Believe it or not... Can't get the Tweed amps to sounds fizzy enough

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PdotCdot

Member
Yes! Just as the title says, I am struggling to get the tweed amps, in particular the Deluxe, to get all fizzy like you would get in UAD's Tweed Deluxe and mic'd recordings. The quality of the distortion in the FM3 and Axe III is more of a "crunchy/crispy" (not crunchy as in amount of gain) thing as opposed to the "fizzy" thing a Deluxe and other Tweed amps are known for. Don't get me wrong, the quality of the distortion in the Fractal stuff is for me what sets it apart, but ironically when trying to dial in the Deluxe, it just seems like the wrong type and not quite fizzy enough.

Is there a parameter that I could perhaps play with to change the quality of the distortion of the amp? Thought it was the IR's I was using but having tried factory, Ownhammer, Redwirez, and a few others I am convinced it's not.
 
I have a real Tweed Deluxe. I also have UAD Tweed Deluxe. The fizzy stuff you hear in the UAD is a modeling abomination in my opinion. FAS completely smokes the UAD in capturing what a real tweed deluxe sounds like. If I wanted the fizzy stuff, places I might start would be bright switch on and experimenting with bright cap values. Also might blend in some of direct amp/no cab sound with cab.
 
I've just done a couple sessions with real Tweed Deluxe amps. No fizz, some "flub" but no fizz. The only time I've ever heard any fizz on a Tweed Deluxe was one with a bad speaker. I would recommend making a tone match or using other parameters/blocks to add the fizz.
 
What IR are you using? I used to turn the bright switch on to get closer to my edge signature tweed deluxe, but when I finally captured the IR of that very amp, I no longer needed to engage the bright switch to make it sound nearly identical.
 
Tweeds flub and fart and crunch but I've never heard one fizz. You CAN increase the fizziness, if you want, by increasing the P.A. Cathode Resistance.

P.A. Cathode Resistance is the normalized value of the resistance seen by the cathodes of the virtual power tubes. Higher values bias the tubes colder (from Class-AB towards Class-B) and result in more crossover distortion (fizz). Lower values bias the tubes hotter and result in a smoother character.
 
Was away for the day but I had a feeling the "fizzy" term would be a little contentious when I checked in. For reference I was comparing the model in the FM3 to recorded tones I hear, modellers, and recent reissues. I've played vintage tweed amps, but haven't had the nerve to crank them up since they weren't mine (wouldn't be wise to blow a whatever for a vintage piece that I don't own). I suppose it's more of a tightness to the distortion that I am trying to describe. I'll leave it alone since these discussions often become a matter of nomenclature lost in the undefined nor maybe ill-defined terminologies of tone chasing...
 
Kamil Kisiel said:
@PdotCdot how about you post a clip of what you would like the tone to sound like, and then post a preset + recording of where your tone is at now? I'm sure people on the forum could help you close the gap if you provided more information.
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I should probably do an A/B/C etc. comparison myself using the same IR for all the different modelling software and hardware units I have. If I put one together, I'll post it here. Thanks for all the responses everyone. Will try the Cathode Resistance tweak mentioned above and maybe audition some brighter IRs to see what I come up with.
 
Just reporting back on my findings after noodling with a few different IRs from the way too many I have. Big difference in the overall quality of what I perceive as the type of distortion. Also, I have yet to do any diving into advanced amp parameters as I just haven't found the need in order to get something I like, but what a difference it makes. That Cathode tweaking gives it a completely different voice and more like other modeller takes on the Tweed thing. In the end, my ear preferred the FM3. I settled on the stock setting, but it was an interesting night tweaking away. I A/B'd the FM3 with Amplitube 5 and HX Stomp, all using the same IR. They are great in their own right but the feel and dynamics just aren't there.
I'm in the world of modellers as apparently all of us are, so I wasn't trying to make a comparison to the real thing hypothetically sitting in front of me. Sorry if that was what I implied.
 
You should try to blast a real Tweed Deluxe sometime. Until you've turned it up, it's just another amp. Crank it and playing with the various knobs on your guitars and different guitars (SC/HB/P90) and you'll realize how much you've heard these sounds over the years.
 
MikeyB59 said:
You should try to blast a real Tweed Deluxe sometime. Until you've turned it up, it's just another amp. Crank it and playing with the various knobs on your guitars and different guitars (SC/HB/P90) and you'll realize how much you've heard these sounds over the years.
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I mean, you can do this with the Axe-Fx and it works all the same as IRL. Kind of cool that way.
 
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