When you think "boxy" amp, what comes to mind

[braintheory]

Can you post a recording? I’d like to hear what yours is dialed in like

Yeah I can try making a close mic clip and pm it, but I honestly am really not good at recording and may not do a good job lol, but can try. I have good gear like an SM57, Royer 122V, 1073, Burl and other good pre’s, Apollo X8P and I’ll still find a way to use them badly hahaha. I mostly have it for my classical guitar stuff

 

[braintheory]

No idea if you'd like the UU but it's a pretty different amp from the other Ubers. If you do get a chance to try one I'd be interested to know how you go.


I'm getting to like it more after spending more time fiddling. I actually wish I had waited to make that video because I've learned that Hair+, Deep high, Density low works better for most things.

But yeah it's a colder core tone, especially if you're fond of a Rev Blue's thick & rich thing. But I managed to get the Ch 1 Uber mode ballpark to a Blue with something like this:

Pres 3:00, Hair+
Depth max
Density 9:00
Ch1: B/M/T = 3:00, 2:30, 1:00

The upper mids still weren't quite right but overall not too far off.

I agree with your approach on settings, but the core tone and feel qualities still were what they were for me and just not at all what I find inspiring in amps like that. I also fwiw don’t care as much for the blue. That’s to me where Ubers started to go downhill

 

[Brandonrz]

Yeah I can try making a close mic clip and pm it, but I honestly am really not good at recording and may not do a good job lol, but I have good gear like an SM57, Royer 122V, 1073 and other good pre’s, Apollo X8P and I’ll still find a way to use them badly hahaha. I mostly have it for my classical guitar stuff

Sweet! Honestly a 57, UAD interface, and a 1073 is professional level gear.

Shoot, I just wind up putting my mic around dust cap and cone meeting. Crank up the amp “loudish” set the mic pre level to where it’s spitting out around -6db and good to go. Biggest thing I can advise when recording is use less bass and less treble then you think. It’s horrible for me but I legit turn the amp down a little and put my ear level with the speaker at a distance so I don’t over do it, because that’s what the mic is capturing. When you’re standing or sitting your ear is at a level that cuts of those frequencies naturally.

 

[braintheory]

Sweet! Honestly a 57, UAD interface, and a 1073 is professional level gear.

Shoot, I just wind up putting my mic around dust cap and cone meeting. Crank up the amp “loudish” set the mic pre level to where it’s spitting out around -6db and good to go. Biggest thing I can advise when recording is use less bass and less treble then you think. It’s horrible for me but I legit turn the amp down a little and put my ear level with the speaker at a distance so I don’t over do it, because that’s what the mic is capturing. When you’re standing or sitting your ear is at a level that cuts of those frequencies naturally.

Yeah the quality of the gear is there, just not the quality of my skill LOL, but I will give it a shot. I need to revisit making recordings anyway of my gear. I like mic placement like that too. I often get the mic gain levels wrong lol, but think I’ve been good with that lately at least for my classical guitar recordings. I’ll keep those eq tips in mind, thanks!

 

[TheGreatGreen]

I am not even the one to talk, as I never played a Mark, but knowing James used adittional EQ in the loop of Marks to cut mids after cutting them on GEQ says something to me lol

To be totally fair, I think the Mesa 5-band doesn’t really work as a totally adequate post-EQ solution either. People think it does because it has “5 whole bands” instead of the normal 3-band TMB EQ most amps have, but the way it’s voiced gives it such a specific signature character that additional post-EQ is almost a necessity. I have a couple Marks as well as a Mesa 5-band EQ pedal and that pedal doesn’t so much act like a standard EQ as much as it makes every other amp you put through it sound like a Mesa.

 

[Brandonrz]

Yeah the quality of the gear is there, just not the quality of my skill LOL, but I will give it a shot. I need to revisit making recordings anyway of my gear. I like mic placement like that too. I often get the mic gain levels wrong lol, but think I’ve been good with that lately at least for my classical guitar recordings. I’ll keep those eq tips in mind, thanks!

Yeah the mic gain levels like I said try to just have it where the amp is loudish in the room, not crazy bass heavy, then adjust the mic pre to where it sits around -6 to -3db on the DAW with the fader at 0.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yeah the mic gain levels like I said try to just have it where the amp is loudish in the room, not crazy bass heavy, then adjust the mic pre to where it sits around -6 to -3db on the DAW with the fader at 0.

I would add that you should probably start with the mic directly centered on the cone and then move towards the edge (depending on the amp, of course)

The sweet spot is generally on the edge, but there's a bit of variance between amps and it's good to get an idea of where that sweet spot is for each amp/speaker combo

 

[BackCrack]

"boxy"?
I've had some Mesa 1x10 combos that were boxy as hell (Subway Blues, Subway Rocket, Express). That 10" Eminence that Randall chose did his amps no favors.

 

[CrystalSky]

To be totally fair, I think the Mesa 5-band doesn’t really work as a totally adequate post-EQ solution either. People think it does because it has “5 whole bands” instead of the normal 3-band TMB EQ most amps have, but the way it’s voiced gives it such a specific signature character that additional post-EQ is almost a necessity. I have a couple Marks as well as a Mesa 5-band EQ pedal and that pedal doesn’t so much act like a standard EQ as much as it makes every other amp you put through it sound like a Mesa.

That is curious!

Wish I was talking more here back when I found out about RT. Could have had a IIc+ and all those cool Mesa thingies, like that GEQ pedal and Strategy 400 PA

 

[Techdeth]

Combo amps with small speakers, cheap solid state amps with cheap speakers

I generally define boxy as "lacking high highs and low lows"

Very common in grab-n-go TGP combos like the milkman, quilter cabinets, DV marks with neo speakers, etc

This defiantly

 

[Beyond Black]

This.

Any and every Mark I've owned or played through, with the GEQ off. Ugh.
A flock of geese playing Kazoos. Horrid.

Honkier than a MAGA rally.

 

[Dan Gleesak]

Blues Jr.

Never played one but I’ve heard people on TGP call it boxy enough times

 

[Rex Rocker]

1x12's.