Marshall models always sound too dark to me?

jsnleo said:
I used to have an Axe-Fx III for a few years and now have an FM9 Mark II Turbo, and I always feel all Marshall models are too dark. Before I started using FAS, I'd been really into Plexi style amps and owned a few, Metropoulos Metro-Plex, Bogner Helios, Friedman BE-100, Suhr SL68 and Suhr PT100. One of my friends got a Germino Lead 55. So I've played nearly every one out there. They all sounded "overly bright" and "thin" if compared to FAS models. When I tried those models for the first time, I felt like I was playing a bass amp, or a Bassman, or a Super Bass? Well I've not played them. Anyways, those models just sounded too thick, muddy, not bright enough and a little bit too gainy. Even the Friedman sounded more like a Plexi to me. I got my FM9 a couple of months ago and I tried them again and I still felt the same.

In case someone asks, I was using my amps and a Suhr RL, and OwnHammer IRs loaded in Redwirez mixIR, then switched to Suhr RLIR but still using the same OH IRs. And I tried using the same IRs with the Axe, so it was a fair comparison.

Now with the new firmware, I tried 'em again and they still felt wrong. Any idea how to make 'em bright and why do FAS Marshalls sound this way? Thanks guys.
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Leon Todd did a quick video on the newest FW for the FM3 and starts with his 335 into the 1959SLP Plexi. Sounds pretty bright to me. His free IR called LTTVMix7 is available also.

 
For me I thought this until I cranked up the volume. All of the treble came in - so much in fact that I realized that the recommended high (and low) cuts on the cab were needed. That b@stard Fletcher-Munson strikes again!
 
Since you're using a RLIR I'll assume the volume in the room is the same...
Are you cranking the gain over 7? I use the 1959 SLP Plexi model on a few presets. With the gain on 10 I have to raise the Low Cut Frequency in the pre-amp tab of the amp block to kill some low end flubbiness.

The actual amps did get a little loose when everything was dimed. Not as noticeable as the models but I think that's probably a volume thing.

Suhr, Friedman, Germino and Metropolous have perfected the amps to work better at lower volumes so there's no need to crank them and get it to loosen up.

Like you, I've had these amps in all different flavors over the years. My favorites are the Bogner Ecstacy Classic 101b and the Suhr PT15IR. I still have both...
 
I'll second that Friedmans are very dark when the master volume is set low. I like to crank the MV for that reason. Cliff has even written about the reason for this. I definitely wouldn't compare Marshall inspired amps to actual Marshalls! The Captain Hook, for instance, although based on a Plexi, is revoiced to be much darker, but in a cool way. So many of the non-Marshall models in the Axe are based on Marshall circuits, and so many of them have been revoiced to the preferences of those designers, often to darken them. I don't know if Bogner designs are Marshall based, but I do know that something about the way he designs his circuits yields tones that are way darker than most amps when you have the pots at noon.

To me it's just a function of catering to different guitars. If you're playing through a deep dark Les Paul, maybe a genuine Plexi is your best friend, but if you're playing a superstrat with inherent jangle but you want to sound deep and dark, try a Friedman with the master volume low!
 
Another thought. If you really are attached to the particular IR you've been using, can you find brighter placements in the same pack? Also, don't be weirded out by extreme EQ settings on the model. Maybe the BMT pot tapers are different from what you are used to and require more extreme settings.
 
As stated, at low volumes when fine tuning presets, sure they should be a little dark but at 90db with all knobs at 0, the Marshalls are anything but dark. Try an OH, York as impulse since most agree they are exceptional. pr75 is your friend.
 
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