Rig great one night, totally fkd the next..

[Toneboner]

Ever have a great session one night,, everything is dialed in, every pickup doing something right, boosts set to incinerate but base toan is rocking too, etc. Then the next day u fire it up *exctly* how u left it and it’s FACKED!

Wuttt is going on??? Whyyy are the toan gods cruel!??

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

One theory I have is probably not applicable to you, but if you play everyday at volume for awhile, you are going to start losing a bit of sensitivity to highend and start gradually cranking it. Then after a long break, you turn it on and the tone is very bright, maybe grainy. Another phenomenon is if you turn down your master before turning on/off the amp.

My amp at least changes drastically with low volume vs high volume as far as gain/eq needed.

 

[RaceU4her]

Probably humidity and barometric pressure differences. Mids dont travel well through water filled dense air

 

[fusedbrain]

Could be a few things, but one of the more common causes of this is fluctuating wall voltage.
I used to have this happen to me from time to time when I lived in a large city. Wall voltage would swing like crazy, and could go as high as 126v. I'm out in the sticks now, and I have my wall voltage set at 112v, supplied from a pure sinewave inverter. ( off grid solar )
Solved a lot of problems for me.
Most amps sound like ass when the wall voltage is above about 118v.

 

[Toneboner]

Could be a few things, but one of the more common causes of this is fluctuating wall voltage…
Most amps sound like ass when the wall voltage is above about 118v.

I’ve wondered about this. Warmer day today than has been in a while. People cranking AC + home on a weekend = the wrong kinda brown sound??

I’ve been trying to find my acres and get into the quietude (ironically) and onto that stable Sun voltage, too. U lucky dog!

 

[70 Mach 1]

Welcome to the club.

 

[nightlight]

It could also be pure nostalgia. Something you remember from the past as a high water mark, though it actually wasn't as good as your remembrance of the event. We're all wired that way.

Like other say, it could also be climatic conditions or something as mundane as the electricity supply.

 

[Toneboner]

One theory I have is probably not applicable to you, but if you play everyday at volume for awhile, you are going to start losing a bit of sensitivity to highend

My hearing Is definitely bad enough for this to factor in,, tho I listen to recorded music on various devices and everything sounds fine. This is very night and day, can’t get an inspiring sound with any guitar/pickup/cab combo.

Come to think of it I did move a few amps around the space just to make everything more accessible. I’m very aware how the room imparts its character (for good or bad) but I would swear this is something else. I’m gunna check wall voltage before I REcheck bias (I just set it! Sounded PERFECT!)

 

[70 Mach 1]

Sometimes its just the sound in your head that can't ever be duplicated

My gear always sounds best when someone else is playing it.

I just traded in a GL Tele blues boy for an ultra II tele

When the sales guy was giving it a once over i almost didn't sell it.

Sounded great.

 

[VonBonfire]

This why I bought Twin Reverbs so I never have these problems.

 

[DanTravis62]

This is why you dial your rig in around these types of variables.

Does it sound best with more gain at the practice pad and less at the local theater? leave it in the middle, and get used to the sound of it miced up at that setting

You can work around this fact of life (barometric pressure, elevation, etc) by choosing gear that stays more consistent - this is why people who play vintage amps just roll with the punches on "bad tone days"

 

[VonBonfire]

this is why people who play vintage amps just roll with the punches on "bad tone days"

I never have those with a Twin.

 

[DanTravis62]

I never have those with a Twin.

If you say so man, everyone who plays a vox or superlead complains about it all the time

 

[VonBonfire]

If you say so man, everyone who plays a vox or superlead complains about it all the time

I had a super lead. A twin or super is dumb-easy to dial in by comparison, that was part of why I switched.

 

[HowieJams]

I try not to tweak the settings on my amp too much.
For example, my tone settings are all at noon, but if I do anything I might tweak the treble up or down a notch depending on the room or guitar pickups.

This way all my amps sound consistently good all the time, but there are days where I just don't feel like playing and then nothing is going to sound as good to me.
On those days I just put the guitar away and do something else.

 

[alund]

People in the room? How you are faced in the room? What other instruments are playing?. Temperature? What song? What is your mindset? It all matters.
Ever wake up and all day you feel 1 step behind ? Drop shit? Trip over a blanket, cable or your foot? Lose words? Then some days you are king …. When I’m “not right”, I go back to basics, play scales, easy licks.. bread and butter to get those right… the tone is important and most people are clueless on tone but they know timing and sour notes so when shit doesn’t sound right, I try to play simple. @Techdeth taught me this; “Dude, for real, keep it simple when things are off, fr”. I had to look up FR. He is right.

 

[johnny q]

Yep! I have had this happen more times than not and it is completely perplexing. Same amp, same guitar, same OD pedal in front of the amp, same volume and same settings. Sounds awesome this Saturday and terrible the next - wtf? My suspicion is the electricity. This phenomenon typically happens in clubs, bars or rehearsal studios. The only way to prove this out, is to add a voltage regulator to your rig but those things are hella expensive.

 

[Jccobb2]

I’ve found the power from the wall to be the biggest change. You can get an amp doctor or a higher model furman if you’re a rack guy to ensure you’re getting a clean 117v or whatever you like. I got a nice variac with digital readout and a big knob on top to regulate voltage for like 120 bucks that does the job. It really does help with consistency

 

[Rottweiler]

All great points. Don't forget the little things like usage of different cables too. The instrument voltages are low and it doesn't take much oxidation / dirt to create resistance. Input jacks and switches wear out and get dirty. Cold solder joints can work loose / create resistance with handling. Power fluctuations are common as stated.

 

[Rottweiler]

I’ve found the power from the wall to be the biggest change. You can get an amp doctor or a higher model furman if you’re a rack guy to ensure you’re getting a clean 117v or whatever you like. I got a nice variac with digital readout and a big knob on top to regulate voltage for like 120 bucks that does the job. It really does help with consistency

I wonder if you can use one of those computer UPS backup units? Could be a cheaper alternative? We've used them at work to get stable power to calibrate some of the instruments