| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Ollie
Gold Member
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
 Posted - 11/28/2009 : 23:16:43
|
I've been playing around with various amp settings on my Fender Hot Rod Deville (4x10), and was wondering if someone could explain how the master volume & clean volume compare, I read a lot of mixed opinions on settings for them both and would like to know what they're actully doing 
Cheers, Ollie |
|
|
PaulH
Gold Member
535 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 11:01:58
|
I don't own the amp, but I would have thought the Clean Volume is either the input gain or the Preamp output volume.
This will control the clean/dirty-ness of your sound
The Master Volume will certainly be the Power-Amp volume.
This effectively just makes the preamp go louder. Although, as it's a tube power-amp, you could get overdriven sounds with it if you have it loud enough. |
 |
|
|
rhcp_1005
Silver Member
United Kingdom
307 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 15:23:32
|
quote:
Originally posted by PaulH
I don't own the amp, but I would have thought the Clean Volume is either the input gain or the Preamp output volume.
This will control the clean/dirty-ness of your sound
The Master Volume will certainly be the Power-Amp volume.
This effectively just makes the preamp go louder. Although, as it's a tube power-amp, you could get overdriven sounds with it if you have it loud enough.
I think this is pretty much right. I've got the Blues Junior which has a volume control and a master volume control. The volume control is just a gain control and the master volume is just the overall volume of the amp. |
|
|
|
zerksies
Double Platinum Member
USA
3406 Posts |
|
|
FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2009 : 23:37:15
|
quote:
Originally posted by PaulH
I don't own the amp, but I would have thought the Clean Volume is either the input gain or the Preamp output volume.
This will control the clean/dirty-ness of your sound
The Master Volume will certainly be the Power-Amp volume.
This effectively just makes the preamp go louder. Although, as it's a tube power-amp, you could get overdriven sounds with it if you have it loud enough.
No offense and you are correct about overdriving the poweramp section but i jammed with a band a while back where the other guitar player was using one of these Fender hotrod amps and they are VERY loud..and he was using a pedal for his drive sounds with a clapton strat with the amp set fairly clean.....
Ollie as you use pedals for you drive/distortion sounds normally what i do with my Musicman amp which has similar volume controls is i keep the preamp volume a bit lower than the master ..this way you have a solid clean sound for the quieter stuff..if you want a bit more bite or a slightly edgier sound lower the master and turn up the preamp volume to get the amp to start to breakup slightly...
If it makes you feel better your not alone in this..Eric Clapton said in an interview a few years ago that he can't get on with master volume amps anymore as he never knows the best way to set them but then he plays in places like the Royal Albert Hall and who is going to tell EC to turn down..?...i have two non master volume amps..an early 70's Marshall 100 watt head and a 15 watt selmer and both are loud..the marshall when put through a 4x12 insanely so.....i had to get power reducing adapters for the output valves in the Marshall for live use... |
|
|
|
Jeff242
Copper Member
United Kingdom
25 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2009 : 14:34:55
|
On many modern amps you'll find that the output section doesn't really overdrive until you turn it up really loud although you might find turning down the gain and upping the master gives you a beter more dynamic tone.
Older amps especially non master volume Marshalls don't really get much louder once you get past a certian point on the volume control just more "harmonically rich" ie that great tone that everyone loves. unfortunatly by the time you've got there, your ears have gone and the police are knocking on the door  Hence all the attenuators and load boxes that are on the market. |
|
|
|
FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2009 : 15:02:03
|
| Welcome to the forum.... i put tonebones in the Marshall as an experiment rather than getting a attenuator.. these allow you to put EL84's in the power output section without re-biasing..you can get a nice Vox meets Marshall type tone out of it when cranked but even though they are supposed to be only putting out 32 watts it's still pretty loud.. i normally run it pretty cleanish about 5 on the volumes where it has that edgy sound without sounding dead and use a pedal for dirt,i put it through a semi open 2 x 12 with two original greenbacks in it..i tried a couple of V30's before that and it was still pretty loud in some places so i went back to the older greenbacks..they also seem a bit more authentic to the amps tone...i think newer more effecient speakers also play a bit part in the overall volume and tone of some of the newer fender amps... |
Edited by - FRANZONI on 12/02/2009 15:05:39 |
|
|
|
Jeff242
Copper Member
United Kingdom
25 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2009 : 18:45:00
|
| For my Marshall, many years ago I built a simple load box and run the output from that via my FX into an ancient (very early 1960s) stereo valve power amp that I reworked so it's similar (but lower power) to a stereo version of the power section from a Marshall 18 watt amp. So the 50 watt head can run as hot as I want but the volume is controllable |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Tube Amp Help
