Ever had an amp go dark?

V

VonBonfire

Well-known member
I let the amp, a SF Twin Reverb, mostly sit for about 4 years while I gigged the other one. I threw a k-120 and a Force 12 in there the other day and the amp is noticeably darker than the Celestion equipped model I've been gigging. I thought maybe I was out of phase so I checked it and it's wired correctly. They are both SF models that have been blackface modded. I would've thought it would brighten the tone slightly with those speakers, especially a JBL but it is definitely darker with the exact same settings. What gives? Do I got a component that should be value checked or something? Amp seems to be working good otherwise.

Maybe I need to try and blow it up at tonight's show but I don't know if I can fit both of them in the car yet.
 
I would try both amps through the other one’s speakers to see how they compare. Maybe the other one is just darker and so even a JBL is not enough to compensate. If the cone is not original it could be quite dark sounding actually, at least the re-coned JBL’s I’ve got are like that (dark sounding)
 
braintheory said:
I would try both amps through the other one’s speakers to see how they compare. Maybe the other one is just darker and so even a JBL is not enough to compensate. If the cone is not original it could be quite dark sounding actually, at least the re-coned JBL’s I’ve got are like that (dark sounding)
Click to expand...
Great suggestion, thanks. I will give it a shot at some point this week. Probably too late for today's show so I'm just gonna bring both of them if I can fit them in the rig and I will try and destroy the problem amp since I can run on 10 all night at this particular event. I need to give it a heart check anyways since it has mostly sat for a long time.
 
VonBonfire said:
Great suggestion, thanks. I will give it a shot at some point this week. Probably too late for today's show so I'm just gonna bring both of them if I can fit them in the rig and I will try and destroy the problem amp since I can run on 10 all night at this particular event. I need to give it a heart check anyways since it has mostly sat for a long time.
Click to expand...
Yeah it could just need servicing from a tech possibly. Whenever I’ve wanted to compare a combo amp to something else I’d always run it through the same speakers as whatever amp I’d compare with to make it a fair comparison
 
VonBonfire said:
Great suggestion, thanks. I will give it a shot at some point this week. Probably too late for today's show so I'm just gonna bring both of them if I can fit them in the rig and I will try and destroy the problem amp since I can run on 10 all night at this particular event. I need to give it a heart check anyways since it has mostly sat for a long time.
Click to expand...
if I tried to lug 2 twin reverbs to a gig, the only thing needing a heart check would be me! 😁
 
gtrwun said:
if I tried to lug 2 twin reverbs to a gig, the only thing needing a heart check would be me! 😁
Click to expand...
Lol. Get a decent dolly and use a 1/2" plywood board with a cutout for the handle and you can stack them. Webbing straps recommended.
 
VonBonfire said:
I let the amp, a SF Twin Reverb, mostly sit for about 4 years while I gigged the other one. I threw a k-120 and a Force 12 in there the other day and the amp is noticeably darker than the Celestion equipped model I've been gigging. I thought maybe I was out of phase so I checked it and it's wired correctly. They are both SF models that have been blackface modded. I would've thought it would brighten the tone slightly with those speakers, especially a JBL but it is definitely darker with the exact same settings. What gives? Do I got a component that should be value checked or something? Amp seems to be working good otherwise.

Maybe I need to try and blow it up at tonight's show but I don't know if I can fit both of them in the car yet.
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm currently dealing with this with my Orange Micro Dark. Intermittent too, sometimes varying while I play it, and the gain is affected too. Worst part is it became noticeable right after a speaker swap so it took me a while to work down to it being the amp. I'm guessing there is a bad connection somewhere, but who knows. Could be the same for yours, or it could be that there are actual differences in part values. I second the suggestion to swap the cabs you're plugging into. Doing that helped me narrow it down to the amp. BUT! If you're sufficiently unlucky like I was, the problem will appear to track with the speakers until you do it enough times for it to happen with the other cab too.
 
what guitar you using and what's your signal chain Von? Not many of the homies on here are using twins. My bro is rocking a bassman half stack and it sounds righteous....
 
JackBootedThug said:
what guitar you using and what's your signal chain Von? Not many of the homies on here are using twins. My bro is rocking a bassman half stack and it sounds righteous....
Click to expand...
Edwards E-SA into Rockett Blue Note used as mild boost into Twin Reverb. Vol 10 Treble 10 Mid 1 Bass 1.
 
JackBootedThug said:
oh my.....any clips? does the mid and bass cuts tame it any?
Click to expand...
I got past band clips but not something I want to share right now.

Don't ask me why but those settings just work if you are a guy who rides the volume knob. Gets muddy if you bring mids or bass up past about 2 or 3 so I just leave them off. With humbuckers the settings work just about ideally. With a strat you'd drive people out of the club. I think any setting lower than five or six on a blackface Fender acts as a cut, but I am not an authority. It's a tried and true rig/settings. BB King, Freddie King, Joe Guitar Hughes etc.
 
VonBonfire said:
I got past band clips but not something I want to share right now.

Don't ask me why but those settings just work if you are a guy who rides the volume knob. Gets muddy if you bring mids or bass up past about 2 or 3 so I just leave them off. With humbuckers the settings work just about ideally. With a strat you'd drive people out of the club. I think any setting lower than five or six on a blackface Fender acts as a cut, but I am not an authority. It's a tried and true rig/settings. BB King, Freddie King, Joe Guitar Hughes etc.
Click to expand...
yeah the fender tone controls are 5 is the zero....above that is boosting, below that is cutting.Sorry for the terrible explanation....I'm probably wrong though.
 
JackBootedThug said:
On the old line 5 stuff I only used their twin setting for my cleans and crunchy goodness....treadplate was my go to for the grrrr chuggachugga stuff.
Click to expand...
Always wanted to see what one of the tone masters or modelers would do if I set it how I set an actual Twin. I have serious doubts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top