Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

G

greco

New member
I have never had the opportunity to turn the volume on my amps up very high as I don't gig and therefore play only in the house and in my friend's small garage.

The amps are a '76 Princeton Reverb and a '67 Super Reverb

I have a feeling that this will be viewed as a VERY dumb question :smack: but I have to ask it as it has been bugging me for a long time.

For those of you that have the good fortune to be able to turn your amps up...Do you find that the tone improves dramatically when you play at higher volumes? I keep hearing of the term "sweet spot" on an amp but I don't think that I have even come close to that on mine. I understand that this drives the amp more, hence the tone should improve ( i.e., gritty and dirty) but I wondered if this is always true in reality. I also understand that some amps/speakers "break up" earlier than others depending on many factors.

A friend of mine plays professionally. When I asked him about his tone he replied that the only way he gets great tone is to turn a 100 watt amp to the max.

All comments much appreciated...along with your understanding of my lack of understanding of what appears to be fairly basic.

Thanks

Dave
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

Personally, I don't think Fenders and Marshalls really start to rock until they're turned up to at least four or five. Six or so will rock even better.

Less than that and they sound to clean and kinda thin....and notes don't sustain and sing.

I tend to use more bass and less treble at low volumes...and alot less bass and maybe a little more treble at higher volumes.

Less bass keeps things from getting muddy at higher volumes...plus it keeps the bass player happier cuz you're not stepping on his toes.

Lew
 
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Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

I think it really depends on the amps and their type. A lot of tube amps -yes; needs to be loud. Power tube distortion is way different than preamp distortion. I don't know about your specific amps. Also - at lower volumes, it's tougher to dial in the "sweet" spot. Small changes in volume etc. make big tonal differences. Amps doing solid state or preamp distortion are a lot easier (IMO) to run quiet and sound good. Good tone is good tone though. Don't believe every great tone you have heard is a Marshall on 11!
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

I'd say most amps sound better to the player when louder....who doesnt enjoy playing a cranked amp?

To the listener? now thats a totally different story
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

that princeton should give up the goods at a sorta low volume. probably more than anyone else in the house wants to hear but...
i think that would be the amp to use at home rather than the super

the super is a sweet amp but pretty loud. the magic number is 6. turn the volume, treble and mids to 6, bass at 4 add reverb to taste. if you can get the volume up that high you should have a great tone but its gonna be loud.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

In my experience, every amp sounds better when it's louder. The speakers moving the air makes for a better tone than when the amp's volume is down really low.

As for tube amps, most find that they all sound better louder as well, but this could be related to power tube distortion in addition to the speakers' movement.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

THere is a product out there to help. you put it between your speaker and your amp, and it is kinda like a pickup booster in reverse. it allows you to crank the amp and get that extra tube drive, but the signal to the speakers is reduced so that you can use it it small places.

kinda kewl. i dont remember what it is called but it is probably going to be pretty expensive and i doubt if it even does anything.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

jeremy said:
that princeton should give up the goods at a sorta low volume. probably more than anyone else in the house wants to hear but...
i think that would be the amp to use at home rather than the super

the super is a sweet amp but pretty loud. the magic number is 6. turn the volume, treble and mids to 6, bass at 4 add reverb to taste. if you can get the volume up that high you should have a great tone but its gonna be loud.
Click to expand...



6 6 6 old fender trick that works as does any combination of those numbers 6 3 9 or 6 9 3
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

Amps are meant to make you louder. If you want to play quiet and get a good tone, get an amp made for that. But a 30-100 watt amp is loud, and meant to be used for that. They're like race cars- meant to be driven fast, and don't work as well for driving slow around the block. Hell, even a 15 watt tube amp, such as my Marshall studio 15 is loud, and doesn't sound as good when I try to use it as a bedroom practice amp. luckily it has a power atenuater in it that allows it to become a 2 watt amp, which is perfect for in-house levels. Solid state amps seem to sound better at low levels, but can't really compete with tube amps at regular rehearsal or gig levels.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

Thanks to all. The responses are very helpful !

I have thought of getting an attenuator but they are expensive and the reports from those that have tried them are not that promising ( e.g., "fizzy tone", etc)

Jeremy..you are right..the princeton just starts to sound great when my wife calls to ask me to turn it down. However, it is also getting too loud for me to be comfortable.

The super has such huge tone, even at low voumes, that it would likely blow me away if I ever heard it cranked.

Many thanks again for the replies.

Dave
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

an attentator wont get the super down to bedroom volume with out killing the tone but would be perfect for the princeton.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

Supers are very loud amps! Regardless of official numbers. They are much louder than most 4-10 bassmans at similar settings.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

junior said:
BTW- those are really cool amps!:notworthy
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment

I bought the Super in about Feb. of this year from the local amp tech. A weak moment to some extent...but I'm older and have some extra cash for this type of thing. You only live once...right ...so I couldn't resist a blackface...even if I can hardly lift it. I got the Princeton for a couple of years before that.

Dave
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

No kidding!:laugh2: sometimes it seems like it might be more fun to be a jerk.
 
Re: Tone and Amp Volume...always related ?

I've gotta hit at least 5 on my JCM800 to really get that good tone. It's playable below that, but it sounds like a totally different amp.
 
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