Ever have one of these days??

[Mailman1971]

Ok...everything is dialed in...sounding PERFECT..(follow me on this)
You shut down for the night. Go in to play it the next time....
same settings.....nothing changed....
and it sounds like CRAP!
Too bright...too Bassy...
too....I dont know.
Sometimes just easier to walk away for another time. :?
I am pretty sure its just maybe the mood I am in at the time, but
who knows.
Anyone else wanna chime in on this
TWILIGHT ZONE of tone??

 

[insightibanez]

Wow my Prayers have been answered!!!! I'm glad I'm not the only one experiencing a "BAD TONE DAY." That same thing happened to me yesterday, I setup my amp, microphones, recorded it. Listened to it the next day and BLAH!!!!!!! Listen to the UBERSINIC CLIP I just posted, you'll know what I'm talking about. Thanks again for starting the thread

 

[Mailman1971]

Cool.....thought it was JUST ME!!
How can THE BEST TONE suck sooo bad the next day?
Oh well....maybe I am slowly going TONE DEAF!
Gramma said that would happen!!
Oh wait....that was "GO BLIND" 8)

 

[Shinozoku]

Cool.....thought it was JUST ME!!
How can THE BEST TONE suck sooo bad the next day?
Oh well....maybe I am slowly going TONE DEAF!
Gramma said that would happen!!
Oh wait....that was "GO BLIND" 8)

Or loose your memory?
I have those days too, man. Sometimes, I just don't want a high-end sizzle from my Ultra XL, other times I do.

Then there's the tonal Catch 22! I put an EHX12AX7in my amp's V1, now my amp is noisier than it was with the stock JJ, but the tone is better and clearer! On top of that, the only noise gate I have is built into an MXR bass DI that my friend will be using while we're playing live next week :x

 

[droptrd]

Ok...everything is dialed in...sounding PERFECT..(follow me on this)
You shut down for the night. Go in to play it the next time....
same settings.....nothing changed....
and it sounds like CRAP!
Too bright...too Bassy...
too....I dont know.
Sometimes just easier to walk away for another time. :?
I am pretty sure its just maybe the mood I am in at the time, but
who knows.
Anyone else wanna chime in on this
TWILIGHT ZONE of tone??

Ah the joys of owning a tube amp. Happens to me all the time. :roll:

 

[gtr31]

I remember Lynch in an interview years ago talking about this very thing .
he went on to say that he would have a GREAT day in the studio .and them when he went home gremlins would come and screw evrything up .

the next day try as he might he could not get the same tone .and the part that annoyed him was nothing changed.....lol.

 

[tung]

It happens to me all the time. Sometimes within a same session of playing.
Just put in the 6L6 in the middle of the E34L, sounded like fart! Then i go to bias them and noticed the brand new 6L6s are glowing blue, the tubes are no good! Gotta bring it back to the Tubestore tomorrow. Tone Chasin' is a pain the *** sometimes :evil:

 

[audioholic]

yup, notice that too. I think sometimes just on power up, something may go awry, or the tubes not working like the day before, or something. who knows. I would like to think its just me, but then I heard someone complain of the same thing, and record documented evidence that his amp in fact did sound different sometimes on power up. strange man.

 

[Ugg]

Yep, I have "bad tone days" as well. Thought my RT2/50 was broken the first time I experienced it on BOTH channels. Powered it up the next day with the same settings and it sounded killer.

Some thoughts: I don't have a power conditioner on my amp and I've noticed that my tone will sound worse when the central air or other large appliance is running. Sometimes if I just power cycle the amp the sound will get better. I've also noticed that with old power tubes the sound can start off fine and get worse the longer the amp is running.

Tube amps are a PITA, but when they sound good, they REALLY sound good.

 

[Bewitagos1]

Ok...everything is dialed in...sounding PERFECT..(follow me on this)
You shut down for the night. Go in to play it the next time....
same settings.....nothing changed....
and it sounds like CRAP!

Are you sure its not your rig? I've noticed at lower volume settings, sometimes its tight and crushes just the way I need it to, then right before my very ears it turns to mush. I have to crank up the volume and run it harder for a while, its almost as if the presense control stopped working then starts when I crank it up. then it allows me to lower my volume with the tone I desire. happens on all of the modules...

Jimmie

 

[Mailman1971]

We talk about this at the music store I hang at. My Buddy tells me that after the 1st 10 minutes of loud playing you loose a certain tone frequency in your hearing. I really do believe that and it makes sense. I always want to go LOUDER..and LOUDER.....and LOUDER as the jam goes on!
Instead of just playing I get to the point where I am always fiddling with the settings and it annoys everyone! haha
But for the most part....it sounds Great! Just have them....."days" :x
I just never realized that it happened so frequent with other players. But you now as guitarists.....we are a "weird" bunch. Can spot a "bad" mid or "too much treble" where anyone else would say "Boy that sounds perfect"
Guess the tone chasing never ends.

 

[Bewitagos1]

We talk about this at the music store I hang at. My Buddy tells me that after the 1st 10 minutes of loud playing you loose a certain tone frequency in your hearing. I really do believe that and it makes sense. I always want to go LOUDER..and LOUDER.....and LOUDER as the jam goes on!
Instead of just playing I get to the point where I am always fiddling with the settings and it annoys everyone! haha
But for the most part....it sounds Great! Just have them....."days" :x
I just never realized that it happened so frequent with other players. But you now as guitarists.....we are a "weird" bunch. Can spot a "bad" mid or "too much treble" where anyone else would say "Boy that sounds perfect"
Guess the tone chasing never ends.

You've just accomplished the first milestone in your 12 Step GAS Anonymous program: Realization that you'll ALWAYS have these cravings that no freakin prayer for serenity will ever squelch! :lol:

 

[Mailman1971]

Also.....I never understood why guys "marked" the settings on the amp with a black marker/tape ....etc. Now I get it after all these years. haha! :wink:

 

[Jaded Faith]

A lot of it does have to do with your hearing and the fatigue your ears experience as you play longer. That is what's behind the problem where you sounded great one day and came back to find the same rig sounds like crap the next day. Your ears were shot and after some time to heal you find out how bad it was when you come back to it. I used to run into those situations mixing live sound and studio recordings for clients all the time.

Granted, tubes can be fickle too!

 

[Mailman1971]

I am also quite sure that drinking while playing DOES make you sound better!!
I swore I sounded better than EVH the other night after about 1/2 a bottle of Vodka! :lol:

 

[droptrd]

Thats a rule I live by

 

[Bewitagos1]

Also.....I never understood why guys "marked" the settings on the amp with a black marker/tape ....etc. Now I get it after all these years. haha! :wink:

Pranks. People running past your rig at the gig, fiddle with the knobs...funny right? NOT lol

Tape gets you back to terra-firma, quick.

its still not as bad as passing out and getting yer eyebrows shaved off by yer "buds"

 

[Bewitagos1]

I am also quite sure that drinking while playing DOES make you sound better!!
I swore I sounded better than EVH the other night after about 1/2 a bottle of Vodka! :lol:

need we say more? :wink:

 

[Mailman1971]

"nuff said!! 8)
hahaha
Thats WAY TO FN FUNNY!

 

[jmgman70]

I am also quite sure that drinking while playing DOES make you sound better!!
I swore I sounded better than EVH the other night after about 1/2 a bottle of Vodka! :lol:

need we say more? :wink:

:shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I had one of them days