Triple Crown Info

State of Epicicity

State of Epicicity

Fractal Fanatic
@FractalAudio I'm wondering about the Triple Crest 2 and 3, if the Triple Crown dirty channels are close in design to other amps. I just tried the Triple Crest 3 for the first time tonight, and I found that, with the most minimal tweaking, this model gave me a shocking range of tones that I love, from the cleanest I'd want to get to the most high gain; it seemed like, unlike most other amps, I didn't have to touch the other knobs to compensate frequencies when adjusting the gain; it was surreally easy to dial in for whatever I wanted. I don't know if it's just that I'm hearing this amp as something extraordinary, or if there really is something cool and unusual in it's design. I did some research but couldn't really find anything relating this amp to any other as a point of reference. Thanks as always for what you, and thanks for modelling this particular amp; it's a new favorite.
 
I just tried this amp (Triple Crest 3) on your recommendation and I'm a bit stunned.
You're right - a huge range of sounds. Zero tweaking.
A new favourite. Thanks.
 
H
State of Epicicity said:
@FractalAudio I'm wondering about the Triple Crest 2 and 3, if the Triple Crown dirty channels are close in design to other amps. I just tried the Triple Crest 3 for the first time tonight, and I found that, with the most minimal tweaking, this model gave me a shocking range of tones that I love, from the cleanest I'd want to get to the most high gain; it seemed like, unlike most other amps, I didn't have to touch the other knobs to compensate frequencies when adjusting the gain; it was surreally easy to dial in for whatever I wanted. I don't know if it's just that I'm hearing this amp as something extraordinary, or if there really is something cool and unusual in it's design. I did some research but couldn't really find anything relating this amp to any other as a point of reference. Thanks as always for what you, and thanks for modelling this particular amp; it's a new favorite.
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Hey, what cab and guitars you using?
Thanks
 
Thanks so much for this info! Now it's time to find out what an original Tone Master was:

sickboy79 said:
- Drive channel: This is the star of the amp, IMO. It's an absolute RnR animal! Again, it reminds me of my Blonde/BF Bassman heads but, on steriods and with a built in OD pedal! Lots of gain on tap - think classic hard rock levels of gain. I really don't hear the Marshall voice in it like some people say. To me, it's still got that Fender voice.
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and here's a full thread from the same person, with a couple interesting insights from people chiming in.

Man, what an amp. It's so weird to me how amp designs just seem in general to be so incrementally based off other amps, but when I consider guitar design generally, it's the same thing. E.g., right now all I care about is the world of Super Strats, and what could be more incremental, in every specific alteration from an original Strat design?

@AnmolAtwal I'm using a Schecter Sun Valley Super Shredder Exotic (with the Black Limba body and wenge neck). For this guitar I have a terrible, harsh pick attack ice pick around 2.3 kHz on the bridge pickup, so I start by resetting the amp block then immediately dial out that frequency on the input EQ with a Q of 10.

I'm thinking any go to IR for you will be awesome! My favorite Fractal factory IRs are weirdly captured from the tiniest speakers and the least powerful amps in the real world: the Pignose and Silvertone. I just love the raw feel. I watched a couple of music videos from the Bay Area thrash band Vio-Lence with my wife the other night, and what she said perfectly describes my feelings about these IRs. When the singer started in on this one song, she paraphrased Matt Damon's character in The Departed: "He's not gonna be very subtle from now on."

DSabe said:
My Mesa Triple Crown is the only tube amp I still own. Still play it all the time, and I've got it 4cm with the Axe.
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I can completely see why. :) This amp would now be my main contender if I were going to buy a tube amp!
 
And as a corollary to the fact that it's derived from a Fender Tone Master (An amp designed by Bruce Zinky I believe), it's also somewhat unique and it's own thing (as much as any guitar amp can be, all being basically riffs and evolutions on tube amp reference circuits more or less).
 
IronSean said:
And as a corollary to the fact that it's derived from a Fender Tone Master (An amp designed by Bruce Zinky I believe), it's also somewhat unique and it's own thing (as much as any guitar amp can be, all being basically riffs and evolutions on tube amp reference circuits more or less).
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Oh my god, that would be really funny. For the longest while the amp I wanted more than anything was a Zinky Blue Velvet. When I lived in Memphis this one very cool store had one, and I just fell in love. It would only be fitting that my new favorite amp would be something designed by him.
 
Oh, and one other thing about the Triple Crown: because it's so incredibly easy to dial in, it's the best candidate for a gapless preset of eight tones. Last night I dialed in the highest gain tone I'd want to use as Scene 8, then assigned the Gain knob to a Scene Controller. I popped on over to the Scene Controller screen and just adjusted the rest of the scenes descending the knob to taste, until it hit a nice not-quite-clean tone. All gapless, and marvelous. You can of course go way more complicated with Scene Controllers, but I just did that as a test, and it took maybe three minutes. The Axe FX III is the greatest thing ever.
 
Here are some additional interesting usage tips from some owners of the real deal:

Tele Jr. said:
I was lucky to get a primer on these amps years ago from Bruce Zinky. Per his advise, I dial in both amps very similar. Treble up to at least 7, and bass and mid at equal levels but very low in the 2 range for the TM and 3 range for the PS head, with cabs on the floor. If I have a cab up off the floor I will add more bottom to warm it up to the room.

With the Tone Master Bruce was definitely going for a new interpretation of big iron tweed. With the lush warm and tight bottom and sweet sparkly top end I prefer his version better than the actual vintage tweed.
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ggwwbb said:
I tried it a little while ago.....WOW! That clean channel cranked is just awesome. I found out that, same as the Prosonic, you can us the EQ as a sort of attenuator.....turn B/M/T to zero, crank volume, then slowly bring in B/M/T to control volume. Works like a champ!!
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FractalAudio said:
Triple Crown is derived from the Fender Tonemaster (the old ones, not the new digital ones).
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The original Tone-Master was a mid '90s Fender Custom Shop 100W amp designed by Bruce Zinky. 2 1/2 channels of switching delight, power switching and voicing, and an effects loop. Amazing clean and crunch, also capable of pretty high gain, but they crunched, and they took pedals like no other. First time I played one when a guitar shop owner handed me an original "beat but sweet" '57 Stratocaster and invited me to play as loud as I liked. Loved the guitar and amp. Second and last time was about a year later in the Fender UK Artist Relations showroom with an Esquire Tele, a P90 Tele, and a bunch of Strats. I wanted one ever since, tend to cost more now than they did new. Good to know I already got one in my Axe III - very cool sounding amp.

Liam
 
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