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Post by brocksamson on Mar 16, 2010 16:50:23 GMT -5
Hi there everybody. New on the forum.
I've had a refurbished 50 watt Splawn-modded Marshall plexi for 5 years as my main amp (which is awesome) and bought a used Pro Mod locally last year as a backup. My problem is that the Pro Mod is extremely trebley even with the treble and presence off.
Has anbody has similar problems with theirs and if so any ways to smooth out the amp? I might try retubing it first but I don't think that's the problem. By the way I'm using a Carvin Legacy 412 with V30's.
Thanks for any help.
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Post by sasquatch on Mar 17, 2010 17:30:08 GMT -5
I can offer a couple suggestions, but let me first say I don't own a Pro Mod. I have an '09 Quick Rod. What worked for me on my QR was dialing up the mids to around 12 or maybe 1 o'clock. That should allow you to dial up your bass to around 10:30 or so without it getting muddy. I'm running my QR this way (loop engaged) and I have my presence set to around 2 o'clock, and my treble around 1 o'clock. It doesn't sound too bright or treble-ee. Maybe give that a try. Also, speakers make a huge difference and a lot of guys in this forum don't like Vintage 30's because they seem bright when paired with the QR. If you can, try your amp with a Splawn cab with SB25's. I played my QR through a greenback loaded cab and a Vintage 30 loaded cab before buying the SB equipped Splawn cab. While I didn't "hate" either cab, I wasn't crazy about either one either. The Splawn cab compliments the amp much better. It's a little darker and more focussed. I really love the Splawn 4X12 with SB's.
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Post by sasquatch on Mar 17, 2010 17:33:55 GMT -5
^P.S. Check out the "Splawns for Sale" thread. One of the guys is selling 4 ea. SB25 speakers for $115.00 below new retail price. Looks like a good deal if you'd like to try different speakers without forking over the dough for a whole new cab.
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Post by rocknrolla on Mar 18, 2010 17:04:55 GMT -5
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that the V30's are to blame. I changed those speakers out of a 2x12 cab to G12T-100's and the ice picks went away.
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Post by brocksamson on Mar 19, 2010 17:53:50 GMT -5
I use the same cab with the V30's in my Splawn-modded Marshall and while high-endy it is usable and adjustable. My Pro Mod is so bright that everyone in my band including myself was complaining of having a headache the day after practice. If I can't tame it at least a little I'll probably sell it.
On another note I have wanted a 2x12 cab for awhile so I might look into the Splawn with the SB25's.
Thanks everyone for your help.
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Post by DonaldDemon on Mar 20, 2010 10:26:36 GMT -5
Brock Samson is my hero! lol
Anayway, what kind of tubes are you running? I used a Bogner 4x12 with V30's for years with my PM. It was definitely brighter than the SB-25's but as bad as you are describing. Maybe the tubes that are in it are bright tubes?
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Post by philm on Mar 21, 2010 11:14:25 GMT -5
I can live with the V30s but it is bright (I've had both a QR and now a PM). I've heard way too many comments about the sb25s being perfect so I've got a cab on the way.
Something else to look into are the preamp tubes. A lot of people like those Tung Sol 12AX7s, but on top of them being sort of expensive, I find them bright as hell. I've experienced this nearly every time I put them in a V1 or V2 spot on multiple amps -- Allen, Rivera, Splawn. I just got a used Pro Mod from a member here and initially found the clean channel painful to listen to no matter how I dialed the amp in. I popped open the back and, sure enough, there was a Tung Sol. I didn't have a lot of tubes around so I just popped in some cheapie Sovtek--not great but definitely an improvement. (I've also had a couple of those Tung Sols die prematurely...)
Some amps aren't so sensitive to changes like that, but this one is. I remember swapping a lot with my Quickrod and kept coming back to the JJs that it shipped with. I know some people around here don't like those but I think they helped tame the highs a bit.
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Post by ronmail65 on Mar 25, 2010 10:05:52 GMT -5
I have had a ProMod for 3 years (new clean channel version) made in 2007. I would say the PM is definitely a bright amp, but can be tamed. I've been re-thinking the PM myself because I recently acquired a Street Rod and really love the warmth and fullness that amp delivers. Below are my experiences and opinions re: PM brightness...
Re: Speakers...
I was recently considering new speakers to get more warmth from the PM. I presently run the PM through Avatar cabs with split vintage 30 and G12H30 speakers. I recently A/B'd these cabinets with the 55 SB in the SR (and the SR thru the Avatar cabs). I find the speakers to be essentially indistinguishable (at least to my ears) - the SR sounded the same through Avatar cabs and vice versa. I'm sure there are differences between the speakers, but if it wasn't obvious enough in my A/B experiment then I'm not spending money for replacements.
Re: Power Tubes...
I replaced the original Genalex KT-88s with EH KT-88s in December. That mellowed the brightness of the PM a little bit compared to how the Genalex sounded in their later months of use. It's hard for me to remember, but I would say the Genalex were probably much brighter when the amp and tubes were new. Yes, tubes can probably make a difference.
Re: QR vs PM tone...
At one point I owned a QR and A/B'd it with the PM. I found that I could dial them in to a spot-on match, tonally speaking. My points being, I don't think the PM is that much different from the QR and that it can be tamed to a large degree with tone settings. I generally run my PM in 2nd Gear (which is the warmest IMO), with treble and presence around 9 o'clock, and bass and mid around 2 o'clock.
I hope that's useful.
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Post by DonaldDemon on Mar 25, 2010 14:17:16 GMT -5
I don’t know. I don’t seem to have the same troubles with my Pro Mod that others claim. Mine is bright but just enough to have that shimmer, not annoying in anyway. Tung Sol tubes don’t sound bright at all to me. In fact they smoothed out some bright end from when I was using all JJ’s. JJ KT**’s sound very stiff and sterile to me, almost solid state like in a way.
I think I know why my experiences are different though. I run my guitars through a pedal board with 15 pedals and no buffer. I have some buffered pedals like Boss, Ibanez, etc. though. Seriously, maybe the top end I lose actually solves a problem so many others are having. I honestly haven’t played straight in to the amp in like 3 years now, lol.
Maybe you guys need to try adding some tone suckers to your rig! Use 30’+ cords, a bunch of pedals, crappy cables and an EB volume pedal. These are all known for having some high end loss. I bet I like my tone better running through all that crap than straight in.
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Post by philm on Mar 25, 2010 14:35:09 GMT -5
I don’t know. I don’t seem to have the same troubles with my Pro Mod that others claim. Mine is bright but just enough to have that shimmer, not annoying in anyway. Tung Sol tubes don’t sound bright at all to me. In fact they smoothed out some bright end from when I was using all JJ’s. JJ KT**’s sound very stiff and sterile to me, almost solid state like in a way. I think I know why my experiences are different though. I run my guitars through a pedal board with 15 pedals and no buffer. I have some buffered pedals like Boss, Ibanez, etc. though. Seriously, maybe the top end I lose actually solves a problem so many others are having. I honestly haven’t played straight in to the amp in like 3 years now, lol. Maybe you guys need to try adding some tone suckers to your rig! Use 30’+ cords, a bunch of pedals, crappy cables and an EB volume pedal. These are all known for having some high end loss. I bet I like my tone better running through all that crap than straight in. Everyone's ears and gear is different, so it's kind of hard to talk about this stuff objectively. I totally know where you're coming from. Years ago I used to run a my Les Paul into a Dunlop Crybaby wah, a H&K Rotosphere and a Boss DD-3 => Rivera K-55. It sounded great! I always brought all 3 pedals out, even for rehearsals. Well, one day I didn't and it took me awhile to figure out why my sound was like icepicks to the eardrums. 3 buffers in a row. As for bright, I find Splawns to be bright. I also don't see that as a negative trait! I think a lot of people read it that way. Great sounding, clear amps. |
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Post by holyroller on Mar 25, 2010 14:41:09 GMT -5
Maybe just adjust your TREBLE KNOB?mmmm,,
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Post by philm on Mar 25, 2010 16:12:42 GMT -5
Really? Don't you think that's rather obvious? In his opening post, the guy said even with treble and presence off, he still thinks his amp is bright.
As for DD and I, we were just commenting on how we did EXACTLY that--the commentary was a bit of a sidebar about how the buffers on certain pedals affect the tone.
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Post by maverick on Apr 25, 2010 18:10:43 GMT -5
You could consider swapping speakers later-on or check your preamp tubes and make sure they are up to snuff!but I wouldn't jump the gun when you can change a part or 2, unless you want Scott to tweak it, Those CD caps make the amp a little brighter along with the mixer bypass cap (1000pf) normally 470pf marshall, the treble cap in the tone stack could be drifting a little north.
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Post by Ayton(e) on Apr 25, 2010 19:21:23 GMT -5
Those CD caps make the amp a little brighter along with the mixer bypass cap (1000pf) normally 470pf marshall, the treble cap in the tone stack could be drifting a little north. Hi. Could you explain what you just said? There are capacitors in Splawns (or just the Pro Mod?) that partly explains why they're brighter than Marshalls? CD caps? Thanks. |
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Post by brocksamson on Apr 25, 2010 22:03:43 GMT -5
Hi, I originally started this topic. I decided to change all the tubes using JJ's which I've always used in my Splawn-modded Marshall (also with KT88's) hoping that would help. It doesn't sound any smoother and is still very harsh but I haven't had the tubes biased yet. That will be my next step and am hoping that will make it usable.
Anyone know what the bias should be set at on a Pro Mod?
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