NIHD - New Impending Head Day

[Shawn Lutz]

If its anything like original 2203's I know it is loud as fuck and sweet Marshall simplicity, throw a SD1 and GE7 in front and wail away.

[Newc]

The manual says it's "the original, but with a loop". And yeah, it's louder than loud, and simple. Thinking I could run an A/B pedal into both inputs so I can use the low channel for "clean" if I had to. Even with the gain cranked and a Distortion-class pickup, it's clean enough.

Then again, I'm also thinking "Lemmy"


Previous owner did the bright cap mod on it, whatever that is. Remove a capacitor for some reason relating to brightness?

[roodyrocker]

The manual says it's "the original, but with a loop". And yeah, it's louder than loud, and simple. Thinking I could run an A/B pedal into both inputs so I can use the low channel for "clean" if I had to. Even with the gain cranked and a Distortion-class pickup, it's clean enough.

Then again, I'm also thinking "Lemmy"

Previous owner did the bright cap mod on it, whatever that is. Remove a capacitor for some reason relating to brightness?

I have no idea if the circuits are identical or not between the old and the reissues but i thought even the old 2203's had some changes during its production. They included an effects loop on the reissues because it was a common mod people were having done the older ones anyway.
Your idea about running an A/B pedal into the inputs is what the older Bad Cat amps used. I have a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 that is like that. In fact you can turn both on simultanously to get distortion and clean sounds together. the only thing is I noticed the distortion channel sounds different running through the A/B switch vs. just straight into the distortion channel. because of that I don't use the A/B switching.

[DonP]

Thinking I could run an A/B pedal into both inputs so I can use the low channel for "clean" if I had to.

If this is designed like the original 2203, it won't work. When you plug into the low, it disables the high. I might be wrong, but I may be saving you from wasting money on an A/B switch. Make sure you can return it if it doesn't work.

Previous owner did the bright cap mod on it, whatever that is. Remove a capacitor for some reason relating to brightness?

Artist 3203 amps had a cap mod you could do. I'm not familiar with 2203's needing a cap mod. I wonder if he got the models messed up.

[Newc]

I dunno. He handed me a capacitor in a small box, saying it's the one he removed.

I'll ask him about it.

And I've already got the A/B switch. I use it with my rack stuff.

In the meantime, I'm looking at the Line6 M-series (5,6, 13). These any good? I'm a huge fan of variety, and really hate to just use the power section of this beast with my all-powerful rack gear; may as well get a poweramp if I'm going that route, so I figure instead of limiting my tones to a handful of pedals, I could go with the "pedal display case" setup
If it's worth a shit, that is.

I've also got the Line6 AM-4 amp modeler, which doesn't sound too terrible through my rack mixer. Also notice they have a Distortion Modeler in that series, but I'm assuming it doesn't have the variety of the M-series.
Only thing I'm not too clear on is how to run the AM4 to an amp. Tried it once with my RocPro head, both through the front to push the preamp and through the power. The noise was a bit intense through the front, and sounded like it needed a boost through the power. Haven't tried it with the 800 yet.

[Newc]

Ok, so here's what dude said about the mod:

"The mod I did was the Bright cap mod. I removed the cap from the pre gain master. What that did was make the treble a bit more useful at lower levels. With the cap stock, I was running the treble and presence at 0. The removal made it easier to use the treble at lower volumes."

[Newc]

the only thing is I noticed the distortion channel sounds different running through the A/B switch vs. just straight into the distortion channel. because of that I don't use the A/B switching.

Hmmm. Wondering if my Dunlop HighGain volume pedal would correct that. Definitely a difference with my other stuff with and without it.

Can't wait for the weekend when I can put it through the paces.

[Newc]

While reading the online manual for the AM-4 at Line6's site, they mention the Brit 800 model is based on the JCM 800, and that some versions used diode clipping for distortion, and other versions used tube distortion.
How do I tell if my 800 uses tube distortion vs diode clipping?

[DonP]

Ok, so here's what dude said about the mod:

"The mod I did was the Bright cap mod. I removed the cap from the pre gain master. What that did was make the treble a bit more useful at lower levels. With the cap stock, I was running the treble and presence at 0. The removal made it easier to use the treble at lower volumes."

It sounds like that was a cap that allows the highs to skip around the 470K resistor for extra brightness. Similar to adding a brightness / bypass cap on a guitar's volume so that you keep the highs as you turn the volume down. Is it a small value cap, like 470pf?

He may have been using bright speakers. Amps are tuned to the speakers they are sold with. This cap may have made sense if you were using the old speakers from the 80's these were originally sold with (65's?).

[Newc]

The cap doesn't have a value printed on it, and I can't find my meter. It's a small brownish/orangish cap similar in appearance to what you'd typically find on a guitar.

[Newc]

NVM - found the spec sheet online. Says it came with EL34s.

It also says it has ECC83 preamp tubes. How do these differ from 12AX7s?

[Axegrinder87]

ECC83 is the European designation for 12AX7.

[Newc]

Ah, I see. Thanks.

[Newc]

Finally got a chance to be alone with the amp, and cranked the Gain to 10 and the Master to Intolerable

Definitely more punchy at higher levels. There's an audible difference between 4 and 7, and there's a "little extra" once you get to 8.
I quickly ran through a few different guitars - the Trans Red Warrior with the PATB1, the Halford with an Invader, the CS WR7 with the JB7.
The amp definitely needs a front-end slammer.


So, not knowing how long I'd have to dick around with it, I ran a cable from the Send of my MP-1 into the High Sensitivity of the head, picked some patches I never use and didn't mind losing, and started from scratch.

I backed the Gain of the head down to about 2 so that Cleans would be clean, the EQ to 5s, set the MP-1 Gains and Master to 5, the EQ to 0, Output knob to about 9'oclock, and brought the head Master up to about 3.

Totally knee-killing volume out of my 2x12.

So then I swapped the MP1 to the Low Sensitivity input, and was able to get the head Master up to about 8 to push the power tubes, then re-tweak the MP1.


I've read where a lot of people say the MP-1 can't do high gain. I'd like to know their definition of "high gain" because I got a fuck-ton of it.

I set up a Perfectly Clean patch and bashed the strings with a Jazz III, and there was no breakup, so I know the head Gain is not contributing any overdrive.

My MP-1 is unmodded. IIRC, the guy I bought it from almost 20 years ago said he put in GrooveTubes, and that it was otherwise stock.

With both MP1 gains set to 10 and the Voicing set to Dirty Tube, there's no chord definition, solos are smothered in fuzzy artifacts, and chug-a-chugs lose all definition. Major chords came out sounding like that one home-made live clip of Rhoads with QR

With the MP1 Gain 1 set to about 6 (just below clipping), and Gain 2 set to 10, it's still too saturated to play Sad But True cleanly, but solos on the upper strings/frets weren't as fuzz-covered. Nice sustain and definition, with minimal shrieking on double bends.

With Gain 2 on about 8, Holy Wars was totally do-able, as well as Disposable Heroes and One.
Speedy palm muted single-string rhythm patterns were articulate and well-defined. Arpeggiated lines on the wound strings were ballsy without sounding choked.

Scooping the mids of the MP1 (Mid on -12), I retained definition without turning it into a "bee in a bottle".

Since I didn't know how long I had before the noise-haters got home, I didin't get a chance to crank up any drums/backing tracks to see if I'd get buried in the mix with such scooped mids, and I only used one guitar - my black Warrior with a Parallel Axis Distortion in the bridge.

By default, the MP1's EQ is a tad on the bright side, so depending on the patch I used, I did have to back off either the unit's Presence or Treble a couple of notches. Setting the MP1's Bass to 6 and everything else to 0 made it too flabby for D-standard, but 4 was just right. I could still use the head's EQ to tweak it if I had to.


Probably won't get another shot until next week sometime, but I'm hoping to set up the camera and film different guitars and run through a few patches, with backing tracks. Definitely want to hear my NASL (Custom in the bridge), SoCal (JB bridge), and the WarAngel (Duncan Alt 8 - anxious to see how the "no volume control" works out with a real amp ).

Also want to see the Jazz'R (dual 59s) and SLS Custom (JB/59 hybrids) straight in - the alleged "Classic tone" of an LP straight to a Marshall will be put to the test there
Then there's the PL-2 with EMGs.
Need to get my Morton (dual P-Rails) up and running.

Just counted and I've got 22 guitars, and no two have the same pickups.

Don't know when it'll be, but it'll be a nice long day of Guitar Swapping and video editing and YouTubing

[Devotee]

ECC83 is the European designation for 12AX7.

I didn't know that, thanks!