Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

[LooseCannon]

Hey, i'm considering buying a competition and I really like splawn clips i've heared but some of they sound too compressed and too middy, even on first gear. So is it possible to dial it to sound less compressed and more open and to dial out the mids but not having it sounding scooped?
Thanks

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

Only by raising the volume and lowering the gain and mids. However, in a world of thousands of amps, the Splawn is made with rock/metal gain in mind, so what you see is what you get. Most people who buy them are looking for the Marshall sound with plenty of gain on tap. There's less of those than amps with clean/midgain as it's selling point.

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I also have rock\metal in mind, but its tone is very compressed compared to 80's metal stuff or even VH.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

Scott is making a new head that will only have about as much gain as 1st gear, and will be designed to give a more plexi-like tone and handle pedals well. Could be the answer to your issues...

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

Thanks but i'm not really looking for plexi like gain, I want a hot rodded jcm 800 tone, but not very compressed. Slash's tone for example is high gain yet still not that compressed, same for Zakk Wylde.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

Thanks but i'm not really looking for plexi like gain, I want a hot rodded jcm 800 tone, but not very compressed. Slash's tone for example is high gain yet still not that compressed, same for Zakk Wylde.

Both of those tones are pretty heavily compressed, IMO - especially ZW's. His rig has pretty much always been a Marshall lit up to the rafters and socked in the mouth with an OD... it doesn't get much more compressed than that.

 

[rog951]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

Thanks but i'm not really looking for plexi like gain, I want a hot rodded jcm 800 tone, but not very compressed. Slash's tone for example is high gain yet still not that compressed, same for Zakk Wylde.

I can't think of much of a more compressed-sounding tone than Zakk's stuff on the Ozzy records. I haven't heard a lot of the BLS stuff though so maybe that's what you're talking about? Are you thinking of rhythm or lead tones mainly?

At any rate, all the Splawns I've heard are very capable of "non-compressed" tones. If you're hearing tons of compression in the clips, it was probably added later? I have an older Pro Mod (but with EL34s) and it's the most dynamic amp I own. So, my experience has been that the tone from my amp is the "opposite of compressed." Definitely not anything resembling over-compressed, except perhaps when the gain is set insanely high.

That said, it's a little tougher dialing out the mids on this amp. If you want a scooped sound, this is probably not the amp for you. It's a great amp, but it certainly won't do everything. I don't want to say that the Splawns are one trick ponies but they definitely seem to have a narrow focus IMO. What it does, it does about as well as can be done. The only thing is, it sounds like what it does is what you want: hot-rodded JCM800.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

My only honest gripe about my Pro Mod (also an early one - shared EQ, no gears, KT88s) is that it gets a little stiff when you try to clean it up w/the volume knob on your guitar.

Maybe it's just the pots in my guitars, though...

 

[rog951]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

My only honest gripe about my Pro Mod (also an early one - shared EQ, no gears, KT88s) is that it gets a little stiff when you try to clean it up w/the volume knob on your guitar.

Maybe it's just the pots in my guitars, though...

I have the exact same amp, except mine has EL34s. I'm afraid there is just no way to get a good clean out of this thing...well, at least not a good clean by Fender standards. The new ones are much better in the clean department but I still probably wouldn't buy a Splawn if I wanted a pristene clean.

BTW, does your's have the MM trannies?

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I figured out everyone will say Zakk's tone is compressed, yes it's compressed but it's still a bit looser and more open than the splawn I can't really explaine it. Maybe the splawn is too tight for me, I need a bit of that spongy buttom end.

 

[Lespaul1981]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I know what your saying. The splawn sounds very tight and focused in sound clips. There isnt a ton of bottom end boom like ZW has. If you got an XTC you can adjust something called excursion switches to control how much the speaker cones get moved thus producing more or less bottom end. If its set to loose, its about as open as I could imagine.

 

[erikm5150]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

maybe you should check out David Bray's marshall mods, if less compressed and spongy bottom end is what you are after...
check out his soundclips, they are amazing.
i don't own a bray modded amp yet, but i will in the future...

 

[sosomething]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I have the exact same amp, except mine has EL34s. I'm afraid there is just no way to get a good clean out of this thing...well, at least not a good clean by Fender standards. The new ones are much better in the clean department but I still probably wouldn't buy a Splawn if I wanted a pristene clean.

BTW, does your's have the MM trannies?

I've found that I actually can and do get some really, really nice cleans from my PM using single coils. A bridge humbucker --> clean channel isn't really pleasing to my ears with the way I have the amp set up, but when I'm using my Carvin CT4C's PAF Joe neck pickup, it sounds amazing - especially when split.

But you're right - there isn't much about a Splawn that could be called "pristine," unless you're talking about their build quality.

And yeah - mine is the original Pro Mod. Two inputs, shared EQ, no gears, and Mercury Magnetics tranny. I actually prefer it to the new ones with the Heyboer trannies, and I prefer the simplicity of it. Adding seperate EQs and gears and blah blah blah just seems like more stuff stuck in the signal path to me. Give me bass, mids, treble, gain, presence, and a master volume and I'm good to go.

I figured out everyone will say Zakk's tone is compressed, yes it's compressed but it's still a bit looser and more open than the splawn I can't really explaine it. Maybe the splawn is too tight for me, I need a bit of that spongy buttom end.

That's a lot more clear. Yeah, Zakk's tone is super-compressed, but he does have a lot of loose-ness in the bass that is a set-up much more "forgiving" than a super-tight amp like a Splawn or VHT.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I know what your saying. The splawn sounds very tight and focused in sound clips. There isnt a ton of bottom end boom like ZW has. If you got an XTC you can adjust something called excursion switches to control how much the speaker cones get moved thus producing more or less bottom end. If its set to loose, its about as open as I could imagine.

Well, yes and no (about the Splawn). You can get as much bottom-end BOOM as your heart desires, but it will never lose tightness and articulation like a Bogner can (if you set it that way).

And so I post this clip again : Pro Mod low-end chug

That said, there is NO AMP I have ever heard that is capable of pushing out as much punishing low-end as an Uberschall. I've never played an XTC.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I figured out everyone will say Zakk's tone is compressed, yes it's compressed but it's still a bit looser and more open than the splawn I can't really explaine it. Maybe the splawn is too tight for me, I need a bit of that spongy buttom end.

What you're hearing with Zakk is several tracks of guitar. that's how he gets that Sykes-esque bottom end. I had the 'pleasure' of enduring the first four tunes of a BLS gig recently and he managed a similar (and not surprisingly indistinct) sound by using a stereo chorus and having a second guitarist double everything.

As for Slash's tone, well it's certainly nice and open, but there ain't much in the way of bottom end there, especially by metal standards.

You could look at something like a Top Hat emplexador or a Roccaforte, but I imagine you'll come back with something along the lines of 'not enough gain' or 'too open sounding'.

Perhaps just get an 800...

 

[LooseCannon]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

I've heared Roccoaforte clips and you're right they're too open sounding for me, i'll check out the Top Hat tough. An 800 i'd really have to crank to get a good tone out of it i'm looking for something that sounds good with the master on 2 or 3. And i've already heared before David Bray's stuff it's not really the tone i'm looking for and too expensive for me, i'm looking for an amp 1400$ max.
Thanks for the replies

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

No amp sounds like it could with the master on 2 or 3. Get yourself an 18watter if that's the amount of air you want to push.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Could A Splawn Be Less Compressed?

If you buy the amp, you'll learn to appreciate some of that compression, because that's what allows you to have a more singing lead tone, and also helps when you're playing lower volume.

Also, consider that a lot of the clips you've heard are possibly from high output pickups. Plug a LP with 59's or Seths into a Splawn and you'll hear some of the compression go away, and the tone open up more.