Update with my XTL/pa setup question inside

[Thor Von Clemson]

Here is an update for all you XTL users and for Ifraan.
I have had my XTL setup which consists of the XTL----Carvin DCM 150 poweramp----1540 speaker. So far, the cleans and the fx are warm and lush. They really sound amazing!

The only problem is it is going to sound very dark when we play live if we tried to mic the speakers and the midrange on the disortion is lacking, though it sounds like that may be expected with this particular speaker. So here is what I am thinking of doing... picking up another Carvin poweramp (maybe the TS100 this time to see how it sounds compared to a dcm150) and running it to a vetta 4x12. I know the speakers are voiced differently and they are regular 12 inch speakers so it may work better for the distortion and for mic'ing
I would run the right from the pod to my dcm then to two 1540's and position the 1540's on the left and right sides of the vetta cab. I would run the left into the ts100 then run that into the vetta cab.. seems to me that would cover a lot of the midrange and I would be able to mic the vetta cab when played live...


I guess on paper this seems like a good idea to me. Who knows, I may end up liking the way the TS100 sounds through the vetta cab and ditch the other setup.

Anyone?

[jgcable]

Here is a better suggestion although I think you are on the right track.
Get a Carvin T100 or TS100 or Mesa 20/20 or 50/50 or Peavey 50/50 or 60/60 and instead of getting a Line 6 4 x 12 cab, get 2 2 x 12 cabs and run them spread out a little in true stereo.
Forget using the SS Carvin poweramp. You won't need it. I have a Carvin T100 and I ran my Boss GT-6 through it for years. Killer sound and really loud. A tube power amp designed for guitar use makes a world of difference when using an XTL, specifically for the high gain tones.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

i run mine from the xtl to the fx return of my stiletto. to a custom 2x12 with gt-75's. basically the same setup but a marshall style cab.

speakers do make the biggest difference in how they react with the poweramp.

i prefer a tube power amp. SS sounds ok but i like the feeling of the tube amp better like the way it reacts with your playing.

having 1 or more 12 inch guitar speakers is the way to go. and a vetta cab would just open more doors to the emulation features.

[jgcable]

i run mine from the xtl to the fx return of my stiletto. to a custom 2x12 with gt-75's. basically the same setup but a marshall style cab.

speakers do make the biggest difference in how they react with the poweramp.

i prefer a tube power amp. SS sounds ok but i like the feeling of the tube amp better like the way it reacts with your playing.

having 1 or more 12 inch guitar speakers is the way to go. and a vetta cab would just open more doors to the emulation features.

The nice thing about running the XTL into the effects return of a Stiletto is if anything ever went wrong with the XTL you could always use the Mesa live. When I gig with my Vetta or my Soldano I always bring my GT-6 as backup just in case.

Regarding speakers.. I have been messing around with different combinations lately and I am really digging the Celestion T75's. They handle the bottom end better and they still have a nice balance of that Vin 30 sizzle.

[Fragle]

The nice thing about running the XTL into the effects return of a Stiletto is if anything ever went wrong with the XTL you could always use the Mesa live. When I gig with my Vetta or my Soldano I always bring my GT-6 as backup just in case.

however, i think it's much more likely that the mesa has some issues as it is a tube amp, and tubes bite the dust every once in a while....the xt should be bulletproof imho.

[Twisteramps]

The nice thing about running the XTL into the effects return of a Stiletto is if anything ever went wrong with the XTL you could always use the Mesa live. When I gig with my Vetta or my Soldano I always bring my GT-6 as backup just in case.

however, i think it's much more likely that the mesa has some issues as it is a tube amp, and tubes bite the dust every once in a while....the xt should be bulletproof imho.

Bulletproof unless you get a power spike.

Or someone spills a beer on it.

Or someone drops something heavy on it.

Or... (fill in the blank). My XTL had a footswitch go bad, I had to replace it. L6 shipped me the replacement part for free, took about 1/2 hour to take apart the unit and remove the old part/solder in the new one. I would have been screwed if it happened at a gig and affected one of the footswitches that I use all the time like tap tempo, or happened to more than one.

Pete

[jgcable]

Bulletproof unless you get a power spike.

Or someone spills a beer on it.

Or someone drops something heavy on it.

Or... (fill in the blank). My XTL had a footswitch go bad, I had to replace it. L6 shipped me the replacement part for free, took about 1/2 hour to take apart the unit and remove the old part/solder in the new one. I would have been screwed if it happened at a gig and affected one of the footswitches that I use all the time like tap tempo, or happened to more than one.

Pete

The difference between something going wrong on an XTL and something going wrong on a Mesa amp is this:
It the Mesa goes bad you have a very good possibility of repairing it on the spot (bad tube.. blown fuse tec...)
If an XTL goes bad your fukked. I do agree that they are extremely well made. So is the Boss GT-6. Its a serious heavy duty piece of gear.
My buddy got a nasty voltage spike with his Vetta and he had to do a factory reset on it because the screen went completely blank. The Insititute of Noise has a walkthru showing you how they reset dead Vetta's at the factory. The walkthru worked perfectly. Apparently, the Vetta has a protect mode it goes into if it experiences a nasty voltage spike.

[Twisteramps]

The difference between something going wrong on an XTL and something going wrong on a Mesa amp is this:
It the Mesa goes bad you have a very good possibility of repairing it on the spot (bad tube.. blown fuse tec...)
If an XTL goes bad your fukked. I do agree that they are extremely well made. So is the Boss GT-6. Its a serious heavy duty piece of gear.
My buddy got a nasty voltage spike with his Vetta and he had to do a factory reset on it because the screen went completely blank. The Insititute of Noise has a walkthru showing you how they reset dead Vetta's at the factory. The walkthru worked perfectly. Apparently, the Vetta has a protect mode it goes into if it experiences a nasty voltage spike.

One thing about Mesas though - I had one burn a hole in the pcb about the size of a dime, and had to have it rewired around it. (I can see everyone who ever bought a mesa from me scrambling for their email to ask if it was the one I sold them... nope, this was before I was on the net, about '91 or so, and it was an EL84 powered .50 caliber).

...that mesa was dead as a rock the rest of the gig. One thing to remember is that NO GEAR IS BULLETPROOF.

Pete

[jgcable]

One thing about Mesas though - I had one burn a hole in the pcb about the size of a dime, and had to have it rewired around it. (I can see everyone who ever bought a mesa from me scrambling for their email to ask if it was the one I sold them... nope, this was before I was on the net, about '91 or so, and it was an EL84 powered .50 caliber).

...that mesa was dead as a rock the rest of the gig. One thing to remember is that NO GEAR IS BULLETPROOF.

Pete

Yep... always bring a backup. I always do now.

[Thor Von Clemson]

Thats always another option is get a good tube head and good cab to use as my main source of noise. The XTL will always work as a great recording device and backup incase anything goes wrong. I miss a regular guitar setup anyways.

Or I could get a tube poweramp and good preamp for metal with decent cleans and use that setup with a guitar cab while still using the xtl in the studio, etc, etc. That way I could use the xtl through the tube poweramp incase anything went wrong with my preamp during a gig.

Any ideas?

[Genebaby]

Why not actually plug the XTL into the PA and use a monitor to play against? That's what I do with mine, one out into the PA, another into a powered monitor, and sometimes from the monitor into my TSL100 for show/extra ambience.