Renegade power tubes question

[Len Rabinowitz]

Guys-

I really like playing through channel one with the gain cranked. Great bluesy overdrive.

Today, just for the hell of it, I also dimed the channel volume.

The gain controls the pre-amp tube. However, what about the channel volume? Does that drive the pre-amp tube or the power tubes?

When I dimed the channel volume I noticed it started to overload the effects in the effects loop so I had to cut the loop out.

Just curious. Thanks!

 

[shimmilou]

The gain pushes the preamp, and the vol adjusts the level out of the preamp to the output section. The vol is before the loop, so the vol will push the loop and output section. In other words, the gain level controls how hard the preamp section is driven, controlling distortion, while the volume level controls how hard the output section is driven. With the gain set low and the volume set high, you will get loud with a clean preamp, and cranking the volume can start to distort the output section. With the gain set high and the volume low, you will get preamp distortion at lower sound levels, and cranking the volume can start to distort the output section.

 

[Len Rabinowitz]

Thanks! I had gain and volume cranked which I guess would push the power tubes harder, which is what I was looking to do. It also explains why the effects started to overload.