Runt 50 too bright?

Gtrshred

Gtrshred

Member
Bought a Runt 50 from Sweetwater in December 2016. Great sounding but really bright. Has anyone found the 2nd channel to be extremely bright? I'm running my presence and treble on 9. Would swapping preamp tubes tame the highs? Has anybody had this issue? Dave, please chime in if you read this
 
marshall2553":x2shkgdx said:
You're running your presence and treble on 9 or at 9 o'clock?
Click to expand...

That's what I was wondering. If it's indeed being run at "9" (as in the number, not 9:00), then I think I'd start by turning them down a little... :)
 
So does it sound good set at 9:00???

If it does, take your knobs off and put them back aimed at noon or whichever random setting you think it should be. Or maybe if you didn't look at the amp while you play, it would be fixed just like that.

Then unplug the V30 and plug the amp into a Cannibis Rex speaker and be glad you have lots of room to still crank the treble n' presence.

:)
 
Creamback speaker helped in taming the highs. Still running the treble and presence at 10-11 o'clock. Sounds great.
 
Sounds pretty typical to me. I usually run the treble at 12:00 and start with the presence all the way down. After the first couple songs I bring the presence up to cut through the mix which seems to change with every venue. Anywhere from 9:00 - 10:00 is usually typical. I also use the tone knobs on my guitars a lot to dial it in, but that has nothing to do with the Runt. I always do that. Cabs are either 1x12" V30 or Zbest 2x12".
 
Yea ChrisH, in my case it has to do with the Runt. I have the combo with a creamback. Originally I had a first run head version through a 1x12 with a V-Type speaker which tended to be really bright at home and the gigs. Sold that and ended up with the combo version and I'm a lot happier now. Still run the presence and treble around 10-11 o'clock and the amp sounds better, more balanced to me. They screwed up in the layout of the combo where the knobs and names are upside down if you're standing in front of the amp. Small details I guess.
 
Sounds like you have it dialed in right now and Dave himself weighed in so not much more I can add. If someone else picks up this thread and finds the same thing the other thing I can say for sure is that the amp has a fantastic master volume taper but to get it to open up it needs to get past 9:00 on the master volume. At that point it really starts to hit the sweet spot and smooth out. I noticed that almost immediately since we play a lot of small venues and stage volume can be an issue. Enjoy the Runt - I love mine! Smallbox next for me.
 
I have a Runt 50, and it's a bright amp by nature. I run the Treble and Presence both around 10 o'clock, and it sounds good to my ears. I figured it was just me since I tend to like darker amps like Oranges. It's interesting to hear that others are running similar settings.

I am also running the bass really low on the clean channel - more like 7-8 o'clock, almost off. Sounds great, but I find that setting more extreme than the treble/presence thing. Regardless, I love the sounds, so no real complaints, it just took a little bit to dial it in right. The only wish I have is for a bit more gain, but it sounds really good regardless.
 
Hey guys, first post here. I just picked up a used RUNT 50, love this thing, but I have the same super bright issue. I do a lot of amp work, and this sounds like the 'Ice Pick' issue with the NFB loop. I have solved this in other amps by putting a cap across the negative feedback resistor, somewhere around 250 pF to 500 pF. You solder this cap across the resistor, real easy to install.

I have reached out to Friedman to verify which resistor on the board is NFB, once I dial in the cap value I'll post the resistor number and the cap value that worked for me.

Overall my favorite Marshall amp except for this issue, should be a quick fix.
 
Just bought a Runt 50 with the 2x12 cab. Funny, I was thinking - man, this thing has a big bottom! Especially on the cleans.
I realize this is subjective - to a point.
But too high is not how I would describe it.

Clean:
Bass 11 o'clock
Treble 2 o'clock
Left most bright switch

Dirty:
Treb and mid 1 o'clock and bass 10:30
Presence 9:30

Highs are very articulate - no ice picks. Good cut thru. Bottom is huge. I don't scoop my mids and they are pretty present.

I should add I use a load box so I can get the master vol around 11 o clock without breaking windows. :)

I tend toward medium high output p'ups in an LP, old Ibby Sabre, stock SG, mainly.
 
I just picked up another Runt 50 head, and bright would be the last word I'd use to describe it. Granted, I retubed it, (JJ KT77's, and a mix of preamp tubes), and it only gets bright if you get overly crazy with treble/presence. I play through a Randall 4x12 with broken-in UK-made Greenbacks, and actually run the presence quite high, (2 o'clock), and treble at noon. I find higher presence brings more hair to the gain, while keeping treble down tames the highs still.

Might be my signal-chain, but harsh certainly doesn't describe my tone. I have the boost engaged, gain dimed, and hit it with an Overdrive pedal - its one of the most pleasant, crushing tones I've ever had. I absolutely love it.

I didn't spend much time with it pre-retube, and I know Dave likes the EH EL34's, but to each their own.. I don't care for them, never have. I can say for sure, the KT77's added some punch.
 
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