Cleans on channel switchers...

[jet66]

The cleans on the Carvin Legacy and Krank Chadwick II are really good. Two,IMO, great amps that cover a lot of territory well. (aside from teh br00tuhlz.)

 

[BeZo]

Gotta +1 the Knuckleheads here. My old guitarist ripped some brutal stuff on the original K100, and it had a really good clean tone. The guy used to build amps for Fender, for Jeebus sake! Those K-Tre amps rip! The holy grail for a while was the second gen. Knuckleheads with reverb. Now Rivera finally listened and put it on all the K-Tres. Bad-ass amp!

 

[Nico]

Well using EL34 tubes like most of us do doesn't help either in getting Fender cleans. That is a fact!

 

[killertone]

Just curious, why are the clean channels on many channel switchers very dull or lacking in tone?

I mean, is it that hard to take a variation of the basic Blackface Fender circuit or a Vox circuit and put it in an amp along with a good dirty channel? I don't understand why so many good high gain amps have shitty cleans. So often I hear, "it's a good clean, but not Fenderclean". Well then just put the damn Fender clean circuit in the amp and be done with it! Everyone copies the Marshall circuits so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Boogie is one of the ones that gets it right IMO. Is it maybe because builders would rather try to make their own circuit rather than use a tried and true design based off of Fender or similar???

I have never heard a clean from a Rectifier that I ever liked. Actually, I always thought they were one of the worst. They had zero headroom and sounded really dul and lifeless. Did they fix that on the 2010 Reborn models? The Mark series seemed much better. The Lonestar is killer though. That is a great amp and has a great clean tone.

I have tested out a few amps lately that have seriously badass clean channels. The Natas and the Colossus being among the best in that department. Also, I honestly think the JVM 410H has one of he best clean tones I have ever heard in a channel switcher, especially the green mode.

I think until recently a clean channel was an afterthought on most high gainers.

 

[jerrydyer]

I run seperate preamps as well, seperate tone stacks .. some clean clips in my clippies page below.

 

[duesentrieb]

Well using EL34 tubes like most of us do doesn't help either in getting Fender cleans. That is a fact!

Sorry to disagree - in modern amps with multi preamps and loops and such thats a minor factor to the equation IMO.

 

[Badronald]

I really like the cleans on my Triple Rectifier. Never thought I would but they sound fantastic.

People talk about Fender cleans like they're magic or something. There are plenty of modern Fender amps that have very average (thin) clean tones AND pathetic gain tones.

 

[petejt]

What does OEM stand for?

 

[mboogman]

FWIW, the Egnater modular stuff doesn't suffer from this affliction. It's actually one of the biggest reasons I dove in to the modular pool, and haven't left.

 

[EchelonEngineering]

What does OEM stand for?

Original Equipment Manufacturer

 

[fearhk213]

The Suhr stuff has amazing cleans. OD100, PT100. Very Fender like.

Mark

+1 The clean channel on the OD100 series is insanely good. The 5881 loaded OD100 has the best clean channel I've heard on a channel switcher at this point and even if you don't like the gain channel it's arguably worth keeping for the clean alone. When I had it modded to the plexi tranny w/EL34's it took away some of magic of the clean channel. It was still really, really good (probably 2nd or 3rd best clean on a high gain channel switcher I've played), but for me it was no longer an amp worth keeping for the clean channel alone.

 

[cibyl]

There are actually several dual channel amps that have good to very good clean channels. Bad Cat, Bogner and Rivera just to name a few companies, make channel switchers with great clean channels.

 

[FortinAmps]

I also use separate preamps and voltage supplies and EQ.

As already mentioned above. For cost considerations many of the OEM companies compromise to give you more options by simply using a few stages from the high gain channel to give you the psudo clean.

+1
I do this on my Meathead which is the reason it has 9 preamp tubes
Natas clean and OD is also separate.
Cheers,
Mike

 

[roadifier]

Just curious, why are the clean channels on many channel switchers very dull or lacking in tone?

I mean, is it that hard to take a variation of the basic Blackface Fender circuit or a Vox circuit and put it in an amp along with a good dirty channel? I don't understand why so many good high gain amps have shitty cleans. So often I hear, "it's a good clean, but not Fenderclean". Well then just put the damn Fender clean circuit in the amp and be done with it! Everyone copies the Marshall circuits so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Boogie is one of the ones that gets it right IMO. Is it maybe because builders would rather try to make their own circuit rather than use a tried and true design based off of Fender or similar???

I have never heard a clean from a Rectifier that I ever liked. Actually, I always thought they were one of the worst. They had zero headroom and sounded really dul and lifeless. Did they fix that on the 2010 Reborn models? The Mark series seemed much better. The Lonestar is killer though. That is a great amp and has a great clean tone.

I have tested out a few amps lately that have seriously badass clean channels. The Natas and the Colossus being among the best in that department. Also, I honestly think the JVM 410H has one of he best clean tones I have ever heard in a channel switcher, especially the green mode.

I think until recently a clean channel was an afterthought on most high gainers.

My mesa roadster has an amazing Clean channel, and so does My recto preamp. Tons of headroom.

 

[killertone]

Just curious, why are the clean channels on many channel switchers very dull or lacking in tone?

I mean, is it that hard to take a variation of the basic Blackface Fender circuit or a Vox circuit and put it in an amp along with a good dirty channel? I don't understand why so many good high gain amps have shitty cleans. So often I hear, "it's a good clean, but not Fenderclean". Well then just put the damn Fender clean circuit in the amp and be done with it! Everyone copies the Marshall circuits so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Boogie is one of the ones that gets it right IMO. Is it maybe because builders would rather try to make their own circuit rather than use a tried and true design based off of Fender or similar???

I have never heard a clean from a Rectifier that I ever liked. Actually, I always thought they were one of the worst. They had zero headroom and sounded really dul and lifeless. Did they fix that on the 2010 Reborn models? The Mark series seemed much better. The Lonestar is killer though. That is a great amp and has a great clean tone.

I have tested out a few amps lately that have seriously badass clean channels. The Natas and the Colossus being among the best in that department. Also, I honestly think the JVM 410H has one of he best clean tones I have ever heard in a channel switcher, especially the green mode.

I think until recently a clean channel was an afterthought on most high gainers.

My mesa roadster has an amazing Clean channel, and so does My recto preamp. Tons of headroom.

Ah, cool. Never played a Roadster. If that amp has a good clean, I bet the recent DR's have better clean channels, too. Haven't played one in a long time.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Personally I can make do with a "serviceable" clean, doesn't need to be stellar.

 

[threadkiller]

I really like the cleans on my Triple Rectifier. Never thought I would but they sound fantastic.

People talk about Fender cleans like they're magic or something. There are plenty of modern Fender amps that have very average (thin) clean tones AND pathetic gain tones.

^this

The clean on the mak4 is very good and stays clean up the volume scale unless you really try to push it into overdrive with the gain knob, and why when it has an awesome crunch channel. I suspect this is because it has a seperate tube for this channel.

 

[Bevosss]

The clean on the mak4 is very good and stays clean up the volume scale unless you really try to push it into overdrive with the gain knob, and why when it has an awesome crunch channel. I suspect this is because it has a seperate tube for this channel.

+1, it's very Fendery! A damn good choice for a high gain switcher, and talk about value for money...

I really like the Herbert clean channel too, it's more Hiwatt than Fender I believe, has this 'piano-like' element to it that Fender-types don't have...hard to explain, it's still full like a Fender, but something different in the definition of the note that I like...I don't find it sterile at all, I like them both to be honest. Really I could use either, I'm sure no one in the audience could tell the difference!

6L6s sound the ultimate to me for cleans, but I'm not a fan of them for gainy stuff, so I compromise slightly.

 

[petejt]

Whatever you do, DON'T play a Fender Stratocaster into a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 combo amp if you think channel switchers are good for clean tones.
That thing KILLS for clean tones over any channel switcher.

And it's all in how you use the guitar if you want that warmth (and twang) in the tone. Yep, a Strat with a 5-way pickup switch, where you pick the strings, how lightly or heavily, fingerpicking or using a pick, how you hold the pick. Everything is there.

 

[tfridgen]

Just curious, why are the clean channels on many channel switchers very dull or lacking in tone?

I mean, is it that hard to take a variation of the basic Blackface Fender circuit or a Vox circuit and put it in an amp along with a good dirty channel? I don't understand why so many good high gain amps have shitty cleans. So often I hear, "it's a good clean, but not Fenderclean". Well then just put the damn Fender clean circuit in the amp and be done with it! Everyone copies the Marshall circuits so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Boogie is one of the ones that gets it right IMO. Is it maybe because builders would rather try to make their own circuit rather than use a tried and true design based off of Fender or similar???

I have never heard a clean from a Rectifier that I ever liked. Actually, I always thought they were one of the worst. They had zero headroom and sounded really dul and lifeless. Did they fix that on the 2010 Reborn models? The Mark series seemed much better. The Lonestar is killer though. That is a great amp and has a great clean tone.

I have tested out a few amps lately that have seriously badass clean channels. The Natas and the Colossus being among the best in that department. Also, I honestly think the JVM 410H has one of he best clean tones I have ever heard in a channel switcher, especially the green mode.

I think until recently a clean channel was an afterthought on most high gainers.

My mesa roadster has an amazing Clean channel, and so does My recto preamp. Tons of headroom.

Fuckin right man, the Roadster cleans are FANTASTIC!