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NegativeEase

NegativeEase

New member
Gents, so my Rig was a Fender Deluxe 22W 1x12 Celestion G12-70 and Mesa MkV 35W driving a 2x12 V30 Cabinet in Stereo but I wasn't happy with the overall sound and feel, the Mesa MKV is an incredible overall amp but at the end of the day it wasn't adding a great deal of personality like the Deluxe was -but more just amplifying the signal and adding some powerful EQ shaping but not mojo..

So here's what I did, I substituted out the Mesa for an Origin Revival Drive pushing a solid state Class D Seymour Duncan Powerstage 170W.

So a Fender Deluxe 22W 1x12 Celestion G12-70and Origin RD/SD Powerstage 170W feeding the Celestion V30 2x12

Last night I played on stage with this and it was an overwhelming success in the new rig. Reminder that I am still mixing a Deluxe Reverb so my sound is a combo of Tube and SS power.

Here are the differences between the Origin/Powerstage combo and the Mesa MkV Tube:

Pros
  • Articulation in a band mix was off the charts better -My noodle was so much more present.
  • Clean tones were far superior
  • Overall sound was more intelligible -Guitar sound sat in the band mix better
  • Power stage and and origin are compact -so I dont have to lug a heavy head for shows -I even mounted the Sd Powerstage inside the back of my Deluxe!
Cons
  • If you did an A/B comparison without a band -you would probably say the Mesa has a low end fullness that the Origin/Solid state Powerstage lacks -but in a band mix the power of the Mesa actually may not be an advantage -as the bass player and other guitar player are in that spectrum.
  • the Mesa MkV has so many feature like emulated speaker cabinet DI, effects loops, powerful graphic EQ etc etc
  • I think if you never played the 2 choices in a band context and just them solo at home to fill the room with sound -the Mesa would be the slight winner every time
Anyways, just wanted to say that the Seymour Duncan Powerstage is a winner for this type of strategy. The Mesa MkV is an incredible amp -but I just dont need it to get a great sound.
 
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Here what the SD Powerstage looks like BTW

J51178000000000-00-720x720.jpg
 
The Origin pedal looks like an amp factory in foot-sized stainless steel box. The PowerStage is supposed to be just clean power, so I assume we're really comparing the Mesa to the Origin here?
 
Yeah, the PowerStage excels at this kinda thing. Of course, you need either a preamp pedal or modeler, but through a guitar cab or full range speaker (if using a modeler), it is pretty awesome. I've used the PowerStage (200 & 700) before, but don't own one. It is on the list, though.
 
beaubrummels said:
The Origin pedal looks like an amp factory in foot-sized stainless steel box. The PowerStage is supposed to be just clean power, so I assume we're really comparing the Mesa to the Origin here?
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Comparing the combination of Origin RD and SD power stage to the Mesa -yes.

Yes, the Powerstage's job is clean reproduction and amplification -however I do boost the Mids and Lows using the powerstage EQ -so that puts it in the tone equation as well.
 
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Mincer said:
Yeah, the PowerStage excels at this kinda thing. Of course, you need either a preamp pedal or modeler, but through a guitar cab or full range speaker (if using a modeler), it is pretty awesome. I've used the PowerStage (200 & 700) before, but don't own one. It is on the list, though.
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Absolutely, the Powerstage on its own is lifeless on purpose. More importantly, it performs clean faithful reproduction of the input source and Im using it's EQ to boost the mids and lows a bit to make up for what the Mesa does in the power stage
 
I also evaluated a few others -including the Quilter Superblock US and Uk Versions....

Both were great in tone but just not enough power for moving a 2x12 effectively.

I think the quilter super block sweet spot would be moving a 1x12 or 1x10
 
Is the revival drive the only one of its kind or are there other fully customisable “amp in a box” pedals like it? O figure a pedal that perfectly mimics the front end of an amp going into Class D means you miss out on half the sound (try running from the fx send of your favourite tube head into class d power…) because this might be just what I need for my fly rig.
 
Beer$ said:
Is the revival drive the only one of its kind or are there other fully customisable “amp in a box” pedals like it? O figure a pedal that perfectly mimics the front end of an amp going into Class D means you miss out on half the sound (try running from the fx send of your favourite tube head into class d power…) because this might be just what I need for my fly rig.
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There’s a bazillion pedals that claim to be an “amp in a box” but the majority are glorified overdrives that need an amp behind. If you’re not into modeling you can look into things like Kingsley pedals, Orange Stamp terror, or the Ethos. If you’re open to modeling then there’s other options.
 
Interesting timing on this. I'm trying to decide how my HX Stomp is going to be amplified, and the Powerstage is definitely one of the possibilities. I'd love to hear anybody's experience comparing it to a powered FRFR.
 
Blille said:
There’s a bazillion pedals that claim to be an “amp in a box” but the majority are glorified overdrives that need an amp behind. If you’re not into modeling you can look into things like Kingsley pedals, Orange Stamp terror, or the Ethos. If you’re open to modeling then there’s other options.
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That’s what I mean. Are there any others as comprehensive as the Origin? Digital doesn’t play nice with my favourite custom OD.
 
JB_From_Hell said:
Interesting timing on this. I'm trying to decide how my HX Stomp is going to be amplified, and the Powerstage is definitely one of the possibilities. I'd love to hear anybody's experience comparing it to a powered FRFR.
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I used a PowerStage 700 into a Marshall 4x12 with a Stomp, and it sounded great! And it was crazy loud, too.
 
Beer$ said:
That’s what I mean. Are there any others as comprehensive as the Origin? Digital doesn’t play nice with my favourite custom OD.
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Just so I know your referring to the right Origin -The Origin Revival Drive is all analog amp in the box pedal

And before GuitarStv jumps in, this pedal is not on a board in front of my on stage -it's locked up out of sight back with the amp. -too many knobs and things to go wrong for it to be out and exposed at a show.

This one

Origin-Effect-RevivalDRIVE-Standard-Main-Feature-Image.jpg
 
NegativeEase said:
Just so I know your referring to the right Origin -The Origin Revival Drive is all analog amp in the box pedal

And before GuitarStv jumps in, this pedal is not on a board in front of my on stage -it's locked up out of sight back with the amp. -too many knobs and things to go wrong for it to be out and exposed at a show.

This one

Origin-Effect-RevivalDRIVE-Standard-Main-Feature-Image.jpg
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I know. I am asking if there are any other full amp in a box like the revival drive, or is it the only one of its kind? Most analog amps in a box are pretty much just the preamp circuit with transistors which I feel is only half of the sound compared to the RD. I might have to get one but wanted to know if there was anything else out there because I doubt I’d use quite all those features, though I like the idea of the analog simulated power response as Class D in the fly rig is clean amplification only.
 
Beer$ said:
I know. I am asking if there are any other full amp in a box like the revival drive, or is it the only one of its kind? Most analog amps in a box are pretty much just the preamp circuit with transistors which I feel is only half of the sound compared to the RD. I might have to get one but wanted to know if there was anything else out there because I doubt I’d use quite all those features, though I like the idea of the analog simulated power response as Class D in the fly rig is clean amplification only.
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There are lots of AIAB FET pedals like the Catalinbread foundation overdrives, Wampler's pedals, etc... But, yeah, I get what you are looking for, the only other one that really comes to mind is the DSM Simplifier - https://www.simplifieramp.com/simplifier-dlx-1
 
devastone said:
There are lots of AIAB FET pedals like the Catalinbread foundation overdrives, Wampler's pedals, etc... But, yeah, I get what you are looking for, the only other one that really comes to mind is the DSM Simplifier - https://www.simplifieramp.com/simplifier-dlx-1
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I’m considering one of those AMTs, maybe a Vt2. The Two Notes le lead sounds good. I had an amazing tube Blackstar pedal but it broke down and the circuits are so complicated it’s not easy to figure out what’s wrong with it.

I’m not thinking I’ll get the exact 100 watt modded tube head sound out of the fly rig and what I’m running now is perfectly useable but if my multi-fx goes down, I’d be in trouble.

Revival and Simplifier are about the same price. They sound amazing but I know I’m not going to use many of the features. Maybe I ought to build my own single channel analog amp sim with little less knobs.
 
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