Tourmaster clean in new video: close to T/D or Bman??

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mightyjoeyoungxnj

mightyjoeyoungxnj

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Trying to decide which clean module to get...

For those that have seen the Tourmaster NAMM vid, which module would you say is closest to the clean parts in the beginning??

-Joe
 
I took the Tourmaster 4212 Combo home for a week from GC and played it to see what I could get out of it. Was going to do some videos for You Tube but then work got in the way.... The clean channels on the Tourmaster Combo amp are very crisp, bright and CLEAN as loud as you can get - in a musical way. I have to say that the sound is much more like a good old 70's Fender Twin amp to me - very loud and clean with a tight bottom all the way ( I am comparing it to the '72 Fender Twin that I recently sold). I also found that both channels 1 and 2 were somewhat similar - I actually thought that they were identical with just a touch more gain available on channel 2 - but still no where near BMAN module territory. With my stock Les Paul Custom I could not get the clean channel 1 to distort at all without really digging in and having the volume up and the wattage down to 1/4 on the back. And jsut playing normally it was still very clean even with the gain all the way up. This is not the case with the BMAN module which breaks up fairly easily for me on channel A with the Les Pauls and the Fenders (strats & teles) without much help or digging in and the gain at about 12-1 O'Clock. You need the gain up a bit on the module in order to compete with the sound floor volume of the other module channels. In fact in order to get the BMAN to go spanking clean I need to run a compressor out in front.

I think a big part of the Tourmaster's sound is the power section which is classic 6L6 Groove Tubes crunch and headroom for days all the way. Also the speakers are 75 or 80 watt custom celestions which have their own thing going on -- where my standard speakers in the 4x12 cabinet are the V30s. So I am going to disagree with Jeff and say that the Tourmaster that I played at length definitely sounded more like a Fender Twin on the clean channels than the BMAN module that I have. As an aside here - I also had the T/D module a while back and could not get that to go spanking clean either. I think I traded it for the BMAN which is one that perpetually stays in the MOD100 head's first slot. ;)
 
spakuloid":4uchm02t said:
I took the Tourmaster 4212 Combo home for a week from GC and played it to see what I could get out of it. Was going to do some videos for You Tube but then work got in the way.... The clean channels on the Tourmaster Combo amp are very crisp, bright and CLEAN as loud as you can get - in a musical way. I have to say that the sound is much more like a good old 70's Fender Twin amp to me - very loud and clean with a tight bottom all the way ( I am comparing it to the '72 Fender Twin that I recently sold). I also found that both channels 1 and 2 were somewhat similar - I actually thought that they were identical with just a touch more gain available on channel 2 - but still no where near BMAN module territory. With my stock Les Paul Custom I could not get the clean channel 1 to distort at all without really digging in and having the volume up and the wattage down to 1/4 on the back. And jsut playing normally it was still very clean even with the gain all the way up. This is not the case with the BMAN module which breaks up fairly easily for me on channel A with the Les Pauls and the Fenders (strats & teles) without much help or digging in and the gain at about 12-1 O'Clock. You need the gain up a bit on the module in order to compete with the sound floor volume of the other module channels. In fact in order to get the BMAN to go spanking clean I need to run a compressor out in front.

I think a big part of the Tourmaster's sound is the power section which is classic 6L6 Groove Tubes crunch and headroom for days all the way. Also the speakers are 75 or 80 watt custom celestions which have their own thing going on -- where my standard speakers in the 4x12 cabinet are the V30s. So I am going to disagree with Jeff and say that the Tourmaster that I played at length definitely sounded more like a Fender Twin on the clean channels than the BMAN module that I have. As an aside here - I also had the T/D module a while back and could not get that to go spanking clean either. I think I traded it for the BMAN which is one that perpetually stays in the MOD100 head's first slot. ;)
Click to expand...


How's the gain in ch. 3 and 4? I've heard from a few people that have played the Tourmaster, that It won't do all types of metal. I'm not a metal player, in fact, the music I make is more pop-rock/blues, but I like to have a "metal" channel, for my cover band, and friend jams (we play a lot of Metallica, pantera, type of stuff)

Will the Tourmaster do Metallica/Pantera?
 
Damn!

So hard to decide this here. I just love the clean sound in that vid and can't decide which module to get.

I am leaning towards the Bman though.

Hey Jeff, you should have the power amp tomorrow. :thumbsup:

-Joe
 
I am probably not the right guy to gauge the Tourmaster's varietal of the metal. I thought it did heavy guitar sounds quite well and was very musical no matter what i pushed out of it - but I like the modern rock sound and the retro classic sound - so metal is not where I "go" to look for what's in an amp. Also - The metal is apparently quite a personal pursuit these days and must not be talked about lightly lest you be jeered at and shunned. :lol: :LOL:

I thought the channels 3 & 4 were plenty gainful, tight and smooth for ME - which is to say that "I" could get Metallica or Pantera-esque and pull it off with a few tweaks of the Tourmaster - but I don't really give a shit about those bands guitar sound intricacies and would only play that stuff as a joke - so I'm not as anal about if the sound is spot on correct or not. I thought the amp was fantastic - had lots of range - and really screamed on the Les Paul with the channel gain at about 12 O'clock. It did the Marshall thing out of the gate and could easily be pushed into what I like to call GOD TOOK A SHIT ON YOUR HEAD thundering sonic Rob Zombie guitar style dropped D decimation. There is a fantastic Mid boost cut switch which totally revamps how each channel's mids sound and gives you that metal SCOOP thing which people that play ESP guitars with EMG's and floyd rose's tend to love so much. Really I should have just done a video. :rock:
 
Well thanks a lot.

I play a lot of metal only while jamming with friends and cover band type of stuff (which is very rare)

like I said, the music I play (singer/songwriter) is more pop-rock (think John Mayer meets Lenny Kravitz) or something like that.

So to me the Clean channel is VERY important, but I asked about the more gainy channels because you covered the ch.1 and ch.2 characteristics quite well, leaving me with no questions or doubt about them.

Right now I can't have two amps, so I'm looking into "one that can do it all" type of amp.
 
I am with you on the pop rock tip. That is my forte as well. Once it gets past GnR or STP or Janes' Addiction- I start to just lose all respect for the metal. Except for early Sabbath and Dio. Anyhoooo - you really need to get to a Guitar Center and check it out on your own turf. I found that the only thing the Tourmaster did not do at all for me was a VOX sounding chime. It just isn't built that way. BUT - there are a few very cool pedals out there that do VOX (MENATONE, CARL MARTIN and even the Brian May pedal by digitech - has some very cool ac30 tones in it). So this was only a minor deal to me. I also thought the reverb was a bit too basic with only one knob to tweak and I just shut it off. I mean an amp with reverb really should have 2 knobs to dial in. The reverb seemed a bit after the fact. That being said - all my guitars sounded musical and rich on the tourmaster and it was tough to take it back. In fact I am still thinking about selling my Matchless - and buying the tourmaster combo and netting about a grand in the process.

My verdict for the Tourmaster was that if I did not already have 4 amps in my arsenal - 2 of which are in the $2-3K range - then I would buy it. For the price - it is hands down the best bang for the buck. Lots of great tone in those things.

The MOD100 is still - hands down - the best amp I have ever played. I just wish I had some fucking roadies to carry it and set it all up for me... :rock:
 
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