Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

[STRATDELUXER97]

I was goofing around tonight and had my 50 watt Marshall going through 2 of the V30 speakers at 8 ohms in my 4x12 cab and the Vox VTH in mono going into the other 2 speakers of the same cabinet at 8 ohms also...

Thought I'd see how close I could get to catching the tone or at least the vibe of my Marshall at like volumes...The Vox was setup without reverb or any added effects just like my Marshall head..

Using the UK 70s(Plexi) model....I couldn't cop the correct mid content nor the tighter in your face attack,speed and feel of my Marshall...I was trying to copy my Marshall at lower clean volume of around 4 to 5 on the volume and not grind..Couldn't really say this model was even close because of the tightness factor and the mids weren't the same....This UK 70s model is actually my least favorite and now I really understand why....It doesn't sound like a "Plexi" era or 1987/1959 model Marshall to me!

I had the same scenario again with the UK 80s(JCM 800) model but I was able to dial the mids in.This model again lacks the tightness of the actual Marshall,though the gain,bass,and highs are pretty easy to capture....I like this model alot more than the model mentioned above.

The surprise.....I was able to really nail the cleaner,tighter tones from my Marshall by using the (Tweed 4x10 59 Bassman)model.....I got very very close to the tightness,and the mids...These 2 being the hardest thing to dial in...I was very happy when I realized that I could in fact dial in something that sounded just as nice as my newly modded,and re-done Marshall head...

I didn't try the UK Blues(JTM 45) setting and I imagine I could get as close with this model also? I've modded the normal channel of my Marshall basically to rub up against the 59 Bassman/JTM 45 cleaner tones so I can run pedals through it,but the "Lead Channel" is purely as it should be if I want to run straight into that side and grind at higher volumes....

This Valvetronix VTH 120 head is pretty cool for what it is....I can't say that I actually got the harmonic complexity of the Marshall with it's preamp and output tubes,but I got close enough to feel like I was actually playing through a great sounding Marshall head through the identical cabinet....It was fun though...We're not even talking about the extra cool effects I could have added like reverb,echo,etc...to the basic copied tone and this is through a $600 head!

Everytime I play through this Vox head I'm always very pleased with the tone and all the ability it has and versatility....I bought mine for it's versatility from the start,but it also has some great tone to offer!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

Yeah, I really like the Bassman 4-10 model. That's cool that you did a close comparison with the same cab, using two mono sides. That's why I like the Valvetronix as much as I do....because it's got so many ways to tweak it, you really can come close to some classic amps.

Of course, the actual tube amp has got more going for it, tonally, but for lower volume playing the Vox offers much more than a Marshall turned down to 1.

You should post the EQ/gain values, so I can see what they sound like with my Vox on the Bogner 4-12 vin 30.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

Yeah, I really like the Bassman 4-10 model. That's cool that you did a close comparison with the same cab, using two mono sides. That's why I like the Valvetronix as much as I do....because it's got so many ways to tweak it, you really can come close to some classic amps.

Of course, the actual tube amp has got more going for it, tonally, but for lower volume playing the Vox offers much more than a Marshall turned down to 1.

You should post the EQ/gain values, so I can see what they sound like with my Vox on the Bogner 4-12 vin 30.

Thanks for posting buddy! I agree that one of the nicest things about the Vox amp is the ability to still get good tone at lower volumes....The Marshall is "squeezed" too much until you can pump it up and get some air moving through the speakers....I Noticed the Marshall was smoother sounding and more complex....The Vox has this chime that you never really ever dial out all the way...The chime is great for clean and cutting,but it isn't smooth and complex like my Marshall....The Marshall now has this certain "something" in it's overall tone and the feel is different...This "something" is what makes the Vox very hard to dial in and actually "nail" what I hear through my Marshall at the same volumes...The 59 Bassman model got me scaringly close though!

I'm on shift tomorrow,but I will write down my 59 Bassman settings so you can try it out through your cab Thursday...Basically it's a copy of my "Normal Channel" that I've tryed to dial up to sound like a Bassman or the JTM 45 for external pedals,effects...It's almost clean Fender,but without reverb and starts to grind pretty quick once you get over about 4 on the volume control....I'd actually like it slightly cleaner and with a bit more headroom,but it's close enough right now...

 

[sac]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

It's funny you mention how great these things sound at low volume. The wife was in bed not feeling well, so I set the watts out to the 1 watt setting and the master at around 10 O'clock and I have George Lynch tone at wisper volume. It is fun to dial in tone but some of these presets are amazing. .4-2 nails George 1-1 is Eddie 3-1 is metallica to a T. Then theres Carlos, Tony Iommi. Like you said it may not be perfect but it's darn close.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

GJ....Here are those settings for you brother....I had the back attenuator knob set to 60 watts....I ran in mono at 8 ohms into just one 8 ohm side of my Marshall V30 cab....No effects at all added....This tone is "similar" to the way my Marshall's normal channel sounds through the other side of the same cab...The Marshall was set at about 4 on the volume or slightly higher and pretty clean with just a hint of grit at full volume using the bridge pickup of one of my Teles.....Pretty nice Bassman tone I thought?

Hard to see the treble pot buddy,but the treble is almost completely off....Let me know what ya think through your Bogner cab? My settings are slightly on the darker side and you might want to brighten things up a bit?

[I
MG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/stratdeluxer97/vox3.jpg[/IMG]

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

It's funny you mention how great these things sound at low volume. The wife was in bed not feeling well, so I set the watts out to the 1 watt setting and the master at around 10 O'clock and I have George Lynch tone at wisper volume. It is fun to dial in tone but some of these presets are amazing. .4-2 nails George 1-1 is Eddie 3-1 is metallica to a T. Then theres Carlos, Tony Iommi. Like you said it may not be perfect but it's darn close.

Exactly....Darn close is cool as long as the tone is still happening! The amp does a great job of getting it's own great tones though..

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

The Recto setting along with the OD models is great for low volume highgain ala Lynch/Wylde.

It's funny that a lot of metal players are scared of the Vox's retro cabinetry, because inside is something that can cop more metal tones than a 5150.
They really should make the head with a more modern looking headshell.
If I ever embark on a woodworking project, I'm going to make a headshell that looks like the upper half of a Bluesbreaker, and put the Valvetronix in it.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

The Recto setting along with the OD models is great for low volume highgain ala Lynch/Wylde.

It's funny that a lot of metal players are scared of the Vox's retro cabinetry, because inside is something that can cop more metal tones than a 5150.
They really should make the head with a more modern looking headshell.
If I ever embark on a woodworking project, I'm going to make a headshell that looks like the upper half of a Bluesbreaker, and put the Valvetronix in it.

Oh I Love the Bluesbreaker look!

 

[Mkf411]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

Thanks for the input on settings for the Valvetronx.

I was sitting on my couch watching TV last night and jamming on setting preset 1-1 with a G&L Asat Classic and really enjoying playing at TV Volume and getting close to what I consider a great rock tone like I can get through something like a Gibson Goldtone 2x12 combo cranked up. Those amps are great for that Authoratative 70's rock guitar tone like Joe Perry, IMO. The Valvetronix is as close as I'm gonna get at TV volumes.

A friend of mine has told me that Line 6 does the marshalls well, so I'd like to try that out, too.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

If you egt the mid content right, send me the recipe

The only thing close for me was the Diezel, Jubilee, and Variac models on the POD

ESP THE VARIAC model - I was rather impressed. I run a real Marshall with a Variac and it sounds damn close!

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

Using the UK 70s(Plexi) model....I couldn't cop the correct mid content nor the tighter in your face attack,speed and feel of my Marshall...I was trying to copy my Marshall at lower clean volume of around 4 to 5 on the volume and not grind..Couldn't really say this model was even close because of the tightness factor and the mids weren't the same....This UK 70s model is actually my least favorite and now I really understand why....It doesn't sound like a "Plexi" era or 1987/1959 model Marshall to me!

I had the same scenario again with the UK 80s(JCM 800) model but I was able to dial the mids in.This model again lacks the tightness of the actual Marshall,though the gain,bass,and highs are pretty easy to capture....I like this model alot more than the model mentioned above.

The surprise.....I was able to really nail the cleaner,tighter tones from my Marshall by using the (Tweed 4x10 59 Bassman)model.....I got very very close to the tightness,and the mids...These 2 being the hardest thing to dial in...I was very happy when I realized that I could in fact dial in something that sounded just as nice as my newly modded,and re-done Marshall head...

I didn't try the UK Blues(JTM 45) setting and I imagine I could get as close with this model also? I've modded the normal channel of my Marshall basically to rub up against the 59 Bassman/JTM 45 cleaner tones so I can run pedals through it,but the "Lead Channel" is purely as it should be if I want to run straight into that side and grind at higher volumes....

That's exactly what I've found with the AD60VTX. That UK 70s to me is the worst model, but I get an incredible (to me anyway) Marshall sound from the Bassman using either the Rat or TS model. Toss a little phase shifter on there and it's really cool! I love the UK blues for a raw, AC/DC type sound. In fact, I start with their patch and mod it to fit whatever guitar I'm using.

 

[Dirt123]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

I'm using a Tonleab SE, & I get similar results. One of the magic ingredients is picking the right boost pedal for the right amp. I’ve started using my old Wah in addition to the SE just so I can use the booster more often, as I can only use one pedal at a time.

BBB

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

One of the magic ingredients is picking the right boost pedal for the right amp.
BBB

I think that's the reason why people try the amp out in the store and don't care for it.......because they leave the OD models off. I use the OD models for everything, even the clean amps. It helps the sound of the amp if you balance the OD gain with the amp gain. On the cleans, use the Treble boost very subtly. On the gain tones, try any of the OD models, and it'll change the character of the gain. That's the key to using a modeling amp and getting a great tone out of it.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Was Trying To Mimic My Marshall w/Valvetronix Head

I think that's the reason why people try the amp out in the store and don't care for it.......because they leave the OD models off. I use the OD models for everything, even the clean amps. It helps the sound of the amp if you balance the OD gain with the amp gain. On the cleans, use the Treble boost very subtly. On the gain tones, try any of the OD models, and it'll change the character of the gain. That's the key to using a modeling amp and getting a great tone out of it.

Another key ingredient GJ that alot of guys don't realize with this amp,is that you need to keep the master volume levels dialed up...The volume needs to be at 1/2 volume(At least)or higher....I find the higher,the better...Maybe it opens up those 12AX7s at higher volumes?