bedroom vol, cranked sound?

[Mrmadd]

When I play clean tones here, I get the "light switch". Clean tones cut like a knife and seem to carry further.

Bedroom sound. I have noticed that how you position your speaker for listening is important.

Playing a Jubilee head into a 1 x 12 creamback is got to be a great setup. It does play good bedroom volumes with plenty of rich tone.
If I move or change the speaker cab position, the tone of the sound you hear changes drasticly. I am going to think that this is a situation caused by soft volume.
If I turn up to fill the room with volume this starts to go away.

So how you hear your cab is very important part of the equasion.

I play a DSL100 into a 1960 at low volumes and it sounds great. The 1960 helps a lot.

 

[Mrmadd]

Remember, do not play your guitar so your knees hear the best tone.

 

[vivanchenko]

Did anyone mention Tube Screamer? It literally had been designed to achieve cranked tones without having to crank your amp, and it does the job very well, including bedroom volumes.

 

[East Boston]

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.

Hello, I have the same problem with my fender 65 twin reverb, it puts out 85 watts. I tried a budget. Behringer, that didn't work too well seeing it's only resistive. Then I bought a two notes torpedo reload used from musicians friend, that combined with the tube screamer works really well, the two notes uses resistive and capacitive circuits to eat up the wattage. I picked one up for about 500 bucks. Nothing else is going to really do the job, except I'm more expensive. Attenuator. I don't think you need anything more than the two notes. It also has other functions on it. It has load box DI and replay and a couple of microphone inputs and outputs. It also has a built-in fan to keep things from overheating. I'm very happy with it it also has controls to change the sound, which resistive units do not have. Hope that helps you

 

[tallcoolone]

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

While the stock T75s are scooped enough to assist, in general guitar speakers are not meant to operate/sound their best at whisper volumes. Your best results are going to be with full range speakers/studio monitors in a modeling or reactive load setup.

I play a DSL100 into a 1960 at low volumes and it sounds great. The 1960 helps a lot.

Remember, do not play your guitar so your knees hear the best tone.

What is your solution, stand in your head or put the 4x12 on a barstool haha?

 

[chocol8]

What is your solution, stand in your head or put the 4x12 on a barstool haha?

The best solution is to put the "a" cab on top of the "b" cab and then stand 6+ feet away.

 

[tallcoolone]

The best solution is to put the "a" cab on top of the "b" cab and then stand 6+ feet away.

Indeed! I get the side-eye already when I bring 1 4x12--at home tho, absolutely

 

[mgee1960]

If your amp has a send & return effects loop you can use a patch cord with a volume knob in it. it works great for me!

 

[Ufoscorpion]

Hello, I have the same problem with my fender 65 twin reverb, it puts out 85 watts. I tried a budget. Behringer, that didn't work too well seeing it's only resistive. Then I bought a two notes torpedo reload used from musicians friend, that combined with the tube screamer works really well, the two notes uses resistive and capacitive circuits to eat up the wattage. I picked one up for about 500 bucks. Nothing else is going to really do the job, except I'm more expensive. Attenuator. I don't think you need anything more than the two notes. It also has other functions on it. It has load box DI and replay and a couple of microphone inputs and outputs. It also has a built-in fan to keep things from overheating. I'm very happy with it it also has controls to change the sound, which resistive units do not have. Hope that helps you

I’ve had a reload for a few years now , great bit of kit . I sometimes use it with a cab m+ and monitors but prefer the sound using a guitar cab tbh .

 

[Ufoscorpion]

The best solution is to put the "a" cab on top of the "b" cab and then stand 6+ feet away.

I put my cabs on a table which achieves the same thing , cabs are as you say absolutely no good playing to your knees , lifting the cab makes a massive difference to the good it amazes me people still do it . Do this and the high’s you might lose attenuating will become a godsend with a good old Marshall .

 

[Maxbrothman]

Any tube Marshall on full mode crunching is as loud as an ambulance siren. So I attenuate in small room settings.

You go Wet/Dry by using the DI OUT.

The DI OUT is not attenuated.

I did this just now.

Sounds great playing in my room and when recorded sounds different but IMO, good.

 

[Ralf_M.]

I have noticed that how you position your speaker for listening is important.

Hi,

this has got to do with room size and standing waves. Btw. this thread could be way shorter and way more helpful without mentioning what people can't get in a small room at moderate volume. Actually it's possible to get quite close to the wanted sound, by playing around with preamp and poweramp volume and by reducing the speakers, use only one 12" speaker instead of using a cab with 2, 4 or 2 cabs with 8 speakers. While you don't get interaction of guitar pickups and speakers, which is overated anyway, you still get interaction of tube amplifier and speaker and a way more satisfying playing experience, than when using amp and speaker emulations.

Regards,
Ralf

 

[JohnH]

A theory that I reckon is,

Loud is great, and louder is better when you can.

But, hearing is very adaptive (unless you trashed it in the 1980's). So if you start your session from being in a quiet environment, your ears are more sensitive than if you come from a noisy place. So that effects how much power you need to hear your tone fully and clearly. Late on a quiet night It might be not much at all.

 

[ITburst]

Hi,

this has got to do with room size and standing waves. Btw. this thread could be way shorter and way more helpful without mentioning what people can't get in a small room at moderate volume. Actually it's possible to get quite close to the wanted sound, by playing around with preamp and poweramp volume and by reducing the speakers, use only one 12" speaker instead of using a cab with 2, 4 or 2 cabs with 8 speakers. While you don't get interaction of guitar pickups and speakers, which is overated anyway, you still get interaction of tube amplifier and speaker and a way more satisfying playing experience, than when using amp and speaker emulations.

Regards,
Ralf

If I may, I disagree with some of that.
When I was shopping for my DSL20HR there were none to be found, so I was only able to try out a combo version. When the head and cab (MX212) I ordered came in I found that two speakers produced a much richer, fuller sound than the single speaker in the combo even at lower volumes.
My 2 cents worth.

 

[scozz]

If your amp has a send & return effects loop you can use a patch cord with a volume knob in it. it works great for me!

That’s like the Carl and JHS Black Box, without the metal casing around it, lol.

These are really just master volumes in the loop, they don’t work like attenuators do,… between the amp and the speaker.

They do work pretty well with nmv amps, not so much with master volume amps, a bit redundant imo. But hey, whatever works for you.

 

[Ralf_M.]

If I may, I disagree with some of that.
When I was shopping for my DSL20HR there were none to be found, so I was only able to try out a combo version. When the head and cab (MX212) I ordered came in I found that two speakers produced a much richer, fuller sound than the single speaker in the combo even at lower volumes.
My 2 cents worth.

Hi,

you could be right, since two speakers don't sound equal, the sound might be better than when using only one speaker. OTOH the more speakers are used at the same low volume, the more far away they are from a good working point. Maybe I was a mistake when I bought a 1 speaker cab for the same price that the same series 2 speaker cab did cost. My reasoning was probably wrong.
OTOH I also took into account that 2 speakers in a cab take too much space in my small rental flat.

Regards,
Ralf

 

[chocol8]

Speakers are very linear with respect to volume level from very low levels up until they start distorting. The speaker doesn't sound different at low volumes, your ear perceives it differently.

 

[tallcoolone]

Speakers are very linear with respect to volume level from very low levels up until they start distorting. The speaker doesn't sound different at low volumes, your ear perceives it differently.

Don't know about that, but I do know guitar speakers sound like sh!t at low volumes. Anything less than loud stereo volume levels are better served with a good modeler and studio monitors...IME of course.

 

[marshallmellowed]

These "bedroom level" threads just get more amusing as they grow. Cranking the amp through a good load box with IR's and headphones would sound "bigger" than a large speaker with the cone barely moving..............IMO.

 

[zachman]

I've tried every conceivable way to use big gear at all volume levels and there are methods and gear which work at achieving 'the goods' better than others.

Bedroom volume here: