effects loop question

[i love everyone]

lately i've been getting my guitar tone for my band by just cranking the clean channel on my amp, which has a volume control but no gain control. now, if i want to run a stereo rig by going from the effects send of my amp to the effects return of a solid state power amp, will i still get that nice power tube distortion or will the signal going to the power amp be pretty clean? i won't actually get to try it till the weekend, so i was wondering if it's even worth the effort of setting up.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: effects loop question

I think the majority of distortion from a NMV amp comes from the power tubes, although some comes from the preamp tubes. My guess is you wouldn't get a totally clean tone tapped from your effects loop, but you'd get some distortion if you're cranking the preamp.

That said, there are plenty of guys on this forum who know far more than me about this sort of thing.

- Keith

 

[ErikH]

Re: effects loop question

Well, it won't be stereo, that I can tell you.

Now, if the preamp on your main amp is getting overdrive, which it sounds like it is, then you'll get that tone out of the SS power amp along with whatever coloring that power amp does. You do not want to send a SS power amp in to clipping. They sound HORRIBLE when clipped.

You should at least try it and listen to it set up that way. If nothing for just for the sake of curiosity.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: effects loop question

Well, it won't be stereo, that I can tell you.

Yes, I should've mentioned that. You're taking the preamp stage of one amp, adding it to a solid state power amp, and creating one complete amplifier -- not two.

If you ran the power amp into two speaker cabs that have the correct combined load, you'll be in stereo territory, but that's no different from running two cabs out of a single amp head.

- Keith

 

[ErikH]

Re: effects loop question

If you ran the power amp into two speaker cabs that have the correct combined load, you'll be in stereo territory, but that's no different from running two cabs out of a single amp head.

- Keith

Still not in stereo territory because it's still one amp. He'd need two separate amps and split the signal before hitting either one with a delay or chorus pedal with stereo outs.

Even in a rack setup, most rack preamps have two outs that then go in to the left/right of a stereo power amp then two cabs. That's the easiest way to get there with one pre/power amp setup.

But you know this, right?

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: effects loop question

That's a good point. They're not independent channels, so the delay on a chorus would be just as much in one channel as the other.

 

[i love everyone]

Re: effects loop question

well i suppose stereo was the wrong word to use; i basically want to run 2 cabs at once, but send the same signal to either one.

so do i understand correctly that if i'm not really using any preamp gain, the sound from the effects send of the first amp will be pretty much clean, with a little distortion from the preamp tubes, then it will overdrive the power amp, which is something i don't want.

 

[ErikH]

Re: effects loop question

On the all tube amp with the tube power amp, you want that, that's fine. You just don't want to send the SS power amp in to clipping. It'll sound like ass. If it has sufficient headroom, it may not break up at all. Nothing says you can't try it, just letting you know what is a possible expectation.

 

[James Rock]

Re: effects loop question

If you want power amp distortion you may be better getting an attuenator and taking the line out into an SS power amp but I've never tried that so I can't comment on the sound.

 

[aleclee]

Re: effects loop question

I think the majority of distortion from a NMV amp comes from the power tubes, although some comes from the preamp tubes.

At least in NMV Marshall designs, a lot of the distortion comes from clipping in the phase inverter. The amps' design is such that it's virtually impossible for the power tubes to clip since the preamp and PI start clipping first.

If you want power amp distortion you may be better getting an attuenator and taking the line out into an SS power amp but I've never tried that so I can't comment on the sound.

I've tried it and the results are pretty good.