Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
- Thread starter lex666
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Yngwiestein
New member
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Best way to improve clean on Marshall it to get a JVM :dunno: - kidding - kind of! Seriously TSL needs little scooped mids and higher presence to get more brilliant sound.
Best way to improve clean on Marshall it to get a JVM :dunno: - kidding - kind of! Seriously TSL needs little scooped mids and higher presence to get more brilliant sound.
Last edited:
Lazarus1140
New member
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Windex.
Windex.
lex666
New member
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Thanks for the replies guys.
My clean channel doesn't have a vol knob - just a gain knob. I have to use the master vol to turn it up.
I'm also already using the BBE sonic stomp which is always on.
I've played with just about every eq setting and I still get a very pronounced bass 'honk' when strumming the low E. I tried 2 types of compression pedals and while they do even out the tones a little, it squashes my overall tone alot.
I've tried rolling back the bass knob, but then I lose all bass tones and I'm left with just highs reaching into the 'ice pick' zone. Rolling back treb and mids to compensate just leaves everything flat sounding.
My goal is to be able to switch from a good clean sound into one of my gain channels (using my amp distortion).
Problem is, I have my gain channels (crunch and lead) set the way I like. When I swtich to clean, I get a bright clean tone with a significant bass "honk". The cleans don't transition well into a gain channel and vice versa.
Short of buying a new amp, what else can I do? I'm interested in more ideas if you have them.
Thanks for the replies guys.
My clean channel doesn't have a vol knob - just a gain knob. I have to use the master vol to turn it up.
I'm also already using the BBE sonic stomp which is always on.
I've played with just about every eq setting and I still get a very pronounced bass 'honk' when strumming the low E. I tried 2 types of compression pedals and while they do even out the tones a little, it squashes my overall tone alot.
I've tried rolling back the bass knob, but then I lose all bass tones and I'm left with just highs reaching into the 'ice pick' zone. Rolling back treb and mids to compensate just leaves everything flat sounding.
My goal is to be able to switch from a good clean sound into one of my gain channels (using my amp distortion).
Problem is, I have my gain channels (crunch and lead) set the way I like. When I swtich to clean, I get a bright clean tone with a significant bass "honk". The cleans don't transition well into a gain channel and vice versa.
Short of buying a new amp, what else can I do? I'm interested in more ideas if you have them.
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
What kind of guitar are you using? If I remember correctly you post a lot of Gibsons, and the midrange from those plus the midrange from your Marshall is probably why you've got that 'honk' going.
Try a guitar with single coils, or at least split the humbuckers on one of your Gibsons, and see what happens. My SG-X just has the stock 500T and the split tone is amazing and chimey, not honkey at all.
With the right amp and pickups you can use your selector switch and volume knob for all types of gain...I just crank my 68 Bassman up and use my Strat...the far-from-the-strings neck pickup for cleanish rhythms, the closer-to-the-strings middle pickup for cleanish leads, and the CustomCustom for fat crunchy heavy stuff...no need for extra channels or buzzy stompboxes.
Altho I do use a modded DS-1 sometimes just to make everything insane...the cranked amp and various pickups more than get the job done.
What kind of guitar are you using? If I remember correctly you post a lot of Gibsons, and the midrange from those plus the midrange from your Marshall is probably why you've got that 'honk' going.
Try a guitar with single coils, or at least split the humbuckers on one of your Gibsons, and see what happens. My SG-X just has the stock 500T and the split tone is amazing and chimey, not honkey at all.
With the right amp and pickups you can use your selector switch and volume knob for all types of gain...I just crank my 68 Bassman up and use my Strat...the far-from-the-strings neck pickup for cleanish rhythms, the closer-to-the-strings middle pickup for cleanish leads, and the CustomCustom for fat crunchy heavy stuff...no need for extra channels or buzzy stompboxes.
Altho I do use a modded DS-1 sometimes just to make everything insane...the cranked amp and various pickups more than get the job done.
donnievaz
New member
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
http://www.mercurymagnetics.com/pages/articles/misc/JCM2000-JPCervoni.pdf
http://www.mercurymagnetics.com/pages/articles/misc/JCM2000-JPCervoni.pdf
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Kosh Naranek
New member
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Use on of those switcher pedals to have your guitar's signal routed to a clean Fender Twin (or any amp with a great clean tone) when you want to play clean parts.
The guitarist in the band Marillion used to have a Marshall stack and a Roland Jazz Chorus amp that he'd switch his signal between. He may still use that rig, I don't know. His clean tones sound great. Maybe a bit dated, but I haven't heard some of their newer CD's.
Another possible cause for bass honk from the low E string is the guitar or the pickup. You could try adjusting the height of the pickup(s) that you use for clean tones. Hopefully that doesn't mess with the dirty tones you like. If that doesn't do it, you could experiment with putting in a different pickup that has a cleaner, tighter bottom.
You can also try a Strat instead of your Gibson and see if that cleans things up.
Well, since you never said that the cleans have to come from the same amp, here's how Eric Johnson does it:
Use on of those switcher pedals to have your guitar's signal routed to a clean Fender Twin (or any amp with a great clean tone) when you want to play clean parts.
The guitarist in the band Marillion used to have a Marshall stack and a Roland Jazz Chorus amp that he'd switch his signal between. He may still use that rig, I don't know. His clean tones sound great. Maybe a bit dated, but I haven't heard some of their newer CD's.
Another possible cause for bass honk from the low E string is the guitar or the pickup. You could try adjusting the height of the pickup(s) that you use for clean tones. Hopefully that doesn't mess with the dirty tones you like. If that doesn't do it, you could experiment with putting in a different pickup that has a cleaner, tighter bottom.
You can also try a Strat instead of your Gibson and see if that cleans things up.
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James Rock
Active member
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Maybe a 7 band eq pedal could give greater control then the 3 band to get a better clean sounds. That said I think cleans sound best very simple something you can't mould and something an amp either has or doesnt but then I rely on pedals to give my distortion and i like a dirty clean (I always use dirty channels set clean when I have to play solid state amps cos they sound warmer then the dedicated clean channel well the ones I've played any)
Maybe a 7 band eq pedal could give greater control then the 3 band to get a better clean sounds. That said I think cleans sound best very simple something you can't mould and something an amp either has or doesnt but then I rely on pedals to give my distortion and i like a dirty clean (I always use dirty channels set clean when I have to play solid state amps cos they sound warmer then the dedicated clean channel well the ones I've played any)
jerryjg
PinkElephantologist
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
well, i did put a question mark. I thought it might give the high end some sparkle, IDK.
well, i did put a question mark. I thought it might give the high end some sparkle, IDK.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Well the question was about clean not bright but just so you know a treble is a single transistor devise used to push the front end of an amp harder to make it crunch easier, sooner and more...Clapton, Brian May and Tony Iommi have often used these units to get more drive and sustain from their amps...
Well the question was about clean not bright but just so you know a treble is a single transistor devise used to push the front end of an amp harder to make it crunch easier, sooner and more...Clapton, Brian May and Tony Iommi have often used these units to get more drive and sustain from their amps...
jerryjg
PinkElephantologist
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Thanks for claryifying that. So, basically, the "clean boost" "is also gonna push the front for more crunch without coloring the sound(ideally), and the overdrive will also add more crunch essentially ? . There really is no pedal to make the top end chimy and sparkly then? I figured a treble boost might do this.
Thanks for claryifying that. So, basically, the "clean boost" "is also gonna push the front for more crunch without coloring the sound(ideally), and the overdrive will also add more crunch essentially ? . There really is no pedal to make the top end chimy and sparkly then? I figured a treble boost might do this.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
Here is the deal in a nut shell IMHO...you have a TSL...the TSL amps were an "upgrade" from the DSL amps and IMO Marshall dropped the ball...the extra (3rd) channel is think and buzzy to my ears without much body at all and on top of that the clean channel in those amps suffered (as you are finding out)...on top of that it's a 50 watt amp which while I feel is plenty of power is still not enough headroom for killer cleans...
All these things are against you and no EQ, BBE, or magic pedal is gonna give you better cleans...best bet get a different amp, easiest way to make it "better" try some tube swaps and turn it down a little...
Here is the deal in a nut shell IMHO...you have a TSL...the TSL amps were an "upgrade" from the DSL amps and IMO Marshall dropped the ball...the extra (3rd) channel is think and buzzy to my ears without much body at all and on top of that the clean channel in those amps suffered (as you are finding out)...on top of that it's a 50 watt amp which while I feel is plenty of power is still not enough headroom for killer cleans...
All these things are against you and no EQ, BBE, or magic pedal is gonna give you better cleans...best bet get a different amp, easiest way to make it "better" try some tube swaps and turn it down a little...
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: Best way to improve cleans on a Marshall?
There are a few pedals out ther ethat were made to add sustain and brightness w/o more distortion but the Rangemaster (and all other treble boosters are far from that...they do add some top end bight (it's actually an upper midrange spike) but they also add dirt grit and a lot of gain which slams the front end of the amp into massive overdrive/distortion...
There are a few pedals out ther ethat were made to add sustain and brightness w/o more distortion but the Rangemaster (and all other treble boosters are far from that...they do add some top end bight (it's actually an upper midrange spike) but they also add dirt grit and a lot of gain which slams the front end of the amp into massive overdrive/distortion...
