Saturation Switch - Whoah!

Tubehead

Inspired
I was expecting this switch to be another amp tweak to fatten things up or provide another subtle option for amps, but I have seen this thing really produce a fork in the road. It completely changes the way I approach the gain stage and makes you really target that option for your patch creation. If you A/B your Amp preset simply by toggling the Saturation switch, it really is a day and night difference.

Was anyone else surprise by the way this option changed the gain staging in the amps?
 
In the ENGL forums.
The ENGL forums don't really exist in a usable way. It's unofficial, and most people there are kind of stabbing around in the dark, and you're lucky if you actually get any info far from "ENGL good, everything else bad" and as far as I can tell, they feel that's about all you need to know.
 
I do know that you can get really good tones from an amp block by using the Saturation switch (and not using it)/ The real difference will be in the Amp EQ and Cab choices to dial that sound you have in your head. It really is a fork in the road to choose to see if the end product is something which you like or not.

The difference in engaging this switch is so extreme (IMO) that the EQ settings cannot be shared because simply monitoring the patch while engaging and disengaging the switch is something you really cannot compare. it is almost like you would have to create 2 seperate patches and compare the 2, each with their own eq and cab settings.

Anyways.... my 2 cents..
 
when I flip that switch, the volume drops completely, then I have to adjust the master/volume, it makes it very difficult to compare. It seems almost like it pulls out the mids like a smiley faced eq?
 
You're lucky if you actually get any info far from "ENGL good, everything else bad" and as far as I can tell, they feel that's about all you need to know.
That almost sounds like this board.
 
The ENGL forums don't really exist in a usable way. It's unofficial, and most people there are kind of stabbing around in the dark, and you're lucky if you actually get any info far from "ENGL good, everything else bad" and as far as I can tell, they feel that's about all you need to know.

So, when you have a question about your telephone service, you probably call the gas company, huh?
 
So, when you have a question about your telephone service, you probably call the gas company, huh?
If you only knew how funny that was. The local phone/internet company (I only use them for internet) is owned by the same people that own the local gas company, and they share the same help number. :lol But none of that matters, cause I don't have gas.

The only reason I'd ask here first though, is because there are owners here that own BOTH an ENGL amp, AND an Axe-FX. Over there not so much, and if they do they'd be too ashamed to admit that anything could match an ENGL in any way. And since I want to know how to replicate it in the Axe-FX, I'd probably get better results, because even if the ENGL-heads knew what the High Gain switch did, they wouldn't have a clue as to how to replicate it in the Axe-II. So really, it's more like calling the phone company, and asking them why you have a gas fire every time the phone rings. :lol
 
I do know that you can get really good tones from an amp block by using the Saturation switch (and not using it)/ The real difference will be in the Amp EQ and Cab choices to dial that sound you have in your head. It really is a fork in the road to choose to see if the end product is something which you like or not.

The difference in engaging this switch is so extreme (IMO) that the EQ settings cannot be shared because simply monitoring the patch while engaging and disengaging the switch is something you really cannot compare. it is almost like you would have to create 2 seperate patches and compare the 2, each with their own eq and cab settings.

Anyways.... my 2 cents..

Is it me or does it seem the SLO on the II needs the saturation switch flipped on to get the same gain as the SLO on the ultra?
 
The saturation switch switches in a zener diode clipping stage right before the tone stack.

What drives the Zener Diode?

Also, if you change the "Tone Location" to Pre (instead of Post) will the Tone Stack
come before the Zener Diode (clipping stage)?
 
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