Amp tone and volume

SO all my amps are at least at waist level now. Nothing on the floor.

All my amps are properly matched, some with Weber impedence matcher, which is even more certain.

I found a sweet spot at low volumes. Beautiful, balanced, thumpy, with just enough high end. When I raise the master only, it seems to change up my EQ curve in a very unbalanced and unpleasant manner. On the gain channel, an increase in master volume upsets the entire EQ, which is understandable, but it seems MUCH harder to find a proper EQ balance than it was at low volumes, even with PLENTY of headroom left. All these years I thought I needed to crank my amp to get to the sweet spot, but I am now having the opposite experience.

I will go back to the drawing board tonight
 
Robert Herndon said:
For me, it's just the opposite!!!!! However, I'm using a 40 watt amp with a 75watt speaker with a 100db sensitivity rating. I know that on paper a difference of 2db (98db vs 100db) doesn't sound like much, but to put it in perspective, the difference in volume between a 50 watt head & a 100 watt head is only 3db....so I have a TON of clean headroom and even at full volume, there is zero break up. My EQ settings never change.
Click to expand...
See I find that the opposite for me. You also state your volume never changes. We play in a pub with quite a small stage and a small PA. It is a quiet room. I could never play here with a 40C on half. Never. At that lower volume sometimes the lower end drops off, that floor shaking thump disappears so I need to add bass.
We also play in larger halls with another band and even oitside under a huge tent. Then the volume is up the EQ will change. I don't understand how one can play at different sized venues and not change the master volume??
 
RVA said:
SO all my amps are at least at waist level now. Nothing on the floor.

All my amps are properly matched, some with Weber impedence matcher, which is even more certain.

I found a sweet spot at low volumes. Beautiful, balanced, thumpy, with just enough high end. When I raise the master only, it seems to change up my EQ curve in a very unbalanced and unpleasant manner. On the gain channel, an increase in master volume upsets the entire EQ, which is understandable, but it seems MUCH harder to find a proper EQ balance than it was at low volumes, even with PLENTY of headroom left. All these years I thought I needed to crank my amp to get to the sweet spot, but I am now having the opposite experience.

I will go back to the drawing board tonight
Click to expand...
Isn't this fun? … :cheers:
 
What do you mean, 'upsets the entire EQ?"
Are you talking about like where you put your Treble, Mid, Bass knobs? EQ meter on AMP/ MIXER?/Recording Board controls? or just plain how you hear differences in how the guitars are sounding to your ear while switching pickups, adjusting tone or volume pots, kicking in pedals etc?

Much like that noise you were chasing in your pedal chain,,, what exactly is the issue here?
 
I know this goes against the grain but for home use or practice at volume levels that don't make you go deaf a modelling amp is a better solution than a tube amp. Tube amps are awesome for live use. I wouldn't use anything else. For home use they are simply too loud for most practice rooms. It is very hard to get a really good tone with them that loud in a small room.
 
Jethro Rocker said:
See I find that the opposite for me. You also state your volume never changes. We play in a pub with quite a small stage and a small PA. It is a quiet room. I could never play here with a 40C on half. Never. At that lower volume sometimes the lower end drops off, that floor shaking thump disappears so I need to add bass.
We also play in larger halls with another band and even oitside under a huge tent. Then the volume is up the EQ will change. I don't understand how one can play at different sized venues and not change the master volume??
Click to expand...

Robert Herndon said:
For me, it's just the opposite!!!!! However, I'm using a 40 watt amp with a 75watt speaker with a 100db sensitivity rating. I know that on paper a difference of 2db (98db vs 100db) doesn't sound like much, but to put it in perspective, the difference in volume between a 50 watt head & a 100 watt head is only 3db....so I have a TON of clean headroom and even at full volume, there is zero break up. My EQ settings never change.

Hey, Man!!!!!

EQ Settings are never changed (bass/mids/highs) but volumes levels have to change from time to time and from venue to venue, as you have pointed out... :)

My amp is always halfway up - I modulate the volume with a Boss FV30L in the FX loop...
 
Kerry Brown said:
I know this goes against the grain but for home use or practice at volume levels that don't make you go deaf a modelling amp is a better solution than a tube amp. Tube amps are awesome for live use. I wouldn't use anything else. For home use they are simply too loud for most practice rooms. It is very hard to get a really good tone with them that loud in a small room.
Click to expand...

Some modeling amps are the Cat's Pajamas!!!
 
Kerry Brown said:
I know this goes against the grain but for home use or practice at volume levels that don't make you go deaf a modelling amp is a better solution than a tube amp. Tube amps are awesome for live use. I wouldn't use anything else. For home use they are simply too loud for most practice rooms. It is very hard to get a really good tone with them that loud in a small room.
Click to expand...
I learn new songs by running the tablet into the Yamaha THR10x. Turn it up a bit and it's perfect for me.
 
I have 5 attenuators and only 3 are in use. That said, since I play at low volumes 90% of the time, there is no reason to tax my amps by having my default volume at 5+ and then attenuate since I am getting all my sweet tones at 2.

@chilipeppermaniac , it is basically a bass, treble, mid issue. The volume seems to mess up my EQ balance. Looks like I will be twisting knobs for a while.
 
RVA, are the amplifiers that you are using "master volume" types & if so, are you using the master to turn up the volume level? I ask this because most "master volume" controls are what is known "pre phase inverter" master volume. With these, as they are turned up (& the phase inverter is driven harder) the amps tone can "thicken", requiring adjustment of the amps EQ controls. Cheers
Edit; I've probably missed some of what you have said in this, it's still a little early here. Cheers
 
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