played in 2 mid level venues over the last 2 days that are fairly typical of the types of places that bands at my level play. I.e normal type of onstage volume and balance and mic’d up for FOH.
ive downsized a little from a jcm800 2203
to a 2204.
its still too powerful. Last night I had it on 2 and it was barely coming alive. The night before I had it on 3 and it was just about starting to sound decent .
I’m getting sick of it . Im lugging big gear about that I’m not getting the best out of . I love jcm800’s but I’m thinking (again) that they’re just too powerful.
I’m seriously thinking of selling all the big stuff and getting something smaller , more portable , that I can get a decent sound out of at the volumes I need to play at .
It’d be something with a British style over drive and preferably some kind of solo boost.
i play mostly punk / metal crossover type stuff .
Ive even been thinking of just getting a 1x12 combo or something.
Anyone done this ?? Anyone feel my pain ??
Im seriously thinking of selling the lot and getting something else.
Help!
Comments
How loud is your drummer?
Especially if you don't a perfect clean.
Maybe a Jet City aswell as they are well thought of.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
You can get some great sounding MIAB pedals and even stuff like the VH4 pedal.
If the amp was starting to sound good at 3 then it isn't power-stage overdrive you need, but just having the power amp working a bit harder. An attenuator would let you get the sound of 3 (or 4-5) at a controllable volume.
Failing that, and if you want a 1x12", try a JCM900 2501 combo.
50W switchable down to 25W
Similar to JCM800 sound (closer than a Jubilee)
Dual footswitchable master volume controls for solo boost
Small and easy to carry (great side handles)
Reasonably well-made and reliable
Not expensive nowadays
The stock speaker (G12T-75) probably isn't the best but there are a lot of good options now.
The only real problem I can think of with them is that the pots are very poor and have an odd taper, so they do nothing at all from 0-2 then it all kicks in, and again not much from 2-8 when there is then another big boost - but you get used to it.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Either that, or a Jet City Amelia (although they're not exactly small).
However, with that said...I had many of the same problems as you, and it wasn't until I got the Helix that they've all been solved. I now run the Helix through a Yamaha DXR10, and all is good with the world. Literally any sound I want at any volume, and none of the weight.
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
im now playing direct too, no pedals at all and it’s liberating. The Buddas preamp is a Dave Friedman design, so it’s pretty touch responsive.
The MJW toasts it for everything else though
As an amp idea though, what about the Orange stuff. Like the rockerverb mk3. The built in attenuator is fantastic. I think they do a combo version too.
Same applies for a Ht20 or 50 - I turn up the gain channel volume on my 50 when playing medium sized venues and then turn the master up to just over a quarter and it sounds immense. Mic’d up or direct out too, job done.
2x12 and smaller head.
2x12 combo.
1x12 combo with natural OD.
1x12 clean combo and pedals.
Modeller and speaker simulator direct to PA.
What I noticed:
very few punters, if any, could notice the difference between any of them.
i could tell the difference and it impacted how I was playing....some I just didn’t enjoy.
Modeller didn’t work for me at all as no sound behind me was just weird.
Combos had to be elevated and I like actual amp overdrive rather than pedals.
For me, I keep going back to the Soldano (using a 4x12 or 2x12) as that’s the sound I like and I want my nuts shaking on stage (personal preference). So there’s a little cornford combo for home noodling but the big amp for anything else. I’m going to try the Universal Audio OX as that looks a stonking bit of kit and that way I get to continue my cliche of using an amp that goes to 11, loaded in with thousands of pounds worth of other gear to drive 100 miles for a £50 gig.