SpiderWars
Well-known member
The OP said this is a cascaded/internally jumped Marshall. That changes how the amp reacts a lot compared to a plexi-type circuit.
panhead
Well-known member
Are you playing between 8-10? Bright cap not in the circuit then
CarlF
Well-known member
Get a Fryette Power Station or Boss Tube Amp Expander so you can crank the amp or put in a lower value cap.
I got the opposite problem. I love my Suhr SL68, but it has NO bright cap. Sometimes I want that extra sizzle the bright cap imparts.
I got the opposite problem. I love my Suhr SL68, but it has NO bright cap. Sometimes I want that extra sizzle the bright cap imparts.
SpiderWars
Well-known member
In a plexi you can hear the big 4k7-5k pF at 8. It really depends on how big the cap is when it comes to when you can't hear it. But this one is cascaded so it behaves a little differently.
panhead
Well-known member
Well then use more channel 2 than channel1
SpiderWars
Well-known member
For me, no cap is better than a smaller cap. But I prefer a 4k7-5k in a Superlead-type circuit (no cap in a Superbass). I always run the Superlead volume between 6 and 10 tho so it's right in the sweet spot for that cap.
TheToneDig
Active member
Yeah the Marshall vol sweet spot differs from amp to amp just with the nature of analog systems so it could be anywhere between six and ten. Cranked Marshall can be mud.
Swapping out V30 for greenbacks makes it easier to listen to, IMO.
Swapping out V30 for greenbacks makes it easier to listen to, IMO.
C
Cap217
Active member
OP here...
Im reading a lot of dont install a PPIVMV but the amp came like this and the guy who modded it is well respected so thats not changing.
I actually dont want to change anything but for me, I need the presence and treble at 0 to be happy. I am going to mess with turning the ppiv all the way up and using a fryette ps100 to see how that works. The more I turn the ppiv up, the better it sounds.
I never tried a coil cable but I can. I know the amp was designed for the VH sound with a super distortion and greenbacks. So a dark pickup. Im currently using a JB and gb/v30 cab. And thats a JB with 500k pots. So this might not be the right setup.
Again, I dont want to start modding anything so I am going to consider all options before I do.
My current settings are:
presence 0
bass 4-5
mid 4-5
treble 0
V1 7-8
V2 6-8
PPIV 4
The amp will flub out quickly so I need to balance the bass and V2. The gain lives on V1. If I turn V1 down to 3 and V2 up, there isnt much gain. But it doesnt act like a Volume 1 is gain and Volume 2 is master. Thats not whats happening here. Volume 2 is still the bass channel and brings in that low end.
Side note... The guy I bought it from cherished this amp and never wanted to sell it. But he said it was voiced perfectly for the VH tone. I am NOT a VH tone fan but this amp did sound great when he played it. He used a Super Distortion with it and a boss eq for a boost if he wanted to boost. He had everything set at 7. So I am not going to do anything dramatic on this amp. I might not change anything at all and just find the right guitar, cable, pedals to make it sound how I want. I also just bought this so it will take time to learn the amp.
I did do an AB vs my friedman steve stevens on the SS channel (based off his plexi) and it was exact at the right settings. The friedman had more punch but that was because it didnt have that high mid growl that sounds like you can only get from tube breakup. The marshall had punch but more tight, and you had to dial it in perfectly and not much room for error. The friedman will sound good set a lot of different ways. But the friedman was a touch darker where you could turn the presence and treble up but it never touched those high mids like the marshall can do. The snarl.
Im reading a lot of dont install a PPIVMV but the amp came like this and the guy who modded it is well respected so thats not changing.
I actually dont want to change anything but for me, I need the presence and treble at 0 to be happy. I am going to mess with turning the ppiv all the way up and using a fryette ps100 to see how that works. The more I turn the ppiv up, the better it sounds.
I never tried a coil cable but I can. I know the amp was designed for the VH sound with a super distortion and greenbacks. So a dark pickup. Im currently using a JB and gb/v30 cab. And thats a JB with 500k pots. So this might not be the right setup.
Again, I dont want to start modding anything so I am going to consider all options before I do.
My current settings are:
presence 0
bass 4-5
mid 4-5
treble 0
V1 7-8
V2 6-8
PPIV 4
The amp will flub out quickly so I need to balance the bass and V2. The gain lives on V1. If I turn V1 down to 3 and V2 up, there isnt much gain. But it doesnt act like a Volume 1 is gain and Volume 2 is master. Thats not whats happening here. Volume 2 is still the bass channel and brings in that low end.
Side note... The guy I bought it from cherished this amp and never wanted to sell it. But he said it was voiced perfectly for the VH tone. I am NOT a VH tone fan but this amp did sound great when he played it. He used a Super Distortion with it and a boss eq for a boost if he wanted to boost. He had everything set at 7. So I am not going to do anything dramatic on this amp. I might not change anything at all and just find the right guitar, cable, pedals to make it sound how I want. I also just bought this so it will take time to learn the amp.
I did do an AB vs my friedman steve stevens on the SS channel (based off his plexi) and it was exact at the right settings. The friedman had more punch but that was because it didnt have that high mid growl that sounds like you can only get from tube breakup. The marshall had punch but more tight, and you had to dial it in perfectly and not much room for error. The friedman will sound good set a lot of different ways. But the friedman was a touch darker where you could turn the presence and treble up but it never touched those high mids like the marshall can do. The snarl.
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R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
I think you're dealing with the nature of the beast, with that amp. You could try lower pot values maybe? In the eq? But that's a mod and you don't wan't to mod anything. If you run a pedal in front you can use the Tone control on a boost, to help darken it up better. When I darken mine it loses the 'bite' I enjoy. The louder I go the brighter mine gets; so If I'm going balls out volume I have to back off the mids/treble a bit. But I run the presence and bass on 10. there's a limit on how 'dark' I can make my amp.
C
Cap217
Active member
I agree and I might just accept that this is what this amp does. Thats why we all own many amps.
TheRealDonnie
Banned
Well-known member
OK. Now I'm thoroughly confused.
To coil or not to coil, that seems to be the question.
To coil or not to coil, that seems to be the question.
C
Cap217
Active member
Cant you just use a Monster Bass cable that rolls off all the high end? I might borrow one and try.
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
Ha! Last time I used a coiled cable, it was an emergency situation as I packed the wrong damn bag of cables, to a gig 100 miles away....my singer played rhythm on some songs and he had a 20 ft coiled cable. That cable, attenuated the WHOLE signal, not just the highs.....
That was a terrible cable. Ugh.
TheRealDonnie
Banned
Well-known member
TheToneDig
Active member
The V30 can be harsh on the ears. A lot of V30 is for stage punch and in studio there is post production EQing to take out some of the high end. It has the same frequency response curve to a greenback which is tamer sounding.
glpg80
Well-known member
The top is a V30, the bottom is a greenback.
They aren’t close at all. From 400Hz to 1KHz the V30 has twice as many low mids/mids. Remember each 3dB is twice the sound pressure difference at 1 meter and 1W of output.
Conversely, the greenback has a massive suck out at 1500Hz that the V30 does not have which is another high mid difference between the two.
It‘s one of the known characteristics that distinguish the V30 from others, especially a greenback.
SpiderWars
Well-known member
Its wierd how some Marshalls have a very tame tone stack that doesn't to do much and then do almost nothing when cranked but others actually work better and still do something when cranked.
TheRealDonnie
Banned
Well-known member
And these two curves already have some smoothing applied.
The differences would be even more obvious without any averaging.
TheRealDonnie
Banned
Well-known member
Bet those old units used +/- 20% tolerance on the tone stack components.
Maybe that's a pretty big part of it??
SpiderWars
Well-known member
Could be. I remember getting a 1M volume pot back from Monomyth in the bag of pulled parts that measured ~670k. My recent Superlead build has a very active sounding stack and still works at full volume. Even with a 50k mid pot.