New Einstein user - tone questions

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peepshow

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Hello all,
I've just bought an Einstein - latest in a long list of amps (yeah, you all know) - and I'm very happy. Build quality is the best of the best, feature set is all I'll ever need, effects loops WORK (there's a novelty) and so on.
However, there's something niggling me about the tone of channel 2. It's not a major thing and it might just be me being picky, but the higher gain tones seem a little brittle and cold, not as smooth as I expected, and perhaps not as "full' or warm either. Having owned a lot of high-gain amps (Mesa Tremoverbs, Marshall Anniversarys, Brunetti XLR Evo, Framus Dragon and Cobra), I'd pretty much given up on amp distortion and had moved over to using pedals into a clean amp. But that wasn't working either and then I heard some Diezel clips and decided I needed to try one. It's not new, but is only 6 months old and was bought from a guy on this forum who had looked after it.
It's a 50W head and came to me with EL34s. I changed them straight away, as one was glowing bright orange when I got it home. It now has Winged C EL34s, biased at 65ma.
Preamp valves are original, I think. I use a Marshall 4x12 fitted with a pair of G12H30s and a pair of Eminence Cannabis Rex, which has worked well for me with other amps. I've also tried it with Vintage 30s in a 4x12, plus a couple of other cab/speaker combinations. I use various guitars and pickups, humbuckers and single coils.
There's clearly no fault with the amp - everything works perfectly, it's super-quiet and the clean-to-medium gain tones are blissful, but I'm getting better hi-gain sounds from pedals into the clean channel than I am from the channel 2 or the higher gain setting on channel 1.
Anyone here have any thoughts? Preamp or power amp valves? Biasing?
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks!
 
I would most certainly check/swap the preamp tubes. Ch2 should be everything you expect it to be and then some. Nothing cold about it. I'm sure someone else who knows better can provide the preamp tube layout with respect to which channel/mode utilizes which tube, etc... That way, you may need to simply swap one pre tube instead of the whole set.
 
Since we all hear things differently, I might suggest using a different brand preamp tube in V-1, V-2 and V-3.
I personally find that my Einstein has much more gain then I can ever use. I switched out the above-mentioned preamp tubes to NOS Mullard 12AT7's in V-1 and V-3 and in V-2 put in a NOS 5751. Th tone is sweeter sounding, in part due to the quality of the NOS Mullards.
I have found that this is the first step in finding the tone you want from the amp.
I also changed out the EL-34's for JJ KT77's. This gave the amp a slightly sweeter, more articulate top end and a tighter bottom.

Others will chime in on their methods of finding their tone. This has worked for me in all of my Diezels.
 
When I bought my VH4 I bought 1 each of 4 or 5 different brands of preamp tubes and spent half a day swapping them around until I got a sound I liked :) I have no idea what's in what position now.

I buy the cryo treated tubes, I can't say I've ever tested them like for like against an untreated tube, but it is supposed to help open up the tonal range of the tube, and they only cost a little extra, so that migth be worth a shot.
 
Thanks for the replies/suggestions. I spent some time with a variety of preamp valves (tubes) and got some slightly different results. The conclusion that I eventually came to was that this is a HUGE area to delve into: in the amp alone, preamp tubes, power amp tubes and speakers all influence the tone (not to mention cab materials and design, connecting cables, effects - and that's before you get to your guitar!). The individual options are infinite and then each one interactively affects the others... it's mind-blowing.
Anyway, I took it to an outdoor gig where I had a chance to open it up a little more than usual and it just sounded SO good! there were a few bands there, and when we'd finished, I had a little crowd of guitarists on the stage peering at my amp and asking me all about it. It made me realise I'd been worrying about nothing.
At the end of the day, what I have in the Einstein is a genuinely fantastic-sounding amp which I'd be happy to use in any situation, so I'm just going to leave it there and get on with the important job of using it to play music.
 
Peepshow,
I get the same reaction from musicans, including drummers, bassists, keyboardists, as well as guitar players.
 
You're right C-4, It wasn't just guitarists, it was other musicians too, and even the jaded old sound-guy on the PA desk! The funniest thing was, the guitarists in three other bands one night asked me if they could use my rig instead of their own. That's tricky, as I have everything programmed into my Voodoo Lab GCX Pro/Ground Control, including the channel switching, and it's all set up for our songs. But flattering anyway.
 
Peepshow,
I know this is a tricky subject, but I don't let other players use my gear for their shows. They are welcome to try out the amp if I am not at a job where I have my settings in place. I have never asked anyone to try out anything they own, ever.

As for my guitars, there are only a very small handful of players that I would even consider letting try out my guitars anymore. I have had way too many bad experiences being generous with my gear in the past and have learned my lesson...finally! :doh:

I don't ask others to try out their gear, and when I want a piece of gear, I buy it, try it out and if it turns out to be something I don't like, I return it.

This has never happened with any Diezel. I buy them sight unseen, unplayed, and always have loved them.

Remember that you will probably never find a musican who will want to borrow your gear for a performance and then if something breaks, offer to pay to have it replaced. If you do, it will be a rare occurance.
I believe the people on this forum are different in that respect, but then we all understand what we have invested in and can relate to each other this way.

However, someone playing on regular, generic, everyday common amps has not put their money where their mouth is to the extent that we have, and probably won't, even after trying out an expensive piece of gear. At least this has been my personal experience over the years. If I feel that they are just interested in saying that they have played something expensive, I tell them to go to the music store for a demo. I'm not in that business.
These types don't care about you or your gear. It is all about themselves only.

Once they understood this about me, I got more respect from them as they realized I was not going to be conned, or treated like they might treat every other asshole they know.
The ones that don't understand or get pissed off, you don't want as acquaintances anyway.
 
Very good points, C-4, I've invested a lot of time, effort and money in my equipment, as I'm sure you have.
One guy I know - a good guitarist and singer - never takes his own gear to a gig. He says why should he, as there's always something there he can borrow. It seems a strange attitude to me, and shows a lack of respect for other musicians. He thinks it shows how talented he is, as he can get "his" sound from anything. Last time I saw him he didn't play as everyone said no!
 
Cool. Another happy Einstein user!

Winged C EL34s + a good bit of volume = great tone! :thumbsup:

(I'll have to admit, though, that I have the 100w one and no idea what preamp tubes are in there!)
 
Hey hairychris, just been playing and I still can't believe what a great amp I have here! To be honest, I don't think I made any noticeable changes with the preamp valve swap, I think I probably just needed to get to know the Einstein. Whatever, I can't get a bad sound now (not that I've been looking for one).
I wanted to ask you, how does the Framus Dragon cab sound? They're loaded with Greenbacks, aren't they? I'm thinking it sounds pretty good...
 
Since Peter has tried the Tone Tubby hempcone speakers, I am loading my new cab, when it gets here, with a pair of them. One with an alnico magnet and the other with a ceramic magnet.
I have never played through a hempcone speaker previously, but if Peter, Olaf, and Terry have liked it, and from the reports I have read about them, they may be a newer and more organic way to go.
http://www.tonetubby.com/
 
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