"neutral" eq settings for some amps?

R

Resonant Alien

Member
If trying to create an "authentic" amp patch, and set the eq controls according to the way the real amp worked, what is the "neutral" setting for controls the amp did not actually have. The manual is a bit confusing on this.

Obviously, I would choose passive eq controls. The manual says that for any control that the amp did not originally have (say a Mid control on a Fender Deluxe), 12:00 approximates the original setting, but then goes on to say that any control that was not on the real amp should be set to '0'. If I am using passive controls, '0' would be fully counter-clockwise, not 12:00. So which is it? Is the '0' reference actually talking about the active controls? So, if I had a Deluxe model going, and wanted to eliminate the Mid control, I would set it to 12:00 or fully counter clockwise?

Thanks!
 
I believe when the manual says to set the controls to 0 they are referring to the position for active controls... which is all the Axe-FX had when it was first released. It's something that got left in the manual when they updated to add the passive controls. Active controls number + and -, so setting it to zero is the same as 12 o'clock. I think you'll be fine with setting them at 12 0'clock and using passive controls.
 
Except master volume. On non-master volume amps, set the master at about 9.29 then use the drive control as your volume.
 
FWIW - I was messing around with a new preset - dumped in a Tweed amp and 2x12 Tweed cab, left everything at the default settings except for Bass, Mid and Treble, no effects, etc, passive eq controls. Since the Fender Deluxe doesn't have a mid control, I tried it setting the mid at 12:00 and fully counter-clockwise. I don't know which one sounds more like a real Deluxe, but to my ears, the mid set fully counter-clockwise sounded best. At 12:00, it sounded like it had too much mids.
 
Genghis said:
... Active controls number + and -, so setting it to zero is the same as 12 o'clock...
Click to expand...

From my understanding, if the original amp didn't have the control then, when set to passive, the control is still an active control, since there is no passive control to base it off of.
 
Guitar-Tiz said:
Genghis said:
... Active controls number + and -, so setting it to zero is the same as 12 o'clock...
Click to expand...

From my understanding, if the original amp didn't have the control then, when set to passive, the control is still an active control, since there is no passive control to base it off of.
Click to expand...

Now that would make sense, and I do think the 12:00 setting does sound best on the Tweed model.
 
Resonant Alien said:
FWIW - I was messing around with a new preset - dumped in a Tweed amp and 2x12 Tweed cab, left everything at the default settings except for Bass, Mid and Treble, no effects, etc, passive eq controls. Since the Fender Deluxe doesn't have a mid control, I tried it setting the mid at 12:00 and fully counter-clockwise. I don't know which one sounds more like a real Deluxe, but to my ears, the mid set fully counter-clockwise sounded best. At 12:00, it sounded like it had too much mids.
Click to expand...

This is a subject of much confusion around here, but Cliff has stated that the Tweed model is based on a BF Deluxe Reverb. Don't ask me why he called it "Tweed." But that would explain why the mids at full sounded more like what you were looking for. Try the Tweed model with the Vintage tonestack and you might find it's even closer.
 
mtlin said:
Resonant Alien said:
FWIW - I was messing around with a new preset - dumped in a Tweed amp and 2x12 Tweed cab, left everything at the default settings except for Bass, Mid and Treble, no effects, etc, passive eq controls. Since the Fender Deluxe doesn't have a mid control, I tried it setting the mid at 12:00 and fully counter-clockwise. I don't know which one sounds more like a real Deluxe, but to my ears, the mid set fully counter-clockwise sounded best. At 12:00, it sounded like it had too much mids.
Click to expand...

This is a subject of much confusion around here, but Cliff has stated that the Tweed model is based on a BF Deluxe Reverb. Don't ask me why he called it "Tweed." But that would explain why the mids at full sounded more like what you were looking for. Try the Tweed model with the Vintage tonestack and you might find it's even closer.
Click to expand...

Yes, the Blackface Deluxe Reverb has no mid controls, which is why I was using the Tweed as a test model. I did decide later that I liked the mids at 12:00 better, so I am still not sure what the real answer is here. I didn't see a "Vintage" tonestack, I tried both "Blackface" (which I know is more for the Twin model) and "Passive".

What Guitar-Tiz posted would make sense (that any control not actually in the real amp would remain Active even if Passive was selected), but if that is what is going on, the controls don't seem to reflect it (i.e. the Mid control still goes from 1-10, with 5 at 12:00 instead of being +/- with 0 at 12:00.

I know I just need to "use my ears", and I am, but I really want to know the down low on this point... :?:
 
If the amp doesn't have a bass, mid, treble, or presence, set it to noon.

That doesn't mean the control is active, by the way, but noon is the reference point for all of the EQ controls.
 
Chase is correct as far as I can determine.

In terms of the Master - I've found based on the presets built by Cliff, that 9.41 is actually up full for an amp if it doesn't have a master control in real life. I seem to recall he even mentioned this somewhere. Beyond that, mark, it does go further but just acts like a boost at the power amp stage. Handy feature ;-)

TimmyM
 
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