Dark amp, treble up Vs. Bright amp, treble down

[Len Rabinowitz]

I say bright amp treble down. I find myself into subtracting these days, not adding. Guitar players tend to think "A problem means I have to add something!" when sometimes getting rid of something is the answer.

I had a Mesa rectifier 50 watt combo that was a great amp, but it was always too damn dark for me. Never could really get it to shimmer.

I win!

 

[bruce egnater]

Yes, Feline. The parts locations on the tube board are just in parallel to accomodate different lead spacings. You can parallel caps to get alternate values. They add in parallel. Two .001u in parallel = .002u for example. Also, you are correct, we only the have 3 board layouts for all the modules. The T/D board is only used for the T/D module. Same for the COD. All the others use the DS12 board set. One exception is the Erect. It uses the DS12 board but we do cut some traces and add parts on the back side. This is why there are so many people out there modifying the modules. It is physically quite easy. Knowing what you can or can't do without sacrificing stability or noise is another story.
Something else comes to mind. Someone will wonder if they could install a switch for the cap on the tube board. The answer is yes but you must not allow the high voltage DC to be present at the switch. If you do not know what that means, do not attempt to put a switch in!!

 

[aeroic]

I say bright amp treble down. I find myself into subtracting these days, not adding. Guitar players tend to think "A problem means I have to add something!" when sometimes getting rid of something is the answer.

I had a Mesa rectifier 50 watt combo that was a great amp, but it was always too damn dark for me. Never could really get it to shimmer.

I win!

I agree here. I prefer to have a signal I have to attenuate more than add. That's why I like bright spanky tones. When going to mix down, it is always better to cut frequencies and boost volume vs boosting frequencies if you can. At least that's what works best for me. But for solos I do like a darker "smokier" tone...but the EG3/4 is just too dark and smokey for me. I like it with a 500-750 pf cap instead of the 1000. But that's me, and to each his own!!

Eric

 

[felineguitars]

Yes, Feline. The parts locations on the tube board are just in parallel to accomodate different lead spacings. You can parallel caps to get alternate values. They add in parallel. Two .001u in parallel = .002u for example. Also, you are correct, we only the have 3 board layouts for all the modules. The T/D board is only used for the T/D module. Same for the COD. All the others use the DS12 board set. One exception is the Erect. It uses the DS12 board but we do cut some traces and add parts on the back side. This is why there are so many people out there modifying the modules. It is physically quite easy.

Thanks for the reply Bruce

Knowing what you can or can't do without sacrificing stability or noise is another story.

That is the hard bit - I must say that all the Eggie modules sound pretty stable the way they are
I like my Eggie modules loads, and the SL2 has even reeducated me about how a crunchy Marshall should sound - I was getting a too thin sound before - the balance on my SL2 is superb

Something else comes to mind. Someone will wonder if they could install a switch for the cap on the tube board. The answer is yes but you must not allow the high voltage DC to be present at the switch. If you do not know what that means, do not attempt to put a switch in!!

I do get the gist of what you say about DC voltages - there are lethal DC voltages inside a valve amp and you dont want them passing through a switch that you might touch?

I am getting an MHG next week - what are the major changes from that to the EG5?

 

[dfrattaroli]

I've changed my position on this one. I like darker tones because to me, they sound warmer and smoother. I was just playing with the EG5 the other day. I find this to be a brighter module. I prefer playing it with the Treble at 9:00 then say the MHG, which is darker, with the treble up.

Right now I run the EG5 in Channel B, Gain at about 1:30-2:00, Bass at noon, Mids at noon and Treble at 9:00. Rolling the Treble back also quiets down the EG5 which, IMO, is the noisiest module I've had. Sometimes I even roll the Treble back next to off and put the Bright switch on 2. But with higher gain settings, the bright switch has less effect on the signal.

Dave

 

[aeroic]

Yes, Feline. The parts locations on the tube board are just in parallel to accomodate different lead spacings. You can parallel caps to get alternate values. They add in parallel. Two .001u in parallel = .002u for example. Also, you are correct, we only the have 3 board layouts for all the modules. The T/D board is only used for the T/D module. Same for the COD. All the others use the DS12 board set. One exception is the Erect. It uses the DS12 board but we do cut some traces and add parts on the back side. This is why there are so many people out there modifying the modules. It is physically quite easy.

Thanks for the reply Bruce

Knowing what you can or can't do without sacrificing stability or noise is another story.

That is the hard bit - I must say that all the Eggie modules sound pretty stable the way they are
I like my Eggie modules loads, and the SL2 has even reeducated me about how a crunchy Marshall should sound - I was getting a too thin sound before - the balance on my SL2 is superb

Something else comes to mind. Someone will wonder if they could install a switch for the cap on the tube board. The answer is yes but you must not allow the high voltage DC to be present at the switch. If you do not know what that means, do not attempt to put a switch in!!

I do get the gist of what you say about DC voltages - there are lethal DC voltages inside a valve amp and you dont want them passing through a switch that you might touch?

I am getting an MHG next week - what are the major changes from that to the EG5?

I've owned both a MHG and a EG5. For those that like darker smoother higher gain sounds...the MHG / EG3/4 are great choices. The MHG has some sag to it compared to the EG5. Personally, I much preferred the EG5 for rhythms and such. It's a VERY tight percussive module. The MHG is a bit looser and has a different feel / grind to it. They are both great modules, but I preferred the EG5 to the MHG.

Eric