So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

L

LatsMcGee

New member
So today I have done nothing but play guitar and fiddle with my amps EQ, just found a spot on the amp that completely nails the tone from my two favorite thrash records and damn, it feels good! My eq will probably never move again on my hovercraft!
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

Oh I certainly have! I've been scratching my head since I found the sweet spot just because there are two dials pretty much dimed that I never have dimed on other amps do to clarity/note definition issues....
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

LatsMcGee said:
Oh I certainly have! I've been scratching my head since I found the sweet spot just because there are two dials pretty much dimed that I never have dimed on other amps do to clarity/note definition issues....
Click to expand...

Don't keep us in suspense! What two controls were they? I do know what you mean. I went through the same exercise with my little Blackstar. I decided to write my settings down on the chart that came in the amp's manual for future reference. I did come up with one setting and an alternate for both the clean and gain channels.

Studioplayer
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

I have the more common treble, middle, and bass tone pots and I hit tonal Nirvana when after reading an interview with Jeff Beck I turned the bass pot down.

I'm glad you hit the "glory hole".
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

It will all sound different tomorrow
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

Said it before, I'll say it again.

Learn to PLAY your amp.
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

I find a china marker to come in quite handy for such activities.
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

Studioplayer said:
Don't keep us in suspense! What two controls were they? I do know what you mean. I went through the same exercise with my little Blackstar. I decided to write my settings down on the chart that came in the amp's manual for future reference. I did come up with one setting and an alternate for both the clean and gain channels.

Studioplayer
Click to expand...

Had to bump the gain and the presence up, way up from where I usually have them, but I'm guessing when I can really crank at full volume I will be able to drop the gain!
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

wait till you play in a different room.
or with a different drummer
or bass player
or at a different volume level
or in a room that starts off empty, then fills up with people
or if you play outdoors
or in a recording studio listening to how its sounds in the monitors
or in a recording studio listening back to the mix with the rest of the band and other tracks.

nothing is set in stone. that's why they have adjustable knobs on amps. Every different stage you play on and every different player you play with requires re-tuning of your eq and other settings.
Its great that you have a killer amp and have found a killer sound, just remember to be flexible and trust your ears when you are in different sonic environments.
 
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Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

chadd said:
It will all sound different tomorrow
Click to expand...

Happens all the time. There's days when my setup will sound great, and other days when it sounds really off, and I hadn't touched anything. Just how the ears work. :D
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

LatsMcGee said:
So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...
Click to expand...

And then the weather changes, it gets real humid, and the whole rig sounds different.
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

The controls on my amp are currently as follows:

Presence: 10
Bass: 0
Middle: 10
Treble: 10
High Treble: 8
Normal: 2

The only thing that changes is the High Treble (Volume 1) depending on how much gain I want to work with; everything else stays
and hasn't changed for years. That's the beauty of a simple Marshall-ish "4-holer" plexi circuit.
 
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Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

gibson175 said:
wait till you play in a different room.
or with a different drummer
or bass player
or at a different volume level
or in a room that starts off empty, then fills up with people
or if you play outdoors
or in a recording studio listening to how its sounds in the monitors
or in a recording studio listening back to the mix with the rest of the band and other tracks.

nothing is set in stone. that's why they have adjustable knobs on amps. Every different stage you play on and every different player you play with requires re-tuning of your eq and other settings.
Its great that you have a killer amp and have found a killer sound, just remember to be flexible and trust your ears when you are in different sonic environments.
Click to expand...

Conversely, you could just play and not mess with anything. It's always worked for me. For a guy who's pretty particular about his tone, I'm not very particular about my tone.
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

My amp's EQ never stays the same from one venue or rehearsal room to another. It's not possible for it to.

The advice I have is old as the hills but it's true. Start with everything straight up and tweak. Sometimes starting from the top and working down is how to do it.

A few times, the acoustics have been so bad, I've had my other guitarist play while I tweak and I've done the same for him. But sure, you don't always get a soundcheck. Being able to rough in your settings for a line check is all you get. Which is where knowing your amp really well comes in!
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

It ain't neva gonna happen, just give up now!

EQ changes with the space you play in.
You "tuned" your sound to your practice room
Write down all your settings, cuz the urge to fiddle will come again and continue till the end of time............
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

This amp will not leave the room it's in in my house, I'm in the process of buying another amp for taking out and jamming with friends....Looking at a preamp/power amp set up for that...
 
Re: So the day when you get the EQ just right on your amp is glorious...

LatsMcGee said:
This amp will not leave the room it's in in my house, I'm in the process of buying another amp for taking out and jamming with friends....Looking at a preamp/power amp set up for that...
Click to expand...

Even then, the same is true! It's all about the air moving in front of your cabinet!

I used to run a JMP1 and then later a GSP1101. Great units, but that doesn't mean the sound didn't change here and there depending on rooms.
 
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