TheGreatGreen
Well-known member
I'll get right to it. To sum it up, the amp is incredible and I'm having a blast with it. Reinhold should be proud of this one.
I guess I'll start by telling you what this amp isn't. It is NOT some caveman amp that only does over-the-top gain at the expense of feel, dynamics, clarity, and articulation. I mean it can do that, but I don't think that's where it wants to be. It's much more than that. I'm still gathering my thoughts about the scope of what the amp really is and what it can do, and I'm sure I'll talk all about it in the future. But for now I'll just say that while it certainly can be the monster everybody thinks it is, it's also got a ton of other tricks up its sleeve.
About the controls:
Dialing in this amp is, in true Uberschall tradition, an arcane exercise that may as well require a magic spell and animal sacrifice to really wrap your head around. The controls are nuts and not intuitive at all. But once you finally figure them out after banging your head against the amp for a few days, you'll discover that it's kind of a chameleon that can do so, so much.
One of the highlights of the control weirdness, for example, is that I find the Treble knob basically useless above about 10:00 on both channels, unless you scoop your mids, then it's ok up until about noon or maybe 12:30, after which it gets notchy and obnoxious. I think that's why people are running into problems with channel 1 actually. They turn the Treble to between 12:00-1:00 like you normally start out doing but that's way too high for this control and the amp sounds like an ice pick that way. Lowering it is unintuitive but that's what makes it sound best. The "Treble" knob doesn't really feel like it controls Treble, but instead more like something between mids and treble. "Low treble" might be a better name for it. Meanwhile, the Presence control is the real "Treble" control of this amp, and the Presence Switch is the Treble frequency control. You might find that when using the Treble or Presence, turning one of them up will call for turning the other down and vice versa. I think this was intentional as it kind of lets your fine tune the frequency of your overall resonance peak which is useful when dealing with high gain because it lets you pick out a spot in the mix in a surgical way.
Something else, this amp does not seem to hold your hand or set guard rails for what you can do with it, control wise. Some of the controls have very wide ranges and the amp absolutely gives you the ability to dial them into values that go beyond what more conventional amps controls seem to offer. The Depth knob will probably be responsible for blowing a lot of speakers in the future. Going back to the Treble knob, again if you crank it, you'll get a ridiculous notch that sounds like somebody fell on a GEQ upper mid slider and slammed it to max value. As for gain, you're free to go to channel 2 Ultra mode, crank the gain, and turn on the Boost, but this will set the amp with so much gain that the noise floor is actually the same volume as your guitar, lol, but you can do it. Pro tip: don't do that. My point is that the amp offers a ton of tweaking freedom, but with that freedom comes the ability to send the tone off the rails if you don't know what you're doing.
About the channels and modes:
Generally, Channel 1 is the brighter and clearer of the two, and Channel 2 is the thicker one. Channel 1's bright switch goes a long way.
Channel 1 Clean - fantastic cleans for a high gain amp. Not too much to say except that it can get jangly and the Gain comes on in a nice and glassy kind of way.
Channel 1 Crunch - a weird one I haven't quite figured out yet but I can hear potential. It feels like it wants to be dialed like a vintage clean amp but broken up. Think Marshall JTM territory. I think this mode likes the Density turned way up or else it gets kind of harsh and brittle. It also has probably the widest usable gain range, starting as clean as the Clean mode and maxing out at raw 70's rock type tones.
Channel 1 Uber - this mode is where it's at for me. Home base. Think idealized modern Marshall type flavor with a ton of gain on tap, surprisingly high touch sensitivity, dynamic, very articulate and clear. I don't want to throw around words like "best" or "favorite" but I do think this channel feels like it suits me more than most amps I've ever played. It manages to stay clear and sizzle at the same time. It's tight enough to nail old Mesa Mark tones if you scoop the mids but thick enough to not sound anemic when you back the gain off and let it breathe. Time will tell if it holds up but right now I think this mode is the one that most suits my style.
Channel 2 Crunch - While Channel 1's Crunch is more spitty vintage Marshall, Channel 2's Crunch is more of a smoother, modern "high gain amp with the gain set low" style relaxed crunch. Think Petrucci's mid gain tones. Very wide range of usable Gain here as well.
Channel 2 Uber - This is the recreation of the classic Uberchall high gain channel. Tons of gain, big wide Recto-like frequency response with minimal filtering. You'll be using the Bright switch and Metamorph control to shape the pre-gain filtering here. More about that below. Not much else to say. If you're familiar with Uberschalls, you'll be familiar with this mode.
Channel 2 Ultra - The highest gain mode in the amp. It takes the Uber mode and, as you can guess, adds even more gain. It also has a built-in low cut as well. This channel probably has more gain than any single amp channel I've ever even tried. Like I said earlier, there's so much that if you crank it and use the built-in boost, the noise floor eventually reaches the same volume as the signal from the guitar. It is truly ridiculous. However, with the gain set to anything you'd consider sane (which in Ultra mode with the boost on is probably between off and maybe 10:00), turns out this mode sounds great.
About Channel 2's "Doom / Focus / Bright" switch:
I've been curious about this switch for a while and after messing with it, I think I figured it out. Basically at the input of channel 2, there is both a low cut filter and a high cut filter applied to the guitar. The middle switch position, Focus, engages both of these filters so you mostly only get the mids from the guitar. This can be helpful when you use tons of gain. The "Bright" position turns off the high cut filter but leaves the low cut filter engaged, so all the highs from your guitar pass through the preamp. The "Doom" position turns off the low cut filter but leaves the high cut on, so all your guitar's extended lows pass through to the rest of the preamp while the high cut stays engaged. I haven't seen any schematics for this amp but that's exactly what it sounds like is happening anyway.
So how does it sound?
Well, it sounds like a lot of things. It's actually pretty versatile, surprisingly. The clips below show what I mean. It can do a modernized version of classic touch sensitive Marshall tones. It can do warm rich leads. It can do chunky and sizzly classic Metallica tones. It can do modern extreme metal chunky clank. I'm sure there's quite a few sounds I haven't found yet but I plinked around in Reaper over the last day or two and have come up with these so far.I'm not going to do the super modern speed picking chug thing (ok so I might not have been entirely honest about that, check the next page) because there will no doubt be people who can and will do those clips better than me, so here are some non-modern chugging clips:
- Recording path. All clips are are: PRS Custom 22 (EMG 81 bridge or 89 neck in single coil mode) -> Bogner Uber Ultra EL34 version -> Suhr RL -> a blend of Mesa Recto 4x12 V30 IR's and Marshall TV 4x12 Greenback IR's.
- No external boosts or pre-EQ used in these clips
- Slight post-EQ applied in DAW to even things out, never more than a couple db.
- There is some subtle ambient delay or reverb on some clips.
Channel 1 - Uber mode - Gained up but not really "high" gain. Gain at about 1:30 or so. Something to note here is that the Treble was set to about 9:00. Presence was around 2:00. Mids and Bass at noon. The clip is me just screwing around aimlessly, not picking very hard, etc. Still, I wasn't expecting this mode to be as detailed and clear as it is.
Channel 1 Uber mode - And Justice for All cover. Straight into the amp. Mids scooped to around 9:00.
Channel 2 - Ultra mode - built-in boost off. Big chords and some palm mutes. This channel makes for a good wall of sound rhythm tone I think.
Channel 2 - Uber mode - a few of the opening lines of "Deliver Us" by Andy Timmons. Presence turned down to warm the tone. Mids turned up high for texture.
edit: Meshuggah inspired clip on page 2 of this thread.
And just for something extra, some clean tones. This amp has some surprisingly alright low gain tones in it.
Channel 1 - Cleanish - mono demo - clean but not too clean. I go for clean tones with just a bit of grit in them.
Channel 1 - Cleanish - stereo demo - amp dialed the same as above, different track.
https://soundcloud.com/greatgreen-1...d&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
I guess I'll start by telling you what this amp isn't. It is NOT some caveman amp that only does over-the-top gain at the expense of feel, dynamics, clarity, and articulation. I mean it can do that, but I don't think that's where it wants to be. It's much more than that. I'm still gathering my thoughts about the scope of what the amp really is and what it can do, and I'm sure I'll talk all about it in the future. But for now I'll just say that while it certainly can be the monster everybody thinks it is, it's also got a ton of other tricks up its sleeve.
About the controls:
Dialing in this amp is, in true Uberschall tradition, an arcane exercise that may as well require a magic spell and animal sacrifice to really wrap your head around. The controls are nuts and not intuitive at all. But once you finally figure them out after banging your head against the amp for a few days, you'll discover that it's kind of a chameleon that can do so, so much.
One of the highlights of the control weirdness, for example, is that I find the Treble knob basically useless above about 10:00 on both channels, unless you scoop your mids, then it's ok up until about noon or maybe 12:30, after which it gets notchy and obnoxious. I think that's why people are running into problems with channel 1 actually. They turn the Treble to between 12:00-1:00 like you normally start out doing but that's way too high for this control and the amp sounds like an ice pick that way. Lowering it is unintuitive but that's what makes it sound best. The "Treble" knob doesn't really feel like it controls Treble, but instead more like something between mids and treble. "Low treble" might be a better name for it. Meanwhile, the Presence control is the real "Treble" control of this amp, and the Presence Switch is the Treble frequency control. You might find that when using the Treble or Presence, turning one of them up will call for turning the other down and vice versa. I think this was intentional as it kind of lets your fine tune the frequency of your overall resonance peak which is useful when dealing with high gain because it lets you pick out a spot in the mix in a surgical way.
Something else, this amp does not seem to hold your hand or set guard rails for what you can do with it, control wise. Some of the controls have very wide ranges and the amp absolutely gives you the ability to dial them into values that go beyond what more conventional amps controls seem to offer. The Depth knob will probably be responsible for blowing a lot of speakers in the future. Going back to the Treble knob, again if you crank it, you'll get a ridiculous notch that sounds like somebody fell on a GEQ upper mid slider and slammed it to max value. As for gain, you're free to go to channel 2 Ultra mode, crank the gain, and turn on the Boost, but this will set the amp with so much gain that the noise floor is actually the same volume as your guitar, lol, but you can do it. Pro tip: don't do that. My point is that the amp offers a ton of tweaking freedom, but with that freedom comes the ability to send the tone off the rails if you don't know what you're doing.
About the channels and modes:
Generally, Channel 1 is the brighter and clearer of the two, and Channel 2 is the thicker one. Channel 1's bright switch goes a long way.
Channel 1 Clean - fantastic cleans for a high gain amp. Not too much to say except that it can get jangly and the Gain comes on in a nice and glassy kind of way.
Channel 1 Crunch - a weird one I haven't quite figured out yet but I can hear potential. It feels like it wants to be dialed like a vintage clean amp but broken up. Think Marshall JTM territory. I think this mode likes the Density turned way up or else it gets kind of harsh and brittle. It also has probably the widest usable gain range, starting as clean as the Clean mode and maxing out at raw 70's rock type tones.
Channel 1 Uber - this mode is where it's at for me. Home base. Think idealized modern Marshall type flavor with a ton of gain on tap, surprisingly high touch sensitivity, dynamic, very articulate and clear. I don't want to throw around words like "best" or "favorite" but I do think this channel feels like it suits me more than most amps I've ever played. It manages to stay clear and sizzle at the same time. It's tight enough to nail old Mesa Mark tones if you scoop the mids but thick enough to not sound anemic when you back the gain off and let it breathe. Time will tell if it holds up but right now I think this mode is the one that most suits my style.
Channel 2 Crunch - While Channel 1's Crunch is more spitty vintage Marshall, Channel 2's Crunch is more of a smoother, modern "high gain amp with the gain set low" style relaxed crunch. Think Petrucci's mid gain tones. Very wide range of usable Gain here as well.
Channel 2 Uber - This is the recreation of the classic Uberchall high gain channel. Tons of gain, big wide Recto-like frequency response with minimal filtering. You'll be using the Bright switch and Metamorph control to shape the pre-gain filtering here. More about that below. Not much else to say. If you're familiar with Uberschalls, you'll be familiar with this mode.
Channel 2 Ultra - The highest gain mode in the amp. It takes the Uber mode and, as you can guess, adds even more gain. It also has a built-in low cut as well. This channel probably has more gain than any single amp channel I've ever even tried. Like I said earlier, there's so much that if you crank it and use the built-in boost, the noise floor eventually reaches the same volume as the signal from the guitar. It is truly ridiculous. However, with the gain set to anything you'd consider sane (which in Ultra mode with the boost on is probably between off and maybe 10:00), turns out this mode sounds great.
About Channel 2's "Doom / Focus / Bright" switch:
I've been curious about this switch for a while and after messing with it, I think I figured it out. Basically at the input of channel 2, there is both a low cut filter and a high cut filter applied to the guitar. The middle switch position, Focus, engages both of these filters so you mostly only get the mids from the guitar. This can be helpful when you use tons of gain. The "Bright" position turns off the high cut filter but leaves the low cut filter engaged, so all the highs from your guitar pass through the preamp. The "Doom" position turns off the low cut filter but leaves the high cut on, so all your guitar's extended lows pass through to the rest of the preamp while the high cut stays engaged. I haven't seen any schematics for this amp but that's exactly what it sounds like is happening anyway.
So how does it sound?
Well, it sounds like a lot of things. It's actually pretty versatile, surprisingly. The clips below show what I mean. It can do a modernized version of classic touch sensitive Marshall tones. It can do warm rich leads. It can do chunky and sizzly classic Metallica tones. It can do modern extreme metal chunky clank. I'm sure there's quite a few sounds I haven't found yet but I plinked around in Reaper over the last day or two and have come up with these so far.
- Recording path. All clips are are: PRS Custom 22 (EMG 81 bridge or 89 neck in single coil mode) -> Bogner Uber Ultra EL34 version -> Suhr RL -> a blend of Mesa Recto 4x12 V30 IR's and Marshall TV 4x12 Greenback IR's.
- No external boosts or pre-EQ used in these clips
- Slight post-EQ applied in DAW to even things out, never more than a couple db.
- There is some subtle ambient delay or reverb on some clips.
Channel 1 - Uber mode - Gained up but not really "high" gain. Gain at about 1:30 or so. Something to note here is that the Treble was set to about 9:00. Presence was around 2:00. Mids and Bass at noon. The clip is me just screwing around aimlessly, not picking very hard, etc. Still, I wasn't expecting this mode to be as detailed and clear as it is.
Channel 1 Uber mode - And Justice for All cover. Straight into the amp. Mids scooped to around 9:00.
Channel 2 - Ultra mode - built-in boost off. Big chords and some palm mutes. This channel makes for a good wall of sound rhythm tone I think.
Channel 2 - Uber mode - a few of the opening lines of "Deliver Us" by Andy Timmons. Presence turned down to warm the tone. Mids turned up high for texture.
edit: Meshuggah inspired clip on page 2 of this thread.
And just for something extra, some clean tones. This amp has some surprisingly alright low gain tones in it.
Channel 1 - Cleanish - mono demo - clean but not too clean. I go for clean tones with just a bit of grit in them.
Channel 1 - Cleanish - stereo demo - amp dialed the same as above, different track.
https://soundcloud.com/greatgreen-1...d&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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