Renegade Channel Two is very dark sounding?

[constantly_y]

Hello All. Man! I am glad I discovered this board. I have a question for you Renegade owners. My Renegade Channel two sounds very very Very dark. I can try to dial back the lows and bring the highs up a bit, but then it just ends up sounding nasally. With the gain dialed up over 1 o'clock sustained notes sound....hmmm....how do I put this......NOTCHEY?...almost digital, sounds like the wave form has steps in it???? I have no problems with the clean channel what so ever. Actually I think it is quite fantastic.

I have been all over the web listening/watching clips and this just cant be normal? Right? Any thoughts/experiences?

Thanks!!!

 

[viking22]

That's not normal.Ch2 on my Renegade is not dark at all (it's Marshally,remember?)and certainly not digital sounding !Something is wrong there !Get some new tubes, !Good luck !My Renegade ROCKS !

 

[viking22]

I have been all over the web listening/watching clips and this just cant be normal?

Just listen to the overdriven tones from "Paul from Guitar world",the YouTube clip you can find on Egnater Web site.

 

[mylo]

Do you have the head or combo? If you have the head what cab are you playing through?

 

[hbucker]

We could be talking about similar things but describing tone is always dicey.

What I notice in my Renegade is that it has much less of an "ice pick in the ears" tone than other amps I've played have. Usually, I need to dial out a lot of high end and presence in the amps I play.

With my Renegade the controls are set fairly balanced and I don't have that hard, high edge unless I try to dial it in. Maybe you like this hard high edge that I dislike so much. In that case, I agree, the Renegade does not have this edge wich may make it seem dark to you.

What's interesting is that the Renegade sounds fantastic in the mix with a band. That's where it sounds it's best. That "darkness" does not affect it's ability to pop out of the mix or to sound great in real life applications.

If I'm not interpreting you correctly, I apologize. This was the best I can do.

 

[constantly_y]

I have seen the Guitar World review and that amp sounds fantastic. If I were to set my controls the way he did in the clip, with the gain and bass dimmed + the deep switch....it would sound as if I was playing with my ears plugged. If fact my clean channel isn't that chimey either. Mine sounds nothing like that and is just plain muddy buy comparison. I have the head and I am playing through the matching Egnater cab. I most definitely agree describing tone is difficult and a very subjective topic to say the least. I also tend to lean toward dialing back on the "ice pick in the ears" tone too; it is one of the factors that led me to the amp but I cant dial in ANY. Would the rest of you compare yours to the GW clip. Could it be as simple as changing tubes??

I really want to love this amp like so many others and as a matter of fact if it came close to the GW clip I would be in love.

Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated! Thanks

 

[viking22]

Would the rest of you compare yours to the GW clip. Could it be as simple as changing tubes??

Yep.Mine sounds almost exactly like the GW clip,except my clean ch. sounds much better About his settings,if i remember,he uses the bright switch on the 2° Ch. ,that's why he can dime the bass etc. Anyways,when i advised you to change tubes,it was because,if i understand your description,it sounds like you have some weak tubes in there.It was not about another tube's brand.Mine has still the stock tubes for ex.
If some of your tubes are half-dead,believe me,you'll hear the difference with new ones !Is it a new amp?Under warranty?If it is,you could even get them for free from Egnater..My Renegade is a head and i use it with a basket-weave Marshall ('69)4x12 with original Greenbacks...Did i tell you it ROCKS ? Good luck !

 

[dieselmx]

Hey man .. Mine channel 2 is darker sounding too. Doesn't seem to be as bad as what you say though. The clean is very chimey and bright but at the exact same settings on channel 2 its darker and more muffled sounding... I have to boost the highs and and mids a little more to make it sound the same as the clean channel .. no real gripe here but just wanted to add my 2cents.

I have the combo. side note: Have had it for a few months and love it.. I actually have never turned it up past 1 1/2 cause im in an apartment.. I can just imagine how this thing sounds cranked... heavenly. cant wait to take it to a place where i can crank it!!!

 

[constantly_y]

I have to boost the highs and and mids a little more to make it sound the same as the clean channel .

Are you saying that you can get channel 2 to sound similar? Mine really are like night and day.

I am leaning towards throwing some tubes in it. I want the Renegade everyone raves about!!!

 

[just42dave]

Ill sell ya a good tube set up for it the stock tubes are horrible
Mine is beautiful

 

[hbucker]

My clean channel can get chimey, bright and lovely if I choose. The voicing of my lead is different. It doesn't sound like a dirty version of the clean channel. Is that what you mean?

I actually like this aspect of the amp. It's like two amps in one and I dig that. But no, the lead is not overly bright. I also dig that. So it isn't "dark" to me. It's "right".

 

[constantly_y]

Ill sell ya a good tube set up for it the stock tubes are horrible
Mine is beautiful

Thanks for the offer. I have already placed an order with Doug's Tubes. Thanks everyone!! I will update when I get them installed. Cant wait!!!!

 

[mmorse]

I know I'm late to the party here but I'll throw in my .02. I have a Renegade and TM 212 and also have an old Marshall 2204. Channel 2 on the Renegade is a little darker than my 2204 but that is a good thing. They are close though. One thing I've found is the TM212 can sound rather muddy when listened to within 3-5 feet off axis at lower volumes. If a kneel down in front of the cab, things brighten up considerably but don't get ice picky at all. The overall tone of the rig is much more balanced overall when heard from a distance and not standing on top of it.

It is true, generally I have to add more treble and presence with the Renegade than my Marshall. At higher volumes, it's much less of an issue. Having run both heads through other cabs, I think the issue is more with the cab (TM212) than the Renegade itself.

 

[Ian Egnater]

I know you said you already placed an order with Doug's tubes, but remember, the amp is brand new. Don't hesitate to get a hold of nate@egnateramps.com if you have an issue. He will take care of any service issues you might have. Hopefully the new tubes fix the dark sound, and you will be another happy Renegade owner

 

[bartmcartman]

Are you guys using the bright switch on your gain channel or not? I think the tight switch brightens it up a bit too and seems to shift the mids.

 

[mmorse]

Are you guys using the bright switch on your gain channel or not? I think the tight switch brightens it up a bit too and seems to shift the mids.

Depends on the guitar/cab I'm using and the tone I'm looking for. When using my TM 212, my EPI LP is a bit dark sounding so I sometimes flip the bright switch up. I want a brighter tone when using my Strat so I always flip the bright switch up when using it. With brighter cabs, I usually leave it on normal for all my guitars.

I like lows and thump so I always set the the other switch to deep.

 

[viking22]

Are you guys using the bright switch on your gain channel or not? I think the tight switch brightens it up a bit too and seems to shift the mids.

No,most of the time i use the tight switch on ch2 but not the bright switch.

 

[bartmcartman]

Ill sell ya a good tube set up for it the stock tubes are horrible
Mine is beautiful

What tubes are you recommending?