Help me choose?

Fikealox · Dec 7, 2008

Hi guys,

I play mostly bluesy rock, like the less shreddy stuff by Satch (ie, New Blues, Down Down Down, etc), but I get into stuff in the ambient/jazz end of the spectrum, too.

My current modules are Mr Scary, 1086, and Recto (unmodded). I have high-gain well covered, with the Mr Scary or 1086 pumping out nice high-gain blues tones with low output pickups, but my cleans are sorely lacking, and I kinda want to get something more dedicated to blues, too.

Ideally I want to keep the Mr Scary and sell or trade the other two, but I'm not sure what to go for. Which module will give the smoothest vintage overdriven blues tones, with enough gain for sustain and pinches, but is still able to clean up with the guitar's volume knob?

Also, should I bother doing the Grail mod on the Recto? How would a modded Recto stack up to 1086 and Mr Scary for my type of music? My only real experience with the "Mesa sound" has been that module, and I'm not sure how representative it is.

Thanks heaps guys

SacredGroove · Dec 7, 2008

Fikealox said:
Hi guys,
Ideally I want to keep the Mr Scary and sell or trade the other two, but I'm not sure what to go for. Which module will give the smoothest vintage overdriven blues tones, with enough gain for sustain and pinches, but is still able to clean up with the guitar's volume knob?

If it were me, I'd keep MrScary. Sell/Trade the other 2 and get a Super V. 8)

droptrd · Dec 8, 2008

Brahma. Keep Mr Scary

crankyrayhanky · Dec 8, 2008

Fikealox said:
Also, should I bother doing the Grail mod on the Recto? How would a modded Recto stack up to 1086 and Mr Scary for my type of music?

I love the Grail/Recto, but it may not be a great fit for your needs...way better than the 1086 scoop side if you want that tone in your arsenal

Bluesman needs a Tweed

Fikealox · Dec 8, 2008

Thanks heaps guys! Some great suggestions there. I'll have to try to get the opportunity to try out those modules. After listening to clips I'll definitely give modding the Recto a go, though, because it sounds like it could really improve.

I was lucky last night, and my teacher lent me his KH2 and KH3. Not exactly bluesy, but I'm going to have a play around with them once the sun's up a bit higher

Fikealox · Dec 8, 2008

I just finished A/Bing the modules with my low output humbuckers. I was kinda underwhelmed by the KH3. Sure, it more gain, but it sounds muffled to me when stacked up against the Mr Scary, and it doesn't have the bass presence, either.

I'm not good enough with EQ to tell exactly what part of the spectrum was responsible for the things I was hearing, but it seemed that if I wanted the clarity and cut of the Mr Scary, I had to sacrifice the thickness and rumble. Maybe the KH3 just needs more careful EQing, I dunno. It definitely sounded better for rhythm, anyway.

I found the 1086 was much more similar to the Mr Scary, and I can't tell exactly which I like more. The Mr Scary seems less trebly and a bit thicker, but I can get basically identical tones from the 1086 with a minimum of widdling (and vice versa).

I think I'm going to mod the Recto, see if that does it for me for rhythm, keep either the Mr Scary or 1086 (I'd love to hear your opinions on which), and look into a Super V or Tweed.

Cheers!

Dallas Marlow · Dec 10, 2008

For blues I'd highly highly recommend the Brahma, the super V is great but I really find it lacks a LOT of low end, this might be compensated for by putting a boost in front of it that has a eq control like a bad monkey or a hardwire over drive, I'm going to have to toy with it. But to me the Brahma just totally fills the bill a LOT better, the controls are more responsive, it cleans up almost as well, and has a much better bottom end. I know the super v and Brahma aren't supposed to be similar in sound, but to my ears they are very close. You figure same guitar, same power amp section and tubes, same cables, and same speakers, they are still going to sound some what alike.

SlickEnz · Dec 10, 2008

The Brahma is just so versatile. You can get up to Dokken metal tones, and all the way down to a dirty clean tone. Some modules like the Ultra Xl are very one dimensional, which is fine, but the Brahma can do a wide range of sounds. It's worth every penny of the price tag.