Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

[3'scompany]

I'm in a bit of an amp predicament. I'm trying to decide what amp I want to get and I'm leaning more towards the Splawn Pro Mod than any thing else at the moment... or at least so I think.

I currently have a Marshall TSL 100 which I don't like and a Mesa Triple Rec. I like the bottom end and chunk that the Mesa has but I would like something a little less "mushy" for lack of a better term. I like a lot of balls in my amp but would like a little more "raw-ness" and mid-range from my amp, but not sound as thin and lifeless as my Marshall does to my ear.

I'm a little worried that EL34s might just not sound that good to my ear (though maybe I need to try them through a different cab) and thus why I'm interested in the Pro Mod as it uses KT88s which are supposed to provide a little more gain and bottom end to the typical Marshall sound.

I'm also entertaining just switching the tubes in my Mesa for maybe the 6V6 kit that Eurotubes has or maybe some EL34s (might like them in a mesa) to give it a little different sound.

I don't use heavily saturated distortion any more, but still a considerable amount (think 12 or 1 o'clock on my amps) and am looking for a HOT vintage sound, basically southern rock on steroids. Just curious what anyone thinks. Is it worth selling all my stuff and buying a Splawn half stack (dear god to I love white halfstacks) or should I just retube my mesa and get a new cab with some money to spare? I would just try all options and test drive it all but I don't have the time or money to do so really.

P.S. My current cab is a Marshall 1960A with G12T-75's. I'm guessing this is a considerable part of the problem as I liked my mesa cab with V30s better. Just seemed smoother and to have more bottom end. Maybe a 4X12 with V30s and G12Hs in an X pattern are in my future. I've heard good things.

 

[MVI]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

I moded my Mesa F30, and it turned out, I couldn't be happier. I really think it is a requirement for the Mesa amp I own, but havent tried other Mesas. Mine was one of the best amps I've ever owned *before* "cleaning it up", but I could only use about 10 to 20 percent of it's range because of the mush, fuzz, and lack of clarity. Now it is just a dream amp, and I'm not even a gain monster kind of player ( OK it's fun sometimes ).

I don't have anywhere near the kind of volume needs, that are going along with 100 Watts, or even 50, so there may be some differences there. Being able to let a tuber run wide open is one of the joys of my life ( I know, kind of sad ), so I tend to run smaller amps at higher settings.

Vintage 60s on a Mesa sound pretty killer. hrmm.

More than you wanted to hear.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Well, you've thought it through pretty well.

Speakers are definitely a huge part of the equation. You need to check out V30s and G12H30s, possibly in combination. Splawn themselves use Eminence, I believe.

The Pro Mod is a killer amp that will do exactly what you outline: the modded 800 thing with extended bottom. But it's a real nut kicker. My friend imports them, and he takes each shipment to a tech to check that everything's okay after the long shipping journey to New Zealand. The tech measured the output on the pro mod and uttered a single word:

"sh*t!"

-The amp peaked out at 200 watts.

So bear in mind that it's not for the weak hearted. In many respects, I find the Quick Rod a more useable amp, even though it's very loud as well. Perhaps a Quick Rod with 5881s, 6L6s or KT66s would be the perfect thing for you. Give Scott a call. He's a very helpful, friendly guy.

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

/\ Holy crap. 200 watts?!?!?!?! I thought it was supposed to be 120 watts. I liked the V30s in my old mesa cab, just don't know how well they'd pair with a Pro Mod. The only reason I say that amp over the Quick Rod is that I want something with a little more bottom end.

I think I'm gonna call both Scott at Splawn and the guy over at Eurotubes and just talk to both of them if I can and see what my best option is.

However, anyone feel free to keep shooting some advice and/or experience my way.

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Perhaps a Quick Rod with 5881s, 6L6s or KT66s would be the perfect thing for you.

What kind of characteristic changes would these tubes give that amp? If you don't mind...

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

As a new Quickrod owner, let me give you this advice, sell the Marshall, save some coin, and add a Quickrod to your arsenal. My first amp is a Road King, and the Mesa Recto and Quickrod are like Yin and Yang. The Mesa is a little loose, big bottom end and modern, the Splawn is brash and tight, great definition, it's the Marshall sound you thought you'd get when you bought a Marshall. Maybe new speakers for the cab, and save for the Splawn. Also consider something like the Splawn Competition, it's only the gain channel, there was one on ebay for about a grand.

THose KT-88's are monsters, depending on how it was biased, I could see a Pro Mod putting out some serious wattage.

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Try an overdrive infront of the Mesa with the gain low and the level at about halfway... it'll tighten that 'mush' up quite a bit.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

What kind of characteristic changes would these tubes give that amp? If you don't mind...

Well, the KT66 is similar to the KT88, so you'll get similar tonal characteristics to the pro mod. The 5881 and 6l6 are very similar and will generally tame the upper mid thrust of an EL34 amp, as well as opening up the bottom end.

I'm guessing you'd get the benefits of the pro mod tone with less volume from any of those '6l6 family' tubes. Bear in mind that the QR pushes well more than it's advertised 100w, and it's actually normal for Marshalls to push more wattage than their ratings.

I'm pretty sure you can run 6l6s in a QR. KT66s may need additional tweaking. Talk to Scott Splawn about it, I reckon...

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

/\ I notice that on splawn's site you can get a Quickrod with KT77s. I'm assuming that all the KTs are some what similar in sound? So would a quickrod with KT77s sound more similar to a Pro Mod? I'm just kinda new to all these tubes other than EL34s and 6L6s.

Also, what are 6V6s like? From Eurotubes' website it seems like it might be a good match for my needs in my rectifier. Anyone have experience with EL34s in a mesa either? I know it won't transform it into a marshall (not what I want anyways) but I'm curious to see what it will sound like.

Thanks for all the help so far. Sorry for the inquisition but I've just never been much of an amp guy before so I don't know what to expect really.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

A KT77 is a substitution for an EL34, and physically looks a lot like an EL34. Perhaps someone out there with more experience with KT77 can help you on that.

6V6s are a cool tube, and come in two basic types: the small bottle GT type that you find in tweed deluxes and blackface deluxe reverbs and the large bottle S type. The 6V6S is similar to the 6l6 in tone and a quad will get you 50w. There are several makers that do low wattage 6V6 amps and many amp dudes reckon that the 6V6 is the best choice for a marshall flavoured low wattage amp. I'm a huge fan of the 6V6S.

But overall, any kind of 6V6 amp is going to be lower wattage. A quad can give you 50w if you design it right. The orange rockerverb 50 is a good example of a brit-toned 6V6S amp that puts out that wattage.

All the 6l6 Mesa amps with EL34 substitutions I have heard still sounded like Mesas, but with subtle tonal shifts that push the sound slightly towards the Brit end of the tonal spectrum. Could be a cool thing to try if you like the Recto thing but want a touch of Brit in the sound without going totally Marshall.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Can somebody give a good example of a metal player using K77? Thanks.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Anyone have experience with EL34s in a mesa either? I know it won't transform it into a marshall (not what I want anyways) but I'm curious to see what it will sound like.

The Mesa is designed for preamp distortion, even when you are cranking it, you aren't really getting power tube distortion, you're just making them work a that shows their character. I've set up my channel 3 and 4 to get the same exact tone, then switch one to EL34 and keep the other 6L6. THe results are interesting, but not ground breaking. It's really what you read, the bass is a little tighter on 6L6's, the highs are a little more apparent and on the EL34's, the midrange has a bit more aggressive nature, along with the slightly more spongy bass. You're still getting the Recto preamp sound, just fine tuning the attack and feel of the amp. I like the 6L6 better for crisper metal rhythm passages, but backing off on the gain I like the EL34s better.

The thing is, the Mesa with EL34's is nowhere NEAR the Splawn, they are completely different animals. The only piece of info I don't have is how the KT-88's would be in the Pro Mod. I can guess, but obviously I don't know. If you are into more hard rock type tones with a definate Marshall feel, get the Splawn. If you like the Mesa tone but want to tweak it a little, change the tubes. Seriously though, if you can save and wait, I'd try to keep both, it's like having a sports car and an off road truck, they both do different things, and do them well.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Here's an interesting thread I found about KT-77's.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1431159

 

[3'scompany]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Thanks for the replies again guys. Interesting and helpful stuff. The 6V6s sound like they might be a good choice for me as they would lower the wattage of my Mesa which I would like. EL34s sound like they might slay for my application in my mesa aswell. But the Pro Mod or Quick Rod both still sound tempting. Hmmm.... choices, choices. I wish there was a dealer for splawn near me. That would definitely help me out a lot.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Splawn Pro Mod or Mesa mods?

Hmm .... I've been told to be very cautious of HC review but if I was to believe them, my question would my TS9 and its mids spike take care of those mids that KT77 take away as a price for bigger and tighter lows ???