The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #76

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    One thing you can do quickly, cheaply, and easily is to mod the Vibrolux a little. Pull the V1 tube (assuming you're using the reverb channel). This will drive the reverb channel preamp more, giving slight distortion at higher volumes. Costs nothing, easily reversible by just reinserting the tube. Having a solid-state rectifier also increases the clean headroom, so if you have one, replace it with a 5U4 tube. Other mods are explained here: BF/SF Vibrolux Reverb | fenderguru.com

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  3. #77

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    Quote Originally Posted by guavajelly
    BTW, here is a video with the ES-330 (neck pickup, flat wounds) straight into the vibrolux. If I remember correctly the volume was something around 2 on the scale, treble at noon, bass around 3 or 4. I think it sounds OK, just a bit blank ...
    If you want a little amp break-up, a Vibrolux Reverb strikes me as way too much amp for that group and space. You said you have a Blues Junior, right? That’s what I’d use there.

  4. #78

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    Quote Originally Posted by guavajelly
    Thank you all. I see that my options are
    • A boost or EQ to get the tubes cooking
    • An overdrive of some sort (thousands of options, really overwhelming)
    • An attentuator to tame the cranked amp

    OR just stopping to obsess ....
    One more option - use a lower powered amp, e.g., Princeton Reverb, BJ, PJ, one of the 2x6v6 tweed clones, or even lower powered than that.

  5. #79

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    Quote Originally Posted by ruger9
    I always prefer amp gain to pedal gain. But I have yet to find an amp that I can turn up that loudly and have it still be low enough volume for reasonable home use. That's why Master Volumes were invented. But even they don't always get the job done, and they are not all created equal.

    To this end, "getting all the gain from the amp, for home use", I have been considering the Cornell Romany, which comes with NOT a master volume, but a built-in attenuator.

    But truth be told, pedals are just easier. And cheaper. And there are great one that do the job really well.

    I'm always looking for Kenny Burrell's Midnight Blue tone (which has been reported as a Fender 5E3 Deluxe tweed and a CC pickup), or Julian Lage's more recent tone with his Collings 470JL and Magic Amps Vibro-Deluxe. But even he uses on OD pedal frequently, there was a video of him playing in his home (one of the Collings demos maybe), where you could see the JHS Morning Glory turned ON in the background...)
    Yes, that pedal would not be a bad place to start. If it's like the other Bluesbreaker variants I've tried, it will boost the mids a bit, but not as much as a tube screamer type.

    It can probably be found used as well, so not necessarily an expensive try out.

    Another worth considering is the new Duke of Tone, which is being put out by MXR in collaboration with Analogman, because he can't keep up with demand for the King of Tone- at least a 4 year wait list!

  6. #80

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    Considering using a lower powered amp: I have a blues jr. 15 – 15 watts, master volume, 1 x 12" – and it is fighting. I also used a princeton on a gig lately and it was fighting. These kind of 12-15 watt amps are cool and they give me the tone I want, but they are fighting to provide the volume and headroom I also need. And honestly all these amps are very compressed in the lower register.
    Here's a video to proove in a similar venue using the blues jr.:

    To me that is already (a little bit) too trashy – and you can hear that notes in the lower register get burried in the sounds of organs of drums. Very obvious when we play the bridge of Fire Eater – the first song in the compilation at around 0:05.
    I'm a fan of Alter and he has a series of videos playing his 335 through a tiny pro junior.

    He sounds great but I think that his band plays a little quieter than mine.

    The Vibrolux OTOH has more headroom and also a more complete sound – I think due to the bigger cabinet and two speaker (2 x 10") – It just needs to be tamed a little bit. Just a notch.
    Yesterday I contacted the guy who makes the attentuator I tried (see OP) and told him that the first level of attentuation (1/4) was already too quiet. He quickly responded that he could make me one with less reduction at no extra cost – so I ordered one that reduces output to 3/4 or 1/2 (it has a switch). I'm looking forward to try that. I hope that this gives me the option to use the full volume, something a little more than the blues jr. and something in between – like 3 Amps in one. I hope that works out like that. ;-)
    Wish me luck.
    Last edited by guavajelly; 10-29-2022 at 04:59 AM.

  7. #81

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    FWIW here's a link to the attentuator (standard configuration with 1/4 and 1/10): VARISUCKER 50 Watt

  8. #82

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    Put a fender Princeton through a toob metro gp. Plenty of hair then haha

    it actually sounds fab

  9. #83

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    Another thing i sometimes do when i need more volume is just carry two amps. A small tube one, and a light ss one, like an Aer or ZT lunchbox.

  10. #84

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    FWIW I tested the Harley Benton (made by Joyo) "Ultimate Drive" meanwhile. While it will not do exactly what a cranked amp does it still produces a very nice amp-like overdrive with the drive around 8 or 9 o'clock and also excels as a clean boost with drive on zero. It's also very dynamic for a pedal – much more than my Rat or Tube Screamer. My telecaster loves it. If I understand correctly it's a clone of the Fulltone OCD? It's only 29.95 € so I thought I give it a try.

  11. #85

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    Quote Originally Posted by guavajelly
    FWIW I tested the Harley Benton (made by Joyo) "Ultimate Drive" meanwhile. While it will not do exactly what a cranked amp does it still produces a very nice amp-like overdrive with the drive around 8 or 9 o'clock and also excels as a clean boost with drive on zero. It's also very dynamic for a pedal – much more than my Rat or Tube Screamer. My telecaster loves it. If I understand correctly it's a clone of the Fulltone OCD? It's only 29.95 € so I thought I give it a try.
    Hej guavajelly! When you have tested the HB Ultimate Drive why not write a few words on the subject. I mentioned at the start of this thread that the HB American was perhaps a good suggestion, that said I admit I do not have a lot of experience with pedals. HB does make so good and reasonably price products, it is always nice to hear how the neighbors feel about gizmos.

  12. #86

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    Hey Ozoro,

    I like it. It took me a bit of turning the knobs to figure out how to use it. I also don't have a lot of experience. It is a bit hissy when turning up the gain and tone knobs, so my first thought was to send it back. But when I found out how to set it up (with the gain under 9 o'clock and the tone at 1 o'clock) there was no hiss and I liked the tone – especially with the tele and strat. And it reacts much like a tube amp, cleaning up very nicely with soft picking or turning down the guitar volume. Cranking up the gain takes it into fuzz which can come in handy – we play one song with the funk band that requires fuzz.
    With the ES 330 I like it with the gain off, it becomes a nice booster then. The pickups in my ES 330 are like twice as loud as the fender pickups. I doubt that it will do exactly what a cranked tube amp does but it sure does a better job than my Rat or tube screamer clone which both add more compression.
    I only played it with my blues junior at home so far. Will try it with the Vibrolux on the next gig. I think with the attentuator I ordered and/or this I will be able to dial in what I want to hear – basically still a clean tone but with some hair and magic tube mojo – if that makes sense ;-).
    BTW I also ordered the American True Tone you recommended with the Ultimate Drive. I had one for years until our bass player "stole" it from me (he didn't actually steal it but borrowed it and instead of giving it back sent me the money to buy a new one ;-). I think this works fine as an emergency amp or substitute for an amp. I also have a Tech 21 Fly Rig (my DI-rig, I don't fly but drive my bike to local gigs) and IMHO the tone is as good as the sans amp in that unit. In front of an amp and speaker I don't like it that much. Maybe because the speaker sim fights with the actual speaker? The frequency curve to me sounds weird in front of an amp and I can't dial it out (same with the fly rig btw) But it's great as a preamp to go into a DI, so it will just live in my gig bag in case my amp or the fly rig fails.

  13. #87

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    Quote Originally Posted by guavajelly
    Hey Ozoro,

    I like it. It took me a bit of turning the knobs to figure out how to use it. I also don't have a lot of experience. It is a bit hissy when turning up the gain and tone knobs, so my first thought was to send it back. But when I found out how to set it up (with the gain under 9 o'clock and the tone at 1 o'clock) there was no hiss and I liked the tone – especially with the tele and strat. And it reacts much like a tube amp, cleaning up very nicely with soft picking or turning down the guitar volume. Cranking up the gain takes it into fuzz which can come in handy – we play one song with the funk band that requires fuzz.
    With the ES 330 I like it with the gain off, it becomes a nice booster then. The pickups in my ES 330 are like twice as loud as the fender pickups. I doubt that it will do exactly what a cranked tube amp does but it sure does a better job than my Rat or tube screamer clone which both add more compression.
    I only played it with my blues junior at home so far. Will try it with the Vibrolux on the next gig. I think with the attentuator I ordered and/or this I will be able to dial in what I want to hear – basically still a clean tone but with some hair and magic tube mojo – if that makes sense ;-).
    BTW I also ordered the American True Tone you recommended with the Ultimate Drive. I had one for years until our bass player "stole" it from me (he didn't actually steal it but borrowed it and instead of giving it back sent me the money to buy a new one ;-). I think this works fine as an emergency amp or substitute for an amp. I also have a Tech 21 Fly Rig (my DI-rig, I don't fly but drive my bike to local gigs) and IMHO the tone is as good as the sans amp in that unit. In front of an amp and speaker I don't like it that much. Maybe because the speaker sim fights with the actual speaker? The frequency curve to me sounds weird in front of an amp and I can't dial it out (same with the fly rig btw) But it's great as a preamp to go into a DI, so it will just live in my gig bag in case my amp or the fly rig fails.
    Thanks guavajelly! Interestingly I felt the same way with the HB American. That is over a certain setting there was a hiss, and I am particularly allergic to those. However lowering the level setting, voice setting and drive setting the sound was very nice, with a whispering kind of tube warmth. The eq setting I cant remember especially, those being tertiary to the distortion I was looking for. I used the HB in front of a Quilter 202, very nice. Thank you for you feedback! 0zoro