bedroom vol, cranked sound?

[paul-e-mann]

I'm sure this has been discussed before so I apologize in advance...I have a JCM 2000 DSL (with effects loop) and a small variety of pedals (including a Boss DS-1). I'm wondering if a power soak of some sort is the only real way to get a full, heavy, overdriven sound at bedroom volumes using my actual 1960 Vintage 4/12 cab. I'm not sure it's even possible, but I'm asking anyway. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, as I just got my head back from being benched (it's sounding very good now) and I'm still recuperating from that expense..lol. thanks in advance.

Have you actually tried dialing in bedroom volume? DSL's do bedroom volume very well on their own. If anything get yourself a 1x12 cab for home play, I have a Jensen C12K in a 1x12 that works quite well with a 100 watt amp. This will be quieter than a 4x12.

 

[TommyVonVoigt]

I'm getting there with an assortment of pedals, and some mods to the amp. I've got a 79 2203, which has had a few small gain mods, and the gain pot has been moved to a later point in the circuit. Plus, it has a Metro buffered loop. I double boost out front, with an SD-1w into a GE-7, and I run an MXR 10-band in the loop. With all of this in play, I get a surprisingly good tone at insanely low volumes. That's at home in a NYC apartment, into a pair of Mesa OS 4x12 cabs with Greenbacks in the top slots.

No attenuator of any kind.

This setup actually sounds better than my 2204s into a Power Station do. I have no idea why this is the case, but it does.

 

[StrummerJoe]

@blumaybe it's the feel of cranked tone you ate missing. Can't replicate that at low volumes unfortunately.

Ever consider soundproofing your playing space?

 

[marshallmellowed]

Getting a "cranked sound" at "bedroom vol." is akin to catching a very fast Unicorn (IMO, of course).

 

[V-Type]

Back in the early 80's when I wanted too turn up the volume and cook the tubes at but wanted too keep the volume roomable I'd drape thick comforters over my cab. Crazy I know yet it worked when I wanted too play the old 50 watt JMP late nites....

 

[bluarcher]

Ultra Gain with gain cranked? That IS fizzy IMO.
The DSL sounds surprisingly good at lower volumes if you back the gain off some, like even 6 or 7?
To truly get "cranked" tone ya kinda hafta do just that.
So called bedroom volumes will be a compromise, period.
Try turning just the level up on SD1, no gain or distortion. Then set ultra gain accordingly. Might tighten it up some.

ok. thanks, will give that a try tomorrow.

 

[mickeydg5]

I do not use soaks.
I use signal/sound processors and gain/volume knobs on amplifiers.
I can get any sound I want at any volume.

 

[dro]

The only "real" way is.
Wait till your mom and dad are gone, and crank it.

 

[Maxbrothman]

With Marshall, more volume has more information coming out including the stuff you are missing with attenuation. You either mic a cab while playing loud or you use a cab sim or both. I have loads of videos on attenuated Marshalls in small room settings. You will enjoy listening to your units but the recorded sound will be missing some things that you find with more volume and likely the sound the amp is recognized for.

 

[Michael Roe]

Gear manufacturers make a ton of money by selling you all these things that will get you that cranked amp sound at a lower volume. The real answer as many have already said, it is not possible to achieve this. You have to make some choices that may not be exactly what you want. You have to compromise.
What exactly do you mean by "bedroom volume"? For some guys this means a whisper to others it means just not having the cops called.

 

[fitz]

What do you see as the pedal(s) that get you into that realm of nice fat, cranked tone at reasonably low vol?

an SD-1w into a GE-7, and I run an MXR 10-band in the loop.

^^^ This ^^^
Getting good tone at low volume takes more than just a dirt pedal slamming the front end.
EQ to compensate for the differences in the frequencies that you like at high volume vs. what the amp and signal chain produce at low volume.
Those piles of pedals on my amps almost always have an EQ in the loop, and I continuously change the settings on everything depending on volume.

 

[jcm800gridlock]

Use this. Pretty transparent, does not take away bass or fullness, and gives a good range of natural sounding overdrive.

 

[Geeze]

Back in the early 80's when I wanted too turn up the volume and cook the tubes at but wanted too keep the volume roomable I'd drape thick comforters over my cab. Crazy I know yet it worked when I wanted too play the old 50 watt JMP late nites....

Absorbing the sound 'bounce' is a key component for me. I've used a cloth covered couch with the cab a varying distances to get good results. This allows the amp - mostly 50 & 100 watt NMV - to run a bit harder. Yes you need to EQ to taste - that's why they have knobs. No noise complaints in 13 years whilst living in townhouses - 10 of those I shared walls with 4 units.

There ain't no replacement for displacement or in this case SPL / pushed amp.

I've experimented with reampers - Boss TAE and an amazingly good attenuator - Ironman II which I still have - to run them at bedroom level with the 'full' cranked sound is asking too much like asking a fuel A dragster to get good gas mileage.

What's missing from the bedroom level cranked sound is compression/saturation - that thicker warm chewy that a pushed Marshall delivers - and big low end which is why so many drive / boost pedals filter low frequencies. And of course the pants flapping air movement.

My secret sauce is the Empress Heavy. Not found anything to compare. I've got a GE-7 that's going out to get the frequency band set for guitar and to remove that annoying BOSS hum that can add the lows but not the rest.



You want heavy tones at low volumes? Check. Compression? Check. Low end? Check. Depending on pickups and speaker cabs I've even had to turn the low end down as it would vibrate the wood floor with an OS 4x8 cab. I've talked with Empress to see if they could tweak the circuit on one side to have less gain - like cranked Plexi - but they don't seem interested or understand what I'm asking for. I'm tempted to buy another one and experiment on this one alas I next to nothing about pedal circuits and too many time consuming passions at this point.

The heavy side has 4 gain stages and the heavier side has 5.

Russ

 

[chocol8]

With a good reactive load and reamping solution, you can absolutely nail the tone. As in, if you record two takes, one loud and the other a low volume, then level match them, the recordings will sound the same.

The problem is, it won’t sound or feel the same to the guitarist standing in the room. Some of the issue is Fletcher Munson and can be countered by adding bass and treble as you turn down, but some of it is simply the lack of volume. If you want to play quietly, you need to reset your expectations somewhat.

 

[marshallmellowed]

With a good reactive load and reamping solution, you can absolutely nail the tone. As in, if you record two takes, one loud and the other a low volume, then level match them, the recordings will sound the same.

The problem is, it won’t sound or feel the same to the guitarist standing in the room. Some of the issue is Fletcher Munson and can be countered by adding bass and treble as you turn down, but some of it is simply the lack of volume. If you want to play quietly, you need to reset your expectations somewhat.

I agree, a quality re-amping solution is as close as one will get, as heavy attenuation between the amp and cab takes its toll on the tonality. That said, at low volumes, you lose the interaction of the speaker that you'd have with some volume. Without the interaction of a pushed speaker, you'd get closer by playing with some volume through a load box > IR's > headphones. And yes, recording is a different animal, and cranked amp results are easily achieved with modern tech.

 

[mark123]

I’m staying out of this one.

 

[67mike]

For quiet bedroom levels.....I bought a very very cheap solution:

NUX MG 300..........fricken mind blowing!!!!! I have some powered pa speakers that I can run it through if headphones aren't what I want to use.

 

[fitz]

For quiet bedroom levels.....I bought a very very cheap solution:

NUX MG 300..........fricken mind blowing!!!!! I have some powered pa speakers that I can run it through if headphones aren't what I want to use.

This is essentially the correct solution to playing a 100w amp at bedroom volumes.
*** Get a different amp ***
Don't drive a finish nail with a sledgehammer, use the right tool for the job...

 

[Len]

Theres a difference between sounding great and sounding like an amp at full volume. Trying to figure out which reply is talking about which is almost impossible.

 

[FleshOnGear]

@bluarcher it sounds like you could use a good OD in front of the amp to tighten up the sound (Boss SD-1) and an EQ in the loop to smooth and fatten the right frequencies (Boss GE-7). With the OD in front you’ll need to turn down the amp gain, but you should get a more articulate distortion.