RedB4Black
Well-known member
I know he used to not stock them and he’d order them each time he got an amp order. Not sure if that’s still the case
I know he used to not stock them and he’d order them each time he got an amp order. Not sure if that’s still the case
Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
That makes a helluva lot more sense…in my peanut brain I thought maybe it’s unstable cause it’s secretly powered with a mini nuclear reactor
Tone Monster
Well-known member
one liner….that’s Rick!
Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
Have to respect it too, makes a killer product, total no nonsense guy and he donates for charity. Just a simple man on a mission!
TexasBaritone
Member
I’d also be afraid of a “no soup for you” type of answer.
I bought a 2023 MTL MK2 100w E34L new from Rick & asked about power tubes he recommends other than E34L (EL34, KT77, 6CA7).
I received a one line answer “we use E34L exclusively, much better tone & reliability than KT77, 6CA7, EL34.”
I decided to take the advice, since he is the builder. I recently scored a NOS/NIB quad of Tesla E34L. I haven’t tried them yet, since the stock tubes already sound so good.
Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
Mept2
Member
I've been curious about the "updated" HR even though I've got the 2023 (which is the fav in my small collection).
Did a little chugging, micing it up with a 4x12 today:
Did a little chugging, micing it up with a 4x12 today:
ners
Well-known member
Just saw your Hermansson video too and was surprised how similar these two are, what are your thoughts between them?
The HR seemed to have more low end and smoother highs.
Also that may be the best recording of a HR to date.
Mept2
Member
I posted a little clip of each of the amps I have in that set (not just those 2). But I have to note that I didn't dial ANYTHING in for this setup--just plugged in and chugged, so you shouldn't look at any of these as a comparison type thing--there's some things that i SHOULD have tweaked, but that wasn't the time for it.
But yeah--the HR is and has been my favorite out of my collection--it just wins out (to me). Then the Meshuggah, then the Hermansson, club secret, and ultimately the invective. (it's a small collection ;p
the HR honestly took quite a while to "dial" in to where i wasn't tweaking it outrageously every time i turned it on. It was probably the "hardest" to dial in "properly" (that said--i still change it and even play with boost pedals on occasion! -- if you notice from the vid, i use ALL the gains!) When I first got it--luckily Matt (Henson) gave me some quick pointers cuz i thought it just didn't sound right when i dialed it in (by eye) to what i THOUGHT it should be. but once i gave it some time and learned the amp better--it always stands out when playing with the other amps.
Mept2
Member
hehehe...thank you! ;p
hahaha...i'm still in the early phases of diving into that whole world of REAL AMP, CAB, and MIC recording. so still learning/ experimenting a bit (i wish i had a good studio room). Coming from using IRs (and/ or amp sim plugins) almost exclusively and such--i'm now realizing i've been missing "something"
Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
what all mics/equipment did you start with? how loud are the amps in your room?
i've toyed with the idea of doing this as well so would love to hear about your experience!
V
VonBonfire
Well-known member
IME most studios don't have an actual studio room, it's just a glorified living room with some baffling installed. Even some of the pro studios. I recorded at a pro studio for an EPK I made and it was just a large theater. It was so large the engineer parked his mini cooper in the tracking room, lol.
V
VonBonfire
Well-known member
I been tracking guitars in my bros living room for a record into a Tascam model 16. Face the amp towards the long end of the room. SM57 close mic'ed, Warm Audio WA-84 about five feet out and five feet up in the air directly IN LINE with the 57 to avoid phase issues. Really nice results but I had to play with the room mic location for a while to dial it in. Twin on volume 10, so it's damn loud.
You're going to have to work with the room you have and experiment. This room I'm talking about is interconnected with a dining room that is behind the amp but the living room itself is probably 12x15. If you are using open back cabs I would avoid placing the back to close to a wall. And especially avoid a room with too many hard surfaces, metal, glass, tin. Again, experiment, experiment, experiment until you get a sound you like. High ceilings vs normal 8 foot ceilings will make a difference. Concrete or tile floors can be mitigated with a large rug. My personal feeling is that pier and beam built houses with wood floors and some rugs plus a couch or two it ideal for home recording.
RedB4Black
Well-known member
Glad it became one of your favorites!
Techdeth
RESIDENT ROCK PROFESSOR
I’m oposite. The big bottles and even 6l6s in wizards lose something Rick only gets with el34s . I will die on this hill lol fr
VHTStark
Well-known member
I can see that. All my other Wizards are EL-34 and there is a certain aggressiveness you get with a Wizard and EL's for sure! My MC 100 is a 2016 with the preamp updated in 2023 and with its El34's and "C" transformers, that might be the angriest amp (at volume) I have ever owned.
I think maybe coming from years and years of playing Ultra-lead's might be why I am really bonding with the KT150. I dig the slight change in mids and how it hits like a sledgehammer! Lol!
That said, I think Rick has fine tuned his transformer/power tube combinations so well, that everyone can find their favorite!
Techdeth
RESIDENT ROCK PROFESSOR
They all are great .the 6l6 mtl2 I had was super unique . Like a vht imo
But the highs were so different
Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
Thanks for this! Massively appreciated!!
I don’t even have a mic at this point so can’t even experiment lol
At some point I’ll get the two you mentioned and give it a whirl.
My music room is just a standard room with carpet and drywall lol. When I’m playing through my cabs (usually through a powerstation) it always sounds good to me. I’m sure catching that sound is going to be a complex task.
I’ve seen olas videos where he records with many mics at once and have thought maybe I should just get a bunch of them but obviously have not gotten around to it lol
I know you mentioned the twin being on 10 so I’m wondering for the mics to catch a “good sound”…basically it has to be at ear splitting volumes?
V
VonBonfire
Well-known member
The SM57 is something every guitarist should have in their arsenal. The warm audio WA-84 is just what we were using for acoustic guitars and drum overheads so we put it to use for room mic'ing guitars. It wouldn't be my first choice but it did sound pretty dang good for mild OD blues guitar. I'd really like to get their RCA copy, WA44.
If your guitar sounds good in the room you have, unless it's very tiny it should sound good with a room mic on it. And no, you do not need to run it at ear splitting volumes, just wherever you feel the sweet spot is. I just do that cause I wanted the sound of a cranked Twin ala Freddie and Albert King, on my record. I think you should be pushing your amp somewhat so it's getting the nice tube tone. Everything is an experiment. Amp vol/ eq settings, speakers, mic placement, etc etc.
Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
this is awesome! if you could go to a store and buy any mics you wanted (not like rare vintage ones). things that can be had new/used for reasonable prices.
what would be in a collection that you'd classify "maximizing bang for buck"?