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Hack
This is really the only way I know how to set them up
rsm
Well-known member
short topic derail...and a reminder that why we play guitar may be different from others.
when I was gigging I had the gear I needed to get the job done within my budget. I played my first paying gig at 14, my last at 32... At best, I had a full guitar rig and a full bass rig, both ADA, two guitars and three basses, then I stopped and did the married life in the suburbs until divorce thing.
I did well enough financially, retired early; music, motorcycles and travel are my main hobbies and I'll keep doing them for as long as I can.
now I buy gear I enjoy and could only dream about owning when I was younger. Unfortunately, arthritis has done a number on my hand strength, dexterity, and speed, so I got into keyboards about 10 yeas ago, and usually avoid weighted keys for the same reasons (arthritis). It's also the reason I finally decided not to get an coastal cruising sailboat, which allowed me to redirect more funds to music and motorcycles, and a sports car instead.
I adjusted what I play and how I play, what I ride and how I ride, and have come to terms with gradual degradation of physical abilities, but it won't stop me from enjoying my hobbies for as long as I can.
If you enjoy making music or noise, whatever your ability/skill level, that's what matters in the end. If you play professionally or semi-professionally, you have a number of additional priorities that hobbyists don't have. Different priorities for different situations.
when I was gigging I had the gear I needed to get the job done within my budget. I played my first paying gig at 14, my last at 32... At best, I had a full guitar rig and a full bass rig, both ADA, two guitars and three basses, then I stopped and did the married life in the suburbs until divorce thing.
I did well enough financially, retired early; music, motorcycles and travel are my main hobbies and I'll keep doing them for as long as I can.
now I buy gear I enjoy and could only dream about owning when I was younger. Unfortunately, arthritis has done a number on my hand strength, dexterity, and speed, so I got into keyboards about 10 yeas ago, and usually avoid weighted keys for the same reasons (arthritis). It's also the reason I finally decided not to get an coastal cruising sailboat, which allowed me to redirect more funds to music and motorcycles, and a sports car instead.
I adjusted what I play and how I play, what I ride and how I ride, and have come to terms with gradual degradation of physical abilities, but it won't stop me from enjoying my hobbies for as long as I can.
If you enjoy making music or noise, whatever your ability/skill level, that's what matters in the end. If you play professionally or semi-professionally, you have a number of additional priorities that hobbyists don't have. Different priorities for different situations.
P
PhilC
Well-known member
I didn’t ask and we didn’t discuss any technical details of what he changed. We discussed voicing things. When he was packing it up to send it back he sent this -Phil, don't want to hijack that thread but could you please describe more into details what John did on that CAE, especially how that affected each channel and how do you feel / hear the result when playing?
Asking for a friend
“Clean is a touch fatter more big Twin like on the clean channel than the original.
Channel 2 is like great from AC/DC to Landau Tales from the Buldge. Happy with Humbuckers or single coils, you might wind up with bright switch on channel 2 and 3 on or off depending on pickups. Channel 2 is what IMO is idealized fat Marshall, dynamic and sensitive to pickups and gain control. Could even get axis bold as love turning it down. Channel 3 is gained out with hot Humbuckers but if single coils it cleans up of course but in a way you would want. Places I went were to reduce flub and make channel 2 and 3 tighter and much better IMO to the original …
I have to say it is one of the nicest sounding preamps I’ve heard …
I also implemented some new things I was wanting to try regarding filtering to give it more give closer to an amp. This is a preamp that I would love to have for myself…”
And in a later message -
“I still consider what I did to your 3+ the best work I’ve done with that circuit, and the new ________ amp is patterned after it.”
I don’t feel comfortable speaking to stuff he may have in the works so I edited that out but I do hope this voicing gets out into the world.
Anje
Well-known member
Thanks a lot Phil for sharing, sounds very interesting.
The friend's original I've played had "meh" channel 2 & 3 IMHO, the channel 1 clean was the gem for both of us.
John's description of how he "improved" channel 2 & 3 is very appealing.
The friend's original I've played had "meh" channel 2 & 3 IMHO, the channel 1 clean was the gem for both of us.
John's description of how he "improved" channel 2 & 3 is very appealing.
Jccobb2
Well-known member
oh that's gotta be the new PT50. pumped to hear that one
P
PhilC
Well-known member
It’s not the PT50. But yes, I’m sure the PT50 will be killer.
SgtThump
Real OG
I’ve tried bookcases for heads, but I’m always moving stuff around, taking different amps to gigs, etc…. It was too much work.
P
PhilC
Well-known member
My part of this interaction started because John was very receptive and sensitive to some comments I made when i initially sent it in for maintenance. I appreciated the original voicing but I never used channel 3 and I’d always wished 2 was a bit more vocal and a bit less off/stun on the gain knob. Seemed like the gain past 9 or 10 o’clock was way too much already. I think John had already been thinking through stuff and I just gave him carte Blanche and a platform to do his wizardry on. He kept it a pretty good while and from our conversations he seemed to enjoy the project.
I told him this just yesterday - if you look on top of the rack pic i posted there’s a Komet. It’s “JoJo” There are 3 of those and according to Mike he won’t build any more so there will only be 3. It’s a commissioned amp that Mike built for Gene at ultrasound for Gene to offer owners of real trainwreck express amps an option for recording or a big gig if they didn’t want risk lugging their OG express out. It’s the most touch sensitive head I have. Yes it does the volume knob clean to scream thing, but honestly, if you don’t completely saturate the amp with the amp volume knob and you’re using pickups that allow for it (like PAF or less output), you can cover the majority of that range just using pick attack without even needing to drop the volume on the guitar and if you’re within 10 feet of the cab every note wants to launch into infinite sustain from feedback (in a totally awesome fun way).What I told John is, I believe I could punch in the middle of a solo and other than EQ differences, the 3+ on channel 2 is every bit that sensitive and expressive. It’s not saturated shred. Harmonically rich and fat and dynamic. And like that Komet, you better be up to the challenge of driving it. It takes some finesse or it can be a mess. I could see it sounding terrible in the hands of a ham fisted player who just wants to pound power chords. The clean on that pre has always been incredible. Still is. Maybe more like 25% tweed twin/75% blackface now where it was 100% BF before. Ch 3 is like 2 with an incredible amount of gain. I will probably use it more than I ever would the original voicing (which was never) but I don’t really need that much gain. It is pretty fun with a tele bridge though.
Simon Dorn
Well-known member
The 1 Amp on the 1 Cab i have. Makes life easy.
rsm
Well-known member
Jakem
Well-known member
H
harddriver
Well-known member
Ohhhhhh, is that an Engl artist??? When did pick that up? Could you bring that to the 2026 Ampfest? Maybe your VH4?
Jakem
Well-known member
Shelves’ weight limit is 30kg and the heaviest amp is the Bogner weighting ~21.9kg.
Jccobb2
Well-known member
my shelves in the 1st post are ikea as well.
P
Panhead5
Well-known member
I actually think I'm a pitiful human . I don't know how many amps I have --maybe 10 or 15 but I try to get every single one to sound like a vintage Marshall . With pedals and crap I'm actually really good at it but it doesn't make ONE BIT OF SENSE !!! I'm thinking I'm not the only person that does this !!!!
SgtThump
Real OG
It’s a Savage 120 Mk2. I can bring it!Ohhhhhh, is that an Engl artist??? When did pick that up? Could you bring that to the 2026 Ampfest? Maybe your VH4?
