Tweet
i wanna know how a sonic maximizer is going to improve the tone of a 5150.. im talking about Bills 422a hes talked about it in the past. But i need a refresher. Whats this thingy gonna do? Tighten up the bass, more articulate? does it make a significant difference in tone? I know theres only two Knobs on the thing but what do ya set them at???
-
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
it gives it more of a prosessed sound.It will suck the tone out of a tube head.If you do this you will have to start over from scratch.so be prepared to dump all your settings.you probably guessed I'm not really a fan of sonic maximizers.but to each his own -
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
it's kinda more like a SONIC-SCOOPAFIER than anything.
I personally don't like them, I think it makes everything sound too............i don't want to say "bland" or "boring", but I just got bored of the way it sounded after a while, ya know?
what's wrong with the 5150? I think you just need to tweek a bit longer OR get a compressor OR try different tubes (EHX, Tesla, Ruby, etc).Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
oh no you guys dont understand i love the 5150. I think it sounds awsome... Ive just been wondering about stuff like the sonic maximizer...an that adjustable bias mod. My 5150 is not a block letter head, it just has different tubes other then that its stock.... i remember a while back people tellin me all the time that the 5150 sounds so much better if you get the Tubes running alot hotter. But due to my location im better off flaging down the Special Ed bus to get any work done on amps or guitars..(Ive just been wondering about this stuff) if i ever did decide to do something like that i would have to send it someone...I dunno anyone who does that stuff either though. does Twisteramps??? who knows..Just Wondering for nowComment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
try voodoo amps I know they have mods for just about everythingComment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
A year ago I too was curious about the BBE's. I hooked one up to a Marshall JCM800 and like someone said here, it sucked the life out of it. It made it sound like it dampened the spirit of the amp and cranking it up didn't restore it's tone. Maybe a good tool for a soundman but IMO a virus for a guitar rig.Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
Well, this is coming from a person that hates BBEs at this point... and is such tone freak, that he bought a Custom Audio CAE3+se preamp to play metal with...
On most amps, the BBE truly sucks tone quite a bit, but for some reason they seem to sound good with the 5150s. Don't ask me why, but they breathe life into them somehow. Most other amps, they suck life out of them, hehe...
You must use it quite sparingly, but they are pretty cool pieces for that amp. I ran two 5150 rigs for years with BBE422A's, liked them quite a bit. I now have several BBE's sitting on the shelf here as they generally sound like ass with most thigs I try them on. I keep them, just in case... I heard a band last night here, called Souless, running stock, straight 5150s and they sounded sorta iffy. Not like I remember mine sounding.
5150 + BBE422a + Actual 5150 cabs = Pretty Cool metal rig...
422a is about 40-50 bucks and sell easily, worth a try at the least.Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
ya cleve..i was waiting for you to jump in there....Where is Horns though? i figured hed be pushin me to go for it. I got the cab already and i agree best cab for the 5150.Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
The BBE sonic maximizer sounds great before going into my VHT 2/90/2. And it was a noticable difference. I don't know about processing with the BBE into a 5150 though. Maybe in the effects loop mode though?Tone is like Art: Your opinion is valid. Listen, learn, have fun, draw your own conclusions.Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
+1 for Voodoo Amps!
Trace kicks ass, he modded my Recto (or rather I bought a modded dual recto from him!) Best investment I EVER made.
email him, he will make it sound exactly how you want (if you want a different sound) or mod it in various other ways (more tubes, less tubes, different tubes)
if you go to harmony central and ask there are some tubes (from eurotubes or tubestore, can't remember!) that'll let you use 2 EL34's and 2 6L6's. Just trying to be helpful and give you a breadth of options in sound "tweeking" [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
I run a 482i in my rig. Dual Rec and Mesa recto cab. Installed it in the signal path and never looked back. Highs are higher, lows are lower. All infinitely configurable. It's a permanent installation in everyones rig I know. Adds sparkle to you cleans for certain. Severe crunch. Check it out.Comment
-
Re: effects of a sonic maximizer
I don't really use my BBE anymore, but did at one point. I think that it makes most amps/rigs sound very box like. If you will boost the low end very much it gives it a cardboard type tone. The highs have a processed feel to tehm also.
I guess with some amps they may work but with most they just suck the tone out. When I used to use mine alot I was running it with a Furman PQ-4, a Marshall 50 watt Jubilee, Lexicon PCM 70 & PCM 42, and a Jackson Limited 88' (w/ a J-90c and JE-1000 active electronics). I got some great tones with that combo, but I did eventually take out the BBE.
I would try a good EQ first. You might get better results with that. I've heard some guys use eq's with their 5150 and get great tones.Comment
Comment