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james rock
Copper Member
8 Posts |
 Posted - 03/13/2009 : 12:40:55
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quote:
Yeah, it really does make a tremendous difference. Using driver pedals into the amp, you are driving the first tube stage harder (with up to maybe 6V compared to maybe 0.5V from the CH-1). Turning up the volume drives later stages harder. Driving that first stage hard produces some really nice tone.
Is it a similar affect to having high output or maybe active pickups as the signal was already changed to low z by the first buffer pedal right so I 'd sssume the others just boost the signal level. |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2009 : 14:28:39
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quote:
Originally posted by james rock
Is it a similar affect to having high output or maybe active pickups as the signal was already changed to low z by the first buffer pedal right so I 'd sssume the others just boost the signal level.
Kind of... even active pickups peak at maybe 1 volt. You can't feed much more than that into many pedals so you end up with about 1 volt going into the amp. The final boost takes the signal that goes directly into the amp up to a level that will choke most pedals, but sounds bloody good into a tube input stage.
Note... none of this works with solid state amps!
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Edited by - Laurie on 03/13/2009 14:29:06 |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2009 : 19:45:02
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G'day laurie.. you must be getting a slightly crunchy tone with driving the input stage a bit harder this can sond great with a good overdrive pedal...i normally kepp my amps pretty clean sounding as we do a bit of country rock stuff and i like that knopfler/albert lee twang for some of the songs..... i think marshalls get a bad rep for clean sounds..my 70's superbass mkII head and the cab with the greenbacks sounds great clean...might be something to do with fact ir was originally voiced as a bass amp and i'm using EL 84's in the power amp section which are known for their 'chimey' sound....running two amps off a CH-1 on a gig isn't a big prob,balancing three might be a bit more trickey as you found out..i tried running a DD-3 at the end of the chain in stereo and that was REALLY fiddley to get right with volume levels when the effect was engaged..i ended up putting it back in it's normal position on the pedalboard at halftime on a gig and sticking he CH-1 back on...... |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2009 : 02:29:28
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G'day Franzoni!
Yep, getting some nice crunch, but that isn't the main reason to do it. What I'm finding is it has a huge effect on the dynamic range/picking dynamics.
Having a driver pedal that is capable of producing 6V at the amp input is like having a car with 400 horsepower - you don't use it all the time, but it's there when you need it.
Yeah, I'm very impressed with my Marshalls on clean too. No complaints at all. I remember how hard you worked to get the levels right with a DD-3... I now have a DD-20 running in stereo after the CH-1 and because it is true stereo the levels are fine.
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Edited by - Laurie on 03/14/2009 02:30:13 |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 17:06:17
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Here's something I found - I swapped the CH-1 for a CE-20 I recently picked-up-cheap. With about 3dB gain on the initial HZD Hi-Z driver, the "clip light" is happily flashing on the CE-20. Needed to switch it to +4dB for it to work properly (this is the setting used if it is in an FX loop). Seems to be OK now 
Gain structure is becoming more and more interesting...
Further update...
I have a DD-20 after the CE-20 and I set the DD-20 to +4dB as well. The rig sounds even better!
Here is my current clean rig. I've removed the drivers that were in front of the amps because running the DD-20 at +4dB gives enough drive to the pre-amps (between 1 and 2 Volts).
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Edited by - Laurie on 03/15/2009 20:04:06 |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2009 : 21:46:46
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Nice one.....i like the way your experimenting with the pedals and the settings.... i'm not as clued up on the tech details as you laurie but i think my twin tube has a fairly powerful output for a overdrive pedal,i find when i'm using the crunch channel set to a tiny bit of bite i also get great dynamics from the guitar and amp.. and as you know i'm also a fan of the CS-3 more of a dynamic booster than a compressor with the level and attack up fairly full and the sustain level down...i find lately instead of using the pedals as a booster for solos i have either the crunch channel or CS-3 on and control the volume with the guitar..somethimes i mix them for solos or just kick in the lead channel on the twin tube.....
PS i would be interested in your thoughts on how the CE-20/DD-20 stacks up against any of your analogue chorus/delay pedals or DD-3/4/5 etc...... |
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nosi0
Gold Member
Netherlands
511 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2009 : 13:39:16
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Very nice! Like usual the search function turns out empty when i search for your home made pedal laurie. I was hoping you could create a "tutorial" on how to make a pedal like your HZD. I would really appreciate it, i'm planning on making my first pedal, a switcher and booster in one. I actually just want to use the booster to drive the guitar cable over a distance (from pedal directly to guitar). i know the basics like connecting jacks and 3dpt switches etc i just know nothing about the chip or w/e your using inside.
Thanks, Nosi |
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Witloofboer
Gold Member
Belgium
513 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 19:33:50
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| I completely removed my pedalboard, so now I play with my guitar plugged straight into my amp. My amp is a single channel EL34 amp (70's Laney, but completely different from the Marshall knock-off's they made), with 2 gain controls and a master volume, so I can push the preamp without breaking windows. If I turn my first gain stage down, I have a clean & slightly compressed sound, turn it up and I get a massive overdrive sound (think Billy Gibbons ). |
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MullyFX
Gold Member
Germany
753 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 19:57:52
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| my new delay pedal has 1MOhm input impedance... would this have the same effect if it's connected directly to the guitar? |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2009 : 22:53:51
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quote:
Originally posted by MullyFX
my new delay pedal has 1M Ohm input impedance... would this have the same effect if it's connected directly to the guitar?
If it's a real 1M input impedance, yes it would.
Sometimes .... the input impedance quoted it the "theoretical" impedance (mathematically derived) and the real-world impedance is somewhat lower. The only way to know for sure is to measure it (a bit complicated and requires a high quality multi-meter, but it's doable).
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Edited by - Laurie on 03/25/2009 22:56:40 |
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Topic |
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Pedalboard gain structure
