes I'll bypass the amp speaker(s) and use a 2x10 cabinet with bass drivers, which are great speakers for clean steel. But I ALSO use both pedalboards, as the hot, high-impedance steel pickups hate a lot of vintage effects. If I really have problems I'll use a Steeldriver II as well to buffer the input.
Just like working guitar players usually have several amps for different venues, playing both steel and guitar takes a different approach. One amp, unless you have compatible instruments, won't cut it unless you play both of them perfectly clean and for God's sake turn down the treble on the Tele!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 16 Dec 2008 8:05 pm Re: tube issue also in twin reissue ???
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| Jim Whitaker wrote: |
| I am having trouble getting enough bottom end in the reissue twin I bought. Any suggestions...It can be dialed in with my tele... |
Teles have 2 pickups. They also have a heavier bottom string and a more resonant body and neck.
Anyhow...
You didn't say what kind of settings you've tried. The tone stack in these amps simply won't give you decent bass on a pedal steel unless you turn down the mids. Set the volume wide open, or nearly so (yes, that helps), and then set the treble to 3, the mids at 2 or lower, and set the bass at 6 or higher.
My own "standard approach" to the Twin is to turn the mids all the way down, turn the bass full up (or almost so), and then set my tone with the treble control. Normally, "my tone" comes in when the treble's between 3 and 4. |
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Duane Brown
From:
Reno,Nevada USA
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Posted 18 Dec 2008 10:46 am
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I have played both guitar and steel for years, and the only solution I could come up with was this: Set the amp for optimum steel sound and I use an old MXR graphic equalizer to get the guitar tone right. I have an A-B switch to switch between instruments.
Donny is right- you can't make a steel sound good without cutting the mids which makes a Tele or Strat sound terrible.
I use Peavey amps but this should apply to any amp. Once the graphic EQ is set I never have to tweak it. You are doing the reverse by using your Pod to boost the lows for your steel. You might try using the settings Donny suggested for steel and setting the Pod for Tele. |
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