Randolf Arriola (embryo) Guitar Gear 101
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- Start date
embryo
New member
Hi Passerby,
Quote: "i have a boss HM-2 mij. what are the mods you can do?"
The general gain tone character of the HM2 has certain similarities to the later MT2 in that it also featured a built in notch filterstack amp simulator tone circuit which is really a love hate thing for most players. To keep or remove that is an option which is also toggle selectable if u'd want to maintain stock/mod versatility. Basically it selects in the amount of upper mids cut to create theat pseudo stack "nasal" sound. The amount of high gain factor in the HM2 is somewhere between the DS1 and MT2. Most players who use clean settings on their amps want more and some of the fewer ones espoecially the tube amp owners may ask for a less gain factor. The thing to note is modding the gain factor also affects the overall tonal balance of the lows. mids and highs...basically more gain means more highs! Hah! Of course with gain factor tweaks you'll also want to fine tune the lows, mids and highs. How much or less of the bass, mids and highs really depends on the rest of your entire gear setup and the gain, tone controls of all other drive pedals and amp. The choice of speaker type and cabinet also will determine the final tone. Lastly and just as effective is to experiment with the clipping diode configuration. The HM2 is quite unique from the MT2 in that it uses germanium type clipping diodes which has a very compressed fuzz like character and distorts quickly even at low "dist" knob settings. Again this is an option but perhaps u'd want an edgier more dynamic low end punch without losing gain for using the HM2 in a more modern rock context.
Speaking about the HM2 with such fondeness, I suddenly realized that I've loaned mine out for so long to... who can it be I wonder?!
Do let me know your configuration and inform me if you'd want to set up an appointment to pursue the right custom mod options for your HM2.
Cheers
Quote: "i have a boss HM-2 mij. what are the mods you can do?"
The general gain tone character of the HM2 has certain similarities to the later MT2 in that it also featured a built in notch filterstack amp simulator tone circuit which is really a love hate thing for most players. To keep or remove that is an option which is also toggle selectable if u'd want to maintain stock/mod versatility. Basically it selects in the amount of upper mids cut to create theat pseudo stack "nasal" sound. The amount of high gain factor in the HM2 is somewhere between the DS1 and MT2. Most players who use clean settings on their amps want more and some of the fewer ones espoecially the tube amp owners may ask for a less gain factor. The thing to note is modding the gain factor also affects the overall tonal balance of the lows. mids and highs...basically more gain means more highs! Hah! Of course with gain factor tweaks you'll also want to fine tune the lows, mids and highs. How much or less of the bass, mids and highs really depends on the rest of your entire gear setup and the gain, tone controls of all other drive pedals and amp. The choice of speaker type and cabinet also will determine the final tone. Lastly and just as effective is to experiment with the clipping diode configuration. The HM2 is quite unique from the MT2 in that it uses germanium type clipping diodes which has a very compressed fuzz like character and distorts quickly even at low "dist" knob settings. Again this is an option but perhaps u'd want an edgier more dynamic low end punch without losing gain for using the HM2 in a more modern rock context.
Speaking about the HM2 with such fondeness, I suddenly realized that I've loaned mine out for so long to... who can it be I wonder?!
Do let me know your configuration and inform me if you'd want to set up an appointment to pursue the right custom mod options for your HM2.
Cheers
Last edited:
embryo
New member
Why does my guitar sound great only with certain amps...
Addressing a regular query I hope the following helps;
Most of the common gripes of the above heading title are about 7 out of 10newer younger players who tho many possess great technique in the playing department just as many lack understanding or experience in the sound department. The hands down truth is that a simple player who recreates his music with great sound on a consistent level from show to show and venue to venue will always have a more lasting aural effect on his/her audience compared to a techologically gifted fretboard burning young wizard who obviously plays very beyond well but just sounds plain bad despite his impressive array of racks of refrigerators.
The use of Super High Gain Pedals into small clean practice amps...
The use of super high gain pedals has a tendency to sound great at low volumes with small amps where maxing out the lows and highs is similar to engaging the "boost" function of portable mp3 players but this "false security" settings usually translate to a messy out of control bloated low end and fizzy highs when u plug into bigger speaker cabs. Tonal consistency will require an acquired understanding of how different amps and speakers behave. This phenomenon also applies to home recordings where mixes referenced to bass and treble boosted pc speakers with maxed out subwoofers translate badly on full range flat frequency response studio speakers and your home hifi. The same problem also happens alot with most consumer grade headphones as manufacturers tend to design these headsets to have a bossted lows and highs to give the user a sense that they are experiencing something better than it really is.
Your Guitar and Sound tech crew are also part of your tone...
Ever noticed the fine prints of long credit mentions on cd sleeves and rolling credits of concert dvds? These usually include the important presence of sound techs and engineers as well as guitar and guitar rig techs who'r usually great players in their own right. These guys play key roles in building and maintaining the consistency of tone and performance for the 6 string masters out there on stage and in the studio. O
Perhaps u can look around u and spot acqaintances and buddies who are just as into guitar as you are but have also have a flair for sound and equipment. He and the crew may very well be your right hand men accompanying you when you step up the podium to receive your Guitar Hero award of the year.
Waxing Lyrical...
As a music lover who plays guitar. I've always been a great fan of sound. Sound of the whole big picture in a Song and the incredibly rich spectrum in mood and tone radiating from the different instruments and voices and the mix that make up the whole. For guitars it could be acoustic, electric or virtual (nevermind) it may be the sound of a single or repititious note or a flurry of bleeps but the sound!... it always communicates so much much more than just the choice of note over measure there's joy and saddness, bland and grand, everything and nothing all coming at you at the same time stirring the insides out. Wow! So that's what they call music! No wonder in some cultures a master musician is like the Shamen. Hmmm... Nevermind if it's the guitar, sax, keyboard or the yazooo, it's the music! From Neil Young to Buckethead. from the Edge to Yngwie...it really doesn't matter how you choose to do it but it's gotta be about the music. In music lesser or more doesn't dictate who's greater. This isn't sports.
The music industry? Hey, ever noticed the word "industry" in "music industry". Industry like factory like... Well that's a whole different volume/s of discussion isn't it? Ok more later
Addressing a regular query I hope the following helps;
Most of the common gripes of the above heading title are about 7 out of 10newer younger players who tho many possess great technique in the playing department just as many lack understanding or experience in the sound department. The hands down truth is that a simple player who recreates his music with great sound on a consistent level from show to show and venue to venue will always have a more lasting aural effect on his/her audience compared to a techologically gifted fretboard burning young wizard who obviously plays very beyond well but just sounds plain bad despite his impressive array of racks of refrigerators.
The use of Super High Gain Pedals into small clean practice amps...
The use of super high gain pedals has a tendency to sound great at low volumes with small amps where maxing out the lows and highs is similar to engaging the "boost" function of portable mp3 players but this "false security" settings usually translate to a messy out of control bloated low end and fizzy highs when u plug into bigger speaker cabs. Tonal consistency will require an acquired understanding of how different amps and speakers behave. This phenomenon also applies to home recordings where mixes referenced to bass and treble boosted pc speakers with maxed out subwoofers translate badly on full range flat frequency response studio speakers and your home hifi. The same problem also happens alot with most consumer grade headphones as manufacturers tend to design these headsets to have a bossted lows and highs to give the user a sense that they are experiencing something better than it really is.
Your Guitar and Sound tech crew are also part of your tone...
Ever noticed the fine prints of long credit mentions on cd sleeves and rolling credits of concert dvds? These usually include the important presence of sound techs and engineers as well as guitar and guitar rig techs who'r usually great players in their own right. These guys play key roles in building and maintaining the consistency of tone and performance for the 6 string masters out there on stage and in the studio. O
Perhaps u can look around u and spot acqaintances and buddies who are just as into guitar as you are but have also have a flair for sound and equipment. He and the crew may very well be your right hand men accompanying you when you step up the podium to receive your Guitar Hero award of the year.
Waxing Lyrical...
As a music lover who plays guitar. I've always been a great fan of sound. Sound of the whole big picture in a Song and the incredibly rich spectrum in mood and tone radiating from the different instruments and voices and the mix that make up the whole. For guitars it could be acoustic, electric or virtual (nevermind) it may be the sound of a single or repititious note or a flurry of bleeps but the sound!... it always communicates so much much more than just the choice of note over measure there's joy and saddness, bland and grand, everything and nothing all coming at you at the same time stirring the insides out. Wow! So that's what they call music! No wonder in some cultures a master musician is like the Shamen. Hmmm...
Nevermind if it's the guitar, sax, keyboard or the yazooo, it's the music! From Neil Young to Buckethead. from the Edge to Yngwie...it really doesn't matter how you choose to do it but it's gotta be about the music. In music lesser or more doesn't dictate who's greater. This isn't sports. The music industry? Hey, ever noticed the word "industry" in "music industry". Industry like factory like... Well that's a whole different volume/s of discussion isn't it? Ok more later
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embryo
New member
Pedal Mod enquiries (DS1 in this case):
Hi Echoist and others of similar queries...
Q1. i would like it to have more distortion/gain (with a flick of a switch?), not overly the top, maybe like an MT2 at 1-2 o'clock (why not get an MT2 then? hahahahhha...) and its got to be tight, with more lower mids.. the chugga riffs thing.
Ans: Dude, Two ways I'd suggest to go around this; 1. Get the MT2 because it's got 3 times the dist of a DS1. There's only so much gain you can tweak up within the DS1 before it turns to mush wich is way overly compressed unless that's wat u reli want. 2. Use a modded DS1 and roll down the tone and dist knob whilst maxing out the level knob and send the output to a raging fulltube stack amp. Dial in the master volume to the desired degree of crunchy punch.
Q2. at lower gain (another flick of the switch), i would like it to be more transparent. so i can do the wah-chucka cleanly without resorting to compressors. of course i play alot with my volume (and tone controls) during playing, and hope it can clean nicely, clearly..
Ans: It is possible to to mod the DS1 for less distortion with more transparent top end without the bloated bottoms to get a nice overdrive flavour. At certain settings some users claim it makes their neck humbuckers sound almost SRV like. Depending on the percentage of drive from pedal against amp you will find that you get a more effective cleaning up with rolling down of the gtr's volume knob when most of the drive is from the amp. The more drive you depend from the pedal the more rubbery it sounds with volume knob roll down action. The BD2 is one of the more unique pedals that does it better but not exactly the same as tubes. Most other Fuzz pedals tend to clean or dirt up too fast. It's that middle ground where that "i call it brunty" browny sound lies. Fascinating when u experience and learn to control it.
Q3. would love to have the Robben Ford sort of warmness, sustain. and still clean nicely when i cut the volume of my guitar. usually, i play with my tone controls to get that "sort-of" tone.
Ans: The Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck and early Clapton kinda warmth is a very beautiful power tube saturation sound. To explain in simpler terms the sound is achieved with a fine player's touch and incredible control over picking dynamics and volume and tone knob tweaking and sometimes like in EJ's case, amp switching. Most players of this calibre you'll find use their drive pedals set as clean boost. Honestly I'm not so sure if the DS1 stock or modded is gonna solely let u achieve this if you are using the amp and setting differently. Hybrid amps that only use tubes in the preamp section will also not behave the same way as power tube saturation dynamics.
Q4. Ok, i know my requirements might border on the ridiculous and impossible with just one little orange pedal. But just enquiring if its possible... If its not, its fine coz i still have a number of pedals that can do the job close (sd1, rat 2, tech 21 xxl pedals). Just that i kind of believe you're able to mod "close" to the tones i dream of in a pedal after reading, and analyzing your answers/articles.
Ans: Yes dude, ur ideas are interesting but unfortunately not realistic la! Or would u rather hear me say "Yes Yes Yes I'll make it possiber just for U!" ???
The drive pedal is a powerful tone affecting component but does not ever make the entire tone alone ya.
Q5. I use 009-42 strings, and am not botherd with the thicker strings, better tone mentality. I use whatever amps is available in the studio, and not especially articular with brands, tubes.. Just that, they have to be 12" speakers. I don't use and own practice amps, because most of the time i get kicks out of recording my playing instead of practicing. And when recording, i just try to get sonic variations in tone/gain, and grab whatever is available. Usually stompboxes into Mac into virtual amp in clean setting.
Ans: Sounds radical and interesting that you have a method to your own tone maddness. I do hope you'll have an easy time replicating the sounds you think you hearing from your recordings in a live setting with different equipment.
More info about DS1 and mods solutions comin soon.
Hi Echoist and others of similar queries...
Q1. i would like it to have more distortion/gain (with a flick of a switch?), not overly the top, maybe like an MT2 at 1-2 o'clock (why not get an MT2 then? hahahahhha...) and its got to be tight, with more lower mids.. the chugga riffs thing.
Ans: Dude, Two ways I'd suggest to go around this; 1. Get the MT2 because it's got 3 times the dist of a DS1. There's only so much gain you can tweak up within the DS1 before it turns to mush wich is way overly compressed unless that's wat u reli want. 2. Use a modded DS1 and roll down the tone and dist knob whilst maxing out the level knob and send the output to a raging fulltube stack amp. Dial in the master volume to the desired degree of crunchy punch.
Q2. at lower gain (another flick of the switch), i would like it to be more transparent. so i can do the wah-chucka cleanly without resorting to compressors. of course i play alot with my volume (and tone controls) during playing, and hope it can clean nicely, clearly..
Ans: It is possible to to mod the DS1 for less distortion with more transparent top end without the bloated bottoms to get a nice overdrive flavour. At certain settings some users claim it makes their neck humbuckers sound almost SRV like. Depending on the percentage of drive from pedal against amp you will find that you get a more effective cleaning up with rolling down of the gtr's volume knob when most of the drive is from the amp. The more drive you depend from the pedal the more rubbery it sounds with volume knob roll down action. The BD2 is one of the more unique pedals that does it better but not exactly the same as tubes. Most other Fuzz pedals tend to clean or dirt up too fast. It's that middle ground where that "i call it brunty" browny sound lies. Fascinating when u experience and learn to control it.
Q3. would love to have the Robben Ford sort of warmness, sustain. and still clean nicely when i cut the volume of my guitar. usually, i play with my tone controls to get that "sort-of" tone.
Ans: The Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck and early Clapton kinda warmth is a very beautiful power tube saturation sound. To explain in simpler terms the sound is achieved with a fine player's touch and incredible control over picking dynamics and volume and tone knob tweaking and sometimes like in EJ's case, amp switching. Most players of this calibre you'll find use their drive pedals set as clean boost. Honestly I'm not so sure if the DS1 stock or modded is gonna solely let u achieve this if you are using the amp and setting differently. Hybrid amps that only use tubes in the preamp section will also not behave the same way as power tube saturation dynamics.
Q4. Ok, i know my requirements might border on the ridiculous and impossible with just one little orange pedal. But just enquiring if its possible... If its not, its fine coz i still have a number of pedals that can do the job close (sd1, rat 2, tech 21 xxl pedals). Just that i kind of believe you're able to mod "close" to the tones i dream of in a pedal after reading, and analyzing your answers/articles.
Ans: Yes dude, ur ideas are interesting but unfortunately not realistic la! Or would u rather hear me say "Yes Yes Yes I'll make it possiber just for U!" ???
The drive pedal is a powerful tone affecting component but does not ever make the entire tone alone ya.
Q5. I use 009-42 strings, and am not botherd with the thicker strings, better tone mentality. I use whatever amps is available in the studio, and not especially articular with brands, tubes.. Just that, they have to be 12" speakers. I don't use and own practice amps, because most of the time i get kicks out of recording my playing instead of practicing. And when recording, i just try to get sonic variations in tone/gain, and grab whatever is available. Usually stompboxes into Mac into virtual amp in clean setting.
Ans: Sounds radical and interesting that you have a method to your own tone maddness. I do hope you'll have an easy time replicating the sounds you think you hearing from your recordings in a live setting with different equipment.
More info about DS1 and mods solutions comin soon.
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THOA
New member
Thanks for the indepth reply to my query, Randolf. I have a better understanding of the subject matter, but it also provoked some thoughts of my own regarding certain points you brought up. This is not a counter argument to you, but more of me thinking out loud. Hope you don't mind :
Ah, yes, I see it now. The character of that distorted tone is lost when its swapped with a component that is designed to manifest a cleaner tone. Perhaps the one who are trying to improve it into a more "hifi" way are not guitarists? Lol.
Would you think then that the manufacturers would have better luck in achieving that improved tone with a completely different circuitry altogether? Rather than a swapping of the old components with the new "improved" one? A wider freq bandwidth of a "hifi" tone is in away good right? I mean, if we were to replace the coconut milk to regular milk in curry, it might be similar but won't be the same. Maybe a completely new recipe to incorporate the new ingredient might work better. Just an example.
Do you feel that, somehow, people tend have a slightly skewed perspective of what modding is about? Everyone has their own unique needs, but rather than having the pedal work to the best of its ability, some customisations tend to either 1) narrow the pedal's range down rather than opening up possibilities, or 2) an over-expectation of what that pedal can bring forth.
Hope that the next few posts that you will be posting about mods can help us to understand more about it
:Spec wise the same parts manufactured today are supposed to be improved in a more "hifi" way compared to the older JRC parts. One of the reasons why the JRC 4558 part was so popular then in the 70's onwards was because that was one of the most popular and reliable part hence the cheapest opamp used by just about all Japanese electronics manufacturers. Using a modern day compatible opamp like those made by eg. Burrbrown will immediately give you a wider freq bandwidth respose with probably the best signal to noise ratio. This is excellent must haves for high end HiFi and high quality recording console units but not necessarily something that guitarists may want. I do like them in certain applications but not always. We guitarists like distortion u see!
Ah, yes, I see it now. The character of that distorted tone is lost when its swapped with a component that is designed to manifest a cleaner tone. Perhaps the one who are trying to improve it into a more "hifi" way are not guitarists? Lol.
Would you think then that the manufacturers would have better luck in achieving that improved tone with a completely different circuitry altogether? Rather than a swapping of the old components with the new "improved" one? A wider freq bandwidth of a "hifi" tone is in away good right? I mean, if we were to replace the coconut milk to regular milk in curry, it might be similar but won't be the same. Maybe a completely new recipe to incorporate the new ingredient might work better. Just an example.
Do you feel that, somehow, people tend have a slightly skewed perspective of what modding is about? Everyone has their own unique needs, but rather than having the pedal work to the best of its ability, some customisations tend to either 1) narrow the pedal's range down rather than opening up possibilities, or 2) an over-expectation of what that pedal can bring forth.
Hope that the next few posts that you will be posting about mods can help us to understand more about it
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echoist
New member
Hi! Thanks Randolf for the timely answers to my queries. Now, i know what i'll do.. I was a bit shocked when my e-mail queries are posted here. Now everyone knows how disillusioned i am! Hahahhhha.. Anw, it might help others with "similar" queries.. so why not, yeah..
Hehehehhh.. I have to admit, i was prepared to be ridiculed with my queries. But i was thinking, no harm trying. If its possible, i'll just need one orange pedal.. (plus my wah and delay of course!) hehehehhe.. I do believe too: drive pedals alone are not the one "making the tone".
Its just a faster, cheaper and easier way for me.. Its been working fine so far. I'm no connoisseur in tone, and don't pretend to be one.. Anw, i just want my sounds to taste good!! (instead of with good taste!) I won't be playing live sets now (no more no..), closest will be jamming with geng-geng tua. So, no worries there..
Anw, thanks again for your reply!
I was expecting more rocket science actually..
Yes dude, ur ideas are interesting but unfortunately not realistic la! Or would u rather hear me say "Yes Yes Yes I'll make it possiber just for U!" ???
The drive pedal is a powerful tone affecting component but does not ever make the entire tone alone ya.
Hehehehhh.. I have to admit, i was prepared to be ridiculed with my queries. But i was thinking, no harm trying. If its possible, i'll just need one orange pedal.. (plus my wah and delay of course!) hehehehhe.. I do believe too: drive pedals alone are not the one "making the tone".
Its just a faster, cheaper and easier way for me.. Its been working fine so far. I'm no connoisseur in tone, and don't pretend to be one..
Anw, i just want my sounds to taste good!! (instead of with good taste!) I won't be playing live sets now (no more no..), closest will be jamming with geng-geng tua. So, no worries there.. Anw, thanks again for your reply!
I was expecting more rocket science actually..
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embryo
New member
Hi Thoa,
Q1."Thanks for the indepth reply to my query, Randolf. I have a better understanding of the subject matter, but it also provoked some thoughts of my own regarding certain points you brought up. This is not a counter argument to you, but more of me thinking out loud. Hope you don't mind :"
Ans: You'r welcome! Sory if some of the info has caused any confusion of any sort. No negativity intended. I do sense that you have put alot of thoughts into the subjects discussed here and think you have some very valid queries which lead to great discussions with interesting tots along the way perhaps for everyone and myself too ya.
Q2."Ah, yes, I see it now. The character of that distorted tone is lost when its swapped with a component that is designed to manifest a cleaner tone. Perhaps the one who are trying to improve it into a more "hifi" way are not guitarists? Lol."
Ans: LOL! Dun let me start on tings hifi, coz it's a wild wild world out there in hifi land! Hah! Not so much entirely changed but yes in a way replacing entirely with improved specs components does help improve manufacturing consistency n excellent s/n ratio within the original circuit design's tolerences. Good or bad? Well it's kinda subjective. For example it's like how replacing a vintage Strat's traditional low output handwound non potted pickups with modern computer aided cleanly wound potted pickups does improve but also introduces certain changes from the original "flawed" charm. Another example is how most guitar amps sound best with tubes of lesser headroom with slightly off matched tube sets compared to high end hifi enthusiasts who will usually insists on the cleanest sounding, highest headroom matched pairs and quads of replacement tubes.
Q3.Would you think then that the manufacturers would have better luck in achieving that improved tone with a completely different circuitry altogether? Rather than a swapping of the old components with the new "improved" one? A wider freq bandwidth of a "hifi" tone is in away good right? I mean, if we were to replace the coconut milk to regular milk in curry, it might be similar but won't be the same. Maybe a completely new recipe to incorporate the new ingredient might work better. Just an example.
Ans: I think the best anology I can offer is... take for example A master chef shares his secret recipe including details of all the necessary ingredients and portioning but somehow does not mention a final but important info.... the source of the ingredients. So somehow even with all the recipe info, the lack of accurate replication of source of ingredients combined with a likely chance of deciding on using cheap or better somewhat healthier choices of ingredients will definitely result in something different from the master chef's creation. To those not familiar with 1st hand experience of the master chef's creation it would likely not matter as it'd be more like or dislike or...watever la! To some others in the know that recreated dish could somehow turnout to be better or worse than the master chef's. Hence, better or worse, it is still different! Ok how about this other analogy, anything better than the original classic strat's charm and flaws in design and materials, is still not a strat even if you call it a "super strat". I figured this weird truth the hard way myself.
Q4.Do you feel that, somehow, people tend have a slightly skewed perspective of what modding is about? Everyone has their own unique needs, but rather than having the pedal work to the best of its ability, some customisations tend to either 1) narrow the pedal's range down rather than opening up possibilities, or 2) an over-expectation of what that pedal can bring forth.
Ans: I think what's most important to appreciate is that there are more choices available today which is generally great. However, the wide choices made available also create another dilemma, one of option anxiety especially for the not so informed anxious to get to molten tone nirvana quick. This blurs the line between wants and needs and quickly forms a vicious cycle of chasing the tail endlessly. My take has always been if you can afford it go ahead and dive right in and sample them all at your own time but I do encourage those painfully gifted players who'r feeling down about their gear insecurity to look a little closer to explore what could already be there among what they already have.
Cheers!
Q1."Thanks for the indepth reply to my query, Randolf. I have a better understanding of the subject matter, but it also provoked some thoughts of my own regarding certain points you brought up. This is not a counter argument to you, but more of me thinking out loud. Hope you don't mind
:"Ans: You'r welcome!
Sory if some of the info has caused any confusion of any sort. No negativity intended. I do sense that you have put alot of thoughts into the subjects discussed here and think you have some very valid queries which lead to great discussions with interesting tots along the way perhaps for everyone and myself too ya. Q2."Ah, yes, I see it now. The character of that distorted tone is lost when its swapped with a component that is designed to manifest a cleaner tone. Perhaps the one who are trying to improve it into a more "hifi" way are not guitarists? Lol."
Ans: LOL! Dun let me start on tings hifi, coz it's a wild wild world out there in hifi land! Hah! Not so much entirely changed but yes in a way replacing entirely with improved specs components does help improve manufacturing consistency n excellent s/n ratio within the original circuit design's tolerences. Good or bad? Well it's kinda subjective. For example it's like how replacing a vintage Strat's traditional low output handwound non potted pickups with modern computer aided cleanly wound potted pickups does improve but also introduces certain changes from the original "flawed" charm. Another example is how most guitar amps sound best with tubes of lesser headroom with slightly off matched tube sets compared to high end hifi enthusiasts who will usually insists on the cleanest sounding, highest headroom matched pairs and quads of replacement tubes.
Q3.Would you think then that the manufacturers would have better luck in achieving that improved tone with a completely different circuitry altogether? Rather than a swapping of the old components with the new "improved" one? A wider freq bandwidth of a "hifi" tone is in away good right? I mean, if we were to replace the coconut milk to regular milk in curry, it might be similar but won't be the same. Maybe a completely new recipe to incorporate the new ingredient might work better. Just an example.
Ans: I think the best anology I can offer is... take for example A master chef shares his secret recipe including details of all the necessary ingredients and portioning but somehow does not mention a final but important info.... the source of the ingredients. So somehow even with all the recipe info, the lack of accurate replication of source of ingredients combined with a likely chance of deciding on using cheap or better somewhat healthier choices of ingredients will definitely result in something different from the master chef's creation. To those not familiar with 1st hand experience of the master chef's creation it would likely not matter as it'd be more like or dislike or...watever la! To some others in the know that recreated dish could somehow turnout to be better or worse than the master chef's. Hence, better or worse, it is still different! Ok how about this other analogy, anything better than the original classic strat's charm and flaws in design and materials, is still not a strat even if you call it a "super strat". I figured this weird truth the hard way myself.
Q4.Do you feel that, somehow, people tend have a slightly skewed perspective of what modding is about? Everyone has their own unique needs, but rather than having the pedal work to the best of its ability, some customisations tend to either 1) narrow the pedal's range down rather than opening up possibilities, or 2) an over-expectation of what that pedal can bring forth.
Ans: I think what's most important to appreciate is that there are more choices available today which is generally great. However, the wide choices made available also create another dilemma, one of option anxiety especially for the not so informed anxious to get to molten tone nirvana quick. This blurs the line between wants and needs and quickly forms a vicious cycle of chasing the tail endlessly. My take has always been if you can afford it go ahead and dive right in and sample them all at your own time but I do encourage those painfully gifted players who'r feeling down about their gear insecurity to look a little closer to explore what could already be there among what they already have.
Cheers!
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embryo
New member
Hi John! Hah,
o well now you know!.....this is where I kinda compile alot of guitar gear talk including all manner of established and speculated facts and half truths and hearsays from all corners of almost all things "material" and occasionally drift beyond "mind over matter" in guitar land....the place where "gear acquisition syndrome" begins and never ends. anyway it's all in the spirit of sharing and hopefully making the individual's tone quest a more enjoyable and fruitfully musical one..... I think! Btw, how's ur gtr gear holding up so far?
Ok cya when I cya!
o well now you know!.....this is where I kinda compile alot of guitar gear talk including all manner of established and speculated facts and half truths and hearsays from all corners of almost all things "material" and occasionally drift beyond "mind over matter" in guitar land....the place where "gear acquisition syndrome" begins and never ends. anyway it's all in the spirit of sharing and hopefully making the individual's tone quest a more enjoyable and fruitfully musical one..... I think! Btw, how's ur gtr gear holding up so far?
Ok cya when I cya!
embryo
New member
Hi Echoist,
Ayoooo, jangan marah ya bah! Not intended to specifically put u under the spotlight la but ya now you and others know that your dilemmas share smilarities with many others so perhaps we can address it together and hopefully together get everyone to share their own ups and downs for everyone's benefit ya. Long shot it may be but always worth the while when it does. Looking back a long time ago I was like that myself, clueless about a lot of things and in a place where we don't have a vast resource of reference to long standing street culture and so called standards of industry to tap into. Hence alot of the ideas I present were acquired painfully through years of sieving through the bull and also from the many kind and experienced folks whom I've had the luck to chance upon now and zen.
There's really no right or wrong in artistic intended tonal choices but when it comes down to detailed technical know hows about why things work and don't it's usually down to...quoting a saying from an engineering boss of yore "There's the ideal way and there's the different way" Perception of quality and right and wrong thereafter really is a choice that is always luxuriously available and best of all...yours!
Ayoooo, jangan marah ya bah!
Not intended to specifically put u under the spotlight la but ya now you and others know that your dilemmas share smilarities with many others so perhaps we can address it together and hopefully together get everyone to share their own ups and downs for everyone's benefit ya. Long shot it may be but always worth the while when it does. Looking back a long time ago I was like that myself, clueless about a lot of things and in a place where we don't have a vast resource of reference to long standing street culture and so called standards of industry to tap into. Hence alot of the ideas I present were acquired painfully through years of sieving through the bull and also from the many kind and experienced folks whom I've had the luck to chance upon now and zen. There's really no right or wrong in artistic intended tonal choices but when it comes down to detailed technical know hows about why things work and don't it's usually down to...quoting a saying from an engineering boss of yore "There's the ideal way and there's the different way" Perception of quality and right and wrong thereafter really is a choice that is always luxuriously available and best of all...yours!
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THOA
New member
You'r welcome!
No confusion at all! In fact, They have been really enlightening. Glad that my queries somehow opened up new avenues of discussions. Really looking forward to read more more from you.
Doing pretty good actually.. Not getting too caught up in the GAS movement.. Tryin to keep to minimal equipment and maximum skill.. Just a compressor, overdrive, distortion and tuner with a view to gettin a delay and booster and that'll be it.. I have to ask one thing though.. From U2 to Stevie Ray to Bon Jovi.. Think a Roland JC-120 will cut it? I'm usin a crunch box n blue boy deluxe with a t-rex compnova.. Delay probably a DD-20..
Coming to visit soon @dempsey as soon as my tests are over!
embryo
New member
Roland Jazz Chorus Amp JC120
Hi John,
If that's all you can have or afford for the moment, Yes I think the Roland Jazz Chorus JC120 can do the job..and then some. The JC120 is basically Roland's solid state version of the Fender Twin Reverb.
What's interesting is that the Twin Reverb was designed to be the loudest "clean" full tube amp which quickly made it one of the most popular and versatile of guitar amps...then. Like most other full tube amps the Twin was also subject to all the heat, weight and of course the reliability of the tubes used. I think this was where the Roland JC120 amp quickly came in as the immediate cost effective and more reliable replacement and alternative to the classic Twin.
You'll generally get a more than decent performance from the JC120 if you'r intending to play a range of songs based on U2, SRV and Bon Jovi as long as the tonal structure is based around the range of the Fender Twin. However, it'll get kinda unrealistic if one is expecting to get that cranked Marshall n Mesa heads into closed back 4x12 speaker cabs because the JC120 like the Twins have that "sound" because of the open back 2x12 cab design.
Tip: To get a bluesier tone from the JC120 amp, just "click" on the overdrive knob and keep the dial in the minimum position! Try the "Lo" input jack if your high output pups are causing too much early breakup....go ahead and dun be too macho tinkin' it's wimpy to use anything labeled "Lo" Hahahaha!
Hi John,
If that's all you can have or afford for the moment, Yes I think the Roland Jazz Chorus JC120 can do the job..and then some. The JC120 is basically Roland's solid state version of the Fender Twin Reverb.
What's interesting is that the Twin Reverb was designed to be the loudest "clean" full tube amp which quickly made it one of the most popular and versatile of guitar amps...then. Like most other full tube amps the Twin was also subject to all the heat, weight and of course the reliability of the tubes used. I think this was where the Roland JC120 amp quickly came in as the immediate cost effective and more reliable replacement and alternative to the classic Twin.
You'll generally get a more than decent performance from the JC120 if you'r intending to play a range of songs based on U2, SRV and Bon Jovi as long as the tonal structure is based around the range of the Fender Twin. However, it'll get kinda unrealistic if one is expecting to get that cranked Marshall n Mesa heads into closed back 4x12 speaker cabs because the JC120 like the Twins have that "sound" because of the open back 2x12 cab design.
Tip: To get a bluesier tone from the JC120 amp, just "click" on the overdrive knob and keep the dial in the minimum position! Try the "Lo" input jack if your high output pups are causing too much early breakup....go ahead and dun be too macho tinkin' it's wimpy to use anything labeled "Lo" Hahahaha!
echoist
New member
Ayoooo, jangan marah ya bah!
Hehehehehhhe.. Hey, no worries lah Encik Randolf, i'm not the marah2 kind.
Anw, i've enjoyed reading your articles here and find them "really, really, informative and enlightening".. Since i'm into the simplistic and "get what i can get with what i have" methods to sounds, its really good to read about something so "extremely fine-tuned, perfected know-how", i believe it'll be useful to make use of the info you present and apply it to my methods (hopefully), though if its just virtual.. Ok, i'm not trying to bodek2 here (carry balls), but really, i enjoyed your articles so much that i backtracked, and read about your love with the 912J (love mine too!! but its gone!!) and Mr George (one of the good guys i know..), and i appreciate the way you present your case: cool, non-condescending, or i-know-it-all.. Best lahhh..
I kept reading and re-reading those lines to make sure i got the message rite.. And, ahh yes... :mrgreen:
hello kind sir! haha.
i've got two qns for ya. both related to gear that i may acquire in the near future..
1. am looking for a good tube practice/small gig venue amp. the vox ac15 being one of the frontrunners. is the price diff btw the cc1 and cc1x worth it for the difference in sound?
2. going to sell off my dd20 cos i dun nd all that it offers. my delay philosophy is more simplistic than that. what delay pedals would you recommend? looking at the maxon ad9 and boss dd6.
i use a fender '62 MIJ strat.
thanks!
i've got two qns for ya. both related to gear that i may acquire in the near future..
1. am looking for a good tube practice/small gig venue amp. the vox ac15 being one of the frontrunners. is the price diff btw the cc1 and cc1x worth it for the difference in sound?
2. going to sell off my dd20 cos i dun nd all that it offers. my delay philosophy is more simplistic than that. what delay pedals would you recommend? looking at the maxon ad9 and boss dd6.
i use a fender '62 MIJ strat.
thanks!
hey there! selling your dd20??
embryo
New member
Jonah,
Q1. am looking for a good tube practice/small gig venue amp. the vox ac15 being one of the frontrunners. is the price diff btw the cc1 and cc1x worth it for the difference in sound?
Ans: I feel that the price difference is largely due to the choice of speakers used where the cc1x is claimed to have the more retro faithful sounding Celestion Alnico Blue speakers. These speakers do make a difference in the overall output sound but may not meet a player's preference for a more neutral, modern sounding (more bass and top end) amp. The choice is yours really.
Q2. going to sell off my dd20 cos i dun nd all that it offers. my delay philosophy is more simplistic than that. what delay pedals would you recommend? looking at the maxon ad9 and boss dd6.
Ans: Sounds to me like you'r inclined towards a simpler delay unit that adds some ambience to your overall sound without all the sophisticated options of most current day delay units. If u have no need for tap tempo and long delays past 300msecs perhaps you may want to check out some analog type delay units like the maxon you already mentioned. The stock DD6 u mentioned is what I'd consider more versatile but you'll only get that analogish character with a "Hi Cut Mod". The older Boss DD2, DD3 and DD5 are also great contenders if you can find them.
Q1. am looking for a good tube practice/small gig venue amp. the vox ac15 being one of the frontrunners. is the price diff btw the cc1 and cc1x worth it for the difference in sound?
Ans: I feel that the price difference is largely due to the choice of speakers used where the cc1x is claimed to have the more retro faithful sounding Celestion Alnico Blue speakers. These speakers do make a difference in the overall output sound but may not meet a player's preference for a more neutral, modern sounding (more bass and top end) amp. The choice is yours really.
Q2. going to sell off my dd20 cos i dun nd all that it offers. my delay philosophy is more simplistic than that. what delay pedals would you recommend? looking at the maxon ad9 and boss dd6.
Ans: Sounds to me like you'r inclined towards a simpler delay unit that adds some ambience to your overall sound without all the sophisticated options of most current day delay units. If u have no need for tap tempo and long delays past 300msecs perhaps you may want to check out some analog type delay units like the maxon you already mentioned. The stock DD6 u mentioned is what I'd consider more versatile but you'll only get that analogish character with a "Hi Cut Mod". The older Boss DD2, DD3 and DD5 are also great contenders if you can find them.
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embryo
New member
Pedal Mods (PArt 3b)
Overdrive Pedals
There's been lotsa heresays about the true origin of the 1st overdrive pedal ever commercially made available and one of the most interesting ones I've come across in recent years is that a Japanese company engaged the guy who created the unique Foxxtone Fuzz design in the early 70's to design a simple drive pedal unlike a fuzz but to drive tube amps. This 1st run of overdrive pedal though interesting didn't catch on initially and was short lived. Boss went on to release their version the OD1 followed by Ibanez' TS808 followed by Boss SD1 followed by Ibanez' TS9 and there after...
Stock Drive Pedals
Overdrives of the TS9 and SD1 design are pretty much the standard even in current times by which all other overdrive pedals are mostly based upon. The mid hump characteristics of the original overdrive design actually sounds more like the attenuation of the bass and treble frequency bands which is an interestingly smart way to create a pseudo mid boost whilst minimizing noise in the upper freqs and weird intermodulation of the bass range especially with amps voiced with classic V30 and Greenback type
speakers.
The MId Humpback Whale of a Drive Tone
Current day mass exodus like "mid hump" removing mods and custom variations of all shapes and sizes and pricetags of repackaged chassis and model names have been all the rage marketed under so many creative claims and descriptions. Quite understandably not many see past the glare of glossy ads that despite the claims of such mods resulting in fuller sounding must have drives this well intended aural improvement does not meet the tonal requirements of every player especially lead players of the bluesy classic rock genre variants. Reviving the lows and highs of a stock overdrive pedal may sound great for most non lead guitar musical passages but tends to work against the lead player who's constantly trying to jack up the mids to cut through the mix. You basically find urself having to dial in less highs and lows on the amp for lead passages but the other way around for chunky rhythm guitar crunch. Weird huh? So what to do? Well for starters I hate to say this again but yes, again it really depends on the player's musical style and the type and setting of drive and tone controls on the choice of amp used for clean, rhythm crunch and leads. Depending on how one set's the knobs and dials and the percentage of drive from pedal and amp results in distinctive differences in drive tones. Head Spinning or what?
Overdrive Mods
The legendary Ibanez TS808 was originally created intended to sound best boosting tube amps. However, shortly after the 808 was released, the all solid state Fender Twin Reverb reincarnate Roland JC120 amp came into popularity. The JC120 worked great with the "subtly" updated TS9 and Boss' own SD1. Among many one of the most popular Mod for the TS808 is to convert the input/output impedances to the values of the TS9...and vise versa.These mods to the in/out are choices meant to make the pedal more compatible for direct connection to either the input jack of a tube amp or for patching the output signal to receive or feed another pedal.
Another of the popular must have mods for the Ibanez TS808 and TS9 is to incorporate the Assymetric Clipping Diode Configuration circuit which is believe it or not already of stock design on the Boss SD1! (The assymetric clipping diode circuit recreates somewhat certain similarities in tone and look of the way waveforms clip into early stage of distortion like the way tubes do.)Fine tuning of the clipping diode type and freq band controls of the lows, mids and highs are the other areas to tweak, customize and what have you...
The discussion of the pros and cons of the overdrive pedal's "mid hump" characteristic is quite radical for some, controversial for others confusing most and marketting mana for the rest. But really when one starts to experience "head spinning" symptoms from all this option anxiety a lil focus and understanding of the application is the key here....hopefully to tone quest nirvana. Up to current times a large unquestionable bulk of classic Blues and Blues Rock guitar music we've all mostly grown up with were made with guitars into amps amps and speaker designs that included attenuated lows and highs with "sag" characteristics of tube rectifiers and low wattage speakers. The sound of mid 80's onwards post Metallica modern rock's high transient drive tones are predominantly all pre amp stage full range, mid scooped distortion into clean power amp and voiced by super clean high wattage speakers.
Phew! Ok more later...
Overdrive Pedals
There's been lotsa heresays about the true origin of the 1st overdrive pedal ever commercially made available and one of the most interesting ones I've come across in recent years is that a Japanese company engaged the guy who created the unique Foxxtone Fuzz design in the early 70's to design a simple drive pedal unlike a fuzz but to drive tube amps. This 1st run of overdrive pedal though interesting didn't catch on initially and was short lived. Boss went on to release their version the OD1 followed by Ibanez' TS808 followed by Boss SD1 followed by Ibanez' TS9 and there after...
Stock Drive Pedals
Overdrives of the TS9 and SD1 design are pretty much the standard even in current times by which all other overdrive pedals are mostly based upon. The mid hump characteristics of the original overdrive design actually sounds more like the attenuation of the bass and treble frequency bands which is an interestingly smart way to create a pseudo mid boost whilst minimizing noise in the upper freqs and weird intermodulation of the bass range especially with amps voiced with classic V30 and Greenback type
speakers.
The MId Humpback Whale of a Drive Tone
Current day mass exodus like "mid hump" removing mods and custom variations of all shapes and sizes and pricetags of repackaged chassis and model names have been all the rage marketed under so many creative claims and descriptions. Quite understandably not many see past the glare of glossy ads that despite the claims of such mods resulting in fuller sounding must have drives this well intended aural improvement does not meet the tonal requirements of every player especially lead players of the bluesy classic rock genre variants. Reviving the lows and highs of a stock overdrive pedal may sound great for most non lead guitar musical passages but tends to work against the lead player who's constantly trying to jack up the mids to cut through the mix. You basically find urself having to dial in less highs and lows on the amp for lead passages but the other way around for chunky rhythm guitar crunch. Weird huh? So what to do? Well for starters I hate to say this again but yes, again it really depends on the player's musical style and the type and setting of drive and tone controls on the choice of amp used for clean, rhythm crunch and leads. Depending on how one set's the knobs and dials and the percentage of drive from pedal and amp results in distinctive differences in drive tones. Head Spinning or what?
Overdrive Mods
The legendary Ibanez TS808 was originally created intended to sound best boosting tube amps. However, shortly after the 808 was released, the all solid state Fender Twin Reverb reincarnate Roland JC120 amp came into popularity. The JC120 worked great with the "subtly" updated TS9 and Boss' own SD1. Among many one of the most popular Mod for the TS808 is to convert the input/output impedances to the values of the TS9...and vise versa.These mods to the in/out are choices meant to make the pedal more compatible for direct connection to either the input jack of a tube amp or for patching the output signal to receive or feed another pedal.
Another of the popular must have mods for the Ibanez TS808 and TS9 is to incorporate the Assymetric Clipping Diode Configuration circuit which is believe it or not already of stock design on the Boss SD1! (The assymetric clipping diode circuit recreates somewhat certain similarities in tone and look of the way waveforms clip into early stage of distortion like the way tubes do.)Fine tuning of the clipping diode type and freq band controls of the lows, mids and highs are the other areas to tweak, customize and what have you...
The discussion of the pros and cons of the overdrive pedal's "mid hump" characteristic is quite radical for some, controversial for others confusing most and marketting mana for the rest. But really when one starts to experience "head spinning" symptoms from all this option anxiety a lil focus and understanding of the application is the key here....hopefully to tone quest nirvana.
Up to current times a large unquestionable bulk of classic Blues and Blues Rock guitar music we've all mostly grown up with were made with guitars into amps amps and speaker designs that included attenuated lows and highs with "sag" characteristics of tube rectifiers and low wattage speakers. The sound of mid 80's onwards post Metallica modern rock's high transient drive tones are predominantly all pre amp stage full range, mid scooped distortion into clean power amp and voiced by super clean high wattage speakers. Phew! Ok more later...
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