so called bedroom levels???

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fogman

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Hello all!

I'm an at home player, have never gigged but may someday. I've been doing a search for my first tube amp and I'm hugely considering the purchase of a MOD50 with Bman & EG5 modules.
I currently have a piece of $%#$ Marshall MG30dfx. I know the MOD50 is swtichable to 20-30watts depending on tubes.
My quick question is, how is this amp at regular "bedroom levels"??? Does it hold it's sound at lower levels???
 
Hey dude! I'm more of a home musician as well and after playing through the MOD50 for the last few weeks, I have to say that it sounds fucking incredible at low levels. Obviously it's going to sound better at high volumes but compared to other tube amplifiers I've played, this one does much better at lower levels.

What I do is set the master level on the power side at about 1 o'clock and then bring up the masters on the modules to a comfortable level. When I feel like jamming out, instead of re-adjusting every master on each module, I just turn up the master on the power side.

Where are you located? Are there any MOD50 owners in your area that would let you try theirs out?
 
Guys. It's called a THD HOT PLATE. Every person playing with a head/cabinet situation should have one. It doesn't damage your amp. It sounds great at every level. You can turn a 100 watt half stack into a purring kitten and keep the volume way down with the turn of a knob. Hear you power tubes at EVERY level - buy a Hot Plate.
 
Thanks for the info guys!!!! It's just what I needed

ruso":2hhoyr92 said:
Where are you located? Are there any MOD50 owners in your area that would let you try theirs out?
Click to expand...

I'm actually probably about 30-40 minutes from "The Amp Lounge". I'm about 15 minutes across the border in Detroit.
When I get a free moment I want to make a special trip. :rock:
 
Hey Foggy
When I had my Mod 50, I tried it with the JJ 6V6's, and it was excellent for playing at home.
Even with 3 kids asleep and my wife watching TV in the next room, I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.
 
fogman":y0ku1kcn said:
I'm actually probably about 30-40 minutes from "The Amp Lounge". I'm about 15 minutes across the border in Detroit.
When I get a free moment I want to make a special trip. :rock:
Click to expand...

You will also have the luxery of being able to audition all of the different modules. :thumbsup:
 
ruso":13urr6vf said:
fogman":13urr6vf said:
I'm actually probably about 30-40 minutes from "The Amp Lounge". I'm about 15 minutes across the border in Detroit.
When I get a free moment I want to make a special trip. :rock:
Click to expand...

You will also have the luxery of being able to audition all of the different modules. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

sounds like great bragging rights to me!!! :D
 
I was playing through my MOD50 with JJ 6v6 and Eggie 2x12 whilst my 3 year old was asleep upstairs with no problems and it sounded great...although I do have a Hotplate set to 8dB. I've found I prefer this than just micro adjustment of the amp master control. I think it's 'bedroom level' with the Master on about 9 under this set-up...my channel masters are all around 12 o'clock.
 
+1 no need for a hot plate. Mod 50 sounds great all volume levels. Best master volume control Ive ever had on an amp.
 
Phishphood":nahvi8s8 said:
This thread is not helping my Mod50 gas :aww:
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hahaha... funny thing of it is...is that when you get one though. you'll have no need for the rest of the amps you have!!! (with enough modules of course :) ).

that's what happened to me. so it actually paid for itself in my situation!!! ;)

(good reasoning for your discussion with your significant other) hahaha!

Eric :rock:
 
aeroic":3due7r06 said:
Phishphood":3due7r06 said:
This thread is not helping my Mod50 gas :aww:
Click to expand...

hahaha... funny thing of it is...is that when you get one though. you'll have no need for the rest of the amps you have!!! (with enough modules of course :) ).

that's what happened to me. so it actually paid for itself in my situation!!! ;)

(good reasoning for your discussion with your significant other) hahaha!

Eric :rock:
Click to expand...
I've got no qualms about spending the money, I just don't have any :D I'm a student and I'm counting on summer job money to pay for my next amp. The Mod 50 has pretty much everything I want in an amp, my only concern was that it would only sound good loud like my legacy. Now that I know its good at low volumes too its more painful not having one :thumbsdown:
 
Hi Fogman,

I think a MOD50 is actually an amazing home/studio amp, specifically because you can swap modules and get so many different tones for whatever song/recording/mood/jam session you have going!

In my case, I haven't played live in years and play/record in my home studio, so I'm right there with you. I have the luxury of turning up, but not so loud that my wife will divorce me. ;) I think the THD Hot Plate suggestion is an excellent one. But also, remember that you can swap tubes with this amp. JKD mentioned he uses a combination of JJ6V6s as power tubes, and a Hot Plate at 8dB. Currently, I'm using THD Yellowjacket Triodes—these are special adapters that run EL84 tubes at half-power, meaning each tube puts out about 5W. In low power mode, that means your MOD50 is about a 2W amp or so. That's still loud enough to shake the house down if you turn it all the way up, but it's less than half the volume of the 20W low power setting. And the THD Yellowjacket Triodes just sound really good, it really smooths out the harsh highs and low end cut of EL84s and makes them sound far more like EL34s, very cool!

Anyway, if this thread shows you anything, it's that with a MOD50 you have tons of options for both stage level and home level. :rock:

Orren
 
I have a pair of YJ w/EL84s too..but I always thought the output power was still up around 18W or so...9W per tube sort of thing.
 
spakuloid":3224nkva said:
Guys. It's called a THD HOT PLATE. Every person playing with a head/cabinet situation should have one. It doesn't damage your amp. It sounds great at every level. You can turn a 100 watt half stack into a purring kitten and keep the volume way down with the turn of a knob. Hear you power tubes at EVERY level - buy a Hot Plate.
Click to expand...

How do you use that with a stereo amplifier?
 
JKD":21t6y2l6 said:
I have a pair of YJ w/EL84s too..but I always thought the output power was still up around 18W or so...9W per tube sort of thing.
Click to expand...

There are two varieties of Yellow Jackets:

* The classic "Yellow Jacket" EL84 adapters. These adapters convert the octal (8-pin) EL84 tube to work in pentode (5-pin) power tube sockets. These adapters run the EL84 tubes at their normal wattage, which is about 9W per tube.

* The recently NAMM 2006, I believe, released "Yellow Jacket Triodes." These run the EL84s at half power, emulating the effect of only powering up three of the five pins in a pentode power tube (which is normally called "triode" mode, hence the name "Yellow Jacket Triodes." So in this mode, each EL84 only puts out about 5W.

So as you can see, if you have normal Yellow Jackets, you'll run the amp at about 18W, just as you suggest. But with YJ Triodes, the amp runs at about 10W. Then in Low power mode, it runs at about 2W or so.

The YJ Triodes aren't just lower in power, but they have a different tone. They're still chimey like EL84s, but its a smoother, less pronounced chime. They also don't cut the low end quite as much. Really, they sound excellent. I find that the EL84s actually sound a bit more like a "big tube" than the EL84s. Which isn't a knock on EL84s, I love them! :) But I think the YJ Triodes sound in between an EL84 and an EL34, unlike the regular YJs which are all EL84.

Honestly, I'd love a MOD50 in which I could flip a switch and choose either EL84s or 6V6s for the power section, much like the Rebel's power section. :)

Orren
 
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