How Far Can You Push Your Amp

RVA

RVA

Ambassador
Hi Mates,

I am trying to get an idea of how far you feel you can push your amp and still have it sound good. Can you still enjoy the tone if the master and channel volume are both on 10? Is it an inverse relationship between master and channel, so that as 1 goes up, the other must go down? Does it sound best at 50%? 75%? This can be solid state or tube, but I would appreciate it if you could tell me the specific amp that you are talking about.

As for me, I am finding that some amps are more limited than others, and I want to know where the line is between "normal" and the need for a diagnostic evaluation!

Thanks for any help with this.
 
Marshall as loud as possible,..use power tubes as major part of tone equation

fender at edge of break up''4-7 ish

Bug/Vox..they go quick at lower vol..very nice for low level play

what really is my focus..is where does it fit in the mix..right at kick drum level & then a boost over it..always try for signal path with least added devices..

i really use the ears....

oooppss..srry....for diagnostic level...it has to be on 8 hours or i cant use it...it has to survive 110 degree stages....it has to survive load ins & outs

i always bring 2

what i have done tho..is every amp i have except Bug..it goes to my tech..every single thing gone over...road ready & customized to break where i need them to
 
RVA said:
Hi Mates,

I am trying to get an idea of how far you feel you can push your amp and still have it sound good. Can you still enjoy the tone if the master and channel volume are both on 10? Is it an inverse relationship between master and channel, so that as 1 goes up, the other must go down? Does it sound best at 50%? 75%? This can be solid state or tube, but I would appreciate it if you could tell me the specific amp that you are talking about.

As for me, I am finding that some amps are more limited than others, and I want to know where the line is between "normal" and the need for a diagnostic evaluation!

Thanks for any help with this.
Click to expand...

My twin DSL40C's sound best at 12 Noon to 1pm knob volume (channel volume - not an MV model) and then I control the output with a Boss FV30L in the loop. At wide open, my former guitarist's 100 watt Carvin stack couldn't match it...At knob positions past about 3pm on the volume knob, the sound quality begins deteriorating...

I'm running 75watt speakers because I cannot stand speaker breakup. At the volume levels we run normally, it would kill a lesser speaker in short order.

No issues with either of these amps, even in direct sunlight or ventilated corner of a stage. I've never had a problem with one that required diagnostics....
 
Fender Pro Junior. Only has one volume one tone. Tone at noon. Volume at noon or higher. It doesn't get any louder just more breakup. Raging Cajun speaker used to stinker out at around 3:00 o'clock but the Jensen P10R I replaced it with doesn't.

Blackstar HT1RH clean channel, volume and gain full on headphones. Volume and gain around noon with 1x12 cab Emminence P90E speaker. Tried it with a band. 1 watt is surprisingly loud. Volume and gain full through a 4x12. It sounded awesome. Never use the drive channel.

Traynor YCV80Q 4x10 combo. Clean channel volume at 1:00 o'clock, master depends on the venue. For home use around 8:00 o'clock. Drive channel gain at noon, volume at 3:00 o'clock., master depends on the venue. I've never been anywhere I could really push the master volume above 1:00 o'clock.
 
Robert Herndon said:
My twin DSL40C's sound best at 12 Noon to 1pm knob volume (channel volume - not an MV model) and then I control the output with a Boss FV30L in the loop. At wide open, my former guitarist's 100 watt Carvin stack couldn't match it...At knob positions past about 3pm on the volume knob, the sound quality begins deteriorating...

I'm running 75watt speakers because I cannot stand speaker breakup. At the volume levels we run normally, it would kill a lesser speaker in short order.

No issues with either of these amps, even in direct sunlight or ventilated corner of a stage. I've never had a problem with one that required diagnostics....
Click to expand...
opposite approach here ..i depend on speaker compression & break up for tone....been going back and back in sensitivity on speakers lately to hit em harder at less volume..but not playing the metal much anymore...if i have to ..it this cab.. balanced from top to bottom..my studio guy said on the graph the best eq curve he ever saw(both speakers mic'd)..no gaps..its the jcm800 era versions tho & early run vintage for marshall..no ice pickx pattern (2).jpg
 
Definitely amp/cab dependent. I’ve dimed most of my amps at least once.
The only one that I wasn’t comfortable enough to dime was the Dual Rec. I made it to around 3:00 on the master, and thought that was more than fine for me.
I usually find a sweet spot for performance range, and enjoy it for what it is.
I suppose that’s why I’ve gravitated to smaller amps since the local original venues that would tolerate full, or half, stacks disappeared.
Plus the smaller amps are still capable of throwing the dB meter around pretty well anyway...and I get some power tube break up.
On my 15-25 watt tube amps, the master lives anywhere between 10:00 and 2:00 depending upon the room(or outdoors).
 
With the 25-watt Mesas (Mark 5:25/Mini Rectifier) there is a point where the power section starts to really get involved, I'd say somewhere around 9:00-10:00. From that point forward I think it's important to start bringing down the preamp gain incrementally or the tone starts to get too wooly.

How much juice you get from the power amp depends a lot on what cab is plugged into it, but with a 4x12 you have usable volume (meaning controllable and still dynamic) all the way up to 3:00. But it's absurdly loud at that point, well beyond what you would ever need in a band setting and only fun for short spurts until your ears hurt. The sweet spot is about noon to 12:30 which is fortunately gigging volume. At that level you really bring out all the best qualities of both the preamp and power amp in these things (obviously, they were intentionally designed this way). At that volume I probably dial the preamp back about 2 clicks, so if I am at 1:00 for practice/jamming I'd have the gain about 11:00 at high volume.

In the past I always played more powerful amps. 40, 50, 60 watters, thinking I needed that much minimum in a band setting. How wrong I was. They have a bit too much headroom for the sounds I want and really are not any louder in a real-world setting than the 25-watt amps, which I have found really are the perfect balance of volume and versatility.
 
I play most of my amps on volume one outdoor volume 3 single channel amps two channel amps volume 5 master volume 1
Now I don't play over the counter guitar amps I build my own it's a sickness
When I can afford it I won my court battle 1/2 my amps are missing and all of my Marshall cabinets in Seattle but I did get the best Marshall
Super Lead 100 amp I have to pay shipping it's red custom color serial # A8993A I got this amp from David Grissom David got it from
Eric Johnson I paid $6800.00 with a anvil flight case close to 30 years ago it's a holly grail amp not because who owned it. It has the sound.
I will post photo's when I get it back home.
 
I’m no pro, or even close, however, my .02

I think it depends on the amp?

Example... I have a jcm2000 DSL401 40 watt tube combo. Most of the gain/overdrive comes from 4 preamp tubes. There’s not a whole lot of power tube distortion going on here. I have a master volume, as well as overdrive channel volume. My manual says run od volume max and adjust with master volume for saturated compressed time fir lead work (it sounds like absolute ass to me), or run master at max and adjust od volume for classic Marshall punch (this sounds a bit better).

For me, I find I get the best tones MATCHING my OD and master volumes... both on 2,3,4 etc. 7-8 is absolute maximum that I’d go. Put them both on 10 and it sounded HORRIBLE, and I’m pretty sure I smelled electrical burning lol.


So, as I say, more modern amps maybe done play nice on 10 cause they’re not attaining power tube distortion? This is obviously different than sat a JTM45/JMP era Marshall, or maybe even a JCM800.
 
Deluxe Reverb or Bandmaster are usually around 5 or 6. The Bandmaster actually sounds better, but that one has all the correct early RCA tubes in it.

50 Watt JMP is usually: Master = 6, and pre-amp = 3-4

100 watt JMP has Master at 4, and pre-amp at 5

JTM 45 seems to never be above 2, but sounds great.

'73 50 watt JMP (four hole) is usually 2-3. I just goof off and annoy the neighbors with this amp, and two '72 4x12 Bass cabs.

Hiwatt DR103 is set at 2 for both Pre and Master

Hiwatt L100R is at about 5

DST Solera has Rhythm channel at 7 and Master at 5

DST30 has both Top Boost and Normal around 4-5

All the amps are pretty much set up for being able to just barely hear myself over the drummer and bass player. Which is pretty loud.
 
I have one amp right now and it is an Orange Dark Terror. I’ve never pushed it hard and I only
play at home as a hobbyist. I've found that it sounds best without bothering others who are not into
high gain amps; with volume and gain more or less around 10 to 11 o'clock on either its 7 watt or 15
watt mode. Despite being termed a high gain type, I think these lunchbox monsters sound good not pushed to extreme. Most amps have a threshold or minimum where they start to give up their designed tone and at the other end, a maximum point where they can actually sound downright bad.


Stratstrangler
 
I rarely crank my Traynor YGM3 higher than about noon (5-6). Before I replaced the 40 year old OEM speaker with a Celestion Vintage 30, I could take it higher and get decent breakup. The Celestion is so much more efficient than the Marsland that came with it the it just gets really loud, but doesn’t really break up all that nicely. So I keep the volume down and just use pedals b
 
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