Finally happy with my tone...

barnesjd

New member
...and it conveniently requires two half stacks



:yes:

TL;DR: The Orange OR15 on the left runs dry and fully cranked into Celesiton G12-65s, and the Granger SLO clone 50-watter on the right runs wet into Marshall T3987 magnet Celestion V30s.

The ramble version:
I’m not currently in a gigging band, so can afford the luxury of having a not-so-portable rig. But more on that in a moment.

I got here through experimentation starting with inspiration to create a wet/dry setup. What I’ve ended up with is a wet/dry AND bright/dark setup. I got here by discovering I have different tastes in speakers and amps for wet vs dry.

The SLO clone on the right has been my primary amp for over a decade. Among the SLO clones, its voicing is most similar to a Dual Rectifier to most ppl’s ears. It’s a 50-watter and is currently loaded with 6L6 power tubes. I hit the front of it with a clean BBE Boosta Grande dialed up to about 12:00. The loop only has my Keeley-modded Ibanez analog delay. I run it through V30s (in particular, the pictured Bogner cab has the T3987 magnet V30s Celestion manufactures specifically for Marshall. I’m half-way through acquiring a quad of 16 Ohm Mesa T4416 magnet V30s for comparison). I’ve never loved the lows of V30s, regardless of the slight variances I’ve tried. Secondly effects like delay really muddy up the overall tone, especially for riffs with lots of palm-muting. With this half stack just pushing my upper mids, I get that mix-cutting bite that V30s can provide. To my ears, the Marshall V30s are a little less harsh in this department which helps.

Unlike the SLO clone, the Orange OR15 is definitely an amp that needs to be cranked to sound great. At only 7 or 15 watts, I can crank it and still jam with other folks. With either my G12-65 cab or my EVH signature greenback cab, I get great punch and woody low-end. It never sounds woofy or like it wants to invade the bass-player’s space in the mix. I love the early breakup of these speakers, but I’ve never loved playing them alone because with high gain that breakup and start cause a lack of definition in the upper mids. Running it next to the other half stack solves the problem and lets me have all that breakup, while still having a clear and articulate upper mid tone.

If my band ever decides to start playing gigs, I’ll probably invest in a 212 for the wet rig and make a single stack for scenarios where two cabs isn’t practical on stage. For me when it comes to cabs, I gotta have a 412 for the low end. But with this rig, only one amp needs the low end. Soooooo I think I can make the sacrifice if its eventually needed.

:LOL: :LOL:

What do y’all think? Similar experiences with some of these amps and speakers?
 

Attachments

  • 13D06DEA-C7C4-4171-A19C-18B7D82F52B8.jpeg
    13D06DEA-C7C4-4171-A19C-18B7D82F52B8.jpeg
    1 MB · Views: 405
Back
Top