clarky
Axe-Master
try a filter block in front of the these amps
set to null
low cut = 700
high cut = 880
in the amp block switch on the cut switch, turn down the bass to 3 or less
in the amp block EQ page, make a -3dB cut at 500Hz, and put back the missing low end by adding 1dB or 2dB to the bands below 500Hz
these amps should then tighten up
also.. when choosing the cab, pick a cab that don't strongly emphasise the lows
pick a cab that's tighter in the lows like the 4x12 TV mix or 4x12 AX mix
M4John - the lil' tricks I threw in above are good for any hi-gain amp that get's woolly in the low end..
this is pretty much all Mesa's plus a few others..
the FILTER block with those settings replicates a Tube Screamer set 'clean' - which is a tone tightening trick that was common in the 80's / 90's..
the idea is to strip the extreme hi's and lo's from the guitar's dry signal prior to the amp so that only the mids get strongly "excited" by the amp's gain..
if the suggested Amp settings [cut switch, low bass setting, Amp: EQ] are not enough on their own to tighten the tone, then go for the FILTER block with those settings to finish the job..
note though that other hi-gain amps [5150, 5153Red, VH4 ch4, Herbert ch3, HBE and some others I guess] don't need the FILTER..
these guys are generally tight by nature.. and if they're still a little loose, the cut switch is usually enough on it's own..
Cut Switch note: this will strip a little low end from the signal before it enters the amp.. so when it's on, the tone will tighten but thin out a little.. again, this is fixed by going to the Amp: EQ page to put the low end back..
the EQ page works because it does not affect the gain.
so this is different to the bass control in the basic page - turn up the bass control and not only does the bass increase, but it also gets more gain / distortion.. in fact this applies to all the basic page 'tone stack' EQ controls [bass, mid, treble, presence]..
the deal here is to use the Input-gain and B, M, T, P controls, along with the MV control to shape the voice of your tone in terms of how much dirt there is, and where in the freq range you want the dirt to be strong [or not]..
then the EQ page [because it's after the tone stack] can be used to fix-up the EQ..
Clarky likes the lo's to be lightly dirty, and the mids and hi's to get fried..
Last edited: