Taming a 60w Fender

Travisthedog

I need to do something about my prosonic - I’m just not getting the best out of it - at most gigs it’s barely over 1 on the volume 

before I flog it - which I know I will regret forever - is there an easy cheap fix? I’ve seen those little Home made Jobbys that plug into the effects loop - who makes them and what do they actually do.

Trouble is - once it’s on 4 or 5 it’s tj most glorious tone known to man, but at that volume people usually die

TheBigDipper

I sold mine 20 years ago and still think it had the best clean sound I've ever owned. My Cornford Hurricane was a very close second. 

ICBM

Are you using it at the full 60W, or does it sound as good on the lower power settings? I know they're still loud.

The easy cheap fix is to run a volume box in the effects loop, which then acts as an extra overall master volume. Whether that gives you the sound you want depends on how much of it is coming from the power stage when the volume reaches 4-5…

You can get them on Ebay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guitar-Amplifier-Attenuator-Volume-Pedal-Passive-Volume-Amp-Reducer/141620893968?hash=item20f9435910:g:tG4AAOSwKtlWk9Ft

If you're pushing the power stage to get the sound you want the only real solution is a proper power attenuator - not that cheap, but it will work unless it's actually the speakers compressing that make it sound like that. The THD Hotplate is one that works well with Fender-type amps usually, and they're not too rare second hand.

Telejester

I had a prosonic combo back in 97, on 30 watts class A setting the clean channel was the best I've used.......didn't rate the drive channel at all.

BluesyDave

Telejester said:

I had a prosonic combo back in 97, on 30 watts class A setting the clean channel was the best I've used.......didn't rate the drive channel at all.

Same here.  Run it in the 30 watt class A.  Clean but juicy and punchy, and use a good pedal for drive.

ToneControl

can you run a lower gain preamp valve like on some of the tweeds? @ICBM ;

ICBM

ToneControl said:

can you run a lower gain preamp valve like on some of the tweeds? @ICBM ;

It won't make much difference - it produces a cleaner/clearer tone, not less volume really.

ToneControl

ICBM said:

ToneControl said:

can you run a lower gain preamp valve like on some of the tweeds? @ICBM ;

It won't make much difference - it produces a cleaner/clearer tone, not less volume really.

ah, I see, he likes the volume at 4 or 5

if it's 60w saturated  I guess it is not welcome most of the time anymore, THD were the best attenuators I bought

If it's clean, I am surprised, I have a 100w HRM dumble clone, which can run nicely, so an ad hoc master volume could do it

Travisthedog

Just to be clear the loudest gig I ever played with it was a festival last year and it was in on 4 and it cooked - the sound was leagues better than I’d ever heard. We played a wedding the following weekend and I forgot to turn it down before i switched it on. Nearly shat myself 

when I dropped it back to 1.5 the drop in sustain, thump, tone etc was so dramatic I could have cried

gordiji

I could never hear any discernable difference on wattage settings. I never thought it that loud either, especially clean. Best clean i've heard also. Try more bass & mids & reverb at low vol.

shaunm

Travisthedog said:

Just to be clear the loudest gig I ever played with it was a festival last year and it was in on 4 and it cooked - the sound was leagues better than I’d ever heard. We played a wedding the following weekend and I forgot to turn it down before i switched it on. Nearly shat myself 

when I dropped it back to 1.5 the drop in sustain, thump, tone etc was so dramatic I could have cried

I can empathise with this totally. I have a 60 watt supersonic that is ferocious. I have only a couple of times got the amp up to 4/5 and it was amazing. Ever since I’ve been wanting to get that tone back but it’s way way too loud for 99% of the gigs I’d play.

ICBM

If it's starting to overdrive the power stage at 4/5 - which I think it might be, or at least compress it - then you need an attenuator.

Travisthedog

@icbm - no, no overdrive - not a hint 
just the fattest clean you ever heard and when to then applied a smear of drive from a pedal all hell broke loose

*sigh*

ICBM

In that case it's just power amp compression or speaker compression. No way to tell which it is easily, unless you can get hold of an attenuator and try it.

Are you using the valve rectifier mode?

You could also possibly try running a compressor in the FX loop.

uncledick

Travisthedog said:

Just to be clear the loudest gig I ever played with it was a festival last year and it was in on 4 and it cooked - the sound was leagues better than I’d ever heard. We played a wedding the following weekend and I forgot to turn it down before i switched it on. Nearly shat myself 

when I dropped it back to 1.5 the drop in sustain, thump, tone etc was so dramatic I could have cried

Ah, the joys of Fender amp ownership.  Been there, done it, sold it.

Travisthedog

uncledick said:

Travisthedog said:

Just to be clear the loudest gig I ever played with it was a festival last year and it was in on 4 and it cooked - the sound was leagues better than I’d ever heard. We played a wedding the following weekend and I forgot to turn it down before i switched it on. Nearly shat myself 

when I dropped it back to 1.5 the drop in sustain, thump, tone etc was so dramatic I could have cried

Ah, the joys of Fender amp ownership.  Been there, done it, sold it.

And what did you replace it with @uncledick ;

uncledick

Travisthedog said:

uncledick said:

Travisthedog said:

Just to be clear the loudest gig I ever played with it was a festival last year and it was in on 4 and it cooked - the sound was leagues better than I’d ever heard. We played a wedding the following weekend and I forgot to turn it down before i switched it on. Nearly shat myself 

when I dropped it back to 1.5 the drop in sustain, thump, tone etc was so dramatic I could have cried

Ah, the joys of Fender amp ownership.  Been there, done it, sold it.

And what did you replace it with @uncledick ;

Cornell Romany Pro.  20 Watts of tweedy joy and so many classic tones.  Probably not a great pedal platform - I have a Boogie for that - but that would be missing the point in any case.  I'm not a huge fan of Mr Bonamassa but if you watch the YT vid about getting the Clapton/Page sound and simplifying his stage rig, I can only agree.

Someone will soon be along to say their LazyJ / Victoria / Flynn is better but they're all in the ballpark which modern Fender amps just seem to miss.

Pete24v

A few years ago I used to gig Cornell Plexi 45/50 pretty cranked, in pubs. I only tried an attenuator once and didn't like the tone it gave.

What was better for me was one of those clear perspex panel's like the ones Bonamassa uses.. I could run the amp on 7 to get the tone I was after, but out front the volume was at the correct level. Didn't need to mic the cab. 

The drummer hated me though, I always put the amp against the back wall, where he was sitting lol

shaunm

What wattage is the perfect gigging valve amp? The DDRI?

Travisthedog

I reckon under 20w

shaunm

ICBM said:

If it's starting to overdrive the power stage at 4/5 - which I think it might be, or at least compress it - then you need an attenuator.

Yes, mine is overdriving at 4/5.