KT88 Splawn Nitro questions...

[Blitzie]

I have a new set of issues. It seems as though I don't have enough gain, which is a new problem for me. I have some stuff in the FX loop and I am using the loop master on the back of the amp to set the actual volume. So what I do is jack the volume on the front of the amp and use the loop master to adjust from there. There just doesn't seem to be ANY gain even with the gain on 1:00 (6.5/10). Am I going to need to get a boost pedal for this?

Another question; does anyone else scoop their mids all the way out and jack the treble ALL the way up? That's the only way that I can get any clarity out of the amp. If I take the treble down to even 3:00 (8/10) it immediately gets mushy. It's like I shut it all the way off.

For reference, I'm using a 2x12 Avatar with a Gov'nor and a Man-O-War. Guitars are EMG equipped.

 

[Noah76]

That amp should have more then enough gain. I never heard someone say that amp doesn't have any gain at 1:00. You do not need a boost with a Nitro. Did you check the tubes? What sound or how much gain are you trying to get?

I have a Splawn Competition and I set the master volume around 9 to 10 o'clock. And use the loop volume as my main. My mids are about 11 o'clock and my treb about 1 o'clock.My gain around 2 o'clock on gear 3 OD 2. The Nitro and the Competition are a bit different so my setting my not sound good on a Nitro. The best I can say is call Scott up.

 

[bubbastain]

Something is wrong with your Nitro. First things first though. Check out all of the basics first. Good battery in your guitar? Good cable? Take all the crap out of the loop and plug straight in and turn off the loop. Still sound the same? If yes then it's time to swap in some new preamp tubes. Good thing there's only 3.

 

[Noah76]

4 preamp tubes in the Nitro. And I was going to say check the battery in the guitar also.

 

[racerevlon]

What everyone else already said -- bad tube(s). My KT88 Nitro had so much gain it was silly.

 

[bubbastain]

4 preamp tubes in the Nitro. And I was going to say check the battery in the guitar also.

Oh yeah, forgot. My Comp had 3. More proof that my memory is going same direction as my hearing.

 

[Noah76]

Tell you what, send me the amp I'll check it out for you.

 

[Tonelover]

I had a Quick Rod and yes, I had to turn the treble AND presence all the way up. Ended up selling it for just that reason. Back either of them off much at all and it was unusably mushy and muddy. That was with a supposedly compatible Splawn 4x12 with SB25's. Although I actually liked that tone, there was no middle ground and that sound was overkill for many of my situations and probably for most people's ears. I wrestled with it for a long time, even sending it to Splawn to check out and was told it was working fine. It drove me crazy hearing many other people say they get killer tones on their Splawns with their tone controls set at about 12:00. No way they could be hearing what I was hearing when I tried that. I felt I was missing out and ended up getting a Baron K88 and am quite the happy camper now.

 

[Laura]

How do you have the resonance knob set? Turn it all the way counter clockwise and then start turning it up? That knob seems to squash your tone the more you turn it up. Is the amp new to you? How old is it? Mine is an early model and I liked it much better boosted. Very dry stock but killer with a boost. Scott seems to have resolved some of the issues that early owners complained about with the newer models.

 

[Blitzie]

To answer all the suggestions;

Good battery. Good cable.
Resonance all the way off.
It's a 2010 and I've had it for about a year.

I think maybe I was asking the wrong question. There is gain but there is no SATURATION. It is so damn stiff. I don't know if it took me until now to realize it or something, but the low string chugging doesn't have any life to it, if that makes any sense. I want a little more "fur" or "fuzz" on top of the gain and there just isn't any.

And yeah, I'm kind of tired of having to run my treble and presence all the way up and not being able to stand in front of the damn thing without it being harsh as hell. It's an annoyance for sure.

 

[Blitzie]

I need something clear and articulate, while maintaining a "wetness" to the gain. I'm not sure this is the amp for me anymore.

 

[Laura]

Sounds like you need to try a boost before offing the amp. I really liked the OCD V.4 in 18v mode with mine. They are pretty dry and unsaturated stock but boosted they sound fantastic.

 

[bubbastain]

I'll tell you that I hated the Governor speaker with my Nitro. Dull sounding to me. Here is a little vid of my old 2008 Nitro. Most of the eq knobs were in the noon territory. OD1 and gain was at noon. Marshall cab with V30s. EMG 81 drop C tuning.

 

[Blitzie]

I played a Carvin Legacy cab that had V30's in it and it sounded absolutely horrific. I'll try to locate another cab similar to the one you had and give it a shot. Would a Mesa cab be a good thing to try or would it be too muddy?

Any suggestions for boosts that are less expensive?

 

[Laura]

I played a Carvin Legacy cab that had V30's in it and it sounded absolutely horrific. I'll try to locate another cab similar to the one you had and give it a shot. Would a Mesa cab be a good thing to try or would it be too muddy?

Any suggestions for boosts that are less expensive?

The OS recto cabs were a woofy mess with my Nitro. I really like Splawn cabs and I have one with GOV/MoW's and one with Small Blocks/Big Blocks and both sound great. The Gov/MoW cab is definitely drier sounding overall. A 4x12 with some Greenbacks or WGS ET65's would sound good because you would more "breakup".

 

[Lord Toneking]

I need something clear and articulate, while maintaining a "wetness" to the gain. I'm not sure this is the amp for me anymore.

Splawns are very dry and dont have that saturation youre looking for. I like that in my Quickrod because it's cleaner and clearer sounding in a band mix.
I just bought a 5150 a few months ago and that sucker has all the gain AND saturation you would ever want. Im running a stereo rig with my QR and 5150 and it just cushes!

 

[bubbastain]

I played a Carvin Legacy cab that had V30's in it and it sounded absolutely horrific. I'll try to locate another cab similar to the one you had and give it a shot. Would a Mesa cab be a good thing to try or would it be too muddy?

Any suggestions for boosts that are less expensive?

Well if the Legacy cab with V30s sounded horrific, I don't think the Mesa Recto cab will sound better. Woofy like Laura said. There don't seem to be many people that like Splawns with V30s either. Yeah, and the Splawns are dry sounding. If there indeed is nothing wrong with your amp then it's just the wrong amp for you. I had no problems with my Nitro when I had it. Sounded killer. As far as boosts go, try a BBE Green Screamer. They can be found for $50 all day. Have you tried a 5150 III?

 

[Laura]

I like my Nitro with my cab with V30's/G12T75's. The Nitro was not good with my old Marshall cabs and my OS Recto cabs though. The BBE Green Screamer is a good suggestion for a budget pedal that should be able to get into the OD808 territory. The 5153 is a badass amp too. Tons of gain and saturation. Very thick but does not come close to the cut and clarity of the Nitro. I love my 5153 but again, it can get a bit lost in a mix. The Nitro cuts!

 

[O'Rourke]

The Nitro, at least the older ones, are very flat sounding to me. Lot of high end gets bled to ground and the tone stack design makes that even worse, that's why your treble knob acts the way it does. The gain is there but it doesn't have a saturated/chunky feel to it and the highs and upper mids are very dull so it doesn't have that wet sound you describe, at least not stock.

I've heard the new ones are different but haven't played or worked on one so I couldn't say for sure.

 

[Blitzie]

I am HIGHLY interested in a 5150 iii, especially the mini. It seems to have all the gain and saturation that I desire. I'm only playing at home, so I don't need to cut in a mix. I have no desire to play live. I need something suitable for jamming at home.

Saturation, gain, and articulation. That's what I want in an amp.

I am definitely going to try a few different cabs and a boost before I put this up for trade.