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Whether it was pot taper, valve biasing or something like a preamp repair gone wrong who knows, but nobody at Guitarist magazine ever asked a useful tech question of anybody, so we'll never know.
This is very definitely one -
The Lead & Bass 50 is exactly what you would expect from the name - a 50W non-MV 2x12” with a circuit that splits the difference between the two models, so it’s thicker than a 1987 Lead and edgier than a 1986 Bass, but a lot tighter and more aggressive than a Bluesbreaker.
I couldn’t say what he used in the studio, but it sounds like a L&B50 and not like a Bluesbreaker in my experience.
And they do have a very steep pot taper, like all the 70s non-MV amps. Starting to break up at about 2 if you play as hard as he does is about right.
"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
What I meant to say is that he has nearly always used a Marshall combo !!
That's the one in the video
This from a 1995 interview with the man himself in Total Guitar:
”I use a 1968 Marshall Bluesbreaker which has a totally different sound to the re-issued models you can get now. My volume is only ever on number two otherwise its like 'blaaah!' “
Bearing in mind that there's no such thing as a '68 Bluesbreaker... they were only made from 1965 to 1967, and then replaced by the Tremolo 50 combo.
He may use different amps on stage and in the studio - but neither the Bluesbreaker nor the Tremolo 50 have the same steep volume taper as the Lead & Bass, although the Tremolo 50 does sound more like the Lead & Bass (EL34s and solid-state rectifier).
"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
So if i am going for this type of sound this weekend out of these options what would you say would sound best in band context:
Lead and bass combo at low master volume fairly clean
Lead and bass combo higher volume attenuated
Lead and bass combo clean with little kick from overdrive pedal
Marshall vintage modern 50w combo on low dynamic mode (or high if you think this would be better)
WEM Dominator
JCM 900 combo with gain low (in a previous band i played changing man on lead channel with preamp around 10am)
JCM 800 4010 50w combo
I also have a 1979 Vox AC30 top boost but needs fixing maybe when this is fixed would be a good option
Going by his sound its clean with just a little bite would that be fair?
https://youtu.be/NLvnn8jH9XI?si=bv6-Y5UQcNLk-1Z4
https://youtu.be/VfaSWF--MQU?si=NBaQJPPySSCbP_1l
https://youtu.be/mR-aaDNDztA?si=TyN-8ueu5s3zPAkw
Isn’t it well documented that he uses a BD-2? Maybe that’s what’s providing the drive. Good luck in the search, sounds fun. I’ve been after that elusive Setting Sons/All Mod cons/Sound Affects sound all these years personally.