Setting the Master Volume

If the headroom meter doesn't go to 0db does that mean that there is no power amp distortion?

I am so clueless when it comes to power amp distortion as the only tubez amp I've ever owned was a MesaBoogie that never had the MV past 2. Could someone point me to a preset that is all about power amp dist?
 
fuzzyoctaves said:
If the headroom meter doesn't go to 0db does that mean that there is no power amp distortion?

I am so clueless when it comes to power amp distortion as the only tubez amp I've ever owned was a MesaBoogie that never had the MV past 2. Could someone point me to a preset that is all about power amp dist?
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To your first question, yes, pretty much.

To get pure power amp distortion, you might want to try tube pre “amp”, which has a flat Preamp section. You might need to change some preamp settings to that it does not simulate distorted preamp tubes. And change advanced power amp settings to those of a reference amp.

Just to set the expectations: There isn’t anything interesting or desirable about pure power amp distortion, the magic happens when you mix preamp and poweramp distortion for some class of amps, mesa boogie is not one of them :)
 
fuzzyoctaves said:
If the headroom meter doesn't go to 0db does that mean that there is no power amp distortion?

I am so clueless when it comes to power amp distortion as the only tubez amp I've ever owned was a MesaBoogie that never had the MV past 2. Could someone point me to a preset that is all about power amp dist?
Click to expand...
I also recommend this YT clip from Pete Thorn. I disagree with him on a few things, he's a member of "high voltage needed to get great tone" school of thought, whereas I am a member of "digital can get arbitrarily (epsilon?) close to the real thing depending on compute power and algorithm" school. Still I think he does a great job illustrating the power and preamp distortion difference in this one.

 
oacikgoz said:
I also recommend this YT clip from Pete Thorn. I disagree with him on a few things, he's a member of "high voltage needed to get great tone" school of thought, whereas I am a member of "digital can get arbitrarily (epsilon?) close to the real thing depending on compute power and algorithm" school. Still I think he does a great job illustrating the power and preamp distortion difference in this one.

Click to expand...


Really helpful posts! Thank you so much. One thing that I found interesting is that Pete is categorizing the JCM800 as a "preamp distortion" amp along with Mesa, ENGL, Soldano, etc. and yet, from Yek's amp guide JCM800 entry:

“Those amps are all designed to get their character from power amp distortion. If you
don't push the power amp all you are hearing is the preamp which is voiced to be trebly.
The power amp then compresses the highs and the sound gets fatter.”
 
fuzzyoctaves said:
Really helpful posts! Thank you so much. One thing that I found interesting is that Pete is categorizing the JCM800 as a "preamp distortion" amp along with Mesa, ENGL, Soldano, etc. and yet, from Yek's amp guide JCM800 entry:

“Those amps are all designed to get their character from power amp distortion. If you
don't push the power amp all you are hearing is the preamp which is voiced to be trebly.
The power amp then compresses the highs and the sound gets fatter.”
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I don’t remember hearing that from Pete, that would surprise me. At which part of the clip does he call 800 a preamp-based amp?
 
I had a JCM800 that for some inexplicable reason was manufactured with 6550s. The power amp would never distort. I tried putting a booster in the effects loop, and all it did was clip the effects return. It sounded like shit at any volume, even with a power soak. I absolutely hated that amp. Then I heard one with EL34s, and it dawned on me why everyone else didn't hate them too.
 
I found that I always needed
steadystate said:
I had a JCM800 that for some inexplicable reason was manufactured with 6550s. The power amp would never distort. I tried putting a booster in the effects loop, and all it did was clip the effects return. It sounded like shit at any volume, even with a power soak. I absolutely hated that amp. Then I heard one with EL34s, and it dawned on me why everyone else didn't hate them too.
Click to expand...

oacikgoz said:
...but JCM800 at low volumes sound nothing like when it is cranked up and cooking.
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I found that I always needed to push my JCM-800 2204 with a pedal (drive and/or EQ) to get it to sound fat and full since opportunities to crank the master to get the amp in it's zone weren't always abundant, nor practical heh. But yea, open up the power amp and it rocks...
 
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