The Jace NAMM Synergy report

[JKD]

No one reports on this anywhere it seems...probably because all of the videos out so far are from dealers and they don't review what they don't sell?

Everything is still a couple months out, so the marketing machine hasn't started rolling yet. There will be reviews, pro sounding clips, advertising, etc. You won't be able to miss it.

Yeah, we waited 5 years for this....a couple more months is nothing! 8)

 

[Bucksears]

SO excited about these - I have a MOD50 + modules on the way.

I guess my two big questions are:
1) Regarding the BE: when Friedman previously did mods to the Egnater SL and SL2 modules, the SL became the Custom45/BE module and the SL2 became the high-gain Custom45/HBE module. Are the channels on the new BE and HBE similar to those, or are they just different levels of gain?

2) Still haven't read anything definite on the offering of the original/legacy dual-channel modules. Have those all become the 'Synergy' modules now?
I REALLY miss the EG5 I used to have (or would that be the new SLO module) and would love to try an EG3/4.

Thanks!

 

[G-Man Music]

I REALLY miss the EG5 I used to have (or would that be the new SLO module) and would love to try an EG3/4.

The EG5 is insane! Can't imagine needing more gain than that, but wonder how the SLO compares to it tone wise.

 

[G-Man Music]

Everything is still a couple months out, so the marketing machine hasn't started rolling yet. There will be reviews, pro sounding clips, advertising, etc. You won't be able to miss it.

Pete Thorn Demo in the works?

 

[Bucksears]

The EG5 is insane! Can't imagine needing more gain than that, but wonder how the SLO compares to it tone wise.

It didn't do the whole scooped-mids thing, but that was a FUN module!
It's supposed to be Egnater's take on an SLO, so maybe the SLO itself is the replacement.

The EG5 with a Mesa EQ pedal in the loop set to 'V' could be the best of both worlds.

 

[chrismilne]

i'd like to compare the SLO to my Salvado Deluxe. The Friedman BE 100 is the tone i'm really after, so i guess i'm going to try out the BE and/or HBE. Are these going to be in stores or online ordering only? The clips online for the new Friedman pedal sounded pretty good, so the modules should be even better, and i can't afford a real BE 100.

So i'm still confused by the dual modules. The BE dual module means you can set the same sound up two different ways and switch between them or it's two different circuits/sounds?

Did you stop by the Friedman booth? I'm curious about sound/price of his direct box for cabinet simulation as well...

 

[withmittens]

I guess since the big beef with the MTS has been the "feel" of the power section of the RM series and the lack of "organic" tone, I guess that translates into harmonics and bloom. Also the blanket effect that the JF and Salvo modded presence/density boards attempted to fix

In your short time with the Synergy, how do you feel these things were dealt with?

I am nearly 100% satisfied with my mods. It's the power amp that needed work. looking for a lively, deep and present power section. Otherwise I buy an RT2/50 and have it modded

any thoughts on this?

 

[audiomidijace]

Thanks Jace! Can you do some side by side comparisons of Salvation or JF Mods and Synergy?

I've spent the last 24 hours testing the SYN-002, The SYN-001 and all of the Synergy modules with my rig.

Compared to my modules:
The SLO was closest to my Motor City Kasha Rockmod. Lots of saturation and tons of gain.
The PLEXI was the closest to my SG MK22. Perhaps a little spongier sounding. Being able to blend the Bright and Normal channels is very cool.
The T-DLX was closest to my JF TWOX. Ch1 can be crystal clean. Ch2 of the T-DLX was similar to how I use my JF XTC. Blue channel, low gain, no structure. Very clear, but still a bit of crunch.

Now that I've been able to play all of Synergy mods in MY RM4 with MY RT250, here's some thoughts:

I really liked the Friedman Dirty Shirley! Nice and warm with a good amount of crunch.

I really liked the JCM800 as well. Not as much gain as the BE or the PLEXI, but very solid. It sounded like it would take pedals well.

They all sound great, but those are my thoughts on the modules.

Finally, the SYN-001 and SYN-002 are super cool! What a great way to add more sounds to any amp with a standard series FX Loop. I tried them with PRS, Orange, Blackstar and Fender amps and it sounded great!
As the Synergy mods have 2 channels each, I could probably get by with a SYN-002 instead of my Randall RM4 just fine.
The SYN-001 as a desktop box for recording is also very cool. Match that up with a Two Notes CAB or WOS with your favorite IRs and you've got a kick ass recording system! The built-in speaker/mic simulated output is actually pretty good on it's own.

 

[hmic10]

I am excited about the Morgan AC 20 module

Hopefully the SLO can do the Warren Haynes sound

 

[Yatagan]

Jace

A big THANK YOU to you from all of us for having the patience to answer all the questions. We really appreciate it.
I am looking forward to be able to try out some/ or all of the new modules and especially the Syn02 with my existing favorite modules.

My whishlist are for now (until I've heard all the modules):
Syn02
Dirty Shirley Module
Fryette module
65 Amps module
Egnater module

All the best.

 

[audiomidijace]

Everything is still a couple months out, so the marketing machine hasn't started rolling yet. There will be reviews, pro sounding clips, advertising, etc. You won't be able to miss it.

Pete Thorn Demo in the works?

Pete would enjoy himself with these! I spoke to him at the booth for a few minutes. I told him how much I enjoyed his demo of the Line 6 Helix. He showed MANY different ways to use the product for different applications.
I see him showing the SYN-001 as an added channel to his Suhr sign head, picking out a handful of his favorite new modules to show you. Then showing off the DI out with speaker emulation and finally recording with his favorite Ownhammer IRs. That would be a great demo! He also has an Egnater M4 is I recall, so he could show backwards compatibility with the new modules. :twisted:

 

[audiomidijace]

Jace

A big THANK YOU to you from all of us for having the patience to answer all the questions. We really appreciate it.
I am looking forward to be able to try out some/ or all of the new modules and especially the Syn02 with my existing favorite modules.

My whishlist are for now (until I've heard all the modules):
Syn02
Dirty Shirley Module
Fryette module
65 Amps module
Egnater module

All the best.

More than happy to be of service guys. We've all been waiting for this for a long time and I feel very honored to be able to help with the release of these products. Working with the Synergy team at NAMM and helping with product testing has been a great experience. I'm sorry that I don't have all the details to answer all of your questions, but I hope that the info that I can provide is useful to you all. 2016 should be a pretty good year for all of us here on the forum!

 

[trimix]

Thanks Jace! Awesome that you're able to beta test the new stuff with an MTS rig.
My curiosity is peaked by the SYN2's ability to sense what module is loaded and adjust the input tube's cathode biasing to match the original amp's design. That seems like a pretty signifigant update over the RM4, how different do the new mods sound running in the SYN2 with this feature compared to running in the RM4 without it?
My RM4 isn't going anywhere and I imagine the SYN2 would adjust to the default MTS setting for running the old mods, but if the input bias adjustment made a signifigant difference using the new Synergy dualies, well I might just end up with a dual preamp rig... SG MK22 and JF XTC on Blue/no structure here as well, now let's hear them in stereo!

 

[MarcoR]

Finally, the SYN-001 and SYN-002 are super cool! What a great way to add more sounds to any amp with a standard series FX Loop.

Do you hear any difference with your old modules in the SYN-002 or is it about the same as the RM4? If so, is it the Sag feature and is there a setting that matches the RM4? It would be cool if the Sag control could also stiffen the feel... That might be asking too much but it would be cool with some modules. Did they lend you a power amp to try?

 

[drewiv]

Do you hear any difference with your old modules in the SYN-002 or is it about the same as the RM4? If so, is it the Sag feature and is there a setting that matches the RM4? It would be cool if the Sag control could also stiffen the feel... That might be asking too much but it would be cool with some modules. Did they lend you a power amp to try?

^This interests me.

I've been lurking and reading about all this; I'm still in the "I'll believe when I see it camp" as I've heard way too many MTS promises through my years of using the system. Anyway... that's neither here nor there. My biggest question is how is this going to enhance my current rig? I have lots of Egnater amps (two MOD50 heads, a MOD50 combo, a MOD100 and a fully loaded JF-RM100), more modded modules than you can shake a stick at and my rack days are a distant memory.

Jace, will any of new offerings enhance my current rig? If yes, how? TIA

 

[audiomidijace]

Do you hear any difference with your old modules in the SYN-002 or is it about the same as the RM4? If so, is it the Sag feature and is there a setting that matches the RM4? It would be cool if the Sag control could also stiffen the feel... That might be asking too much but it would be cool with some modules. Did they lend you a power amp to try?

^This interests me.

I've been lurking and reading about all this; I'm still in the "I'll believe when I see it camp" as I've heard way too many MTS promises through my years of using the system. Anyway... that's neither here nor there. My biggest question is how is this going to enhance my current rig? I have lots of Egnater amps (two MOD50 heads, a MOD50 combo, a MOD100 and a fully loaded JF-RM100), more modded modules than you can shake a stick at and my rack days are a distant memory.

Jace, will any of new offerings enhance my current rig? If yes, how? TIA

I hear you. Every NAMM show for years now I've been bummed out that there hasn't been any movement on new modular products. But these new products will see the light of day very soon.
I can't say that I noticed a huge difference in sound playing MY modules through the SYN-001 vs my RM4. The sag control is a nice feature. Turning the SAG knob all the way down bypasses the feature. There's a red LED that lights up when the SAG is doing it's thing.
I did have the power amp, but honestly I had to give everything back really quickly and I didn't get a chance to plug it in. I don't know if I'll get any more time with these products or not.
For a "power user" like yourself, I'm sure you'll want to try some of the new modules. Tone is tone and addiction is addiction! :lol: The SYN-001 is pretty affordable at $499 and offers some convenience and features that previous products have not. If you need to do some silent recording, having one of these for your desktop would be pretty cool.

 

[djd100]

Great stuff!

How about dimensions and weights for both the Syn-1 and Syn-2?

TIA!

 

[Mattfig]

Great job Jace! Thanks for all the info!

 

[bruce egnater]

Jace is great to work with. Having a "new set of ears", and good ones I might add, is invaluable. I listen to all this stuff for so long that I may find it easy to lose focus. Jace brings an unbiased view of everything which is fantastically helpful.

 

[audiomidijace]

Aw-shucks Bruce! :wink: