Buckers Through Blackface

[assMan]

Any suggestions on how to dial in clean sounds from a Blackface clone that I'm running MM custom dimarzio buckers? This is my first time using the combo and the highs sound a little ice-pickish. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[beej]

I'd suggest using a treble bleed or 50's wiring with the 'buckers, then you can turn down the volume appropriately.

 

[agt]

What beej said: the volume knob is your 2nd "tone" knob. Or only "tone" knob on an Axis/EVH.

What kind of blackface was cloned and how precisely? On a Deluxe Reverb, which is what I use primarily, the vibrato channel has a bright cap whereas the normal channel does not. Also, for each channel, the two inputs offer different amounts of gain. If you have such options, experiment there.

My secret weapon going into the Deluxe Reverb's vibrato channel is a Bogner Harlow pedal. Level 9:00, Bloom 9:00, Tone 9:00 (warmer) - 12:00 (normal). It is not set to sound noticeable, but it makes everything sound sweeter.

 

[DrKev]

Black face amps can be very bright and sparkly, it's part of the charm but what speaker is in the amp? Speakers are an important part of the tonal equation. A different speaker will smooth out the treble of the amp (or turn it to mud completely, if you want).

 

[assMan]

I'm running my 25th Anni through an older RedPlate BlackVerb combo with a 12" WGS Retro 30. I've rolled off the presence and gain and stay on the neck pup for cleans and this has worked well. This amp works very well with single coils on almost any setting. The buckers are a little more finicky. For dirt, would it be best to keep the amp clean and put a pedal in front? If so, any suggestions?

 

[assMan]

I guess the obvious question is: do humbuckers just sound better through EL34s?

 

[DrKev]

I don't know if clean plus pedal will help, unless you find a pedal that allows as much tone shaping than that amp seems to. (just looked at their website, very impressive amp!) That speaker is quite brighter and more scooped, than say a vintage 30. You'll find a comparison on youtube.

You'll also find EL34 vs 6L6 comparisons, some of which sound almost the same and some where the 6L6 is a little brighter so I doubt that's enough to be the cause or solution to your problem.

Of course, in order of price, tubes would be the cheapest thing to try. New speaker vs new pedal? They both start around teh same price though pedals can get more expensive. How about an EQ pedal, perhaps in the FX loop?

 

[assMan]

Thanks for the advice Kev. And yes, it is a super amp. I've had it for two+ years and have not gotten tired of it. The tones are balanced across the controls, allowing variation but within the same tonal palette. Not sure if that makes sense. I tried what I thought would work with this thing, which sounded terrible. Then, I consulted a sound engineer and tried his advice.. which was better. Then I re-read the manual and dialed in Henry's humbucker suggestion. I gotta say, it sounded really nice. Great classic rock dirt sound that cleaned up when volume was rolled back. My eight year old even gave it the thumbs up while covering her ears. I think it also helps that the 25th is such a versatile guitar as well. I am quite fortunate as a non-professional to have access to such sound (I also have a very tolerant wife

For those of you who are curious; treble, mid and bass are at 5. The mode is set to a brownface. Gain and drive are set to 7, reverb to 4, and presence to 5. For whatever reason the highs are tamed nicely with this configuration.