Mattfig said:
Again, to each their own...It's all in what you like...I think Mike P makes reasonable points albeit a tad overstated IMHO...Glad you have killer tone without tube tweaks...Do you really believe that there are no tubes out there that could improve your tone even a little?
Overstated? Me?
I'm certain that there are tubes available that would change the tone of the amp but considering that my modified modules sound exactly as they should, it's not a burning issue for me. When something isn't right, it isn't right. I'm not going to chase down tubes and spend ungodly amounts of money in places where it's not necessary. I'll just sell the "offending" piece and move on.
For example, I have four bass guitars. When it comes time to record, I choose a bass that fits best for the particular song. The bass is plugged into an older Ampeg V4B, which is a 100 watt version of an SVT, perfect for recording. I have a Randall iso cab outfitted with an Eminence B102 dual cone speaker with a Mojave 201 and an i5 going to a Vintech 1272 mic preamp and a Jeff Turzo Overstayer compressor. For the record, I've been through three different speakers and nine different mics and mic combinations to capture the tone correctly.
The amp immediately sounded great with my Musicman Stingray 5. About a year later, I added a Fender '51 reissue Precision bass made of swamp ash. It didn't sound great, so I replaced the nut, the bridge and the pickup. The sound is clearly different than the MM5 but definitely on the same "level". About a year later, I added a '62 reissue Jazz bass. It's a beautiful bass but it wasn't "right", either. I replaced the nut, the bridge and the pickups. After another year of recording that bass, it still didn't sound great, so I replaced the pickups again, which finally put it on the same "level" as the MM5 and '51 P. A year or so later, I added a Fender Fretless Jazz bass and used the same model pickups and bridge originally used in the '62 reissue and it sounded great immediately.
Why am I describing all of this? Well, because when I record, I use different basses for the different genres of music I create. I never change the dials on the amp. Never. I haven't touched them since 2004. When I need a different sound, I change instruments or use the volume, tone, pickup mix, etc. Why? Because the amp isn't the issue.
Same thing goes for the Randall modules (or any amp manufacturer): If you're dealing with what's considered traditionally to be a great sounding amp and amp design, yet the amp doesn't sound "right", 99.99% of the time, the issue lies elsewhere.
I'm currently going through this situation again but with a guitar. I haven't owned a Floyd Rose equipped guitar since 1993 and am suddenly in need of one for my work. I checked out all of the available production guitars but didn't care for any of them. So, I decided to build a Warmoth strat-style guitar with an original Floyd Rose. It has an alder body with a birdseye maple neck and Indian rosewood fingerboard. I assembled the entire guitar, wired it up with two Duncan '59's and a push pull switch. It looks awesome and sounded amazing acoustically. It's the loudest and clearest sounding guitar out of the nine I own.
But once I plugged it own, I was extremely disappointed. It was mushy and muddy on the bottom end, the high end wasn't articulate. I knew for a fact that it wasn't tubes or the amp, etc., because the other eight guitars are sound great through the various amps. So I called Seymour Duncan and they're sending a Jazz for the neck and a JB TB for the bridge and hopefully, it'll solve the issue.
Once again, the issue wasn't the amp or modules. The issue lie elsewhere.
Mattfig said:
I have many great tones here too- and yes, some have been improved with the right tube combo...Yep, they would still be great with ARS tubes, but that doesn't mean improvements are not possible or minor at best..Saying higher grade tubes are "completely unnecessary" as well as cables sounds a tad off base to me.
IMO, either an amp sounds great or it doesn't. If it doesn't sound great right out of the box with my guitars (or bass), I'm not going to chase down exotic tubes in the hopes that the sound improves. I know exactly what a JMP50 is supposed to sound like. I know exactly what an Engl Powerball is supposed to sound like. I know exactly what a Dual Rectifier is supposed to sound like. If I plug in and it doesn't sound right, I'm not going to spend $25-$50 per tube in an attempt to make a module sound right.
As for cables, if you're dealing with cable lengths less than 50 foot, there is no audible difference. It's silly to pay $50 for some dopey Monster cable when a $15 dollar Whirlwind will provide the same exact results. If you're dealing with 10 foot or less, it becomes more ridiculous. It's all marketing nonsense. And this applies to A/V as well. Anyone that spends $50 dollars or more for an "oxygen free" Monster HDMI cable is a sucker, especially when you can go to monoprice.com and purchase the same cable for $5 dollars.
Now, when you're talking about studio cables, it most certainly makes a difference, especially if it's a home studio. I only use Canare Quad Star cable in my studio for RF rejection. It's exactly the same as the Mogami Quad Cable but a little less expensive. But I'd never drop $75-$100 for a 20 foot guitar cable. Besides being completely unnecessary, it's a waste of money.
As far as "higher grade tubes", well, most amps are not designed with "higher grade tubes" in mind. Using an "audiophile" tube that's commonly used in high end home stereo systems may work fine in a preamp but that wasn't the designer's intent.
And quite honestly, I'm a traditionalist. I WANT a Marshall to sound exactly like a Marshall. I want a Rectifier to sound EXACTLY like a Rectifier. I want an Orange to sound EXACTLY like an Orange.
Mattfig said:
We'll just have to agree to disagree...I understand that you feel very confident in your statements and that's cool...But it kinda seems like you are talking down to us "cork sniffer" tube guys...I get that you do music for a living and I totally respect and admire that...I have to have a day job too but that doesn't invalidate my experience...
Just my .02...
8)
Again Matt, I'm not trying to insult or offend you. But the purpose of your quest is quite different than most people. I am fully content with a great sounding amp and module, whether it's a Marshall, Engl, Cobra, Rectifier, AC30, etc. I don't need those amps to sound "better" than they sound, nor do I need or want them to sound different than they're traditionally supposed to sound.
And again, that's not a knock on you personally or otherwise. I'm of the belief that it's unnecessary to spend $25-$50 dollars per tube in order for an amp to sound great or even amazing.
And I'm totally cool to disagree. Different viewpoints are what makes this forum great!