Hot Rodding a DSL40C???

Robert Herndon said:
They sound great from your descriptions!!!
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They are the tone I have had in my head my whole life. I originally started playing Mesas in the late '90's, then I got stupid for a few years and went on a tone-chase, ended up with Riveras for a while and too many other things to count. But I eventually came to my senses and went back to Mesa and I ain't changing again. All I can do is just recommend that people try them, because at least for those of us looking for high-gain, channel switching amps, I really do believe that Mesa is the answer to about 95% off all players' questions. You just have to be patient with most of them because the tone stacks do not work like the Fender/Marshall tone stacks that we all grew up with. Once you figure that out you can dial in virtually any sound you can imagine, particularly with the Mark series.
 
gball said:
They are the tone I have had in my head my whole life. I originally started playing Mesas in the late '90's, then I got stupid for a few years and went on a tone-chase, ended up with Riveras for a while and too many other things to count. But I eventually came to my senses and went back to Mesa and I ain't changing again. All I can do is just recommend that people try them, because at least for those of us looking for high-gain, channel switching amps, I really do believe that Mesa is the answer to about 95% off all players' questions. You just have to be patient with most of them because the tone stacks do not work like the Fender/Marshall tone stacks that we all grew up with. Once you figure that out you can dial in virtually any sound you can imagine, particularly with the Mark series.
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I definitely have plans to try them.
 
A very Laney AOR-esque sound IMO. A Mesa Mark or Triple Crown would get you there, but you might even want to search out one of those old Laney heads since you are looking for a sound that isn't all that saturated. They can be had relatively cheap and they were made so well I bet they are holding up.
 
This was recorded on my Blackstar ID-Core 100 watt 'direct out' with gain at 1/2 (on OD2) and bass at 1pm, mids full and treble at 3pm on my Gibson Les Paul (498T)

I think it's one of my better rhythm & solo tones. Harmonics just flow from the Les Paul effortlessly.

And to be totally honest, I do not think this tone is overly 'gainy.' Listen to my open 'G' at 3:21 and it sounds like I have a lot more gain dialed up because of the aggressive pick attack, but the amp settings are never changed - just volume increase on the foot pedal for solos.

Listen to Road To Hell - Rory Gallagher Cover - Instruments ONLY by Robert H. Herndon #np on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/robert-h-herndon/road-to-hell-rory-gallagher-cover-instruments-only/s-D0H3j

However, as simple as this tone appears to be, I can't replicate this tone with my DSL40C live. The DSL40C gets muddy when the gain is increased, so I end up playing this with a more Angus Young-esque tone which - to my ear - is too clean and doesn't have enough ballz to get speaker movement. For me, at least live, I need speaker movement to get my tone.

Now the VS265 can nail it 100%, but I really need a combo less than 65 pounds that I can fit in my trunk.

Interestingly, the Blackstar ID-CORE 100 sounds like crap live!!!!! But you cannot beat it when its hooked to the DAW.

So, for me, this tone tells me that I don't need an Engl or Diezel or really even tubes in general for that matter, because this tone doesn't - to my ear anyways (and please correct me if you think I'm wrong) have or need nuances from a tube section.

I am certainly not against a tube amp and even $1,200 to $1,500 doesn't seem far fetched at all, but I think that much amp isn't even necessary.

I know for a fact that I have not been able to achieve this tone live with my Line 6 Spider 2 HD75. I still have that rig and it worked great when I was in Maxon-Axxe, because had a more Megadeth-esque tone in that project, so not just any modeling amp can do it....

So, to sum up my must-haves:

I want adequate gain without pedals. I want an effects loop...and i don't want hundreds of knobs and have no need or desire to store hundreds of patches. I have patch storage capability with my Blackstar and have only two patches stored:
1. Rhythm tone you heard on Road To Hell

2. Clean tone on intro to "Fall To Pieces"

I think would like built in chorus, because I use it on my VS265, But that's a requirement.

So...i guest that i have many amps to play through when I return.

It's actually very frustrating to have so much trouble replicating such an incredibly un-complex sound!!!!
 
gball said:
A very Laney AOR-esque sound IMO. A Mesa Mark or Triple Crown would get you there, but you might even want to search out one of those old Laney heads since you are looking for a sound that isn't all that saturated. They can be had relatively cheap and they were made so well I bet they are holding up.
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See, I am envious of your ability to call out these tones and match them up to a particular amplifier.
 
Robert Herndon said:
Laney...this one has some great features. 2x12 and weighs less than my 2x12 Marshall VS265 and my 1x12 Marshall DSL40C by more than 25 pounds!!!!

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amp...NipHls6z8XAtFtpoSqbbpfCij4AZ-obBoClJQQAvD_BwE
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Just one man's opinion, but to me you would be better off sticking with what you have. An AOR Pro Tube this thing is not. From what I've seen they don't currently have anything close to it in the current lineup.

The AOR series was intended from the start to be a JCM-800 killer. So they were all-tube, and all badass: Had more gain than an 800, better voicing, beefier trannys and caps, better overall build quality.

bbhian7whuzcz3jaza2y.jpg


I had the 50-watt one and it was just killer - better in every way than the JCM-800 I'd owned (and the cab was loaded with Fanes!). But like too many good things, they ran their course and for some reason Laney hasn't dug their heads out of their bums and reissued the things.
 
gball said:
Just one man's opinion, but to me you would be better off sticking with what you have. An AOR Pro Tube this thing is not. From what I've seen they don't currently have anything close to it in the current lineup.

The AOR series was intended from the start to be a JCM-800 killer. So they were all-tube, and all badass: Had more gain than an 800, better voicing, beefier trannys and caps, better overall build quality.

bbhian7whuzcz3jaza2y.jpg


I had the 50-watt one and it was just killer - better in every way than the JCM-800 I'd owned (and the cab was loaded with Fanes!). But like too many good things, they ran their course and for some reason Laney hasn't dug their heads out of their bums and reissued the things.
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AOR pro tube....got a see if I can find one try out!
 
We were discussing pick atta k nuances...Here's a really good comparison. Identical amp settings (Blackstar ID-core 100) to "Road to Hell" posted previously...same Gibson Les Paul, guitar volumes and tones wide open, only difference is lighter pick attack.

This is a rehearsal track we recorded for our singer. My drummer friend and I are doing all the backing vocals. I'm playing all the guitar tracks:

Listen to THE OCEAN - 80 Proof Redemption & Drunken Friends by Robert H. Herndon #np on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/robert-h-herndon/the-ocean-80-proof-redemption-drunken-friends

And this is a section of my isolated guitar from our soundcheck of Warrant's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' again with identical amplifier and guitar settings, (Blackstar ID-core 100 direct out) yet this sounds like it has way, way more gain. Again, it's just a more aggressive picking style and this track allows you to hear just the guitar by itself.

Listen to Uncle Tom's Cabin Rhythm Soundcheck by Robert H. Herndon #np on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/robert-h-herndon/uncle-toms-cabin-rhythm-soundcheck/s-7CUme


(this was recorded 100% dry)
 
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gball said:
THere are always a few on Reverb, but I'm sure you would want to check it out before buying

To wit, here's a 1x12 combo for reasonable money:
Laney AOR Pro Tube 1x12" guitar combo amplifier Serviced & Ready

And keep in mind, that little combo has a sealed speaker enclosure with a 12" Fane in it.
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OOOOOOOO Fane huh. Gball, what other Combo amps or speaker cabs had Fanes? VOX? WEM? Hiwatt?
I know I used to hear of all the older speakers, Fane, EV, Celestian, but mostly can't remember exactly what had Fanes.
 
Bastard, I altered more than that. Having gotten a Jones for a bad ass sounding Laney, I hunted this one down in the burbs of Baltimore near the edge of the county, but when I went to check it out, I could tell it had issues but bought it anyway. The price was decent so I bought it figuring I would sort it out. At first I thought it was just a wonky High channel jack. If I fiddled with the guitar cord a bit in and out it would stop acting screwy. The low gain jack worked seemingly fine. It was when I'd be stretching it's capabilities and letting it run for 15-30 minutes that I would get the weirdness that finally made me shut it down and see what was up. It was the whooshing, cascading swells of volumes followed by dip in volume that caused me to hunt for why.

Needless to say, I am pretty darn sure the mouse eaten wires and coupling cap(s) surely are the culprit. Like I said, when I finally get the wires replaced and the little caps swapped, I will see how it sounds and if more "maintenance" servicing is needed to run right.
 
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