Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

[autologic]

I was playing earlier on my V22 and I was curious... When you have to use your amp at a lower volume, or I guess even at a higher volume, is it better to set the master volume really high or at the max and keep the preamp volume lower, or is it better to keep the preamp volume high or maxed and use the master volume to set the volume level? I personally usually use the latter method, but I tried it the other way and it seemed to sound a bit better to me, but I have trouble sometimes deciding whether something actually sounds better for real or if I think it sounds better because I want it to. So which do you use, and why?

EDIT: I left out another option: balancing both volumes. I don't believe I've really tried that one yet.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

It really depends on the sound you're after. Preamp low, master high will tend to produce the cleanest tones possible, whereas preamp high and master low will produce more overdrive. On my Marshall I set the preamp to get the amount of overdrive I need and raise the master as high as I can get away with.

 

[Jeff5]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

On my Dual Rec it seems that when I have the master high but preamp low, it is a bit looser and has more fizz. Preamp high and master low the tone gets more "solid" and less fizzy.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

If you run the pre high and the master low, you get a very distorted sound at a bedroom volume, usually ( I have heard a JCM800 destroy the room with the master at 2). Run the pre low and the master high and you should get a good gig level (depending on the power, see above) clean sound that only gets bigger when you hit it with a pedal.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

There are more than two ways to set those two controls, and no rules. Twist them while you listen instead of look, and you might find some you really like more than either extreme. I personally like having the pre and master set very near to each other, whatever the volume I'm playing at, on most amps with a master volume...not every one, but most of them.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

^^
Not that it won't sound good, but dang, it's sure going to get loud, at least if you are using a 20 to 100 watt amp.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

Master to full sounds best to my ears, but I rarely have the opportunity to run things that way.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

Master to full sounds best to my ears, but I rarely have the opportunity to run things that way.

I dont think ive ever owned and amp that i thought sounded best with the master on 10.... 8 or 8.5 sure... but many times flat out the amp starts to compress and sag so much i'm just not into it.

My favorite tones are usually with the master somewhere in the 5-7 range and the preamp about the same depending on the amp. But thats rarely feasibly.. usually its closer to master 2.5-3 with the preamp on 8 or 8.5.

But it varies so much amp to amp its hard to say for sure. My old Vibroverb reissue i used to have sounded glorious with all the knobs on 7.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

I dont think ive ever owned and amp that i thought sounded best with the master on 10.... 8 or 8.5 sure... but many times flat out the amp starts to compress and sag so much i'm just not into it.

My favorite tones are usually with the master somewhere in the 5-7 range and the preamp about the same depending on the amp. But thats rarely feasibly.. usually its closer to master 2.5-3 with the preamp on 8 or 8.5.

But it varies so much amp to amp its hard to say for sure. My old Vibroverb reissue i used to have sounded glorious with all the knobs on 7.

It really does vary from amp to amp. My Jubilee for example starts sounding really good with the output master at about 2.5, and continues to improve until about 5. Between 5 and 6 is starts to get compressed and beyond 6 it's REALLY compressed. I run the input gain at 6 and the lead master at 6-8 to balance volume between the rhythm & lead modes.

 

[TheMadGypsyBaron]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

I do this weird thing where I'll set up the gain all the way down and the volume up, and turn them up and down respectively until I get to that edge of breaking up/slightly overdriven sound I like. Something that cleans up nicely but still workable with the guitar volume knob but still has that driven sound with the guitar volume up.

I do this because I prefer the sound of the power tubes running hot to get the clipping. Does this necessarily accomplish the clipping of those tubes? I'm not entirely sure, but I can pretty much assure that the power amp section isn't compressing the pre amp sound which I don't like.
I'd rather run a non master volume amp with an attenuator though for all those tubes running hot. You can also dime the master, turn up the gain, and also use the attenuator then. Amp then acts like a non master.

 

[JRSOLDJA]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

from my exp. driving the preamp before the master will usually provide more gain at lower volumes...so depends on what sound you're going for..

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: Which is better? Master or Preamp volume high at low volume?

I have preamps with volume and gain. I like that type because I can run volume low and gain to taste while running power amp master high enough (8 or 9) to get some clipping. Its like a tiny roar. Low volume big sound. If just running single gain knob on channel and a master, then I like an amp (tube amp) with an attenuator so I can crank up the master a bit.